Expertise I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Fine Arts Critic for SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including both the San Francisco International and Silent Film Festivals. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through craigslist.com. Look under Musicians, then keyword: Martinfield.
Experience Distinctive celebrity voices and how they are used and promoted by the Entertainment Industry have always fascinated me. Drawing from all eras of film and animation, television, radio, Broadway plays and musicals, opera and a few politicians ? a huge bounty of actors and singers have had a profound effect upon my life, influencing all the choices I made with respect to my education and my dual careers as a professional singer and vocal coach. I am curious about what is promoted and, consequently, the competitive aspects of the Performing Arts.
I am a Theatre Arts Graduate from San Francisco State University. During the years of my attendance, the school enjoyed the reputation for having the best Theatre Department on the West Coast. My academic training equipped me as an actor, enabling me to prepare for professional auditions and to compete successfully. I learned how to take direction and to apply my skills during the rehearsal process. Along the way I learned to identify my assets as a performer, to market my particular abilities and to find the audiences interested in my particular product.
During my freshman year, I also began studying opera. For the next eight years, I trained as a baritone, learning the classical vocal methodology known as "Bel Canto" with well-respected coaches including Mr. James Schwabacher, then head of the San Francisco Opera's Marla Training Program. Because mastering the technique of Bel Canto is absolutely dependent upon its application to Italian opera and, consequently, perfect pronunciation of the language, I studied Italian as well as French and German with private coaches. I have performed the roles of ?Guglielmo" (COSI FAN TUTTE), "Marcello" (LA BOHEME), "Valentin" (FAUST), "Enrico" (LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR), "Dr. Miracle", (THE TALES OF HOFFMANN), "Top" (THE TENDER LAND), " Mr. Gedge, the Vicar" (ALBERT HERRING) and "Dr. Caius" (THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR). During these ten years, I also appeared in many classical recitals singing the standard classical Baritone repertoire. It was Mr. Schwabacher's training that expanded my upper range, turning me into a working tenor. My last appearances as a classical tenor were with conductor and pianist Robin Kay, performing Schubert's DIE SCHÖNE MULLERIN.
I then re-trained my voice, dropped the Bel Canto methodology, and went on to sustain another 10 years doing standard American repertoire including Broadway, Jazz, Blues and Standards. Throughout this period I appeared regularly on the San Francisco cabaret circuit and was a featured soloist with Bay Area bands, orchestras and choruses. I continued producing my own solo concerts, the last being at the New Conservatory Theatre.
As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My clientele ranges from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to retired Senior Citizens. The vast majority of them come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know for certain that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre.
There are two major components to my job. The first is to teach basic musical skills such as reading music, counting, breathing techniques, development and expansion of the vocal range, phonetics and diction ? specifically as it applies to Standard American English. The second is about presentation ? that is, everything involved with the client's audition and/or actual performance. In short, for any person relying upon their vocal endurance and performance skills to earn a living, my job is to enable them to compete for a job and, when hired, to maintain that job.
Over the years my clients have appeared in all of the available Broadway musicals produced in virtually every theater throughout the Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. Most recently, my clients have been praised for their work in AIDA and WICKED.
So, if you want to prepare for "American Idol" or the Broadway stage, contact me through http://www.geocities.com/broadwaybelters
Q: I am currently working on my science fair project which is about what temperature of water affects ... A: Again, it's not the vocal cords drying up. And why would water make them dry up? Clearly, something ...
Q: I am currently working on my science fair project which is about what temperature of water affects ... A: The primary function of the larynx is to protect the airways. Making sound is a secondary function. ...
Q: I am a junior in high school (16 years old) and will be auditioning for Musical Theatre ... A: What an audition panel looks for is a real love of and enthusiasm for musical theatre. That's why ...
Q: hey Andy. I've been singing properly for 4 years now. although i was trained for 1 year the teacher ... A: First things first - I really feel for you. It's an awful feeling to discover you've been taking the ...
Q: I am a lyrico spinto soprano and have been hired to sing a solo with chorus, and the tessitura of ... A: Becky Thank you for the question. Prior to accepting the gig, did you know this piece you are ...
Q: Martinfield, I am in my 3rd year study in classical singing. Since I started my singing lessons ... A: Anna – Thank you for the question. I’m not certain what you mean by your 3rd year of study in ...
Q: Hey Sean, I have asked you a question before about audition songs, and your song selection helped ... A: David – Thank you, I appreciate it. Whoever plays “Joseph” might also be able to sustain a career ...
Q: I am auditioning for the Broadway musical "Swing" in a few weeks. I am having some trouble finding a ... A: Hey, Taylor – Thank you for the question. The best way to approach your audition for SWING is to ...
Q: I was wondering is it possible for a tenor to hit baritone A? I've been told that the very lowest a ... A: As the saying goes, "anything is possible" (it's just that some things are less likely). Less ...
Q: I am auditioning for my high schools production of Gypsy. My two main intrest roles are Mama Rose ... A: Allie – Thank you for the question. The roles of “Mama Rose” and “Miss Mazeppa” require a ...
Q: hey! im a tenor-baritone at my school's choir. we are regarded as one of the best choirs in the east ... A: Walter...And thanks for writing. Well, there are couple of ways you can find the song you want. ...
Q: There is an upcoming audition for Gypsy. I am soprano and can belt and am still trying to work on a ... A: Rebekah – Thank you for the question. GYPSY is a great show. Given your vocal chops, you may want ...
Q: i understand that a deep breath in involves using the diaphragm so that the tummy rises and then ... A: It's a cause and effect thing, and people seem to get confused between which is which! To clarify: ...
Q: (I know you get a THOUSAND audition questions, but...) I need two audition songs that are ... A: Emily – Thank you for the question. Your chosen songs, “My Strongest Suit” and “Gimme Gimme” are ...
Q: I am a high school sophomore and am planning on auditioning for my high school's musical production ... A: Chris – Thank you for the question. Choosing monologues is not my field of expertise. I’m the ...
Q: I hope you can help me. I have a good karaoke machine at home that I can key up. I am a mezzo ... A: Well you've kind of answered your own question! If you ask the DJ to key it up without knowing what ...
Q: I hope you can help me. I have a good karaoke machine at home that I can key up. I am a mezzo ... A: Debra – Thank you for the question. All my mezzo-sopranos exercise from at least Low F to High A, ...
Q: I am auditioning for Godspell in late November. We are NOT supposed to sing a song from the show, ... A: Meredith – Thank you for the question. GODSPELL is essentially a show for adolescents. It is not ...
Q: My high school is putting on a production of West Side Story this spring and auditions are in about ... A: Amanda – Thank you for the question. Choosing monologues is not my expertise. I’m the coach you ...
Q: My community theatre is putting on the musical "Oliver!" and I would really like to audition for the ... A: Molly – Thank you for the question. The role of “Nancy” in OLIVER ranges from Low F to 3rd-line ...
Q: I used to have a rather limited range, of about an E3 to a Dflat5. I've been trying to expand it ... A: Jasmine...Yes. Using your breathing from the wind instrument which comes from your abdomen is a ...
Q: I am a low mezzo soprano female who sings classical and musical theater repertoire. A strength of ... A: Anna – Great question. Thank you. If you are doing something “wrong”, then it is about ...
Q: I wil be auditioning for my colleges production of "Hair" soon and I'm trying to find a good ... A: Claudia – Thank you for the question. Consider any of the following: Freddy, My Love – GREASE ...
Q: I am in need of song suggestions for a Christmas benefit concert in which I'll be singing. I've ... A: Catherine – Consider Olympia’s aria, "Les oiseaux dans la charmille" from Act 1 of The Tales of ...
Q: I used to have a rather limited range, of about an E3 to a Dflat5. I've been trying to expand it ... A: Jasmine...And thanks for writing. I'm thinking that your breathing may be what is causing your ...
Q: My name is Chelsea and I am seeking your professional advice. Ever since I was younger, I have loved ... A: It's hard to be specific on this one as I'm not sure where you live. However, if you want to be ...
Q: Martinfield! My name is Chelsea and I am seeking your professional advice. Ever since I was ... A: Chelsea – Thank you for the question. The answer is simple. You don’t have to stay a “small town ...
Q: I've been wanting to become a singer for about a few years now. how do i know if i need voice ... A: Cheniqua – Thank you for the question. All you need to make a demo is plenty of cash or room on ...
Q: I am 17 yrs old and auditioning for My Fair Lady, this year's high school musical. Of course, I am ... A: Virginia – Thank you for the question. It’s not about your “Broadway sound” or conforming to the ...
Q: I am an 18 yr old girl from Ireland with a HUGE love for musical theatre. I am currently finishing ... A: Aoife – Thank you for the question. Based on your description, you are probably a mezzo-soprano ...
Q: My college is putting on the Kander and Ebb musical "Chicago" in the spring and I am dying to get ... A: Emerald – Thank you for the question. Don’t settle for the Ensemble when you can get yourself ...
Q: I was wondering if I could get a few suggestions from you for a great audition song for my community ... A: Kyle – Thank you for the question. The role of “Don Quixote” in MAN OF LA MANCHA needs the bright ...
Q: I have a two-part question for you. I have auditions for a show and for college theater programs. ... A: Heather....And thanks for writing. Would you mind telling me how you find me on the list? What ...
Q: I will soon be auditioning for some top notch musical theatre colleges and I am FREAKING OUT. They ... A: Anthony – Thank you for the question. Based on your song list, I’m going to assume you are a ...
Q: My daughter is 10 and has been invited to audition for the San Diego production of La Boheme. She is ... A: Denise – Thank you for the question. Be wary of latching onto a vocal classification of “mezzo ...
Q: I am a new drama sponsor for high poverty high school. While I have been in musicals, plays, and 1 ... A: Lindsy – Thank you for the question. It’s always about how many guys show up to do whatever. So, ...
Q: I am a light tenor wishing to become a countertenor. I have managed to extend my upper notes to ... A: Stephen – Thank you for the question. It is very common for men exploring the countertenor range ...
Q: I am preparing for college auditions. Can you tell me what to expect with the music theory ... A: Lala – Thank you for the question. I appreciate your sense of urgency. I think you would be ...
Q: My high school is putting on the play Back to the 80s as our spring musical and I need help picking ... A: Maggie – Thank you for the question. I’m glad the producers are asking for a pop Rock song for the ...
Q: i have always wanted to know that why the sound i recorced sound different from the voice i heard ... A: Jackie – Great question, thank you. Recordings lie in our favor and lie against us. Some people ...
