Acting in Plays, Singing/Broadway

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Expert: - 4/15/2009


Question
Hi.  Well I'm going to be thirteen in a matter of days and I really really really want to be on Broadway when I grow up.  I know that that is probably every kid's dream, to be on Broadway or acting, so I wanted to get a head start.  Do you think I am at an age where I should begin SERIOUS training?  Now I partake in small town plays where we sing act and dance, I play piano, and I have taken dance classes since I was two, so I'm not totally lost.  I have a pretty decent voice and can have a really good accent.  Do you have any training ideas I could do that won't cost me a whole lot?  If this helps, I live right outside of Philly. Thanks so much!

Answer
Hi, Madi –

Thank you for your question.

It may not be every kid's dream to be in a Broadway show.  Unless you are a major star – and sometimes not even from the musical world – and with your name above the title, a job in a Broadway musical is one of the lowest paid positions in the performing arts.

You are doing the right thing with knowing how to play the piano, taking dance classes, and trying-out for local theater.  Add to that a knowledge of every major Broadway musical since the early '20s and also the musicals from Hollywood. The more repertoire you become familiar with, the more you will understand about the advantages and limitations of such a career.  Along the way, your voice category must be properly identified, i.e., soprano, mezzo-soprano, etc.  My job as a professional vocal coach is to determine that and to train you properly.  Ultimately, a career in musical theatre is determined by your vocal category and the roles for which you are appropriate at any given age.

Your "serious training" should begin around 16 as you are preparing to graduate from high school with a 4.5 grade average.  Work smart!  Your goal is to win as much scholarship money as you can to get into the best Music Conservatory possible, such as Juilliard in New York.  Without such education and credentials you will always be competing against those who have them.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1140282088.html
I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the performing arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Take a look at my You Tubes:

Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

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 Editor of 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 the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients 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 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 a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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