Acting in Plays, Singing/Repo! The Genetic Opera.

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Expert: - 3/16/2010


Question
I've been thinking for sometime now that I wanted to make a career, or at least a very important hobby, out of acting and singing, especially. I'm fourteen at the moment, and i have no idea what my voice range is because my school vocal teacher seems to switch me around because I can "hit them all" except for the every high and very low notes. Whatever that means, haha.

Anyway. I want to learn how to sing the parts of Blind Mag and Shilo Wallace on Repo! The Genetic Opera, and whether or not one day I can hit as low as the Graverobber on his first scene in the graveyard. I was wondering if I could get some hints, tips, maybe some walkthroughs?

Also, I noticed that I have very weak singing stamina. I can sing one song, once, and after that the quality would steadily decline. I also have trouble breathing. No one has ever taught me how to breath from my diaphragm, and besides, I have no idea how to access it.

Looking forward to your response,
Maya E. :)

Answer
Hello, Maya –

Thank you for the question.

It’s clear you need vocal training from someone other than your school’s teacher.

My job as a professional vocal coach is to determine your true vocal category and to train you accordingly. I must hear you to do that. Then it’s about developing, expanding and maintaining the range within that category. Your job right now is to become a more-informed musician than your school’s curriculum might include. You need to know at least the notes you are singing in your vocal range. If you were my client, then I would teach you a series of complex scales that would strengthen what you have, expand the upper and lower registers, and build your vocal chops to be able to endure long rehearsals and – as with the professional Broadway singer – eight shows per week.

If the roles you want in THE GENETIC OPERA seem to be within your vocal reach – go for it. All you have to do is be more prepared than your competition and be what your directors have in mind. Simple.

It also sounds like you need to be in better physical condition. Singers breathe like dancers. Start dancing. A career in musical theatre starts with you being the best dancer on the block. Don’t waste your time worrying about the semantics of “breathing from the diaphragm”. While you’re getting yourself into Olympic physical condition, put on the headset and listen to every musical ever written. Start with the Tony nominees.

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. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1646265517.html
You may also contact me through my website: http://www.thebeltersmethod.com/The_Belters_Method/Welcome.html
I am the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

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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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