Acting in Plays, Singing/help, should I pursue?

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Expert: - 6/21/2010


Question
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AALq9BEyn8b There is a video of me singing, I am only 14 years old, and really need to know if I have any potential. I assume you're extremely busy, and I'll be very thankful if you can look at that for me. I am also wondering if I am an alto, soprano, and etcetera. Also, how can I broaden my range?

Answer
Hello, Jessica –

Thank you for contacting me. I watched your video.

You have all the potential in the world to become what you want to be. Your video proves a number of things –
You are very brave and determined – no matter all the other energy around you.
You learned the piece in its entirety and even demonstrated some strong vocals.
You know that it can all be better, right?

First of all, get new material.
I am totally over THE LITTLE MERMAID and everybody I know is sick of "Part of Your World". It is absolutely the wrong song for most everybody because it is sickeningly sweet, dependent on visual references, it goes on and on and on, and everyone who sings it has learned it by mimicking the recording and, thus, sings in their nose.

What would you sing if you were auditioning for a school show choir and the notice stated – "NO DISNEY" – ?

Always practice in front of a mirror. I was getting dizzy watching you weave across the screen. We both know there are kids younger than you who are working professionally. Are there theatre programs in your school or community centers? Find out. If your school has a music program, sign up for piano lessons. Learn how to read the sheet music of the songs you want to sing. It's summer. Stay in an exercise program that will get you into great shape for all the musical activities next semester. It will help with breath control and musical phrasing.

Work on another song. When you're ready, let me see it.

I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area.  When you get to The City and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1801247904.html I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com. All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Take a look at my You Tubes:
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield

Below are links to my recent interviews and articles about what's happening on San Francisco's cultural scene:
FROM BEGINNING TO END – At the Castro Theatre, FRAMELINE34
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=78854

THE STRANGER IN US – At the Castro Theatre, FRAMELINE34
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=78809

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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=77604

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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=77477

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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com

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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