You are here:
- Home
- Arts/Humanities
- Performing Arts
- Acting in Plays, Singing
- The art of teaching/coaching
Acting in Plays, Singing/The art of teaching/coaching
Advertisement
Question
Hello Sean,
My question is simple. What makes a vocal coach? What comes to mind? What's the main focus in useing your expertise to help singers. What are the dos and don'ts of coming to be a real force of nature such as yourself? You've provided countless basic but vital (often missing in todays singers) advice as to how a singer can lay foundation to a heathly technique and smart musicianship but how about for the aspiring coach or teacher? Seeing as your background took you from actor to opera singer to vocal coach without formal training (to my knowledge)in coaching,what are the real tried and true methods that you feel are imperative to be past down through today's coaches. I feel you're the best person to ask seeing as how you've been both behind and in front of the piano through your career in the performing arts.
Thanks, Chris
Hello, Chris
)
Thank you for contacting me. I believe your question is more in line with Classical training.
I spent more than a decade training in Bel Canto and performing the repertoire in concert and fully staged productions. Following that, I maintained another decade as a professional singer in non-classical venues. It was always my desire to teach. As with my own private coaches each of whom maintained long singing careers I had a huge history of knowing how to maintain my vocal chops and to correct the technique of others who were struggling. During the past 28 years as a professional vocal in San Francisco, it has been my choice to not work specifically with Classical singers but, with a few exceptions. Today, the young singer who believes they may have a shot at a career in the Classical world must attend a world class music conservatory or university with a recognized outstanding music department. There is simply no other way to make that kind of career happen.
In my capacity as the editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com I am able to interview the gifted members of the Merola Opera Training Program and the even more advanced Adler Fellows. These two programs are in the absolute top tier of young artists training programs around the world. To become an Adler Fellow, you must be invited in from the Merola Program. To get into the Merola Program, you must compete against an international roster of applicants. Each candidate holds a music degree, some arrive with Masters degrees. Each of the programs offers training to individuals pursuing coaching and directing. If what you want to become is a bonafide Classical coach, then this is the route to go.
The most important aspect of my job as a vocal coach is knowing how to correctly identify a client's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, bass, etc. It has been my experience that not everyone claiming to be a vocal trainer has this ability. Ultimately, the singer's true vocal category is proven throughout a wide-range of performance opportunities and auditions calling for repertoire written specifically for that category, i.e., a Broadway musical. The advantage I enjoy as a teacher comes from a lifetime of musical training and performance, on-going research, and a particular passion for voices. Add to that my continuous attendance as a music critic of major professional productions and concerts here in San Francisco. I know how to listen, I see what "They" are hiring. I know how to train my clients in order to make them competition and performance ready.
If you want to succeed in this very precarious field, you must know the same.
Check out my recent Cable-TV interview on "Ten Percent":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKeeTYTYMAI
Below are links to my articles and youtubes on San Francisco's entertainment and cultural scene:
LEANNE BORGHESI SF Bay Area Star on the Rise
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=163898
SHAWN MATHEY To replace Topi Lehtipuu in SF Opera's "Don Giovanni", opening Saturday, October 15th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=164354
"HOUDINI: Art and Magic" At the Contemporary Jewish Museum
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=164754
FLEET WEEK The VIP Party at Pier 39
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=163576
"REAL STEEL" Reels of money-making crap starring Hugh Jackman
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=163408
LUCAS MEACHEM Former Adler Fellow to sing "Don Giovanni" at San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=162473
BERLIN & BEYOND 16th Anniversary, Film Festival Opens at The Castro, October 20th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=163143
CAMERON CARPENTER International Superstar Organist plays "Phantom of the Opera" at Davies Symphony Hall, Friday, October 30th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=162920
"THE MILL & THE CROSS" Film director Lech Majewski brings 16th Century masterpiece to life
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=162158
"ONCE IN A LIFETIME" A Charming Comedy at A.C.T.
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=161937
"LUCREZIA BORGIA" A Hard Act To Swallow at San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=160261
THE "DOUBLE PLATINUM" GOES TO: The California Academy of Sciences!
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=161440
EDDIE MULLER and "Fear Over Frisco" An Interview with the Czar of Noir
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=161026
CD Release Jacques Loussier Trio "Schumann: Kinderszenen"
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=160633
LEAH CROCETTO An Interview with "Liu" in SF Opera's TURANDOT
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=159189
SILENT FILM FESTIVAL Joins with the American Conservatory Theatre
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=158668
HENRY PHIPPS A Conversation with Featured Boy Soprano in SF Opera's "Heart of a Soldier"
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=158231
"HEART OF A SOLDIER" A Rapturous World Premiere At San Francisco Opera
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=157139
MEET MAESTRO NICOLA LUISOTTI San Francisco Opera opens 2011/12 season with Puccini's "Turandot"
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=156522
"The Glory of Love" A Salute to Jacqueline Fontaine
http://youtu.be/KuxxqmpUY_M
SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY Opens Tonight and Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=155872
"MOZART'S SISTER" Third string cinema
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=155054
SF EARLY MUSIC SOCIETY Season Opens with the Catacoustic Consort and Wildcat Viols
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=154139
"ONCE IN A LIFETIME" 1930 Comedy Open's 2011-12 Season at A.C.T.
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=153488
36th ANNUAL SF OPEN STUDIOS Every weekend, October 1st30th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=152972
THE MOURNERS: Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=151939
MEROLA OPERAS GRAND FINALE Meet Daniel Curran and Mark Diamond
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=150518
NEW ON CD "Live from the Marlboro Music Festival"
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=148987
THE STEINS COLLECT: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde SFMOMA extends viewing hours on exhibition
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=148813
NATHAN GUNN Sings Schubert's Die Schφne Mόllerin
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=56056
CAMINOS FLAMENCOS A Conversation with Yaelisa
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=51761
JANE MONHEIT An Interview
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=48083
DIANE BAKER Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=32007
CAMERON CARPENTER An Interview with Seαn Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=24462
AT LAST! ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY An Interview with Seαn Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=27122
A Conversation with Ruben Martin Cintas, Principal Dancer with SF Ballet
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=22107
THIS GUN FOR HIRE, 1942 Looking at "Now you see it, now you don't" sung by Veronica Lake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI26A6HdnWY
"My Silver Dollar Man" from MARKED WOMAN (starring Bette Davis, 1937)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJMuY8aKFV8
"Would You Like A Souvenir?" Sean Martinfield and Janet Roitz explore a song from Film Noir classic NORA PRENTISS (1947)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOiqTp0tjvg
Best regards,
Seαn Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=65
Related Articles
- 19th Century Bel Canto - Bel Canto during the Romantic Period
- Bel Canto, Bella Lingua: The Italian Connection
- Types of Operas - The Different Types of Operas
- People Who Have Won Super Bowls as Both a Player and Coach
- San Francisco Performing Arts - San Francisco Opera Symphony and Ballet Performing Arts
Answers by Expert:
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: Seαn 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
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.