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Acting in Plays, Singing/Belting
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Dear John,
Hi, I'm allison I am 16 years old and I love singing. So I started taking voice lessons about 2 months ago and while i wanted to sing show tunes,my teacher started teaching me classical. I know calssical can help but thats not what I want right now. I'm sure you've heard of Wicked the musical and are somewhat familiar with the music. Well I can sing Defying gravity and the Wizard and I. I can hit those notes at my age. I'm finding that I want to really be able to belt and make it in musical theater,wheater it be broadway or off broadway. My question is, how do I belt like Idina menzel without completley straining my voice. I understand she is a highly trained singer but I can hit those notes.
I want to be a great singer and MAKE IT!
Thanks,
Allie
Hi, Allie –
Thank you for the questions.
I am a vocal coach in San Francisco. Two of my clients appeared in the National Tour of WICKED which played at our Orpheum Theatre. It was fabulous for me to see them on stage. Obviously, it made me very proud and happy for them.
I studied Bel Canto (the time-honored European methodology designed for opera singers) for 10 years, learned and performed a huge amount of repertoire including operatic roles, art songs, oratorio, etc. It has nothing to do with Standard American Music, including the vast majority of Broadway material. When I moved away from the classical repertoire and into American popular standards, i.e., everything composed from around 1890 (the period of "Ragtime") to something published yesterday, it took quite a while to adjust the overall placement of my tone. Yes, my vocal stamina was already in place, but that didn't happen exclusively from singing opera. I have always exercised my abdominal muscles and maintain a regular workout session that concentrates on cardio-vascular strength. After all, I have to demonstrate breath support and vocal endurance to my clients everyday.
While your teacher is probably very well-intentioned in wanting to strengthen your overall vocal production, the fact of the matter is that the Broadway Alto-Belter does not employ her voice the same way as does the classically-trained Mezzo Soprano, nor does she sing as high. The Belter rarely sings anything above 4th-line D or 4th-space E-flat, and seldom belts above 3rd-space C. Most of her material sits between Low A and 2nd-space A. Moreover, the sound of Standard American English is something none of the great European composers ever used or ever heard.
What you must have – no matter what style or era of music you are attracted to and believe you could succeed in as a performer – is a reliable vocal workout. It's the same discussion if what you wanted was an Olympic Gold Medal. Every successful athlete has to learn and develop a reliable physical work-out in order to acquire the muscular strength, personal discipline, mental focus and whatever specific attributes required of their chosen sport – before doing anything about the sport itself, i.e., jumping hurdles. In other words, you have to know how to "warm-up" your entire register and to create a seamless flexibility between your highest and lowest notes. Along with that, you must become the best musician and actress you know. Such abilities do not come from singing your favorite songs, even though you might be able to easily mimic the sounds on an original cast recording. Never delude yourself with this notion. Beyond all that, you must be among the best of dancers the Choreographer sends to the callbacks. Otherwise, you will never appear in a professional Broadway Musical.
If this is the life you want, then you need to re-focus everything toward winning a scholarship to a world class Conservatory or University such as Julliard or NYU. Without such training and academic achievement you will be lost.
Keep me posted.
Seán Martinfield
Music & Theatre Critic, THE SAN FRANCISCO SENTINEL:
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/news_in_brief/martinfield_060622.shtml
E-Mail: http://www.geocities.com/broadwaybelters
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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: 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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