Alright…. you are ready to move your craft from the sounds of your bedroom onto the public stage…are you ready? Will your voice hold out night after night? Will your voice last when you have countless meet and greets, meetings, press engagements, etc. You have always envisioned being on that global stage and touring around the world, right? Well let’s make sure that your voice is the last thing you have to worry about.
I love working with touring artists. I get asked all the time why do touring artists need a coach? My response is always “why do NBA players needs a coach?” The voice coach is the one that makes sure the artist is executing the “vocal plays” in a healthy and productive manner to maintain longevity and without getting injured. When you are performing at a touring level you need to realize you are a vocal athlete! You need to have someone on your team who knows your voice intimately so that they can make sure you are staying healthy and balanced for you to continue with what you have worked so hard to achieve.
Every artist has his/her own individuality and identity due to style, genre and patterns, so we cultivate a very specific routine ensuring that the artist doesn’t have to cancel a show, and are getting from night to night without having voice issues.
One of the biggest concerns I always hear when we are getting ready is “will my voice hold out”. The answer is yes…if you have been preparing and training. A runner would never run a marathon without training for the marathon so why would a vocal athlete expect to make it through a vocal marathon without preparing and vocal conditioning? Nobody competes in the Olympics without training. What you are doing night after night is your own vocal Olympics. You are a vocal athlete, and you need to train as one. We want to make sure you are delivering what your fans are expecting without having to adjust your sound or style or what I call your vocal fingerprint. We want you to sound like you and your recordings…LIVE. Every artist has his/her own individuality and identity due to style, genre and patterns, so we cultivate a very specific routine ensuring that the artist doesn’t have to cancel a show, and are getting from night to night without having voice issues. How I train a rock singer is very different from how I work with a rapper. The program we set up is specific and unique to you!
Not only do I work with you independently, I also work with your full team. This could include managers, the music director, the choreographer, the nutritionist, etc. As a team we communicate so that we can set up healthy patterns and behaviors for you, the artist.
Together we figure out your show’s vocal pace, building endurance, breathing patterns, and making sure you can last the entire set night after night. Once we know what your demands are going to be we set up a customized plan specific to your needs, genre, and lifestyle to optimize a healthy vocal schedule. This would include all your press, radio, tv interviews and shows, meet and greets, travel and sleep schedules, warm up’s, sound check’s, show dates, cool downs and anything and everything related to tour life.
When I commit to working with the artist it is more than just a scheduled lesson time, they also have access to me around the clock so we can do warm ups/cool downs, and all that is necessary for a stellar performance, as well as an emergency 911 if needed. This can be remotely or traveling on the road with you! Simply put, my job is to make sure that the reason the artist is going on tour, their voice, is the primary focus. I am your advocate and there to make sure you and your voice are taken care of!
My own background as a credentialed Vocologist and a performer helps me understand the demands on all different vocal genres and why vocal technique patterns are so necessary. Every artist’s money maker, those two little vocal cords in the throat, should be the last thing to worry about. Each artist should know that these two little vocal cords controlling the entirety of the tour will execute the way they need to.
It is my job to give the tools and the training to the artist to eliminate the fear and stress of their voice not functioning properly, but to also enhance, build and show them more “vocal tools” that they have in their vocal toolbox. This could include building your vocal range to different style embellishments. When the artist is doing their part in the training and trusting the process, then the reward they are going to experience is that they are going to step on that stage and have success in their own delivery! Two of my main goals I tell clients are: #1 You are going to sing better than you ever had before. #2 You will learn to love to sing again! I’ve yet to have someone NOT achieve those two goals and you won’t be the first!
It is my job to to give the tools and the training to the artist to eliminate the fear and stress of their voice not functioning properly.