In contemporary styles such as pop, R&B, and jazz, vocal improvisation is a vital component of an exciting performance. But many well-trained singers can freeze up when asked to improvise.
Singing Advice
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The Pleasure of His Accompaniment
Musical director Garry Dial gets technical about how to work with the band. The Manhattan School of Music staffer and independent coach has worked with big names in the business.
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Michael Shannon navigates 100 minutes of roller-coaster speech in his Off-Broadway triumph. How does he do it? Lots of water and no phone calls.
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The professional life of a performer can be feast or famine. Even the most gifted can have downtime between gigs. Working as a voice teacher can be a good way to keep your finances stable when you're not performing.
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Reeve Carney talks about the vocal challenges of being Spider-Man in Julie Taymor's megamusical with music and lyrics by Bono and the Edge of U2.
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The ability to speak convincingly in different dialects is an important part of an actor's tool kit. No matter how well you connect emotionally with a role, a false or inappropriate accent can diminish the final result.
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Amy Stoller, a 'dialect designer,' discusses finding the sound of an Irish village for the Off-Broadway hit 'Wife to James Whelan.'
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"I can't say I have a method." That's Jackie Presti speaking. "I never understand any method. Does any method fit every person? We're not cookie cutters."
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Transitioning From Opera to Broadway
Richard Lissemore is a New York–based voice teacher who has had great success in both the classical and Broadway worlds. He has helped students make the shift from classically trained singer to successful musical theater actor.
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You Could Drive a Truck Through It
Nashville-based voice coach Brett Manning is one of the most recognized names in vocal instruction. Manning has also created the only CD instruction course dealing solely with vibrato.
