Vocal Study Products: List One

Some parents/students have asked me to summarize the various vocal training methods I have been considering. So, I have generated two lists. The first are the major home study products. These are the first-rate-celebrity vocal coaches that have come out with training materials (apparently) intended to be an all-in –one program. The second list will be additional components, or lesser known products aimed at being supplementary material for students currently enrolled in voice lessons. These lists are in no way intended to be a review of any kind, the only goal here is to inform consumers of what is available. It is strongly suggested that you view the product summaries on the seller’s webpage directly.

List One: Major Players in Home Vocal Study Products


 Singing Success – Brett Manning

This is the only program out of the bunch (meaning this first list) with which I have had first-hand experience. I managed to procure a copy of the program while I was looking for materials for students and was very taken with the method. It had made an impression so much so that I actually recommended the program in a past blog.  In truth, the best vocal study product I have come across so far is the “Mastering the Mix” program (also by Brett Manning) which was billed as something of a follow-up to the Singing Success CDs. There is no specific time-frame for the course, the student is simply supposed to work through it at their own pace (it took me the better part of a year to complete the Singing Success CDs). To summarize the approach; essentially, it is a step by step series of vocal strengthening sessions in order to make the voice more pliable and virtuosic. Singing Success used to offer a payment plan, but I have been unable to verify if they still do this.

Physical Version (Singing Success) $199.95 + $10.00 Shipping Download Version 199.95

Physical Version (Mastering the Mix) $249.99 Download Version $249.99

 How to Sing Better Than Anyone Else - KenTamplin

Ken Tamplin is an absolute legend in the Christian rock genre, and his high note chops are first rate. It is actually his own skill that is the major selling point for this program as can be seen from his many “how to sing like…” videos on YouTube. I reviewed his “e-book” publication in an earlier blog which garnished me some degree of ridicule from Tamplin supporters.  Regarding the program; there are three levels total. The first two are (I am told) designed to form a foundation for correct singing whereas the last is supposed to be advanced training. I have not used Tamplin’s series and therefore cannot comment on its effectiveness, however; there are many singers out there who stand by the program.

Physical Version $319.00 Download Version $299.00

The Singing Zone - Per Bristow

This program seems to be the only one out of the bunch that is completely video-based.  A total of four DVDs comprise issues such as generating more power with your voice, singing in tune, increasing your range, and finally; breathing.  Again, there doesn’t seem to be any set schedule for using the lessons, although it is conceivable that one could spend a week with each video.

Physical Version $177.00 Download Version $147.00

  Singorama – No Known Author

I looked around, fairly hard (much harder than I wanted to for this blog) to find who the author for this program was. Sadly I was unable to uncover that bit of data, so any of you readers who know the answer please feel free to drop a comment letting us all know. This program comprises 28 lessons, and from the looks of it, this is the only program to have a theoretical component to it. Meaning that you get all the breathing, pitch and range work, and also solfege, meter and scale theory, this is worth mentioning. Of course, if you already have a theoretical basis (such as, if you took piano lessons) this might not be quite the draw I am making it out to be. Aside from this there are also practical segments such as; how to sing with a band, and audition advice.

Pysical Version $299.95 Download Version $99.95

Vocal Release - Eric Frey

Vocal Release is an eight week program that on the surface is indistinguishable from the others. What is really nice here is the apparent step-by-step approach of clearing the voice of “bad habits” and then applying the exercises. The idea (seems to be) that the singer will cycle through the program every two months checking in with the audio files and making sure no bad habits develop along with keeping everything humming. Eric Frey is also a gifted vocalist worth hearing if you are a fan of rock-vocals.

Physical Version Not Available Download Version $97

Vocal Study Product: Singer's Advantage by Seth Riggs

I understand the desire to capitalize off of the American Idol brand. But attempting to get singers to embrace their own unique sound all the while carrying the label of the single most conformist (artistically speaking) program to ever be on the air puts me off just a bit. That being said, I have not yet run across a vocal training product that was worthless. Indeed, most things I review are usually quite useful. I wrote a few quick observations for Amazon.com and decided to re-post them here, just in case you wanted to read. 

The pros first:

There is a male and a female version, something that I really wish existed in other SLS products. The exercise routines are fast-paced and provide a fairly gentile but at the same time challenging routine. Its much more affordable than other products but for what you get (the four CD's are almost identical) it should really cost half of what it does. If the cost were to drop in half, I would highly recommend this product to every singer to keep and have in their arsenal, when they need a quick vocal workout. 

The cons:

There is no explanation of how to access the "head voice" the way Brett Manning's course teaches - therefore; it might be very frustrating for a singer who is unfamiliar with "damping" their vocal chords. Supposedly, each routine is selected based on a self-diagnosis, but truthfully 90% of each track is the same as the previous rendering the diagnosis sadly superfluous. Last, the extra CD's containing an "intro to SLS" is really more of an infomercial with next to no theory explaining how it works, and "5 Secrets to mastering any song" are "secrets" only if you have been living in a cave your whole life. 

All in all, the singing community does owe a lot to Mr. Riggs - he really was the first to bring out a method for teaching contemporary vocals, but he seems to have developed very little beyond his original findings. A fact which renders SLS as really just a high-priced brand-franchise, which is a shame, because I think that if it developed further, it would really have a lot to offer the vocal pedagogy world as it is today.

If you would like to purchase the product, you can visit Amazon.com and type "Singer's Advantage" in the search query. 

Arts Advocacy; a Backward Approach?

When I went back to school in order to finish my Bachelor’s Degree, I enrolled myself in a general music/piano pedagogy course as a way to learn more about being an effective private music instructor. One of the things that we discussed was music, and more generally; arts advocacy. At that time I was (like so many other music teachers) reading literature on the subject of why it is best to keep arts in the public schools. The arguments are old ones: music helps with math, music helps young people socialize, music makes the brain more efficient… etc. I don’t mean to say that these are not valid points, I genuinely believe them to be true. The problem with these arguments is that it seems to affirm the notion that the arts are of secondary importance – it is as if to say that if music didn’t make children better in math, that it wouldn’t be worth having in the classroom.

No other subjects face this criticism. I firmly believe that all children should have a high mathematical ability, but how many of us actually use algebra on a daily basis (to say nothing of calculus)? The truth is; only the top tier of engineering or other sciences really require those skills on a regular basis. Still, we as a society have deemed them important, and I say good for us for doing so.

The fact that we can’t see being educated as a reward unto itself shows just how far we have to go as a culture. Yes, it is true that a more educated population will turn out more innovation. Likewise a more educated population will most likely make better decisions politically and socially. And it is fair to assume that a more educated population will almost certainly be able to approach problem-solving more methodically and rationally.  But my question is; if these things stopped happening, does that make the point of education void?

Because that is where we are going. Sure, it is easy to see the total disinterest in the arts and cry out that we are the ones being injured. But the truth is; we have devalued education (in general) to the point that we are becoming ineffectual, and then pointing at the educational system and saying; “see, it doesn’t work… I guess we should stop wasting money on things that don’t work.” Meanwhile, charter schools cropping up all over the country are pulling resources from traditional public schools, which mean that our whole scholastic system is becoming fractured beyond repair.

In the end, we have to stop advocating arts based on how they help students on other subjects and start to acknowledging them part of a complete education. Music (and dance, theater, painting… etc) should stand side-by-side with mathematics, not subordinate to it. Only then are we in a position to genuinely advocate for the arts and preservation of our culture. 

Overcoming Ego for Musicians

What do we mean by the word “ego?” I would venture to say that if you asked most people (especially young people) they would tell you that having an “ego” would be on-par with being arrogant or a “know-it-all.” This is a fair assessment, but it doesn’t paint the entire picture for which we are looking. The truth is, the word is not without its baggage. If we were to take a Freudian look at it, we might define ego as: "a set of psychic functions such as judgment, tolerance, reality testing, control, planning, defence, synthesis of information, intellectual functioning, and memory." (Wikipedia). If we took a more philosophical approach, we might say that: "The ego is often associated with mind and the sense of time, which compulsively thinks in order to be assured of its future existence, rather than simply knowing its own self and the present." (also from Wikipedia).

For the purposes of this posting, though, we will use the word “ego” to refer to that part of you consciousness that tells you; you are worth only as much as you succeed or possess. Additionally, your ego may make you feel that if you don’t own the most current trends in fashion or electronics, you are somehow lesser, or the belief that you are defined by what other people think of you. In short; your ego is the part of you that makes you feel continually incomplete. Of course, the shedding of the ego (especially for musicians) is quite possibly one of the most difficult tasks that we may complete. I wanted to nonetheless share my own techniques for getting rid of this pesky nuisance below.

• Stop comparing yourself with other musicians (and this includes your peers). OK, I wanted to get the big one out of the way from the get-go. No more reading about Sarah Chang or Van Cliburn and feeling old before your time. Yes, the world is taken with “prodigies,” they are impressive, and because they are so rare, they make for great press. But understand this: if you are able to play a piece of transcendent (meaning truly masterful playing) at age 25 or at age 50, people will take note. To be perfectly blunt: it is the sound that matters, not the vessel from which the sound comes. Therefore (and this is going to sound strange to those of us living in the western world) don’t rush, you have time to be great!

• This one is kind of tied to the first: band together with your fellow musicians. I know, this is another tough one, especially for young people. I can’t tell you how many times I, as a teenager, sat in my student recitals comparing myself with my fellow singers/pianists hoping that they sang/played worse than I did. Really, what I should have been doing was appreciating them and cheering them on. In the long run this would have opened my mind up to what they were doing right – and provided me with an opportunity to learn from them, and vice-versa. In short, do your best to be likeable. There is nothing wrong with having allies and if you can keep these allies as you grow older, your chances of success will be much greater.

• Do not judge yourself while you are performing. This includes performing for your instructor and in class in front of your classmates. Save all your evaluations until you are finished. Sometimes self-judgment seems like an involuntary occurrence, but the truth is; you have control over it. During your performance, for better or worse, just power through – improvise if you forget or lose your place, sing “la” instead of words… Do whatever you have to do to finish the performance with confidence and don’t let the audience ever see that you were shaken. Remember, the audience (for the most part) tends to take away the good things much more than the bad. If you fumble on a note, or forget a word but the rest of the performance is brilliant, than one error won’t even be a distant memory. And if you have a serious problem during your performance, but you keep your cool and you finish un-fazed; chances are that the audience will see you a pro who just had a bad night.

Finally, remember that keeping the ego in check is much more than just maintaining a level head, it is about knowing you are complete without praise, without fame and without doubt. Having no ego isn’t the defeat of self-esteem, it is the affirmation of it combined with the knowledge that you still have everything to learn, which is a good thing. It is also there to remind us that our abilities come with the great price of a monumental amount of time spent honing them. Remember: we should not let our egos grow into areas that could be taken up by knowledge. 

Overcoming Writer's Block for Composers

It is something that used to plague me, sitting in front of my manuscript paper (or later, the computer screen) trying to force something to materialize that wouldn’t make me scream. I used to have a terrible habit of not allowing myself any sleep whatsoever until I composed at least an idea with which I could be happy.  Needless to say, this generated more than one sleepless night.

First things first, let us try to examine just what “writers’ block” really is before we go about attempting to make suggestions about its treatment. To be completely honest; There really is no such thing as “writer’s block,” when you think about it – you can go to your manuscript paper and doodle notes down into melody and harmony all you want, all day, every day.  There is only the condition: “I’m not writing anything that I am happy with,” and the best way to get over this, is just to accept it and move on (or power though). But this may not be totally realistic for many composers or songwriters. So I wanted to list some additional ways to cope, just in case.

I would like to expand on our first suggestion, that being to power through and just write something you don’t like, or are not happy with. I know, it seems like you would be inviting a great deal of punishment for doing this, but the truth is – virtually every piece I have generated in this manner, (after I came back to it) there was at least something I appreciated in it. It’s funny how time and distance from a creation will give you a fresh perspective.

Something else you might want to consider is shifting gears. Instead of trying to compose something fresh, turn to arranging, or orchestrating. For instance; try harmonizing a Gregorian chant or medieval song – or orchestrating a Bach Fugue or even a Chorale. You could read about instruments you aren’t familiar with and arrange for those so that you get to know them.  In short, don’t worry about generating new material at all. Another thing you might try is to focus on doing strict theory or counterpoint exercises. Practice writing hymns or writing melodies over a cantus firmus. If you come up with something you like you can always adapt it into a new piece.

Part of dealing with writer’s block is to avoid it all together in the first place. One of the best ways to do this is to get involved in composition lessons, having an instructor who will give you weekly assignments tends to motivate students much more than just writing in your bedroom. Plus, a good instructor will try to coax certain skills out of you that you might not realize you are lacking.

 A video series I made for my beginning composition students. 

If you would like to study music composition at a distance,

 please visit http://www.michaelwheelerstudios.com for more information.                                                                                           

Finally, and this is the most important - Let go of the idea that “genius just springs forth,” the truth is that composing music (especially good music) takes work – and it takes years of hard work. So, stay focused and you will get there.  

When Purchasing Instruments From Abroad, it is Best to Demand UPS, NOT FedEx

I wanted to warn the community about FedEx and their tactics for denying claims for instruments damaged in transit. I ordered a Dilruba from India (I have ordered 8 instruments from India, all shipped through UPS without incident) this one was shipped FedEx, the skin was torn during the trip which (as you all know) makes the instrument worthless. I filed a claim with FedEx which dropped into a black hole for a couple of weeks before I called for an update. I was promptly told that the claim was denied. Needless to say I was frustrated regarding the whole ordeal especially after watching videos like this:



There are many more videos like this, but many of them feature swearing which I don't want to expose my readers to. I suppose in the final analysis, this company believes that it can get away with anything - but for my part, I will always ask for UPS, not FedEx.