Yes, the title of the blog is a loose parallel to the classic song “I’ve Gotta Be Me.” So why do you have to be you? Early in my vocal training I clearly remember listening to other singers and trying to sound like them even if I was not aware of it. One such singer was Enrico Caruso, I would fall asleep listening to all of his songs, but listening was for the sole purpose of analyzing his vocal production. He was in a long list of singers I would listen to in order to gain a keen insight in vocal production.

Today, I have listened to hundreds of singers that are singing songs by Adele, Demi Lovato, Renée Fleming, Pavarotti and the list goes on. The challenge this presents to the singer is that more than often begin to sound like the singers they are listening to forfeiting who they are as a singer. Unless you are seeking a career as an impersonator, it would be in your best interest to sing like you. The world wants to hear you and not another Adele or Pavarotti, besides we have their recordings readily available.

Another challenge this presents lends to young singers. The music that children often listen to and sing along with are sung by adults and therefore the child is apt to producing sounds that are beyond their years. A child cannot have a voice of an adult not mentioning a chance to hurting their voices or ending up with a myriad of bad habits. This of course is not in the mind of the young singer, but must be in the mind of the vocal instructor.

I know this first hand, because before I began my classical training, I had a few original Rock n Roll bands that led me to produce the screams of Prince, the falsettos of Daryl Hall, and the harmonies of the Beatles, among many more. I am glad that I used these artists as part of my development as a musician, but at some point we all have to get away from being like someone else and be who we were meant to be as a singer.

Get passionate about the type of music you enjoy singing and begin writing your own or find someone else who does that the real you will be enjoyed by the world. Remember, You’ve Gotta Be You.

Until the Next Time,

Daniel

Daniel is a highly sought after voice instructor, accomplished vocalist, performer, and part producer in Godspell and producing and directing a new musical called Esther. He is the founder of The School of Singing in Long Island, New York. For more information on Daniel’s expertise visit theschoolofsinging.com

How do we do it? Where do we begin? I understand that there is an arena of topics to be covered in the art of singing like placing the voice, attack, and registers, but without breath management skills, singers will most likely never reach their full potential. Sorting it all out is one of the biggest challenges for both the teach and student. A student that begins learning proper breathing techniques for singing begins so with exercises on single notes in addition to coordination and release. Many miss the point that singing is all about breathing coordination and not simply singing a whole host of scales.

Students need instruction through areas such as formation of tones, timbre, blending of the voice, scales that focus on two, three, four notes and beyond. Students will have a tough time moving forward until they have first solidified a two note and so on, not mentioning arpeggios, minor scales, and the ever so important messa di voce. It is the job of the voice instructor to first learn the voice of the student meaning where they are in their development and assign the proper material so that they are not instilling bad habits from the beginning.

Students today must be not only be great singers, but smart in their selection of whom they will trust to train their voices. One thing I have learned over the years that the more hands that are in the mix, the harder it is to see clearly. Jump out of the mix and take a bird’s eye view of what your training will look like as a whole, not simply in the immediate.

Until the next time,

Daniel is a highly sought after voice instructor, accomplished vocalist, performer, and part producer in Godspell and producing and directing a new musical called Esther. He is the founder of The School of Singing in Long Island, New York. For more information on Daniel’s expertise visit theschoolofsinging.com

So, a few weeks ago, I put Stephen Schwartz and Danny Goldstein in a room at the theater and they watched the show and talked about it . . . and we recorded it!  (We’ll be releasing it in 15 minute episodes over a ten week period).

It’s so much fun to hear Stephen tell stories about how we came up with some of the music, and incredibly educational to hear Danny talk about his inspiration for the parables, etc.

Click here to listen to episode one, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Speaking of Stephen Schwartz, it’s his birthday tomorrow!  Wish him a happy day by writing him a greeting on his Facebook page here.

Click here to check out the photos from our appearance at Two Boots Pizza!  And go try the slice.  It’s awesome.

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NAME: Daniel Orama
HOMETOWN: Valley Stream, NY

The School Of Singing, Learn how to sing on Long Island, Nassau County, and Queens New York at our two locations in Valley Stream New York and East Rockaway New York. We specialize in musical theatre, opera, art song, and jazz.

How many times have you heard it said to sing from the diaphragm? One of the first fundamentals I learned as a young singer is that the diaphragm is an involuntary muscle therefore it cannot be controlled at will, but rather is activated upon the inspiration cycle. The diaphragm acts as a vacuum drawing in the breath and as it descends, it expands the region of the abdominal wall and the intercostals muscles. The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle, which divides the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity. Upon inspiring a breath, the diaphragm descends from a cone shape allowing the lungs to expand and then returning as air is expelled up and out of the lungs.

Yes, I agree all of this sounds quite technical, but it is important to know as a singer that you cannot have control over a muscle that has been deemed as an involuntary muscle. The diaphragm serves the purpose of drawing in the needed air for the art of singing.  One final note to keep in mind is when you take a breath it is important not to pull in from the lower abdominal region because it will only impede the descent of the diaphragm. Some have suggested a contraction within the abdominal muscles which do have their function, but that is for another time.

Until the next time,

Daniel is a highly sought after voice instructor, accomplished vocalist, performer, and part producer in Godspell and producing and directing a new musical called Esther. He is the founder of The School of Singing in Long Island, New York. For more information on Daniel’s expertise visit theschoolofsinging.com

Did you think I was going to expound on the art of the draw? No, instead we are speaking about the ability to draw in the breath, which is an art within itself.  One of the hardest elements I have found in singers is the ability to draw in the breath as soon as you have finished singing a line. Many singers of every level have a common thread when finishing a phrase; they wait too long to begin drawing in the breath. Why is this so important? Because if you wait until the moment before you have to sing again, you will fall into the trap of trying to breathe and sing at the same time, which only leads tension. I understand that at times, you have to take quick breaths, but that is an entirely different situation and that relies on your coordination and release.

I am constantly drilling my students to make sure they are taking the breath as slowly as possible no matter how much time they have in between, because you would be surprised at how time you really have to take a breath. Find a song that is relatively legato in nature, I recommend “On My Own” for a female, “On The Street Where You Live” for a male, and “Amarilli Mia Bella” as a language piece for either gender. You need not sing the entire piece because what we are after here is the coordination of inspiring and expiring the breath. Do your best to take in a slow breath in between each phrase and never give into tightening your abdominal forcing more of a clavicle movement.

What will happen in utilizing the breath in this fashion? You will notice how you become more in control of the breath and not the breath controlling you. You should experience the initial inspiration of breath and releasing only what you need for each given line and then replenishing what you just expired. Eventually, the breath is fully renewed because you will run into lines that fully expire the air thus clearing out the lungs. Caruso was the master at using only what he needed for any given phrase, which was foundational to his singing. Give it a try and I bet you will begin to notice changes in your singing.

Until the next time,

Daniel is a highly sought after voice instructor, accomplished vocalist, performer, and part producer in Godspell and producing and directing a new musical called Esther. He is the founder of The School of Singing in Long Island, New York. For more information on Daniel’s expertise visit theschoolofsinging.com

We went to emergency and they performed a cardiogram meaning a curve traced by a cardiograph, used in the diagnosis of heart disorders. They hooked up wires to my thorax region and I playfully said are you going to shock me? The nurse laughed, but said lets hope we won’t have to shock you. I started laughing and then realized I should not play around like that. By the way, my pastor stayed with me for a good part of the time and I can’t tell you how much I appreciated it. Tami had to split to pick up Brielle from school.

The one underlying thought that continues to stand out in my mind was on the way to the hospital, Tami and I both said, it is amazing how life can change in an instant. I am fortunate that I got a clean bill of health and the doctor diagnosed that it could be a nerve or muscle. Regardless of the exact diagnose, nothing is more important than life itself. All the singing, performing, acting, directing, producing, and dancing amounts to a hill of beans if you are not hear to carry it out.

I want to thank all of you for your earnest prayers while facing physical uncertainty, but I know in the end we have been promised life and that is something no one can take away. Thank you Jesus for Your promises by which I stand.

Until the Next Time,

Daniel

Premium VIP seating $20   VIP Seating $15     Regular $10The first-ever

Performances Friday and Saturdays April 20&21 27&28, 2012 8pm at East Rockaway Church of the Nazarene.

Orama said, Esther is about faith, hope, and love and everyone should experience that in their lives. Esther features a limited number of special “premium” seats — seating so close to the action, audience members will feel like they’re part of the show… and a chance to meet the cast backstage.

In addition to Esther the Musical, Part of the proceeds will be going toward fighting world hunger with World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. We look forward to what we know will be an amazing event.

I simply love innovative students who desire to learn the art of singing that they might quest it for a future. What in the world, did I just say? Your desire to be a professional singer will be based upon how much you practice. Is it fair to say that? Yes, because it takes hard work not only in learning the art, but also becoming business minded and control of your career. Returning to my opening statement, students who are hungry to make the performing arts a career will go the extra miles.

I recently began training and preparing a new student and noticed that within two weeks, she quickly learned to sing in Italian, is displaying the mechanics of the breath, and is focused like a champion figure skater. Let me add that she had never taken voice lessons in the past. I was quite impressed and excited for her as I mentioned that I could tell she had been practicing and that is when it came, my student videos herself practicing her vocal exercises and songs. That was a high note to my ears and now I will encourage my students to do the same. It is one thing to make videos of yourself for YouTube or other like preparations, but it is another thing to video yourself when you are at your most vulnerable. Vulnerable in that you go through the hard work of hearing the cracks, off pitches, and all the quirky moves you make. Taking the time to embrace this type of practicing will lead to a greater level of growth and might I add permanent growth.

Pull out your laptop, video camera, or cam and start getting to work. Let me know how it goes and within a couple weeks I guarantee we will notice dramatic changes within your singing. Are you up for the challenge?

Have anything you would like to share?

I’d like to hear.

Until the Next Time,

Daniel is a highly sought after voice instructor, accomplished vocalist, performer, and part producer in Godspell and producing and directing a new musical called Esther. He is the founder of The School of Singing in Long Island, New York. For more information on Daniel’s expertise visit theschoolofsinging.com

I would like to introduce you to our newest vocal teacher’s assistant. Naomi Smith has accepted the position of voice teacher assistant at The School Of Singing. Please join me in welcoming Naomi by leaving your comment on this blog.

Naomi is serving as Tami’s assistant for the Kids Voice classes. She is currently a senior at Grace Christian Academy and in preparations for her upcoming vocal performance auditions at Nyack and Five Towns College. She has a beautiful voice with amazing stage presence. She is currently in rehearsals in the lead roles of Esther in Esther the Musical with Greater Works Productions and Into The Woods in the role of Cinderella at Grace Christian Academy. In addition, other role credits include Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mayzie the Bird in Seussical the Musical, and Grace in “Annie.”

Naomi is fun, loving, and a has great attitude toward life. The children love her and are always excited to see and spend time with her in voice class. We are so excited to have her a part of The School Of Singing. We look forward to seeing Naomi’s continued success in her upcoming college studies and her role at The School Of Singing.

Until the next time,

Daniel is a highly sought after voice instructor, accomplished vocalist, performer, and part producer in Godspell and producing and directing a new musical called Esther. He is the founder of The School of Singing in Long Island, New York. For more information on Daniel’s expertise visit theschoolofsinging.com