How to Audition

The other week my rambunctious twin boys auditioned for their first professional theater company. They were going for the role of Tiny Tim. We worked really hard for about two weeks to get them ready.... (There was lots of bribing involved)

The big day came... they had resumes and headshots in hand as they each strutted into the audition room without me, handed their music to the pianist, proudly announced their names and their selections and sang their piece.

I was trying as hard as I could to be the ultimate “stage dad” with my ear against the audition door listening for their cute dulcet Tiny Tim voices. And, after everybody in their group was finished with their own additions, they called the whole group back into the room to work on a new song.

A NEW SONG???? But they are only six years old....They can’t even read yet, let alone read music.
(Internal eye rolling, internal palm to the face)

“Why didn’t I prepare all of Tiny Tim‘s music for my kids!!!” I yelled at myself in the silence of my own brain.

Welp, neither one got the role.

Lesson learned. Learn the whole role if you really want to be considered.

This goes for six-year-old singers auditioning for musical theater, stage actors auditioning for Hamlet, opera singers auditioning for whatever, and grade school kids auditioning for their school play at Mesa Elementary, Bear Creek Elementary, Fairview High School, or Southern Hills Middle School, or any BVSD school.. The more you seem prepared, the more the producers will trust you. After all, you worked hard to get this far, why not learn that extra piece and impress the audition panel.

If you’re interested in working locally with me, sign up for a lesson at www.bouldervoicelessons.com, or drop me an email at info@bouldervoicelessons.com.

How prepared you have to be?

The show is tonight!

Peace!
Joshua South,
Boulder Voice Lessons,

#BoulderVoiceLessons Instagram Feed

Singing Lessons Near Me has never been nearer to YOU.

Boulder Voice Lessons Instagram Feed is going to give you a :59 second singing tip as often as possible.

How to Sing Like a Top 40 Star is the theme for this “course.” We’ll give you great tips on mic technique, smokey sounds, chest sounds, belts, etc.

Singing Technique for all ages, all types, all genres of music.

Check it out!

Peace!

Joshua South

Boulder Voice Lessons

Had a blast taking bjj class with @easton_online today!

Movement and music class to fill the soul today. 2:30pm Mountain time. Sign up on the website, bouldervoicelessons.com #dance #danceclass #lessons #bouldervoicelessons Link in the description.

Clear as Mud

I spent the past weekend in South Alabama working as the Director of Photography (did you know I’m also a photographer/videographer??) on a short documentary for the Lyman Ward Military Academy. I grew up in Alabama and have sorely missed that deep swamp-like humidity since moving to the bone-dry climate of the Wild West.

I love Alabama. Love the culture, the FOOD, the people, the language, and the “isms”!

“Now that’s a gear we ain’t gonna get into right now.”

“Bless your heart.”

“That’s about as clear as mud.”

And I “sure get tickled” every time I hear a new one.

A LOT of great singers come from the South, probably because of the language/accent/chest-dominated speaking voice, but there are some GREAT singers here in Colorado too.

One of them is a singing student right here at Boulder Voice Lessons, Darrow Klein. She is killin’ it all over town and is being featured as the Title Role in the Diary of Anne Frank at the (UNION-HOUSE) Arvada Center.

The Arvada Center is LEGIT, folks, and so is Darrow. I’m so happy to help her along in her vocal and artistic journey.

Y’all check out the article in the local paper, the Daily Camera, featuring Darrow taking a lesson with Boulder Voice Lessons.

https://www.dailycamera.com/2019/04/28/fairview-student-in-professional-production-of-the-diary-of-anne-frank/

Boulder Voice Lessons has availability for new Singing Students, if you’re interested…

We’ll quickly diagnose your singing technique and git ya on track to accomplish your singing goals!

Singing Technique lessons here:  https://www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule

Y’all take care now and tell yer Mama I said hey!

(Roll Tide)

Joshua South
Boulder Voice Lessons

Someone told me I was tone deaf…

A Boulder Voice Lessons student said that to me recently… Those words can sting.

It made me think of the process. It made me think of how much I’ve learned in the last few years… I’m teaching my kids how to read, I’m studying a martial art (jiu-jitsu), and I’ve ramped up my voice teaching to over 500 lessons a year.

You gotz to start at the beginning when learning a new skill. My ‘energetic’ 6-year-olds are learning the sounds of the letters. We drill those letters a lot. I’m also teaching them piano and trying to train their ear. We try to do work on that a lot. Baby steps…

Jiu-Jitsu is the same. No white belt is getting their black belt tomorrow – you have to go through the steps and give it time. Those moves have to get in your body – it has to become natural. That can only happen with time… Again, baby steps.

I’ve seen the same thing with ALL my voice students. As much as I would love to have a new student become the best singer in the world in 3 lessons, it just doesn’t happen. My children can’t read novels because they don’t know all the letter/word rules yet, and I don’t have my black belt because I haven’t put in the time. The same goes with the voice.

What is the common thread of all students?

The desire to get better.

Without the desire, fire, will – it’s hard to progress.

How then, does one get better??

Record your lessons and listen to them. Do the warm-ups. Memorize your music. Perform in front of someone. Go to an audition. Join the local theatre group.

Baby steps…

Get the on the vocal technique path here today - https://www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule

Keep the fire going!

Josh
Boulder Voice Lessons

Voice Lessons Near Me
Singing Lessons Near Me

Singing Lessons 5 Secrets

Symptoms of Vocal Failure:

1.    Thinking you can’t do it

2.    Not practicing enough

3.    Not dropping the jaw

4.    Not “believing”

5.    Not performing

You’re thinking, “really?”

“Believing?”

 Hang on… The human brain is an amazing thing – one day you’ll be able to do seemingly impossible things.

You must put in the time, but your technique can be incredible.

Enjoy the process and go for that breakthrough. Get that Aha(!) moment.

Come on now; everyone can practice, drop the jaw, and perform.

If you want to be a bodybuilder, you GOTTA go to the gym.

If you want to be a singer, you GOTTA do the exercises that we teach at least every other day.

Dropping the jaw is a simple fix. You don’t have to do it all the time, but at certain times it can be a great magical key that opens up a new register for you. I see it happen every day to my students.

Almost nothing will teach you more than getting on stage. Get three songs together and sign up for a local open mic. Or better yet, sign up for our next performing class here at Boulder Voice Lessons.

If you want to learn how to BELIEVE, and how to warm up and exercise every day and how to get your voice the way you’ve always wanted it to be, sign up for a lesson here:

https://www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule/

Peace,
Josh
Boulder Voice Lessons

Singing lessons near me,
Voice lessons near me,
Vocal lessons near me,

Hard Times by Stephen Foster

Boulder Voice Lessons produced an Autumn Recital last month. It was a great chance to perform! Here’s a clip of me singing, Hard Times, by Stephen Foster….

Singing Lessons are a great way to gain confidence and get better. It’s all about that technique, so if you are interested in growing your voice, schedule a lesson here, and start your journey.

Beginning Piano Lessons are also available.

Singing lessons near me,
Voice lessons near me,
Vocal lessons near me,

Voice Lessons Near Me?

Boulder Voice Lessons is the most convenient Voice Lessons Studio in South Boulder.  Students from Bear Creek, Mesa, Fairview High School, Southern Hills Middle School, Monarch High School, and Boulder High School have all grown increased range, breath control, and volume with the vocal technique that we teach here at Boulder Voice Lessons.

Singing Lessons Near Me might be one of the most important aspects of an UNschooling, or home schooling curriculum.

I’m Joshua South, lead teacher for Boulder Voice Lessons, and I’m here to help.  I received my Master of Music Degree from Manhattan School of Music, and have studied with some of the Best Voice Teachers, Conductors, and Pianists in New York City.  We could create a world class music program for your home schooling students or home schooling groups.  A two day per week - 1 hour class  will allow your students to learn world class techniques and music theory that will give them abilities and confidence to step out on stage, the debate hall, and eventually the board room.

I offer Professional Voice Lessons to all ages… Kids, Young Adults, Couples working on a Wedding Duet, Moms, Dads, and ALL Individuals are welcome here!

If you want to learn more about me, please check out my free online singing classes on YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/bouldervoicelessons

First 1 Hour Voice Lesson Consultation is 50% off…

Sign up here: https://www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule/

You CAN become a great singer – I can show you how!

Best,

Joshua South

Singing Lessons Near Me,
Voice Lessons Near Me,
Vocal Lessons Near Me,

Jazz Recitals and CYBER MONDAY with Boulder Voice Lessons

Hello Singing Lessons in Boulder Turkeys,

It feels like Winter in Colorado, but it’s still Autumn in New York!
 
Come see our Jazz Concert on Friday, November 30 at 4:30pm and melt away those cold noses and toses…
 
Video is king these dayz, so tune in here:

Voice Lessons teach you how to make these sultry, smoky, deep and jazzy tones, so schedule a lesson and I’ll learn ya!
 
Sign up for here for your Boulder Voice Lessons: 
www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule
 
CYBER MONDAY SALE: Sign up for 5 Singing Lessons, and get one Voice Lesson for FREE.

Keep Singing!
Josh
Boulder Voice Lessons

Boulder Voice Lesson Podcast is Back!

Singing Lesson students - Heed this advice…

The way we have always practiced might be doing us more harm than good.

Once upon a time… a singer was practicing a song for their upcoming solo at Fairview Highschool. This singer was putting in lots of time near the piano, practicing the song with the greatest of intentions to improve. However, the singer was doing it all wrong. The student was solidifying a terrible technique. Breathing small, singing nasal, wrong segments, not enough breath flow, etc, etc, ecteteraaaaaa (We’ve been watching the King and I).

The singing lessons student also ran the whole song from beginning to end, never stopping to drill a high note, a hard phrase, or any drilling of the breath.

Come performance time, what do you think happened?

The way you practice is the way you perform.

Check out the right way to practice here:

How to Practice Singing!

Latest podcast - grab it while the grabbins’ good!

If you want to learn more about how to create your best sound, schedule a lesson with me at the following link:

https://www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule/

Peace!
Josh
Boulder Voice Lessons

Singing Lessons Near Me,
Voice Lessons Near Me,
Vocal Lessons Near Me,

Boulder Voice Lessons Week in Review!

Great stuff to take away from this week’s lessons. First, we have a couple students auditioning for the all-state choir today… Break a leg guys!

As we say in New York before auditions, “Book it!”
 

Drill the Technique

The Biggest Takeaway from this week’s Singing Lessons is the idea of drilling the technique. This is a concept that I got from studying Jiujitsu. There are so many moving parts in that martial art - so many brain maps and crossing synapses…. but if you can just concentrate on the first step of the first move, and drill it for 30 minutes, the following day you’ll be better at it – guaranteed!

It’s the same thing with the coordination of our Chest and Falsetto voice. If you can do the exercises we do in the lesson for 3 days in a row, take a day off, and do another 2-3 days in a row, you’ll find massive gains in your Voice Lessons.

For instance, if you’re working on keeping that ornery larynx down, try this recipe:

1. Breathe in and bring the larynx down.
2. While keeping that same feeling of the larynx down, exhale.
3. Breath in again with the same low larynx position, and exhale again while keeping it down.
4. Now, try it again, but add a word, or vowel. You’ll kind of sound like Dracula, but don’t worry, we are working on the structure!
 
(it’s that simple!)

You can modify this recipe to work on the Falsetto Vowels, the beginning of any phrase of music you’re working on, and those “silly” yodel exercises that we do.

What else?

Oh.... when trying to learn a song in a foreign language, it will benefit you to speak the lyrics of the song in poetic form. Try to memorize the words this way before even learning the song. Get a great translation of the text. Memorize the poem in English, as well. Use a fun accent in the foreign language. If it is an Italian song, do some research on the Italian accent. Listen to a YouTube native speaker. Try to emulate it. Singers need to be good imitators. The lilt, rhythm, and bounces of the language will help you sing your song.

OK, that’s all! Be sure to sign up early to get your favorite times for the following weeks. I’m also offering half-hour piano lessons now, so if you know anybody that might be interested, please refer them to Boulder Voice Lessons…

Sign up for Singing Lessons here: www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule

Thanks everybody!

Josh
Boulder Voice Lessons

Singing Lessons Near Me,
Voice Lessons Near Me,
Vocal Lessons Near Me,

How the piano can pay for college

A fabulous East Coast colleague of mine regaled me this story once upon a time.

She was a singing teacher, but also taught her kids to play piano. I’m sure they weren’t world class Carnegie Hall pianists, but they knew enough to play well, look super cool, and to TEACH.

Throughout her daughter’s four years of university, instead of work study at the library for the paltry minimum wage (like I did), she used her mad skillz to teach piano, and paid off her entire student loan before she graduated (no interest, no penalties).

Whaaaaaaa?

There are all sorts of jobs you can get as a pianist that pay pretty well, especially as a side gig. But, you have to be able to play!

Do you or your kids want to learn a skill that you/they can monetize? Step right up folks, and start your Piano Lesson Journey here.

Oh, aaaaaaand, when you study Piano Lessons here at Boulder Voice Lessons, you also get a solid beginning vocal technique, too!

Play Piano and Sing at the same time and:
Wow your friends
Make your enemies weep
Fill up the living room stage with your talent!

Go ahead and get those big sunglasses and sequin jackets out of the closet…. You’re gonna need ‘em, Rocket Man…

Book those lessons here:
Www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule

Peace!
Josh

Singing Lessons Near Me,
Voice Lessons Near Me,
Vocal Lessons Near Me,