Winning American Idol

or any talent competition-Part 1

March 2007

Reality TV

Popularity of reality TV in general and singing contests specifically has made American Idol a media sensation and at the same time created a wonderful opportunity for aspiring performers while inspiring many to pursue their dreams.

However, entering into a competition like American Idol is the modern day emotional equivalent of the gladiator fights in the old Roman coliseum. And there sits Simon, like the emperor, ready to determine your fate with a thumbs up or thumbs down. So how to you enter such a competition and not only survive but succeed in wowing the judges and an American audience well enough to eventually win?

In preparing for my appearance on �Idol Chat� on the TV Guide Channel, I have been watching American Idol with more scrutiny. Here are some of the errors many of the contestants have in common:
1. Going off pitch or �being pitchy� as the judges say.
2. Choosing the wrong song; this means that the song doesn�t easily permit them to sound unique. Instead of showing their own unique qualities as a singer, they sound like good but boring �record copies.�
3. They don�t have a level of certainty vocally and as performers needed to put their all into the song without being self-conscious, so they hold back or play it safe. This results in an uncourageous and less than fully inspirational performance.

Tough Enough for Simon

Singing before a panel of judges and a TV audience may be one of the hardest things a performer would ever have to do. The pressure alone may cause you to make vocal mistakes that would otherwise never occur. In order to withstand that pressure well, a performer needs to be confident in each aspect of their talent and not just because they tell themselves they are, but because they really are.

Are You Ready?

Winning a competition or any challenging task begins with an attitude and carrying forward with a gradient approach. That means that before you go on national TV before millions of viewers and tough judges, you must master each of the simpler earlier tasks that cumulatively add up to a great performance. You crawl before you walk; you ride a tricycle before tackling a bicycle and even then someone helps you steady it before you go off on your own. Master the simpler earlier steps before moving on to more complex skills.

In the Idol finals, the female contestants were in general better singers than the males. More of them gave better performances as a result. They became good singers before becoming good performers. I have observed during my 30 plus years of teaching voice, that about 70% of voice students are female. Do we see a pattern here? A higher percentage of females study and practice voice and we find the women finalists on Idol are better singers and performers.

Good Singer First

Do you have enough understanding of the voice and strong enough vocal technique to sing with good pitch and tone when you aren�t under the stress of live performance? Training in proper voice technique and practice to develop your vocal muscles needs to happen before you worry about song choice and stylistic considerations. Trying to sing a song with appropriate style before developing adequate vocal technique is like worrying about having a correct accent in a language where you don�t even know what the words mean.

Even these actions have many steps within them, like learning to ride a bicycle, where you do the simpler action and build it up to more complex skills. Your voice needs to be developed and your performance skills need to be sharpened. Vocal technique is adequate when you have attained freedom of expression and can deliver a song with good tone, consistency, control and passion. Then you have to be able to do it in front of an audience. Are you able to express your passion without vocal strain, off pitch or non-musical phrases?

Seek the help of a good vocal coach or at least a self study course like �The Contemporary Vocalist� and build your skill step at a time. In Part Two of this Vocal Tip we�ll address how to choose the right song and developing your performance skills to the point of wowing the judges.

Until next time, keep on singing,
Jeannie Deva