Why do some singers, loaded with talent, never make it to the top of their field, while others who are less talented to begin with succeed? Is it possible to predict the probability of success for any given singer? How nice it would be if you could know the odds before placing your bet—before you spend all that time and money to pursue your dream.
Sorry—there is no cosmic crystal ball, but here are some guidelines that may help you gauge your likelihood of success. First, take a careful, objective look at your talent, your appearance, and your physical and mental health. Then mix a little luck into the formula (although when you look more closely, luck really is something else), and you will get a pretty good picture of what may be ahead for you. Let’s try!
Read each of the six major headings that follow. At the end of each section, rate yourself as directed. Compare yourself with other singers on your own level, not with established professionals. Fill out the scoring sheet [on page 75], and at the end of the article, we’ll sum up and see what your chances are.
Talent
Talent refers to vocal potential, and you can view it from several angles. The inherent timbre, or tone color, of a voice sets it apart from other voices, for better or worse. Timbre usually results from physiology. Perhaps you have “fat” vocal folds that produce a rich tone color when they vibrate. Perhaps you have an especially long neck (or an especially short one), which contributes a resonance that enhances the vibrations begun at the vocal folds. Whatever physical or acoustical properties come to bear, however, some voices are more interesting to listen to than others, right from the start. Rate yourself between 1 and 5 on the timbre of your voice (5 being the best).
Two other aspects of vocal talent go hand in hand: range and flexibility. Voices that feature a wider compass and greater flexibility can sing a wider range of musical styles; they will, therefore, get more work than inflexible voices with a limited range. Some voices come by these skills quite naturally; some have to develop them. Flexible voices have a head start in this category. Rate yourself between 1 and 5 for range and flexibility.
But flexible voices often suffer in the next category: vocal intensity (often equated to carrying power). Some voices just naturally make more noise than others; they can be heard in large spaces more easily. Interestingly, when it comes to sheer volume, the inflexible voice with limited range, which faired so poorly in the preceding paragraph, often overshadows the flexible voices. Rate yourself between 1 and 5 for vocal intensity.
The last aspect of vocal talent is stamina(or durability). Simply stated, can your voice keep performing day in and day out? Some singers seem to be born with vocal bands made of steel, while others’ cords are like fragile gossamer. Give yourself up to 5 points for stamina.
Before moving on, add up your points so far. Compare yourself with other singers on your level. Be neither too kind nor too severe. You should get a fairly clear picture of your vocal talent, ranging between 1-20 points. If the results are encouraging, press on. If they are not, press on anyway.
Appearance
It never hurts to be as beautiful as Angelina Jolie or as handsome as Antonio Banderas. If you are, give yourself 20 points for appearance and skip to the next section. If not, read on.
Thank goodness the lyric stage is populated by plain, as well as beautiful, people; by skinny as well as more substantial people; by tall as well as short people. Even in the concert hall, a beautiful voice can compensate for a less-than-picturesque physique, but in general, males who are shorter than 5-foot-6 or taller than 6-foot-4, or who weigh less than 145 pounds or more than 240 pounds, must overcome a disadvantage. Women shorter than 5-foot-2 or taller than 6 feet, or who weigh less than 110 pounds or more than 180 pounds, suffer the same fate. Some people succeed in spite of weighing too much or standing too tall, but they are exceptions, not the rule. It’s not often that tall sopranos are cast opposite short tenors.
In opera, certain voice types correspond to certain physical types. For example, a soubrette plays the girl next door, the flirt, or the younger sister. She should be petite, less than 5-foot-6, with a dress size of 10 or less. A lyric soprano, however, often fills the leading romantic role, so we expect her figure to be fuller and more womanly. She can stand taller and weigh more, but she should still be attractive, be shorter than 5-foot-10, and wear a dress size less than 14. The more a woman progresses from lyric to spinto to dramatic, the bigger and heavier she can be. The less she plays romantic roles, the less we care how she looks. The same rules apply to mezzo-sopranos and contraltos.
Ditto for the men. Lighter male voices usually are packaged in smaller, lighter bodies. As the voice becomes fuller, so does our acceptance of a larger body. For every exception to this rule, 20 fit the pattern. As you can see, the operatic stage has room for almost everyone. Leading roles demand more attractive people, but character roles often celebrate the ordinary or the unusual. When evaluating your appearance, do so with reference to the type of roles you would likely perform, rather than to Miss America or a Chippendale calendar.
Take care to be clean and well-groomed. The people who pay the bills in the musical world are, for the most part, conservative folks. Present yourself to them as if you were interviewing for a middle management position in their corporation. Rate yourself 1-20 on appearance by giving yourself up to 10 points for general appearance and grooming, and another 10 points for your appearance commensurate with fach. Add these numbers to the number for talent, then move on.
Physical Health
The most common health maladies facing singers are respiratory in nature: allergies, asthma, colds, and flu. How many colds did you have last year? How often do you suffer from laryngitis? Do you have to take asthma medication? Do you suffer through regular allergy seasons? Are you susceptible to dust and molds? (Both are very common in the backstage of a theater.) If so, you may have a problem being a singer.
When you start accepting engagements several years in advance, you must be fairly certain you will be able to fulfill those commitments. Too many cancellations due to illness will doom your career. Subtract 1 point for each respiratory ailment you suffered last year.
Singers frequently suffer from digestive disorders, ranging from mild acid indigestion to ulcers. Delicate dispositions often suffer from constant changes in climate or diet. Other physical handicaps may place obstacles in your way. Such obstacles may not spell the end for you, but you will have to compensate for them by being stronger in some other area. A thalidomide baby, born in the late 1960s with deformed arms and legs, now enjoys a fine career as a concert singer in Germany. A fine American bass makes his way around the concert stage with crutches as the result of polio, but that doesn’t stop him. Rate
yourself 1-5 with respect to any limiting physical handicaps.
Mental Health
The most important ingredient in your drive for success is ambition. You must believe in yourself more than others disbelieve in you. Even if everyone else is pulling for you, if you don’t believe in yourself, you will fail. You will rise only as high as your vision takes you.
Your ambition must be constant and tenacious. Ambitious people with little native talent succeed where abundantly talented people with little ambition give up. A tenor with a world-class voice, for example, teaches at a small college—where he also serves as the part-time golf coach. Another tenor, with substantially less native talent, now sings in the major opera houses of the world. The first fellow decided he wanted a family, relative peace, and normalcy, so he found it. The other fellow aspired—against many odds—for an international career. They both got what they sought.
What do you want?
Stress management plays a key role in maintaining mental health. Traveling to new places and meeting new people can be stressful. Performing with insufficient rehearsal time or insufficient rest can add to your tension.
How do you cope? Some singers exercise, some watch their diet, some practice relaxation regimens, while some turn inwards to their faith in God to find peace. These are positive solutions. Others turn to food, alcohol, or drugs to escape the pressure. Those who cope well survive; those who don’t, won’t.
The ability to adapt to new situations serves a professional singer very well. If you like to travel and meet new people, if your homing instinct is low and your wanderlust is high, a singing career may interest you. If your desire for normalcy is high, traveling away from home and family becomes very stressful. Don’t plan on a “normal” family life in which dad comes home at five o’clock to a home-cooked meal prepared by mom, who is raising 2.5 normal, well-behaved children who take care of themselves and never have problems. Those who attempt to have both a family life and a singing career must be prepared for additional stress.
Give yourself up to 10 points for ambition, 5 points for stress management, and 5 points for adaptability. Add them and you have a picture of your mental health.
Musicianship
Your talent, your good looks, or your tenacity may get you hired the first time, but your craft as a musician will get you hired from then on. No one will rehire someone who can’t count, can’t sing in tune, and can’t come in on time. Only reliable singers get return engagements.
Slow, erratic learners waste costly rehearsal time. Good sight-readers have an advantage. Those who learn and memorize quickly have a leg up on the rest—and if you learn languages quickly, more power to you. If your musicianship can cope with the demands of 20th century music, you will have the advantage over the singer stuck in the 19th century.
If you can do all of these things and still manage to sing expressively, the world will beat a path to your door. The singer who transcends the rigors of musical discipline to sing expressively will surpass the plodders who do little more than get the notes, words, and rhythms right. So insist on singing correctly and accurately, but always strive to sing expressively.
Rate yourself 1-20 for musicianship. Give yourself up to 5 points for musical accuracy, 4 points for speed of learning, 4 points for language skills, and 7 points for expressivity.
Luck
Even the most talented, ambitious, healthy, musical singers need a little luck now and then—or do they? What is luck, anyway? Being in the right place at the right time? Perhaps. But when opportunity knocks, you must answer the door. Lady Luck will come knocking at everyone’s door at one time or other. Sometimes she knocks faintly, but she will come. Singers who make contacts and keep their networks current will get more “lucky breaks” than the ones who know no one. They literally make their own breaks.
The singer who has money can afford to wait longer for the break to come than the one who has none. Without financial resources, singers take what they can get—they can’t afford the luxury of patience.
Luck seems to follow those who prepare for it. The young soprano who steps in for the ailing diva won’t succeed if she doesn’t know the part. People who are well prepared, who cultivate networks of contacts and have financial stability, generally have better luck than the rest of us. Luck isn’t as much a matter of chance as it seems at first glance.
Give yourself up to 10 points for luck: 3 points for your network of contacts, 3 points for your financial backing, and 4 points for your level of preparation.
The Projection
Add up all of the points in each category. If your total is 94 or above, you have enough going for you so that you will probably succeed. If you fall between 88 and 93, perhaps you will succeed. Between 80 and 87, success is improbable. Below 80, it is unlikely.
Perhaps you don’t like the results. You could fudge the points a little here and there to get a better score, but you won’t have an accurate picture. Instead, why not work to change the tally? You have control of each and every category listed above.
You don’t like your voice? Study with someone who can help you improve it. You look like the Pillsbury Doughboy? Lose some weight; shape up. Have medical problems? Control them; compensate for them. Mental problems? Get help. No luck? Start your network; build up your financial reserves; prepare for the knock on the door.
Too much to ask, you say? Check your ambition level. It may tell you that the effort isn’t worth it. If so, choose another career path to follow and be happier for the change. On the other hand, you may relish the challenge. If so, accept it!
Who Do You Trust?
After you have done your own evaluation, ask others to evaluate you—your voice teacher, your vocal coach, your choir director, maybe even your mother. Average the totals to give you a composite score. The more people who evaluate you, the more accurate the picture will be.
Don’t ask just anyone. The evaluators should know you well enough to evaluate more than your vocal potential, your appearance, and your musicianship. They should know your lifestyle, your goals and aspirations. Some people have hidden agendas that may color their opinions, so don’t believe everything you hear. If the same criticisms show up again and again, however, you should take note.
When to Evaluate
People change over time. Generally, they get better at what they do; sometimes they get worse. Repeat this evaluation at progressive intervals along the way. Perhaps you will want to do it before deciding to major in voice in college. You may wish to reevaluate at the end of your college years before deciding if graduate study is right for you. And you will definitely want to do it again before launching your career, whenever that time comes. Do it again after the first five years of professional experience. Each time you conduct the evaluation, be sure to judge yourself against those on your same level, not against some imaginary ideal. After all, most professional singers had to start at the beginning, just like you.
Conclusion
There is no magic in this evaluation process. It provides only a projection, helping you see where to concentrate your efforts. You control your day-to-day progress towards your goals. The wise person always takes clear compass readings and maps a course carefully before setting out into the wilderness. This evaluation can help you do the same with your singing career.
