My 14 year old daughter, aside from being an actress wants to be a singer.

She has a lovely voice for her age, but she has trouble singing fro her stomach; or so she says. I really wouldn't know; my father is the singer of the family.

No matter how many vocal tips she looks up she doesn't know how to sing from her diaphram which i really think she is already.

Also, does anyone have tips on strenghtening the voice.

She has a nice voice but it does sound weak, and she has to learn to project.

Here is a link to her singing a few songs a few months ago; I think she has gotten a little better though..

http://www.supcast.com/flash/scred.swf?username=JCaceres

Your daughter should work with a voice teacher. I listened to a clip she posted. She does have a lovely voice. She had trouble moving between her head and chest voice and was "reaching" for notes.

Yes, she does have a lovely voice, but she does need a professional to help her with technique.
Please read this link to her previous post.
http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9131061/m/92510745

First, she needs to determine if she wants to sing pop or musical theatre. Just as the basis for dance is ballet, and theatre for acting, a great voice teacher will help her develop both her head and chest voice so she can sing in a mixed voice.

When my daughter first started training, her teachers would only do classical. They wouldn't even introduce Broadway songs. Then as we moved on, she had a teacher that did warm-ups and then Broadway. Most teachers only do 30-45 mins.

We finally found a voice teacher who does an hour, and she does proper technique and training. The first half hour is warm-up using the Vaccaj method (Italian arias). Then she will have my daughter perform songs that are in her range and will make her head voice stronger. She can belt in her chest, but in order to have a strong mixed voice, her head voice also needs to be strong.

The teacher also does diction. She is adamant about pronounciation and articulation of words, and she has music transposed for her in the proper key.

She also will recommend certain breathing exercises and sometimes we use a ball. The right voice teacher will train your daughter to feel her stomach so she knows when her diaphragm is used correctly. There are all kinds of tricks.

I'm not sure what teachers use for pop training but I would venture it is probably similar in warm-up technique.

If you are in NYC, Cari Cole does pop (heard she is good). Bob Marks is a good vocal coach and Amelia DeMayo is excellent for training and technique; however, she works with the kids auditioning and her assistants work with most of the other children. Amelia helps train for college auditions as there really isn't a lot out there for teens as far as Broadway auditions.

I agree with culturelady.. make sure she knows where she wants to go as a singer.. a pop singer or broadway singer.

Listening to the recording.. she's got a voice that can go somewhere if you work at it right. I see what your saying when u say she needs to project. It sort of sounds as if she's afraid to let it all out and sing.

My daughter sings too and that's what her voice teacher stresses.. don't hide your voice.. show it off.

Good Luck!

She isn't into theater much; She definitley wants to go into pop & r&b singing..

And this summer, she is going to Acteen Film Acting Program and taking a singing course..
On the first day however, they have to each sing a song..and she is very shy because she thinks she isn't good enough..

Hopefully I can squeeze n a few lessons with a teahcer before July 2nd.

Your daughter has taken the initiative to seek out information in this forum, which already puts her a step ahead of many of the other kids her age.

At the risk of sounding hokey, if she thinks she isn't good enough, she won't be. She is good enough. They're not looking for the best singers. They want to see that the kids can get up and do this and maybe even use some acting skills.

And it isn't a competition. They are there to learn, grow, and hopefully make friends and support each other.

I understand that you think a few lessons before the program starts will give her confidence, but don't think of it in those terms. If she is serious, she needs ongoing training with someone who works well with her.

Please post over the summer and let us know how she likes the program!

quote:

Originally posted by Ariel:
She isn't into theater much; She definitley wants to go into pop & r&b singing..

And this summer, she is going to Acteen Film Acting Program and taking a singing course..
On the first day however, they have to each sing a song..and she is very shy because she thinks she isn't good enough..

Hopefully I can squeeze n a few lessons with a teahcer before July 2nd.

ACTeen is a great program. My daughter goes there and absolutely adores it. She wants to take the Musical Theater course next semester. Good Luck to your daughter! Hope she finds what she is looking for with ACTeen.

At 14, your daughter is young. As she gets older, her confidence will grow with the right training.
Before she goes to ACTeen (and I wouldn't push her to sing in front of people if she isn't ready...she will be eventually and it actually could do more harm then good) have her do some diaphram building exercises and she'll get more confident.
Have her lie on the back on the floor. Tell her to blow up her stomach like a balloon so that it puffs way up, all around her belly button. After she does that for a few times, tell her to inhale while blowing up her belly (diaphram really, but you don't have to tell her that!). Then tell her to exhale and deflate the belly balloon.
Do that for many days, a few times a day, maybe 10 times each time.
After a couple of weeks, have her try it standing up. After a week or so of that, have her sing a song inhaling and exhaling that way.
Once she does it repeatedly, she will do it automatically. This is a good beginning for her, because she has talent and I agree, definitely in the pop/rock realm.
IMHO, let her lead where she wants to go. She's so very young and even though there are girls her age that are vocally mature, that's not her. She needs to grow at her own rate.
Good luck. Hope it goes well.

I have heard that some vocal teachers won't take students until they are 14. I know some people in our area (Michigan) just go to the local music store and find a vocal teacher. Can you suggest where to look for a good teacher. Should I call local colleges...for recommendations. What credentials should I look for in a teacher? Also is there a timespan of how long you should stick with a particular teacher? My DD takes voice right now but it seems she has gotten "too comfortable" with her teachers style of teaching. It doesn't seem like she is getting as much out of it as she was in the beginning. Maybe it is just because when she first started she was learning the proper technique so I just may have noticed it more. Thanks for any suggestions you can give.

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