My family is very musical. My uncles had huge operatic voices and one actually had a very successful career singing Opera. My mother was invited to join the San Francisco Opera, but turned that offer down to get married and raise a family. Their vocal training was definitely Classical. However, my Aunt Janie had a great singing voice that was compared to Ella Fitzgerald's on many occasions. She definitely leaned towards commercial music --- popular music played on the radio and 1940's jazz. What I'm saying is that they enjoyed singing all kinds of styles of music, and they were good at it.
When I was growing up, I loved singing songs from Broadway musicals. Those songs could be in any style from pop to country to jazz to folk or even classical. I heard my mother singing operatic arias and modeled her sound as much as I modeled Julie Andrews or even Barbra Streisand. I enjoyed singing the songs I heard on the radio, too. I tried to sing like Karen Carpenter (but I had to fake hit the low notes), Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, and many others. I even loved singing the band Chicago's songs mimicking lead singer Peter Cetera. I thought I did a pretty good job of singing in various styles.
Then I got to college. In order to major in music at my school, you had to be degree-seeking. I had expected to become an Elementary School Music teacher, but they had discontinued that option because of what they saw as the decline of Music in the schools at that time. Anyway, I had to choose a different major and as I had very limited interests, I went Vocal Performance.
The trouble was that I earned my money to pay for school by singing in a dance band. We didn't play acid rock or anything, we just played what people wanted to hear. That's when I learned that the professors with leanings toward Classical Music had no use for students with leanings towards Commercial Music. So, through most of my college years, I sang Operatic Arias, Art Songs and Choral Music during the week and the Top 40's on the weekends.
By my Senior year, my vocal teacher sat me down and gave me a talking to. He encouraged me to lay off singing pop music for a couple of semesters so that I could get through my recitals and juries. He wanted me to really concentrate on singing in the pure Classical style.
You see, in Classical singing, all singers try to emulate the one perfect, glorious, epitome of vocal excellence.
In Commercial singing, every singer tries to be unique --- the more unique, the better --- to stand out from the crowd.
Well, I got through my recitals and juries, all right. But I did not rush out to audition for Opera Companies. Instead, I spent my last semester of college doing three Summer Stock Musical Theater Shows and having a marvelous time singing in many styles.
I can't help it. I love both Classical and Commercial Music!!!!
Then I got to college. In order to major in music at my school, you had to be degree-seeking. I had expected to become an Elementary School Music teacher, but they had discontinued that option because of what they saw as the decline of Music in the schools at that time. Anyway, I had to choose a different major and as I had very limited interests, I went Vocal Performance.
The trouble was that I earned my money to pay for school by singing in a dance band. We didn't play acid rock or anything, we just played what people wanted to hear. That's when I learned that the professors with leanings toward Classical Music had no use for students with leanings towards Commercial Music. So, through most of my college years, I sang Operatic Arias, Art Songs and Choral Music during the week and the Top 40's on the weekends.
By my Senior year, my vocal teacher sat me down and gave me a talking to. He encouraged me to lay off singing pop music for a couple of semesters so that I could get through my recitals and juries. He wanted me to really concentrate on singing in the pure Classical style.
You see, in Classical singing, all singers try to emulate the one perfect, glorious, epitome of vocal excellence.
In Commercial singing, every singer tries to be unique --- the more unique, the better --- to stand out from the crowd.
Well, I got through my recitals and juries, all right. But I did not rush out to audition for Opera Companies. Instead, I spent my last semester of college doing three Summer Stock Musical Theater Shows and having a marvelous time singing in many styles.
I can't help it. I love both Classical and Commercial Music!!!!
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