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Somatic Voicework™ The LoVetri Method Teachers' Association

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January 22, 2014 By Jeannette LoVetri

If all music were the same in “character” there would be no need for titles or descriptors. If opera singers could do rock music and rock stars could sing gospel tunes and folk singers could walk onto a Broadway stage and sing a traditional show, we wouldn’t need categories. The Grammy awards wouldn’t have categories, either, nor would Lincoln Center Library, which has even more of them than I was aware of prior to going there. The attitude that everything is the same seems to imply that all music is a spin-off of classical music, and all good vocalists can sing classical music easily and therefore, they can also sing well in any other style, as  all other deviations are simply “individual” interpretations of songs.

So, if you are Paulo Szot, and you sing “South Pacific” and then you go do an opera at the Met, are you a “crossover” artist? [Yes and also no.] If you are Michael Bolton and you record opera arias on an album, are you, too, a “crossover” artist? Does Mr. Bolton sound like Mr. Szot? Not in terms of his own voice but in terms of how he produces sound? Does Renee Fleming sound like a rock singer on her album of “rock songs”? The NY Times reviewed her album “Dark Horse” and said, “Ms. Fleming’s next step is figuring out how to sound, now and then, just a little less serious about it all”.

So, as long as there are different kinds of sounds in different kinds of music, we need names to define them. Within each category, there are all sorts of variations, all sorts of artists and there are no “border police” between one style and another, but until and unless we acknowledge that there are audible differences, we are left to confusion. The public decides and the public has its preferences. We are left with facing the reality of today’s music business, messy as it may be. You can’t train anyone from such a vague place as “everything is the same” and you can’t direct someone toward reasonable vocal and musical goals if all you know is the “it’s all one thing called singing”.

The origin of the terms of each style is interesting to contemplate. Maybe, some day, there will be a new style that emerges and hits mainstream. The last one to do that was rap, and that’s more than 20 years ago. It will need a new designation, too. Until that time, we have what we have.

If you are a rock/pop/gospel/folk/jazz/country/broadway/classical vocalist, good for you. Just don’t confuse the Nashvill rep with An Die Musik.

Filed Under: Jeanie's Blog

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Video: Jeanie LoVetri Sings in Various Styles



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Authentic “Crossover” Singing: Maria Damore, Rachel Williams

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Testimonials

  • Somatic Voicework™ Testimonials
    “I have worked with Jeanie LoVetri and Somatic Voicework™ for twenty years and have found her method to be incredibly efficient and scientifically sound. I have been able to consciously work on technique while continuing to develop my artistry and my personal style. I credit Jeannie with the freedom I feel when I sing.” Luciana Souza, ...
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SOMATIC VOICEWORK™ TEACHERS

Somatic Voicework™ teachers believe that the body and the voice are not limited and that it is possible to train anyone who wishes to sing in a variety of styles in a healthy and responsible manner. They are caring, excellence-driven, live in the USA and 10 foreign countries, and have varied backgrounds in:

Jazz ~ Musical Theatre ~ Pop/Rock ~ Classical ~ Gospel ~ Choral ~ World Music

Many hold masters and doctoral degrees and are in positions of responsibility in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) at local, state, and regional levels.

Many are heads of departments in voice at universities and conservatories, published authors of books, research papers and pedagogy articles in voice and music journals.

Many are acknowledged professionally as singers, having performed in major venues in all styles of music all over the world.

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