Jeanie’s Blog

Little Christina Aguilera, with her Blonde-blonde locks, in her rail thin body, sang the “you-know-what” out of “It’s A Man’s World”, made famous by the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, at the 2007 Grammy’s. You can see it on YouTube if you want. She sang very well, and she didn’t hold anything back. I ...

Here in New York we have quite a few places to see and hear live performers, beyond Broadway, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. We have Off-Broadway, off-off Broadway, jazz clubs large and small, a few cabaret places, a few rock clubs, conservatories and school recital halls and “the fringe” — small theaters in private ...

A number of years ago, I heard the great operatic baritone, Håken Hagegård, speak and remember well his topic, as it was startling. He described how he operates during a performance. Having heard him at Lincoln Center sing the famous Schubert song cycle “Winterreise”, which was gorgeous but truly chilling, I could ...

Just came back from a truly glorious quasi-staged version of “My Fair Lady” at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. Stars were Kelsey Grammer, Brian Dennehy, Kelli O’Hara, Marni Nixon, Meg Bussart and Philippe Castgner. There were minimal sets, but nice costumes, great choreography, a great chorus, and, of course, the Philharmonic was ...

Every voice teacher with a private studio has had a call that starts out with the following statement: “I just want a few lessons to help me with…….” If you have been teaching for a while, you have probably also gotten a call that begins with “could you tell me how much you ...

Why can’t we just think our way into the right sounds? If you just get everything lined up perfectly, isn’t the sound you are looking for “right there”, and won’t it be there every time, because your mind has it worked out precisely? Nope. You can think until you are blue but ...

Many times I have encountered young singers who come into a first lesson with a list of things “they do”. The things they are “guilty” of fall into several broad categories…faulty breath support, manipulating or squeezing their throats, thinking too much, trying too hard. The list goes on. I know before they open their ...

I have a student who is struggling to rid her singing voice of nasality. This issue is difficult for several reasons. One, she doesn’t speak with nasality. Two, she isn’t being nasal on purpose and three the nasality is long term, going back a number of years. Four, she is ...

How can you teach what you don’t do? I have never understood that. If you are teaching a physical skill, and you personally do not possess that skill, how can you teach it? On what basis do you monitor what is happening? If you have never felt the same sensations, don’t know ...

I am lucky enough to have many experienced professional singers as students. The singers are all excellent vocalists, and I certainly take no credit for their artistry. I realize that not all singing teachers have the opportunity to work with such elite artists, and that those who teach in schools or who are ...

I would like to invite you to compare James Brown to Joan Sutherland as singers. I also invite you to compare Bruce Springsteen to Renee Fleming. I think one could look at the similarities and differences between Usher and Kristen Chenoweth, don’t you? What about Luciano Pavarotti and Faith Hill? As to the similarities, ...

If you think about it, how much do most people care about singing? In comparison to football, say, or any other sport — golf, tennis, baseball, even soccer, singing pales. I often wonder if vocal competitions were handled like the Olympics, with certain kinds of things given a number for a degree of ...

Some singers never learn that the intrinsic muscles of the throat are the ones that must do most of the work in a good singer. That means that the muscles on the surface of the body should be relatively quiet. In someone with good technique, often the amount of movement in the face, ...

When “fixing” a broken voice, a lot is involved. Even very skilled, experienced singers can find themselves in situations where the voice doesn’t do what it should, but the vocal folds are healthy. I have worked with several very skilled vocalists, some with noted careers, who have had something called “Muscle Tension Dysphonia” ...

In all these years, I have never been able to force myself to watch “American Idol”. Hearing about it was enough. So, finally, this year, I am forcing myself to tune in to this truly frightening show. It epitomizes all in America that I despise, and all of what passes for “experts” ...