Middle-Aged Guys With Long Hair

Not my favorite thing.  : (

Beware paunchy middle-aged guys with pony-tails and bald heads. There are a few whose hair goes below their shoulders, thin, grey and totally unattractive. What are they thinking? It makes them sexier? More authoritative? Younger-looking?

And, there are a number of these fellows teaching singing, mostly to young “rising stars” who are easily lead….sometimes astray. Flashy studio talk, flashy prompts of “gorgeous, baby!” Lots of razzle-dazzle and not much else. Still works, as good as ever. You can find them all over YouTube.

Humility isn’t much to be found there. In fact, humility and show business seem an odd combination, except that some of the most talented, successful people over the decades were the very last to blow their own horns. Instead, they relied upon their work, their professionalism, and their overall sense of security in who they were. Robert Redford comes to mind. Has always been serious, successful and was, when young, drop dead gorgeous. He has used his success to greatly help many others. Doesn’t spend much time on the internet making himself look good to aspiring actors, does he?

I cannot  say strongly enough, singing is about singing. If you do not sing well, if you do not know what you are doing when you sing, you will not find it easy to teach. Even if you sing well, it doesn’t mean that you know what you are doing or what someone else who isn’t you needs to do or avoid. If you do not sing well, you will chase rainbows and find some way to make yourself feel better. Young, innocent students who are talented enough as natural singers and who would do well with virtually any teacher who wasn’t outrightly crazy are out there, and if you go trawling to find them, you will succeed. Then you can take credit for their talent. You will take credit for their talent.

Middle-Aged Guys With Long Hair

You have to ask yourself why someone who is balding wants to grow the hair on the back of his head down below his shoulders. I guess you could also ask why Donald Trump doesn’t bother to get a really good hairpiece. (He thinks his comb-over makes him look good?) You have to ask yourself why someone who is that insecure would be good at teaching anything. (Or, heaven forbid, wanting to run this country).

We all know that there are people in this world who could sell you the moon. Thousands of people have been bilked out of their life savings by Ponzi schemes perpetrated by people who seemed very trustworthy and nice.  If you find someone on the internet who has all the answers, who is going to tell you how you can have a big fat career by working with him, turn off the computer or your phone and go practice instead. You will find what you need not in some outside person but in your own voice and body.