Carve Your Craft And Become Your Own American Idol

by Cari Cole

Two of my students/artists are in American Idol right now (Dilia Michelle & Marissa Pontecorvo – that’s Marissa to the right.) Who knows how far they will go, but the fact that they went the distance by auditioning for American Idol and made it into the top few hundred out of the whole country is really awesome. I am so proud of them. It takes a lot of craft, experience, talent and courage to go through the rig-a-ma-roll they set you up for. It’s quite an emotional roller coaster. But I know that both of them are prepared. They both have great talent – great song choices/voices and tons of experience performing – they have worked their craft. Now it’s up to chance (not talent.)

And if you are reading this, you too probably want to get better at your skills and improve your craft. Become a better singer, performer, and deepen your stage presence and artistry. I know, I’ve been there. It’s the art of being an artist – and it goes deep.

Just recently in my Artist Success Circle, we were talking about how actors have it so much better. They have so much more structure and support. When I was 19, I attended the Actor’s Institute with Dan Fauci. Sigourney Weaver and Fischer Stevens were in my class. It was exciting to be with a group of dedicated actors learning, growing and going through their process with their craft and careers. There was so much to learn and experience with each other. As a musician, it was more isolated. I’d attend music school in a classroom with little interaction and then go home and practice my scales and composition – alone. I joined a band and we had rehearsal 1-2x a week – which was better, but when you’re the front person-vocalist, you’re kind of on your own – nobody really commiserates with your plight (and they definitely do not understand why you’re always drinking tea and paranoid about your voice (no one understands what it’s like being a singer unless you are one.)

It’s an art, this business of the craft. It’s serious stuff. And it requires two things. One is discipline and the other is awareness. In order to be decent at this, you’ve got to know yourself. You can’t just get up there and sing – that’s not going to do it. You can’t sing from the surface; you’ve got to sing from the depths if you’re going to move people. And that’s not always easy to do again and again, night after night. It takes courage – a lot of it.

One of the biggest things I learned when I was carving my craft as a singer and performer is that in order to get to where I was going – I had to constantly try different things and be willing to be uncomfortable. I learned that when I reached deeper down and revealed my own thoughts and experiences instead of copying others was when I got in the lane I was supposed to be in. You’ll probably find it where you try to hide most. Where you are most vulnerable, that’s what you protect the most. Basically the art of being a great singer and performer is to find that and then expose it to millions of people.

Are you ready to dive in? I’ve got JUST the thing for you (and it’s free)…Coming February 6th!! — stay tuned.

In the meantime, here’s a quick motivational list to get you started:

1. Practice every day with one day off. (Vocal technique, piano/guitar, songwriting, performing. You’ve got 10,000 hours to fill.)
2. Believe you can. This is the MOST important thing ever.
3. Write down your goals (weekly, monthly, annually.) and keep a list of to do’s. List keeping is a proven attribute of successful people.
4. Expect success. Always.
5. Get professional feedback. You’ll go farther faster.

Coming February 6th!! — something special for you… stay tuned…

©2012 Cari Cole, Vocal Mag, Inc. All Rights Reserved.