Your Singing Career

Advice from pros, practical tips, and more

Musicals Acting Career Book So You Want to Be in Musicals? New in 2012: Celebrated actress Ruthie Henshall has starred on Broadway and the West End in Chicago, Les Misérables, Cats, and Oliver! among others. She brings her extraordinary knowledge and personal experiences to this insider account of how to make it in this very tough business. An essential guide to turning dreams into reality.

A hot seller for performers:

Making It on Broadway: Actors' Tales of... (opens to Amazon.com)

"MAKING IT ON BROADWAY (Allworth Press) goes beyond the glitz and the glamour to show what really happens both on a Broadway stage and in the personal lives of Broadway actors.

The Back Stage Actor's Handbook: The How to and Who to Contact Reference for Actors, Singers and Dancers From Back Stage Books: 4th Rev&Ex edition (June 1, 2004)

How to Make It in Musicals: The Insider's Guide to a Career As a Singer-Dancer. This career manual gives aspiring singer-dancers the specific know-how they need to move from dream to reality. Incorporating advice from numerous performers and other show-business professionals, this friendly guide starts with the basics for beginners: picking the right teachers, identifying the different kinds of dance and voice training needed, and developing an acting style for the musical stage. Behind the scenes information is offered on how to audition, find an agent, get job leads for Broadway, regional stages, summer stock, night- clubs, theme parks, cruise ships, and other performance venues seeking young talent. Job alternatives. 1999.

Creating a Life Worth Living: A practical course
in career design for artists, innovators, and others
aspiring to a creative life

Although this book is not specifically for singers, it's helpful for artistic/creative people who don't fit the work-a-day world mode.

"Cabaret
Artist's Handbook" book cover. Cabaret Artist's Handbook: Creating Your Own Act in Today's Livliest Theater Setting

A handbook of practical tips.

"Organizing for the Creater Person" book cover. Organizing for the Creative Person

Anyone who is intuitive, right-brain dominant, or creative can benefit from this fun book. For example, right-brain people may not want to file things away where they can't see them, and so it suggests ways to file that are visually oriented.

Professional Vocalist: A Handbook for Commercial Singers and Teachers Photograph; "Professional
Vocalist" book cover

From Library Journal: Library Journal Lebon's intentions are "to provide specific, practical suggestions that will prepare the student/vocalist for professional singing opportunities." Suggestions abound on vocal hygiene, performance preparation, microphone techniques, musical theater pedagogy, and, perhaps most importantly, preparation for success

Letters from Backstage - Touring book Letters from Backstage: The Adventures of a Touring Stage Actor

This collection of e-mails, letters, and musings will interest aspiring actors and theater fans as well as travelers. If you're considering tour acting, this book is a must read.

How to Succeed in the Music Business - from Musicnotes.com - Description says: This new edition of the 'bible' of the music business gives you all the advice you need. Based on the author's long professional experience, How to Succeed in the Music Business tells you exactly what problems and opportunities you'll encounter - and how to deal with them. Chapters include: recording sessions, publishing, contracts, copyrights, royalties and management.

How to Succeed in the Music Business - order from Amazon.com

Acting and Singing Career Tips & inspiration

Backstage.com - Getting started in acting

Backstage.com - Types of careers

Backstage.com - Singing Careers -

Singing work falls into two basic types: performance and recording....

An essay on the Tao of Singing - Sing out Seattle website

Business Cards

Get premium quality, full-color business cards FREE! An $85.00 value!

Get ideas from professional singers' websites. Training and Technique for Singing in Musicals - Learn from the Great Singing Stars

Alison Franck, casting director for the Papermill Playhouse says, “If I get an actor’s name from someone and I know nothing about them, the first thing I can do is go to their website and learn all about them.”

Song Selection for Cabaret or Concerts

Choosing songs with guts - NYTimes article

Excerpt:

How do singers choose their songs?

For Ms. LuPone the answer is sharply contrarian. "I was always drawn to songs written for the second- banana female character or even the male lead; not Maria's songs in `West Side Story,' but Anita's; not Marion the Librarian's songs from `Music Man,' but Harold Hill's `Trouble.' Why? Because those are the songs with guts. The female leads always get the romantic melodies. But their songs are just too passive for me." . . .

"To choose a song, I always start with the lyrics," Ray Charles said in a recent interview. "The lyrics must capture my attention. The music complementing the lyrics is what makes the song work for me."

Organizations

ASCAP's new musical theatre pages

Includes career development info, news, workshop info, etc

ASCAP

BMI

SESAC

Organizations links on NewYorkMusician.com

THEATRE AND CABARET | Professional Organizations

AMERICAN THEATER WING
250 W. 57th Street
New York, NY 10109
(212) 765-0606
http://www.tonys.org
Founded in 1917, this organization presents the Tony Awards and a wide variety of programs, seminars, and scholarships, particularly in community service.

THE DRAMATISTS GUILD
1501 Broadway, Suite 701
New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 398-9366 / Fax: (212) 944-0420
http://www.dramatistsguild.org/
A professional organization for playwrights and lyricists, which develops standard contracts for commercial and non-commercial productions of new plays, and provides opportunities for networking and presents monthly lectures. The organization provides several publications, including The Dramatists Guild Quarterly, The Dramatists Guild Newsletter, an Annual Resource Directory, and an Annual Directory of Institutional Theaters (see above).

MANHATTAN ASSOCIATION OF CABARETS AND CLUBS
70A Greenwich Avenue, Box 170
New York, NY 10011
(212) 465-2662
http://www.macnyc.com
The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs is a not-for-profit organization that presents an annual awards show; "Performers Seminars" on many aspects of performing, writing and producing; and also co-produces with ASCAP the "Songwriters Showcases," spotlighting new songwriting and performing talent. The organization also produces a newsletter, MAC News, as well as a mailing list of performers wanting new songs.

SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME
600 Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10022
Tel: (212) 957-9230 / Fax: (212) 751-1515
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/
The Songwriters Hall Of Fame is a membership association that sponsors quarterly showcases and workshops. The organization also includes The National Academy Of Popular Music.