Why I Love to Sing?

         I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to a very talented, brilliant friend of mine who is also an amazingly gifted Singer, Actor, Dancer, and especially, Voiceover Artist. Her name is Julie Maddelena Kliewer, and I asked her to “Guest Write” a Blog Post about “How to Audition for A Voiceover Job”. She produced the wonderful post below on auditioning for Voiceover work for Original “Animation” projects. Julie has had LOTS of experience in this field including roles in “Ever After High” and “Monster High”. She has worked on the stage as a Live actor, and behind the microphone, as well. Enjoy these wonderful words of wisdom from Julie, and be sure to contact her for more information on her classes and experience through the information at the end of the Post. Here is her terrific contribution:           For the sake of simplicity, lets focus in on one aspect of the voiceover industry today: auditioning for original animation.          When you receive a

         If you are a singer or an actor, from time to time you will HAVE to audition to be cast into shows, productions, or for a touring position. This is actually true of instrumentalists as well, though their audition process is usually confined to a smaller number of candidates, and ordinarily does not require callback auditions or extended wait times before results are confirmed. NO ONE really ENJOYS auditioning, but, if you’re conscientious, you should learn something new with EVERY audition, and over time, you should grow quite good at producing a HIGH QUALITY and CONSISTENT audition.          In previous Blog Posts, I’ve talked about building self-esteem, breathing techniques, how to present yourself like a “Professional”, but we haven’t talked specifically about what to TAKE to an audition, how auditions are set up, and exactly WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO DO for any given audition. That’s what I’m gonna to try to explain, as best as I can, here. Contact me if you need link

         Welcome to the Holiday Season! Unfortunately, accompanying the Season, OFTEN, is stress and fatigue, not unlike being in a show, going to rehearsals, or even the audition process. Here, for your listening, “dancing”, singing, and hopefully, your emotional pleasure, are 5 EASY activities to DE-STRESS, and YES, ENERGIZE your Season, AND your performing. 5 Ways to Survive Holiday Stress and Help Your Singing/Acting and Performing: 1.    BREATHE! My advice to you is while you’re stopped at a traffic signal or standing in line at a store checkout, “Count to 10, and Do it Again”. I’ve talked about this before but I can’t emphasize enough how incredibly effective this technique can be. I used it to have one daughter, when I have to have MRIs, and when I don’t want to “Lose My Cool” and YELL at someone. I like to close my eyes but that’s not mandatory (especially if you’re driving)! Inhale to a count of 10, SLOWLY, and then, exhale SLOWLY, again, to a count o

            I know I JUST posted about dealing with a Summer or Fall cold but colds, viruses, or other Upper Respiratory Infections are not the only sources of our “Seasonal Sniffles.” MAYBE you have ALLERGIES. My youngest daughter is 22 years old, and somehow, it was not until THIS year that she began to show signs of seasonal allergies. I had always been told that it took as many as 12 years to develop an allergy, but evidently, it can take even longer than that, depending on the person. As a general “Rule-of-Thumb”, infections are suspected when there is “Color” in your mucus such as yellow, or ESPECIALLY, green. Colds and viruses, generally last only about a week. However, allergies last as long as the particular allergen remains in the air. Obviously, there are OTHER symptoms for “Bacterial” infections that a medical professional could certainly diagnose. If you do, indeed, have an infection, it may be necessary to obtain prescription medications to cure your infection.  

            NO ONE enjoys a summer cold, not that you EVER enjoy being sick. However, somehow it just doesn’t seem RIGHT to have a cold in the summertime. But, try as we might, occasionally, the old “cold virus” trips us up, and brings us down. With schools just getting underway, unfortunately, the season of “giving the ‘gift’ that keeps on giving” ALSO begins. What I mean is that it only takes ONE kid with a late summer cold, to knock out most of an entire class or even a grade. It’s amazing! I remember when I was teaching, it always astounded me. I get it! We don’t want our kids to miss school; they NEED to build up their Immune Systems. Yes, on both counts. HOWEVER, I have a pet peeve with people who carelessly send their kids OR worse, who THEMSELVES infect everybody else just for the sake of not MISSING school or work. All this is to say, though, IT HAPPENS! We ALL get sick sometimes, and I, yours truly, recently fell prey to this very same conundrum.          I have t

    “A pessimist sees the difficult in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty,” (Winston Churchill).          This Blog Post completes my suggestions for Prioritizing Positivity in Your Daily Life. If you haven’t had a chance, please be sure to read and/or print out Blog Posts #100 through #105, or the last SIX posts, including this one. I understand these posts may seem a little “Cheesy” or “Utopian” but I ASSURE you I wouldn’t waste my time if I didn’t believe that this is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT to a strong performance mentality, whether playing piano, singing, acting, dancing, speaking, or simply, living. You probably won’t succeed in viewing EVERY situation or person with a Positive Perspective but if your GOAL is to positively affect everything and every person, you’ll almost certainly be successful MOST of the time, and THAT success can have an incredibly powerful effect on your overall product (perfo