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Singing Tips What Are Judges of American Idol and Other Talent Auditions Looking For

Ok. So you’ve decided to audition for American Idol, or the local talent show, or the local Karaoke talent search. What‘s going to give you that big step up and put you ahead of the other singers and performers? What are the judges looking for in their first place winner?

First you need to realize that the visual impression you make is every bit as important as the quality of your singing. Having a terrific singing voice will not, by itself, win you that first place position, unless you happen to be a Josh Groban or Celine Dion) and even they spend much time working on their presentations.

Of course you need to practice and perfect your songs. Memorize them FAR in advance of the audition so there’s no chance of your forgetting lyrics or melody. Record them, and listen – not just for bad notes, but also listen as if you were hearing this singer for the first time on the radio. Do you like them? Would you go out and buy their album? Do they “speak” to you with their emotion and style? Perform your audition before some friends.

Just as much time (if not more) should be spent working on your performance as on the song itself. Practice exactly where you want to move during the song. Use the entire stage area, even if it is only 6 feet, to “tell your story” Practice your expressions and body movements so that they become an equal part of your song, along with your voice quality. Leave nothing to chance. Rehearse it all. If you are singing in a karaoke contest, memorize the song. Get away from the lyric screen.

What you wear needs to coordinate with what you are singing without being overly obvious. (If you are wearing shorts and sandals while singing “You Raise Me Up” your outfit will prove detrimental to the overall power and effect.

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American Idol More Than Just a Singing Competition

American Idol is perhaps the biggest singing competition in America these days, and it’s really not hard to see why. Broadcasted over Fox Network in the United States, it is aired internationally in more than 100 countries outside the United States such as; Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and India. And with viewer ratings ranging from 9.9 million viewers during the first season up to 37.7 million in the sixth season, this singing competition, which has also been dubbed as a reality show, is undoubtedly one of the most phenomenal programs to be broadcast on television.

In fact, American Idol has come to be regarded by many as an authoritative television executive, a force to be reckoned with, such that even rival television networks have come to rearrange their program schedules around American Idol in order to diminish their losses. Fox has even accordingly used American Idol to publicize and promote its other programs during its airing. Needless to say, American Idol is a major advertising hotspot for some of the biggest companies and products in the United States.

American Idol was created by British show business mogul, Simon Fuller, in 2002 and the main thrust of the show is to search for the best singer in the United States through a succession of singing contests. Contestants are filtered from literally hundreds of aspiring American Idol hopefuls across the United States. During the initial auditions, contestants are screened and chosen by four judges; recording producer Randy Jackson, Grammy award-winning pop songstress, Emmy award-winning choreographer and dancer Paula Abdul, music manager and mogul Simon Cowell. Recently added, was the multi-Grammy nominated songstress and composer Kara DioGuardi.

Judges decide the top 24 contestants who then face off in a series of weekly competitions, each with different themes. Examples of themes that have been used include disco, big band, Motown, Billboard hits, and even featured singing artists like Dolly Parton, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Beatles, Queen, Barry Manilow, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, The BeeGees, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Rod Stewart, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Neil Sadaka. It is during this later stage of the show when the public vote is used to decide the top 12, eventually narrowing it down to the top 2 by voting a contestant out every week.

American Idol is hosted by Ryan Seacrest who used to host game shows for children. In the first season, he co-hosted the show with funnyman Brian Dunkleman.

First aired with little fanfare as a summer stand-in television show in 2002, American Idol has since developed and grown an immense fan base all through to its eighth season this year. Needless to say, the show has produced award-winning and popular singing artists, starting off with the winners of the first seven seasons, namely Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood, and David Cook. Noteworthy are also the runners-up of the first seven seasons, who are Justin Guarini, Blake Lewis, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Katharine McPhee, Bo Bice, and David Archuleta.

Anthony Reyes is also the author of the review at Singorama

The Choice Between Singing Alone Or In A Group

The thing about singing is that it generally starts when the person is a child. After several years of singing courses and lessons, the person can develop several skills needed to sing. One way to encourage this is to either take them to church or take them to social events that encourage youngsters to sing.

If properly taught, the child could display skills like some artists that are even famous; examples are Britney Spears, Ozzy Osborne, or Natalie Imbruglia.

One thing of note though, even after the child has taken classes and reaches adulthood they should continue these lessons by auditions, or even talent shows. Some live shows now days look for local adults and young teens to participate to get recording records, like American Idol.

Singing in a group however can be another story. Most individuals prefer to work alone when singing but there are also just as many who prefer to work in a group. This can help with complex numbers or routines that a single person might not be able to obtain alone.

When singing alone one of the main things to think about is the fact that the singer is the person who is hitting all of the major notes when there are also back-up singers in the background. Ultimately the performance depends on the singer not the back-ups.

This is not as much of an issue with groups, they are able to perform notes and it’s not just on the main singer to get the right notes, everyone in the band is responsible for hitting the right notes at the right time. It takes practice to achieve this goal.

Norfolk has run an experiment that shows that it is not as much on the number of persons singing but rather the technique used. Some of the things that were tested were pitch, long term spectra, timing, and loudness of both.

The question remains, is it better to perform as a single artist, or in a group? The answer is that no one can tell, this is a answer that only a singer can make. This choice has to be based on what the individual desires and if they can achieve this goal alone or in a group.

Churches still to this day question whether or not a single person is better then a band. This is displayed in the teachings of the new testament. This conflict is still raging because there are no scriptures that state which way it is supposed to be.

The main thing to consider when dealing with a singer other then the choice of single or band is how long that person will be on the stage. Backstage managers, record labels, and other factors determine how long someone will be around, be it just for the night or for the next decade.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.

Singing Tips What Are Judges of American Idol and Other Talent Auditions Looking For

American Idol More Than Just a Singing Competition

The Choice Between Singing Alone Or In A Group

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