American Idol: Classroom for Up-and-Coming Singers

“American Idol is the Super Bowl for the kids who didn’t play sports in school because they were busy practicing or playing in the marching band,” says Renee Grant-Williams, expert voice coach to some of the recording industry’s biggest stars. “Young singers can get a sense of what real-world professionals are looking for and what the American public responds to. Singers can learn from the critiques what works and what doesn’t, and then apply that to their own performance.”

Grant-Williams is part of a select panel of top voice coaches chosen by TV Guide to provide contestant evaluations for their April 17 cover story. She told the magazine that all aspiring singers can glean valuable lessons from this phenomenal hit show. “The advice given on voice control, body-support, appearance, branding, and other vital aspects of performance is about as good as you can get anywhere – and it’s free to boot,” Grant-Williams says.

Grant-Williams says one of the biggest mistakes this year’s contestants make is over-singing. “We seem to be caught up in an epidemic of loud. The contestants appear to have difficulty maintaining intensity without crossing that line where they lose their musicality and sound like they’re about to damage their voices.”

Grant-Williams gives the American Idol panel of commentators high marks for generally right-on advice. She agrees most often with Simon Cowell, even though he is the harshest. “If you think Simon is tough, try convincing a roomful of label executives that they should spend millions of dollars taking a chance on your career,” says Grant-Williams.

However, Grant-Williams says sometimes the panelists make conflicting requests about issues like song selection, and then blame poor performance on the singer’s song choice.

“Song choice is important and it’s wonderful when the perfect song and the perfect singer come together. But the qualities we hear in a great singer would come through if they were singing, Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” says Grant-Williams. “A singer should
always think twice about stepping outside of their safety zone. I tell singers to do what they do best.”

Finally, Grant-Williams encourages aspiring singers to persevere. “Randy Travis was turned down by Nashville’s You Can Be a Star three times before he went on to become a country music icon and one of today’s most endearing stars.”

Grant-Williams offers advice for singers through her three-part DVD, “Vocal Master Class with Renee Grant-Williams.” Limited registration is still available for Grant-Williams’ 7th annual Master Class to be held April 16. The Master Class allows singers to spend an entire day learning with her before performing in a showcase that evening.

Grant-Williams coaches aspiring performers as well as celebrities including Faith Hill, the Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Christina Aguilera, Linda Ronstadt, Randy Travis, and Huey Lewis. She has been quoted by Cosmopolitan, the Associated Press, Business Week, UPI, Southern Living, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She has appeared on many broadcast outlets including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Bravo, USA, MTV, GAC, BBC, PBS, and NPR. Grant-Williams is a former instructor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as the former director of the Division of Vocal Music at the University of California, Berkeley.
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For more information or to schedule an interview with Renee Grant-Williams, call 615-259-4900 or visit www.MyVoiceCoach.com.

04/06/2005