Crossing Over to Another Genre of Singing- Why Should You Cross-Train, Cross-Over or Not?

Crossing over to another genre of singing is often something a singer must do in today's music world. Why not cross-over?  It makes you more marketable and more hire-able.  There are more singers than jobs out there.  Competition is fierce.  By exploring other styles of singing you not only make yourself more marketable but may discover something you do well that you never knew before.  You may fall in love with another style of singing that you never heard or did before.  Maximize your options.  It works in both directions- young high school singers who have only ever heard pop and country music and fall in love with opera or a classically trained opera singer finds she loves musical theater and belts and mixes rather well naturally.  You may find new strengths of your voice and in turn make your voice more flexible.

It used to be taboo to switch over from classical singing to musical theater or pop, but now it is more widely accepted and done!  Within the last 10-15 years, philosophy and needs have changed.  Opera people used to 'look down' on musical theater singers and musical theater singers didn't want to deal with 'starchy opera conductors or singers' (Helfgot and Mann, "Crossing Over", Classical Singer, 2003).  The wall between the two has been torn down for the most part.   No one really benefits from it.  Now we also throw pop and country into the mix.  No one benefits from the divisions really as artists are in high competition for the few roles and jobs out there.   It is commonplace to explore the variety of options out there.

How does this change preparing yourself to be a performing and hire-able singer?

1.  You must sing, act AND dance.  (Or at the very least supplement your voice lessons with some acting and dance lessons).

2. You must cross-train your voice
   - Work with a teacher exploring a few different styles of singing

3. Be aware of what the vocal and physical demands of the roles and shows that you audition for.
   - If you are an alto, don't try to get cast as a high soprano role unless you know your voice can do it!

4. Look good and be good.
  -  As much as I hate to say it, in today's society looks and body type do factor into casting in addition to raw talent.

5.  Be motivated and flexible or willing to adapt!

As always, you must pay attention to your body, your voice, and your brain so you know what truly works for YOU.  Cross-over to another style of singing is a realistic possibility in today's world. Cross-training is the way to accomplish it (tune in next week for details on cross-training the singing voice).