What It Takes to Be a Successful Singer; Your Pathway to a Career in Music Through Formal Education:

It would not be too far off target, to say that almost every one of us, sometimes or the other, have considered ourselves a great singer. We have sung in bathrooms, in camps, always the first to play Antakshari (an Indian game of music where the next person takes over starting a song ending with the vowel of an earlier song), sung along our favorite singer, tried karaoke, tried forcing our way in the party band, and generally started singing at the drop of a hat. Singers never made good money till about a couple of decades back. Now, the opportunities are endless, and good singers are in demand and command top dollars. But becoming a successful singer takes much more than your belief. If you are ready to learn how to make it big in the music industry as a singer, you should read these pages carefully. 

Training to Be a Singer, a Lifelong Effort:

If you are fortunate, and your parents and family took notice of your singing ability early on, and they enrolled you in singing classes, or better, they got you a private tutor, you have been lucky. Part of your career building already started way before others even thought they could make a career singing songs. If not, you would do well to recognize it would take a lot more effort in your later years, particularly as you approach graduation, perhaps your voice has broken or deepened, you do need to learn every little nuance, every little note and method of rendering that note, before you can even apply to sing a song and get remunerated.  

What Is the Single Most Important Push from Your University to Make Your Dream Singing Professionally a Reality: 

A good college will teach you the following and more: 

1. Notes
2. Compositions of path-breaking music makers
3. Frequency and its impact on the listener
4. Mindset development 
5. Rendering and editing
6. Excellence via analogue and/or digital
7. Study of the best compositions and matching vocals to music
8. Reading and Writing music
9. Vocal coach and their influence on your style
10. Writing songs which suit your voice pitch

However, the better Universities would also ensure you get the single most important push to start your career- connects and opportunities. 

Connects and Opportunities: 

As the website for Leeds Arts University in UK states-

“Workshops and guest speakers have included Skin OBE, Jason Bowld (Bullet for My Valentine), Imogen Heap, West End performers, composers, agents, publishers, and industry experts across labels, management, and promotion.”

Refer link https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/courses/bmus-hons-popular-music-performance

Or consider the list of tutors Arts University Bournemouth boasts of:

• Piano – Janine Forrester
• Clarinet, Saxophone and Piano – Dr Natalie Burton
• Flute – Hannah Jennings
• Oboe – Phil Gibbs
• Violin – Stefan Defilet
• Cello – Laura Reid
• Double Bass and Bass Guitar – Lee Marchant
• Percussion – Graeme Thew
• Guitar – Pete Hibbit
• Singing – Jonathan Prentice
• French Horn – Ed Lockwood
• Trombone – Kevin Morgan
• Harp – Ruth Faber

(from the page https://aub.ac.uk/campus/university-music)

The Infrastructure Available to Students: 

One of the biggest roadblock to aspiring vocalists or other music students is the availability of infrastructure, meaning auditoriums, equipment, library, software, analogue machines (which are almost extinct now in most studios too) and plug and play facilities to experiment around. Some of the best colleges and Universities boast of all this infrastructure, and more. A student is more likely to become proficient during their study if they get to practice as much as they can. And if the University boasts of regular sessions under their University Choir, Chamber Choir, Contemporary choir, String Ensemble and Concert Band, a student can develop a success mindset on their first day.  

Connects with Industry, Opportunities for Internship and Placements 

So the question arises, what else? For the answer, look for Universities which have a ready list of delegates from industry arriving during the year to be with the students, the alumni which has made big within the industry (as an alumni is easily the first support for new students), the number of placements both as an intern and trainee from the University, and the biggest factor, how many of these are willing to vouch for talent, and provide a good introduction. Every new entrant in the music industry knows very well the importance of introductions and recommendations. It is easier to get a role in a production house or an orchestra or theater if a student fresh out of college is able to produce a noteworthy recommendation. Seldom you would see the busy industry stalwarts even willing to give a few minutes to someone who just walks in or sends cold emails. 

How Willing Is a Premier Learning Institution to Accept New Applicants? 

The first hurdle a student applying for an undergraduate or graduate course is the difficulty they face when they first apply to a premier learning institution. Most of them have high cut offs, and you would sometimes need fairly strong references to even be in the queue. This is where some of the best international Universities score highly with new students. Their entry criteria is uncompromisingly for first come first applicants, without favor or other selection criteria. Sometimes the money spent outside of your home country is well justified on account of the curriculum, infrastructure, and post studies support. Ask any investment professional, and they will readily explain the concept of Return on Investment here. 

Choosing a University in Uk, Compelling Factors:

The United Kingdom offers some very good institutions for overseas students, and as outlined above, it sometimes makes for compelling reasons for choosing a UK University for your higher studies in music. References above have been given of the following two excellent institutions of learning, and a prospective student would do well to go through their entire website before making a choice and applying:

https://aub.ac.uk/

https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/

More to follow: 

If you liked this article, you might want to read the next article in this series, ‘My aim in life- bringing back the magic of good music in Films’.