2009 AI begins

The first shows of the 2009 season were broadcast this week. I thought the shows were well edited, made to be fun and entertaining. I think that Simon could be gentler in his comments. No need to be so curt when dismissing someone's dream, even if it's an impossible one. Courtesy and gentleness go a long way.

I'm amazed at some auditioners, who clearly think this is their one chance to have a singing career... yet have done next to nothing to prepare for this one-time chance. Good advice is given to some contestants - go and work on it for a year, and come back. But they leave crying as though developing their skill and craft for a year for a better shot is a bad thing.

The guy that bugged me the most is the one that cried practically the whole time because this was so important to him - but he'd never taken a voice lesson. And he said, with tears in his eyes, "I just want someone to tell me I'm good."

See, he's got it backwards. I think an artist has to be humble enough to assess honestly where they are and what they need to work on. Pride has no place in the creative process. At the same time, one needs to believe that they have something to offer that is valuable - because each one of us is a unique, one-of-a-kind individual.

Ask someone else to tell you if you are "good enough" and you swiftly will find any number of Simon Cowells to tell you that you aren't. There are any number of best-selling authors whose manuscripts were rejected time and time again. Famous film actors who were told they would never make it in film. World renowned tenors who were told they couldn't sing opera.

What happened - were the "experts" wrong? No, and yes. The experts were obviously wrong because that person went out and did the "impossible", right?

But the question you need to ask yourself is... HOW did that person go out and achieve what was thought impossible???

They did the work. They understood the process of development is key to becoming. They figured out what they needed to know, what they needed to have, and they set out to know it and to get it. They worked, knowing that the goal was far far away... but seeing themselves steadily moving forward. And when they achieved that thing, that first goal... they kept working.

Humility & a quest for excellence keeps them working on their craft even when they start being successful. If someone rates them a 9 out of 10, they say, "thank you very much!". Then they go home and they ask themselves quietly... "hey, 9 is good. I wonder what I need to know and do to make that a 10?"

So, if making it "to Hollywood" is your goal in 2010... let me ask you - how much do you want it? How many voice lessons will you take this year to assist you to sing your best? How many dance lessons will you take so you stand tall and move well? Do you want to look like a professional - make sure your hair is cut properly and you are reasonably well dressed. Practice auditioning - practice talking to the judges, having something interesting to say about yourself. Have someone help you choose the best songs to show off your voice, and practice singing them without music, staying on key, and in a rock/pop style. Sing them in front of a variety of audiences. Be determined to look, sound, and present yourself as a budding professional. Even if you don't make it, you'll be respected for your efforts. And even if you don't make it on AI - nothing is stopping you from being a singer, if you really want to be one.