It's a Win-Win !

I conducted an interview with Antonia Jenae’, a professional in the Music Industry.

ANTONIA JENAE’- is a singer, songwriter, mother, voice coach, mentor, photographer, and very well known as being the background singer for Grammy Award winning artists Joss Stone or the past 11 years. She spoke up that she is the same person on stage as well as off, not indulging with the cliché of not being her self.  Her music invites those to get to know her. Simple tunes with complex storytelling that will captivate your soul and want to hear her sing her story. She has small negotiating tactics. She has negotiated gigs and background work for local artists in the Broward area of Florida.  I was surprised to have a converse with her being that her wrap sheet is lengthy, doing somewhat of what I plan to do as an artist and business owner.

I asked her how she separates people from the problem when negotiating and she expressed how she tells people what her worth is. Most times her price is not the price her client wants to pay, stating the budget is small. When she starts to hear the same language from different mouths, it becomes innate in how she negotiates a job or singing opportunity.  She’s found out that most times than none she has to compromise her initial price to a budget of the other party. It’s called Give and Take, so she stated.  She gave me a tip that I thought was useful and beneficial, to continue to research your market,. She impressed onto me to see if what I have to market is demanded in a certain area (or state).

Within such a competitive market such as the music industry, Antonia understands protocol and positional hierarchy. Respecting who came before you and set the tone and paved the way for most live performers is highly look upon in the music industry. She has had many bosses and artist she has sang behind and who’s allowed their position to cloud exactly what their interests are. In order for beautiful things to occur in a performance or through a contractual agreement as a performer its best to know where you stand. Positional bargaining occurs in the industry. No one is thinking about how both parties can win or be satisfied instead, there is tension and one person who is over the other. It’s not right but it’s happening.

Antonia doesn’t use the hard approach to get what she wants. She uses a soft approach, and aims for a deal to be made so that herself and the other party can be satisfied and work on equal grounds with a mutual benefit. “Sometimes taking less money is worth it, depending on the project, the amount of exposure at the venue, and the built relationship with the party negotiating job with.

For example: Antonia once took a singing gig and settled for an amount she usually wouldn’t, but after taking the opportunity she reaped with 3 more gigs after she finished, and it all equaled up to an increase and not a loss.

Reference:

Structure: Williams, A. (2014, September 3).  Telephone Interview: Antonia Jenae’.

Contact Information: Antonia Jenae’- https://www.facebook.com/antoniajenae

THE Appropriate Age

Many mothers I have come across blatantly ask, if their child is old enough to receive singing lessons.  I often take a few steps backwards before answering that question, because every person with a voice is designed and structured genetically different of course. My response is, “ We can work on diction, articulation, breathing technique and sustaining proper posture, but gaining a higher range or stretching the tessitura is not recommended for children under the age of 12." Being that a child’s voice begins to change once puberty begins and that’s usually by the age of 11 or 12 years old. So there shouldn’t be any strenuous training or exercises towards the voice because their voice will change and need to be trained differently as the child grows and matures.

I currently teach a female child who is 11 years old. After listening to the type of voice she has, it would not be conducive to train her vigorously because she wouldn’t know how to apply the technique, especially when I ask her to sing a little stronger and give more of a forte dynamic. Her voice is not built to give a mature sound yet. Teaching children a song is one thing but training them how to sing with proper technique to create a certain ambience for an audience will be a task.

I never received vocal training as a child. I have been singing since my Mother put the microphone in my hand at the age of 2. Being in choirs, vocal ensembles, oratorical speaking competitions, acting classes, plays, and talent shows, I have watched my own voice change since the age of EIGHT. When I was 10 years old I remember standing in front of the dancing guru, Debbie Allen auditioning for a show. I sang “The Battle Hymn of Republic” and it was stated, I sounded like an older woman singing and that my voice was powerful and huge to be so young. I received the compliment, but didn’t understand what it meant, since I was a kid. So that is said to express this, that a child’s voice can sound a certain way like mine did but should not be intensely trained or should I state, “tamed” until there is a conscious conveyance in the training.

A vocalist should be engaged mentally, physically and emotionally when singing or speaking. This carries over into acting or speaking oratorically as well. It has been proven that most singers do not come into their true voice that will be apart of them for the rest of their life, until the age of  30.

RECOMMENDATION: Let your child be apart of a school or church choir where they are singing mostly in unison (all together on the same note or pitch), but none of the songs should be sung past c2 on the keyboard. Your child should be able to sing in a NATURAL WAY without pushing or shouting. This will help your child to understand the importance of taking care of their voice and not damaging the vocal chords at an early age.

Some other BLOGS to consider on this topic that I used as resources .

Cindy Shadrick

Petra Raspel

Rick Warren: A Life of Purpose

           I watched the web video on A life of Purpose, with Rick Warren as the speaker. Rick Warren has been considered as one of the world’s most influential and leading Christians. He is a pastor who has become a sought after advisor to world leaders and infamously known for writing the book The Purpose-Driven Life.  The video reflects on his own crisis of purpose in the wake of his book’s wild success. He explains his belief that, God’s intention is for us to use our talents & influence to do well.  Pastor Warren never intended on being a famous or even considered himself an author. He didn’t desire to be seen on television preaching either because he didn’t want to be a celebrity. He believes being a pastor, and author is all a service and good stewardship.

            Expressing how others would say they were living life when in reality they just existed shows how Rick Warren thinks. He lets the audience know that everyone was planned to be here by God. There is this inner desire and that no one is here on accident. “You matter; to God, to history, and to this universe.”, he says. We are wired and shaped for a precise action on earth. And living on purpose is required.

           

Pastor Rick Warren inspires me. He shows me consistency of a person with a purpose. Though he isn’t a singer or vocal coach, he definitely is a motivator. I learned that utilizing what was given to me: talent, background, education career, is my service to help others. I understand that I do not own anything during my existence on earth, all I’m required to do is willfully give of my self. So, now I have decided to take stewardship and service into the business I am building.  Using my influence, my identity and my income to make what I was given the abilities to do come to life.

Resource: http://www.ted.com/talks/rick_warren_on_a_life_of_purpose

Steve Jobs: How to Live Before You Die

The blog post discussion on Steve Jobs: “How to live before You die”

The one web video that stroked my curiosity was with speaker Steve Jobs; he spoke on “ How to live before you die”. The college drop out spoke on how he was put up for adoption and found what he loved to do at an early age. After sitting in a typography class he knew that was what he wanted to do since the age of 20. He thought typography was fascinating, and later included it into his computer programming on the new invented Macintosh.

Steve Jobs really inspired me with his simple speech of encouragement and optimism. After being fired from Apple he was able to create two companies that are world renown to this day. His company Next was bought by Apple and Pixar is the 1^st successful animated studio in the world. Expressing to the audience not to lose faith even when life hits you in the head with a brick is one statement that many leaders of a company could relate to. Jobs also stated that the one thing that kept him going was that he loved what he did, and that you gotta find what you love; that’s with work and with your lovers.

Your Work is going to fill a large art of your life and the only way

To be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.

And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

If you haven’t found it yet keep looking and don’t settle.

As matters of the heart you’ll know, when you find it,

 And in like any great relationship

It just gets better and better

 as the years roll on

So keep looking

Don’t Settle.

- STEVE JOBS

I am inspired by the message Steve Jobs sent through the web video. He makes me not want to stop pursuing brand identities or strategies to create a culture that will stick from decades to a lifetime of generations. He really helped me want to overcome adversities when they come, because if he could be fired from the company he started then rehired that means, everything happens for a reason and a season. I won’t be trapped by dogma; which is living with the results of other people’s thinking or will I let the noise of others’ opinions drown out my own inner voice. Honestly Steve Jobs speech helped me development a deeper knowing on what I need to do as a CEO. I must “ have the courage to follow my heart and intuition because they somehow already know what I truly want to become. Everything else is SECONDARY”. I want to be hungry and foolish for greatness and substantial success.

Resources: http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die