This article is a continuation from the previous article on how to become an exceptional singer part 1.

THE A – Z OF AN EXCEPTIONAL SINGER

Here’s the continuation….

J – JUDGMENT: The worst you can do to your self is DECEIVE YOURSELF. Have the right sense of judgment. If it’s not working, be sincere and get help where necessary. Don’t pretend to be improving when in the actual sense you’re not. Humility helps you to be sincere.

K – KEEN: It means being eager, enthusiastic or interested. My choir master at a time one said, “LOVE YOUR INSTRUMENT”. Your voice is your instrument. LOVE IT! Never belittle your voice and be interested in it. There is more to having a beautiful voice like; developing singing techniques, styles, use of the microphone and so on. Be eager at knowing all that has to do with your singing “ministry”.

L- LUCIDITY: Its an adjective that means clear or easily understood. Your performance should be clear enough as to convey it’s message. Know that you are trying to pass a message through your song so, be careful not to leave your audience in a confused. Make sure your diction is clear enough to be well understood.

M – MENTOR: A mentor refers to a wise and trusted counsellor or teacher. Having a mentor cuts across all areas and cannot be underemphasized. You need someone to look up to and keep you on track in your area of interest.

N – NETWORK: Connection is very vital. YOUR NETWORK DETERMINES YOUR NET-WORTH. Knowing successful people in the system that might be of help and will expose one to various things you’re unaware of is important. Stop thinking you know everything. At times, we don’t know that we don’t know what we don’t know and should know.

O – OPENESS: Well, some would try to protect their interest and hide their weakness. The best is for others to compliment your weakness so that it won’t be exposed. What ever challenge you are having, you should be able to voice out to your mentor, teacher or colleague so that you don’t suffer in silence. When you speak up, there’ll be remedy.

P – PRACTICE, PLAN, PATIENCE: These three works together. Practice reduce imperfection. No matter how talented you think you are, you need to proper preparation for, PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE.

Also, you might be ready to practice but don’t know what to practice and hereby entering into a wasteful venture. That is why you need to PLAN. HAVE A PLAN. It help you achieve your expected result without getting frustrated and wasting your time.

Then, you need to understand that it’s a gradual process. It might be faster in the talented compared to those that want to acquire the skill and the result varies among persons. That is why you need PATIENCE. Without this, frustration might set in and you might not find your practice enjoyable.

Q – QUEST: My dictionary defines this as “a journey or effort in pursuit of a goal (often lengthy, ambitious, or fervent); a mission”. I leave you to ponder on this. PURSUE YOUR GOAL. HAVE A MISSION.

R – REST and RELAX: As busy as your schedule might seem, taking enough rest is essential for your voice and relax when you mount up the stage to sing.

S – STUDY: It’s not enough to have the materials downloaded. You have to study because it wont read itself. My dictionary defines this as “To acquire knowledge on a subject”. It goes far beyond just reading.

T- TENACITY and TIMBRE: This has to do with being persistent and unyielding. You don’t allow anything to take you off track. Don’t be distracted. Be persistent. Be tenacious.

Timbre refers to the quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume. People go for quality irrespective of the cost. To be exceptional, work on your quality, the quality of your voice.

U – UNIQUE: Have your own style. When you sing, people should be able to accurately predict that you’re the one. Don’t try to copy but yes, you can learn and emulate. Build your own special qualities. In a world where we seem to have all things, people want something new. YOU JUST HAVE TO BE DISTINCT AND UNIQUE IN YOUR OWN WAY.

V – VERSATILE: This refers to capable of doing many things competently. If you’re a contemporary singer, you should also be capable of performing classical songs and vice versa. It also cuts across knowing how to play at least one instrument, knowing of music theory and so on. Don’t be limited. Try to know outside the scope of your specialization.

W – WORK: Be Willing to adjust and adapt. Don’t make it seem as though you’re being forced to do the right thing. Your attitude determines what you get from your teacher. Success is about work, work and hardwork not a bed of roses.

X – XTRA: To be exceptional, you have to put in an extra effort. You need to go an extra mile beyond the ordinary so as to have the extraordinary.

Y – YES: I gave this an acronym of You’re Exceptional Singer. You not end to start seeing yourself becoming what you want to. You might have been mocked, looked down upon, or make mistakes as though you can never reach your potential. Mistakes are bound to happen and therefore, shouldn’t define you. TO A SCIENTIST, MISTAKE IS NOT FAILURE, IT IS FEEDBACK. YES YOU CAN.

Z – ZEAL : Zeal has to do with passion, drive. For you to pay the price, you need to have a drive. Be passionate about what you’re doing. Sing with passion. PASSION PROPELS ACTION.

If you are committed to the above, then i can almost guarantee that you would become an exceptional singer.