The San Francisco call., 1909-02-20
FOR GIRLS WHO SING

- HE majority of girls who wish to
earn a livelihood by the voice are
those who would become concert
singers, says Ellen Beach Yaw in the
Delineator. This line of work seems to
have the greatest attraction for them,
but there are comparatively few who
make it pay well. And why?
In my belief it is because they are
not well prepared. Most of them have
not had proper and sufficient training.
They have started out unprepared and
are not sure of themselves. No matter
what line of work we undertake we
can not be really successful unless we
have solid foundation to stand upon.
We can not hold the interest of the
ones we are trying to interest because
we ourselves haven't the power, with
out undeveloped talents, to do SO.
To those girls who really in their
hearts have the ambition to become
public singers l would like to say a
few words of advice and encourage
ment Do not try to begin at the top,
with only a superficial understanding
or no understanding at all. Plan your
house, get your material together, be-
fore you attempt to build it. Then be-
gin with the Foundations; that is get
your voice into running order and pre-
pare a repertoire of songs. l mean pre-
pare them well and study them to see
that no little point is left out. When
they have become a part OF yourself
you will be able to impress your audi
ence and your success is assured Be
sides, If you are inclined to be nervous,
it will relieve you greatly to know that
YOU have an understanding of what you
are doing. You viii have more con-
fidence and will be yourself, not an
Imitation. An audience likes to feel
that il is a pleasure for you to sing for
them. so always deliver your songs
graciously to the public. This applies
to church singers as we'll as concert
singers It has been my experience to
hear girls say, How l should like to
be a concert or opera singer" Yet
many of those same girls do not really
care enough about it to work, but they
expect the teacher to do it all. If you
do not care about it enough to work 1t
isn't worth while trying.
To me the work is not work at all,
it is the greatest pleasure of my life
to amuse myself with the voice.
would never discourage student and
sav -.It Is very hard work; it will take
Won a very long time to succeed"
Why. the greatest pleasure of all is the
nreparation for q musical career-try-
ing to see what can be accomplished
with the voice. Public singing can not
be compared with it. One should not
work for fame, but for the pleasure of
working. | have had some experience
teaching lust for the pleasure of teach
ing. and where girls have really be-
come interested and practiced as / told
them the results have been very happy
indeed. But there have been instances
where all my efforts We're wasted,
though these are very few. / believe
nearly every girl finds it a pleasure to
study. especially when she feels that
her success depends Almost entirely
upou herself Mechanism in the voice
is aIways tiresome. If we haven't heart
and brain in what we are doing it be-
comes irksome to a degree. Give your
mind up to your work and put your
whole soul into it, If you do this be-
fore long America Will be renowned
for its numerous and beautiful singers,
and every city will possess municipal
opera house where singers may be
heard. We have the material here to
do if and we must make the most OF
what we have.
You should not be discouraged IL
Won feel that it will take several years.
perhaps. to perfect you in order that
you may be able to make a living with
your voice. Be content to improve and
develop little by little. Never inter-
rupt your course when you have once
begun: this is fatal. I have known
singers to discontinue their course for
some slight cause for a long time and
then be Obliged TO begin all over again
This is what drags out the course in
terminably and often never finishes il.
Then you will say. "Oh, 1t takes so long
to learn to sing." Why, 1t doesn't take
long at all if you work diligently and
uninterruptedly.