ASCAP President Paul Williams to Deliver Keynote at Midem

ASCAP President and award-winning songwriter Paul Williams has been announced as a keynote speaker at Midem, the international music business conference set to take place in Cannes, France from June 5th - 8th of 2015.

Central to Williams’s speech will be the great importance of music to our lives. “I want to talk about the social gift that all creators provide,” Williams told Variety. “Gathered at Midem are people who reach into the center of their chest, and others who assist those creators, offering a message that comforts the world.” Read the full article here.

JOETT
Joett Music Publishing
WhatsApp +255 787 364 045

Diary Of A Songwriter On Going Platinum At Music Clout

I've been a member of the American Society Of Composers, Authors And Publishers (ASCAP) since 2011, on the back of my 2010/11 comeback single I Could Never Live (Without Your Love). Quite literally, it was the song that gained me membership to ASCAP. Since then, more songs have followed into my ASCAP-registered catalog, and if I'm honest, my work towards establishing a songwriting career has only just begun in earnest (good things take time), and is beginning to unfold in more ways than I ever imagined possible on the international music arena. Not a lot is happening in Tanzania, it has to be said. You'll hardly hear my records on the radio and aside from my 90s fan base, very few people know this side of me. I'm famous as a vocal coach now (which is nice), but certainly not for my music. Not in Tanzania anyway. Thing is, I donot MAKE music for the local market and I'm not willing to localize my music to conform. I do what makes me tick. But let's look at the bright side. Color Me Beautiful has enjoyed radio rotation in the USA to the tune of over a thousand spins a week, not to mention top A&R from major US record labels have taken an interest in my work and are practically knocking on my door. It is nice to be appreciated by music industry executives at the top their game. It makes it all worthwhile.

And so I joined Music Clout as a Platimum Member to spearhead my networking endeavors for my international music publishing label Joett Music Publishing. And the truth be told, I'm SO glad I did! It's quite amazing how many music industry contacts are on there AND in search of all manner of things from blogging to A&R, distribution and licensing to magazine feature opportunities and radio exposure...it's an incredibly vast database of music industry movers and shakers on the move. I love it! And I absolutely intend to make very good use of this resource. Keep up the great work, guys. You rock!

Thanks, for dropping by!

JOETT
Joett Music Publishing
WhatsApp +255 787 364 045

Speech Therapy: The Key to Finding Your True Singing Voice!

PUBLISHED IN BUSINESS TIMES NEWSPAPER 28/11/2014 == How you speak could very easily prevent you from harnessing your full potential when you sing. Often referred to as your chest voice, your speaking voice -- in singing -- is in your lower register. The trouble is, if your voice -- when you speak -- lacks clarity, power, balance, consistency and resonance, chances are you will likely fall short of the basic qualities needed to becoming a better singer. Singing is defined as sustained speech over a broad range of connected notes using vibrato, dynamics and emotive interpretation. ‘Connective’ being the operative word -- and the reason why this article can help you understand better, the reasons why speech level singing can tremendously improve the quality of your voice.

As a vocal coach, I have seen countless people walk into my studio and make the same mistake over and over again -- they start to sing on a high octave and completely ignore their true voice -- the lower register. In some cases this tendency is so endemic it takes many lessons to help them kick the habit. When you ONLY sing at the top of your range, where else can you go? Doing this seriously limits your range. I always point this out to my students: make sure you use your lower register -- it helps keep you grounded, not to mention, it helps you expand your range effortlessly.

I’ll give you a very useful tip. Get some old records from yesteryear and have a listen to those. Listen to Frank Sinatra (Strangers in the Night), Shirley Bassey (Goldfinger), Julie London (Cry Me a River), Tom Jones (Yesterday), Nat King Cole (Unforgettable), Andy Williams/Nancy Sinatra/Barbara Streisand (Shadow of Your Smile) and you will see that they all have one thing in common. They use their lower register -- a lot. What I like about old songs is they were very well composed… and made to sound simple and easy to sing. Well, because I use a lot of these songs in my jam sessions with the students I vocal coach, they will all attest to the fact that these songs are far from easy to sing…even though they may sound so, they’re quite the contrary. All the more reason, I say, to practice with these enormous classics. If I’m honest, when I was a kid, THIS is how I learned to sing.
Try speaking the following well-chosen sentences into a tape recorder and LISTEN to your voice very carefully. If you don’t like what you hear, chances are you're not speaking in your true voice. So: work on CHANGING the way you speak by using your lower register to speak (as low as you can get); and then try to sing in that same (lower) register, and work your way up the scale. Use that (lower register) as your base voice (your foundation). You'll be amazed what a huge difference it can make to your singing voice. So, speak the following words, and then try singing them.

Good morning Andy.
How’s your leg?
When are you coming back?
Oh, that’s really wonderful.

In summary: An amateur singer, in most cases (watch and observe), will use ONLY their upper register (or thereabouts) when they sing, limiting their range and the quality of their voice with this one endemic singing faux pas. Combine your lower and upper registers to deliver a well balanced vocal range. Turn to old records for inspiration. It worked for me, I’m sure it’ll work for you. Listen to Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Julie London, Nat King Cole, Tom Jones, Andy Williams and you will see that they all have something in common. They all use their lower register and work their way up the scale. The next time you find yourself singing at the top of your range from start to finish, stop and go back to basics. Work your way into a song from the ground up. You’ll only discover your true voice when you use your lower register.

For piano scales backing tracks to do the scales with, please download FREE mp3 from my HulkShare page here!


JOETT
Private Singing Lessons
Corporate Voice Training

Singing Lesson: How to Smoothen Out Corrosive Vocals

PUBLISHED IN BUSINESS TIMES NEWSPAPER 21/11/2014 == This is a typical one. Inadequate breath and bad placement cause the corroded vocals you may be experiencing, when you sing. I will elaborate on this. If you sense that your vocal chords actually hurt when you sing, and that your tone is strained and somewhat displaced, then you certainly ARE corroding your vocals when you sing. I think the first thing you need to ask yourself is why is it that when you speak everything seems normal, yet it is quite the contrary when you sing? Does it make any bit of sense to you that when you speak you’re alright and when you sing – suddenly, your vocals are all stressed out and worse yet, you’re hurting? This short article will offer tips on how to go back to basics, relax; how to stop panicking and stressing out your vocal chords; and how to get on with it--smoothly.

Inadequate breath flowing through your vocal chords as you sing is the number one stumbling block (no doubt about it). You must have sufficient breath flowing through that area when you sing. How to fix the problem? Start by opening your mouth wide and just breathe out HAAAA. Make sure you’re not emitting any sound when you do this. Only release the breath. Now, once you’ve got the hang of this, repeat this exercise whilst adding just a bit of voice to it. Gradually increase your voice in small increments whilst ensuring that it stays SMOOTH—in that you’re not feeling any pain or corrosion in that area. Once you’ve struck the ideal balance, use that same balance when you sing ANY song. You’ll not only sound great, you’ll feel a lot better and more in control of what you’re doing.

Applying both the soft and hard tones when you vocalize is also a good combination. The less predictable the better and more interesting you get to sound. Ideally, you’ll want the listener to hear a clear and brighter vocal with a rich blend of tones that combine the smooth with the harder, more edgy embellishments. This helps to quickly capture the attention of your audience. So the next time you’re struggling and falling flat on your notes, remember that all you need to do is breathe.

My Letters from A Vocal Coach column is published in Business Times Newspaper every Friday. For great singing tips, grab a copy!

JOETT
Vocal Coach
Private Singing Lessons
Corporate Voice Training

Diary Of A Vocal Coach On Vanessa Mdee

I met Vanessa Mdee at a mutual friend's funeral in 2010 (of all places). The first thing that struck me about her was that she was EXTREMELY beautiful. I approached her and I remember saying to her..."you're such a pretty girl, you look like a movie star. Who are you?" (Yes, I can be pretty bold). And she smiled, laughed a little, said thank you and then she gave me her business card. At the time, she was MTV rep. And then I gave her MY card...and she went... "WHAT! You're JOETT?" And I said, "Yes, I am!" "OMG, I've heard so much about you, I see your ad in Advertising Dar all the time," she went on. I'm always amazed when people recognize my name. I don't show my face a lot -- especially in the old days I didn't (I hate images), but the brand certainly does do the rounds through advertising and word-of-mouth.

And then she asked me if I would train her. I asked if she was a singer, and she said she wasn't, but that she wanted to get into the business after she'd had the training. She wanted to do this properly I recall her saying. And I said, "no problem, come to my studio and I will train you."

Vanessa is not only one of my best pupils, she's certainly one of my favorite pupils. Yes, because she's exceptionally talented and works REALLY hard to hone her craft. She knows what she wants. And that's what this business is about. It's about commitment. Wanting to do this properly. I think Vanessa Mdee is a shining example of what you can achieve when you put in the time and effort to achieve your dreams. And Vanessa is such a darling. She tells everybody about me and refers a lot of people to me. A very good human being, she is. And what I particularly admire about her is that she got there in the end...through sheer hard work, AND continues to train. Diligently. She is smart enough to realize that vocal training is a continuum. There is no end to it. IF you want to WORK as a singer you'll have to continue to train. Come on guys, Michael Jackson trained his voice till the day he died. I am SO very truly proud of Vanessa. She will always have my support, and I wish her all the success in the world.


JOETT
Vocal Coach
Private Singing Lessons
Corporate Voice Training