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Hey Singers,
I’m Justin Stoney the Founder of New York Vocal Coaching
welcoming you to Ep. 16 of Voice Lessons Online.
This is the show where passionate Voice Teachers from all over the world
help us LEARN from some of the greatest singers of all time.
Today’s singer changed pop, changed culture, changed dance,
changed television, and really the whole world.
But, like any noble, valiant king, the King of Pop didn’t care
as much about his legacy as he much as cared about his people.
Fans like you and me.
Whew!
I can’t wait to learn from Michael.
First, Andy King, how did Michael teach us to use the whole self?
I'm going to quickly name a bunch of words that
come to mind when I think of Michael Jackson
as a singer, artist, and performer -
Energy, passion, explosiveness,
heart, movement, intensity, spirit.
There are very few artists I can think of besides
Michael Jackson who truly and fully use their whole self
when performing, every single time.
Whether he was dancing walking, or standing and delivering
he was fully immersed and committed.
Let’s watch a few clips of him performing.
Energy, passion, explosiveness,
heart, movement, intensity, spirit.
Now, let me flip it to you!
Are you singing, practicing, and performing
with all of those things?
Obviously we’re human and we can’t possibly
be all of those things all the time.
But take a moment to see if you can incorporate
some of them more often.
I know I could.
I challenge you to do your vocal exercises
with passion and movement.
I challenge you to sing songs with intensity and spirit!
I challenge you to perform with heart and explosiveness.
Your singing deserves it, and you deserve it.
Awesome Andy.
Next, Kacey Velazquez.
Tell us about Michael’s juxtaposition of staccato and legato.
Hi singers!
I’m so excited to talk about Michael Jackson.
One of the things that makes Michael’s voice so special
is his use of legato and staccato singing.
Staccato and legato are musical terms.
Staccato means to sing something in a short and choppy way
and legato means to sing something in a long and flowy way.
Let’s take a listen to this next clip
and hear Michael singing staccato.
Fantastic.
Here we can hear Michael’s amazing pitch precision
and natural rhythmic abilities.
Now let’s listen to him singing legato.
Wonderful.
Here we can hear Michael’s amazing vocal control
and him diving into stylistic elements
like breathiness and dynamics.
In voice lessons you can practice your staccato and legato singing
and continue taking inspiration from singers like Michael.
Alright singers, it’s always great to talk to you and I will see you soon.
Excellent Kacey!
And Nicolas Hormazábal.
What about Michael’s incredible legacy of versatility?
Michael Jackson is one of the most versatile singers I’ve ever heard.
We can hear him singing from ballads,
passing through R&B
and even reaching rock music.
To change styles Michael used a lot of vocal resources like,
riffs & runs, breathy singing, rasp/distortion you name it.
His great versatility is part of his legacy,
because we can say Michael’s way of singing and/or dancing
changed the music industry forever influencing singers from all musical styles.
We can mention for example, Bruno Mars or Justin Timberlake in pop,
and we can even go further and mention
Spencer Sotelo from the metal band Periphery.
In my opinion Michael Jackson is the best singer in contemporary music
Great stuff.
And David McCall.
I can’t wait for this.
Tell us about Michael’s dancing while singing…
​​Hello everyone, we're talking about the legendary pop icon, himself.
Michael Jackson.
He was not only an incredible singer and astonishing dancer
but also the authority of combining both art forms.
He set a new standard in the world of entertainment,
and his ability to sing while dancing remains -
in my opinion - unparalleled even today.
One of the most notable examples of Michael's ability
to sing while dancing is his performance of "Billie Jean"
during the “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” concert in 1983.
The accented dancing feeds into the aggressiveness of the song.
You can tell is core is tight which allows him to dance
with precision but also gives his voice more edge.
Another iconic performance was during the "Dangerous World Tour" in 1992,
where he performed "They Don't Care About Us."
He blended singing, dancing, and stage presence in a powerful
and impactful performance that left the audience...
well, you'll see.
So, how did Michael Jackson achieve this level of mastery?
How indeed!
But, here are some pointers that can help you to
combine your dancing and singing.
Practice, practice, practice.
Consistent and mindful practice is the key.
Work on your breathing.
Specifically, breath control.
To have good breath control while dancing
requires physical fitness and stamina to maintain it.
Focus on your body control.
Michael's dance moves were precise,
and he had complete control over his body.
In your dancing, seek specificity and precision.
And when appropriate, let the movement affect your voice.
Believe that you can do it.
Be patient with yourself.
Improvement is the goal, not perfection.
Michael Jackson set a high bar for combining singing and dancing,
but with mindful development of your voice and body,
you could take it further.
Thanks David.
And thanks to all our experts!
I’m going to share what I’ve learned from Michael in a moment,
but first - here are some resources if you wanna be
startin’ something on your vocal journey.
To get to know the Voice Lessons Online team or schedule a lesson,
visit VoiceLessonsOnline.com.
To get your copy of Justin Stoney's book
"Sing Like Never Before", visit SingLikeNeverBefore.com.
If you'd like a vocal course that you can do from home,
check out the Voice Lessons To The World Vocal Course.
Our 12 part program takes you on a journey
from beginner to master level vocal exercises.
Find it at VoiceLessonsToTheWorld.com.
If you're a voice teacher looking to master your craft,
join our worldwide community at VoiceTeacherTraining.com.
Finally, if you'd like free vocal tips sent to you each day,
sign up at DailyVocalTips.com.
Now, sympathize with us voice teachers today good folk.
I mean, this is the King!
There’s so much we could say about the great Michael!
But, I’ll start with this.
What he meant to me.
I used to give concerts for my parents at age 7.
In my living room.
Singing along to Michael Jackson’s music and using a block for a microphone.
Who knows if I would even be a voice teacher without Michael.
Yet, it’s tempting for us to idolize singers.
Worship them even.
But, I don’t think that’s what Michael wanted.
I think he wanted us to see him as a human,
and see ourselves as humans.
There are some people who believe that you've never
had to deal with the real world.
That's true in one way.
That's true... in one way.
But it's hard to in my position.
Um...
I try to sometimes.
And uh...
But people won't deal with me in that way.
Because they see me differently.
They won't talk to me like they will their next store neighbor.
And as it turns out Michael faced a lot of the same
things that we all face. Do you have family doubting
you or pressuring you?
[Interviewer:] Do you think your father was too strict?
Yes.
Oh, he's gonna kill me.
Uhh...
[Interviewer:] He's still got you worried about that at your age?
[Interviewer:] Well, he feels that he was strict.
I'm glad he said it, now I'll say it. Yes.
Have you ever received harsh or unfair criticism?
You should not say he's an animal.
He's a- You should not say he's "Jacko".
I'm not a Jacko.
I'm Jackson.
How do you feel when they call you that?
Yeah, "Wacko Jacko".
Where'd that come from? Some English tabloid.
I have a heart and I have feelings.
I feel that when you do that to me.
It's not nice.
Do you ever feel like you can’t find a community?
It's a- it's a hard situation. It is.
And it's something I have to put up with.
[Interviewer:] It must be hard to have real friends.
Yes.
Or what about this one?
Have you ever been unsatisfied with yourself?
I'm just never satisfied with what I do creatively.
You know.
I just regret the limitation of my own imagination.
I just feel there's so much more.
I don't think I've ever done a project where I was totally
happy with it.
Well, Michael - WE are happy with it.
But the mistake we make - pretty much all of us -
is expecting ourselves to reach impossible standards.
So the next time you go thinking thoughts like:
“well, I’ll never be like Michael Jackson.”
Remember that you are much more like him than you think.
And if you really want to “be like Mike”,
then it’s good to remember where all these gifts
come from in the first place…
It's hard to say how one creates music.
Because it's hard for me to take credit.
I feel it's more spiritual and heavenly.
I can't take credit for it really.
Thanks King.
For reminding us to give credit where credit is due.
We’ll see you next time for more Voice Lessons Online.
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