Episodes
Thursday Apr 25, 2019
Finding Success and Happiness in Musical Theatre and more with Matthew Edwards
Thursday Apr 25, 2019
Thursday Apr 25, 2019
Hi, Singers! Welcome back for another episode!
This week we are chatting with one of my former professors from Shenandoah University, Dr. Matthew Edwards! We get into all things singing but specifically, Musical Theatre college audition prep and the professional Musical Theatre world! Even if you don't do Musical Theatre - you will get a lot out of this too. It is all applicable.
Matt Edwards is one of the leading voice teachers for commercial and musical theatre styles in the United States. He is currently an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Musical Theatre Voice at Shenandoah Conservatory, and Artistic Director of the Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute.
Former and current students have performed on American Idol, Broadway, off-Broadway, on national and international tours, and in bands touring throughout the United States. He has written numerous articles for the Journal of Singing, Journal of Voice, VoicePrints, American Music Teacher, The Voice, Southern Theatre, and Voice Council magazine. He has contributed chapters to “A Dictionary for the Modern Singer,” “Vocal Athlete,” “Manual of Singing Voice Rehabilitation,” “Get the Callback,” “The Voice Teacher’s Cookbook,” and the CCM, Sacred Music, Gospel, A Cappella, and Country editions of the “So You Want to Sing” book series. His book “So You Want to Sing Rock ‘N’ Roll?” is published by Rowman and Littlefield and was called “an authoritative text on rock ‘n’ roll singing” by Classical Singer magazine. He is a recipient of the Van Lawrence Fellowship and a former Intern and Master Teacher for the NATS Intern program.
He has given master classes, presentations, and workshops for organizations including the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference, Voice Foundation Annual Symposium, Acoustical Society of America, Southeastern Theatre Conference, Musical Theatre Educators Alliance, Pan-American Vocology Association, at numerous universities including Penn State, Florida State, University of Toronto, Brigham Young, Wright State, Otterbein, Illinois Wesleyan, Missouri State, University of Northern Colorado, Bårdar Academy (Oslo, Norway), NATS Chapters in Toronto, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Arizona, along with many other educational and professional organizations throughout the United States.
Online at CCMInstitute.com, EdwardsVoice.com, AuditioningForCollege.com, and EdwardsVoice.Wordpress.com.
Thank you, once again, for listening. If this helps you - share with a friend! You can also join our discussion over at "The Happy Singer Discussion Group" on Facebook for more in-depth conversations about the episodes!
Kristy :)
Thursday Apr 18, 2019
Deepening Your Relationship with Music
Thursday Apr 18, 2019
Thursday Apr 18, 2019
Hey, Singers!
This week it is just little old me. Join our discussion group on Facebook: The Happy Singer Discussion Group! I am asking everyone to introduce themselves and post themselves singing (of course, only if they feel comfortable.) You can also follow me on Instagram: kristybissell. I post videos of my students successes all the time cause they deserve all the shout-out's in the world, Tucker pictures, and my boyfriend and I's Vinyl collection!
Todays episode is all about steps to take today that will help you to be happier on your journey.
Thank you so much for listening and I am looking forward to hearing from you.
xoxox,
Kristy
Thursday Apr 11, 2019
Believing with Essence from Bernie & the Believers
Thursday Apr 11, 2019
Thursday Apr 11, 2019
Hi there, Music Lover. How are you doing today? Hanging in there? In need of some love and support today in your music journey? Never fear - we got you covered with this comforting and powerful conversation with Essence from Bernie and the Believers (essencemusic.com) and (bernieandthebelievers.com). Essence is a sixth-generation San Francisco native and award winning singer-songwriter. You will love her.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A sixth-generation San Francisco native, award winning singer-songwriter Essence has been immersed in art and music since childhood. And yes, her birth name really is ‘essence’ – she was raised by quintessential flower children, her parents being two free spirited bohemian artists from the Haight-Ashbury ‘Summer of Love.’
After winning the Grand Prize in the National Lilith Fair Talent Search, essence was signed to RCA Records, Way Cool/MCA Records, and Or Music (Los Lonely Boys, Matisyahu). She debuted with the successful indie release Conception, which garnered much Bay Area radio airplay and press and established a devoted fan base.
Essence’s sophomore release Mariposa garnered critical acclaim and prompted a national touring agenda which found her opening shows for artists Jason Mraz and Shawn Colvin.
Her album Feels Like the Future won the Grand Prize for the Great American Song Contest and 2nd Place in the International Songwriting Contest (out of 15,000 entries).
Her songs have been prominently featured on Nash Bridges, Lifetime’s The Division, Access Hollywood, and NPR’s Art of the Song. “Shape of You,” an emotional song about loss and healing, was the theme song in the film Motherland, which won the SXSW Audience Choice Award.
Essence has opened for Tom Petty, Shawn Colvin, Chris Isaac, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Chrissie Hynde, Steve Miller, Pat Benatar, and Linda Perry. She has played at venues ranging from NYC’s Bowery Ballroom to San Francisco’s Fillmore and The Warfield, LA’s Rose Bowl, and Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live.
In addition to writing folk/americana, pop, and rock songs, essence expanded her repertoire by creating a collection of charming, catchy tunes inspired by her son that turned out to have a life of their own becoming favorites of families nationwide, loved equally by parents and children alike. Her children’s album, A Dog Named Moo, was entirely funded by loyal fans on Kickstarter and was picked up and released by My Kazoo/Universal Music. A Dog Named Moo is a multi-media project featuring a collection of 13 songs, a “T REXXXX” book, a smartphone app, and several music videos. essence is developing an educational curriculum based on the project. A Dog Named Moo was voted Top Kids Album of the Year by Daily Candy.
Essence’s latest long player could likely be her masterwork. It is a 12- track opus entitled Black Wings which chronicles the trials and tribulations of a failed marriage propelled by dishonesty and addiction. The undeniable weight of the pervasive subject matter is artfully handled with razor sharp couplets, gritty performances and smart arrangements underscoring obvious pain, but doing so with humor, wisdom and eloquence.
Says essence of the album, “Black Wings is a story told out of sequence, each song is a snapshot of an event that led to the ultimate undoing of my 10-year marriage. These 12 songs capture betrayal, dark secrets, deception, revenge, emotional warfare, and the unbelievable horror of my worst fears being realized. The stories on this record emerge from a deadly silence, they dispel a facade of a happy family portrait, and they air the truth of what had been hidden for too long.”
It is easily heard on songs like the epic, “Headed North,” whose video enjoyed dual premieres in late May with Folk Radio UK and The Huffington Post, the brilliant rave up “Camels & Diesel,” with its effortless melding of roots and rock chant complete with gang vocals and the sultry trad blues vibe of “Honeyed Out” are just a handful of numbers worth spotlighting on Black Wings. It is an album of tremendous depth, without question, putting essence on the same page with Lucinda Williams, Neko Case and Jenny Lewis, just to name a few, all of whom are veritable experts at turning anguish into song in the most poetic yet no-nonsense of ways.
To that end, essence continues, “The ritual of writing and recording served as a lifeline to my survival during a very dark life passage. These songs led me through disbelief, rage, loss, grief, and ultimately to healing and reclaiming my personal power and the strength to leap into the unknown– knowing the fear of things staying the same was greater than the fear of things changing. Black Wings has been the key to my transcendence, punctuated by the unshakable synchronicity of art imitating life. As this music is born, I am flying free.”
http://www.essencemusic.com/site
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------https://www.bernieandthebelievers.com/
If you found this episode to be healing, I hope you will consider donating to Bernie Dalton, a true musician in need of YOUR help:
https://www.gofundme.com/sendberniehome
Also check out the Tiny Desk Concert featuring Essence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPQsEoYHekg
Hugs to all of you. Thank you for listening!
Kristy
Friday Apr 05, 2019
Lifelong Learning with Lisa Popeil
Friday Apr 05, 2019
Friday Apr 05, 2019
Hi, Singers! Welcome back for another episode to inspire and motivate you to work hard and sing! In this episode I chat with my friend and colleague, Lisa Popeil. She is a celebrity voice coach with an MFA in Voice. She continues to research and learn regardless of how many years she has been working in the field. She is a true inspiration. If you enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, rate, and review! Blessings! :)
Be sure to also check us out on Facebook: "The Happy Singer Podcast". You can also follow me on Instagram at: Kristybissell
:)
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
The Art of Communication
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Today we have Tricia and Molly from "The Lost Art of Communication Podcast"!!! In this episode we talk about how to be better communicators, how to deal with stage fright, vulnerability, and the ever-surprising power of music. Join us for a conversation over at Facebook. Just type in "The Happy Singer Podcast Discussion Group"! Thanks for listening!!! If you enjoy this, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing! Thank you!
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
Songwriting with Singer-Songwriter Jenny Kern
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
Thursday Mar 21, 2019
Check out my conversation with a dear friend and student, Jenny Kern. We discuss advice to those songwriters still in the shadows, fear, success, and inspirations. Check her out at www.jennykernmusic.com to pre-order her debut EP set to come at you April 5th, 2019. You can also listen to her single, "Slow Burn", wherever you listen to your music.
Monday Mar 18, 2019
Welcome to The Happy Singer Podcast!
Monday Mar 18, 2019
Monday Mar 18, 2019
Subscribe and come join us weekly for discussions with singer-songwriters, teachers, singers, music lovers, etc, with your host, Kristy Bissell. Kristy is a Singer, Actor, Aspiring Songwriter, Dog Mom, Lover of life, but most importantly and most proudly, a full time voice teacher at New York Vocal Coaching where is works with singers every day! Come join our discussion page on Facebook: The Happy Singer Discussion Group.