I noticed a recent buzz across the blogs about how many students are deeply inspired by the first Campus Superstar competition in 2006 and want to join the next round of competition and give a personal shot at superstardom.
I decided to share a little bit more about the preparations needed for the competition. After all, music is about sharing and if my suggestions can somehow uplift the quality of the competition in 2007, it is still a good thing in the long run. Who am I? I am just another person who wish to see the true talents being discovered and continue to grow and shine for the sake of everyone else who loves music.
The most important thing is - do you learn more about yourself and singing in the remaining of the blog post before you sign up for the competition?
Knowledge of Songs & Personas (歌曲的了解):
How many songs do you know? I don't mean the number of songs, but the songs which you truly understand what the song means, what the song is trying to portray, who the song persona is, what the storyline behind the song is all about and the intensity of emotions in singing the song.
Most people know how to sing songs, but if they don't have the intimate knowledge of the songs that they are singing, they are only skimming the surface of the songs and thus can never move the audience with their songs, no matter how good their voices are. Sadly, such singers only know the lyrics, the notes and pitching but nothing about the songs themselves.
Listen to the songs on my main music playlist on my blog - do you know some of them? Do you know why the songs are sung in that manner and not in any other format? Do you know the storyline behind the song lyrics? If you do, good for you and continue to work on learning more about songs, which is more than lyrics, notes and pitching. If you don't or find yourself lacking in such an area, please start doing your homework on songs now.
Knowledge of Singing Capabilities (实力的了解):
How developed are your singing capabilities? It is not merely about how many songs you can sing at the KTV before your voice gets hoarse. It is also about the notes that you can reach, the notes that you can't reach, the genre of songs that you can portray well, the ones you can't mimick at all, the depth and variation of notes and pitching that you can manage, the amount of lyrics that you can memorize in a given time, the level of tempo you can keep up with, the amount of improvement that you can make before you hit the stage.
Be very sure of what you can do and cannot do because the stage is not the place for you to discover your strengths and weaknesses. The stage is for you to show the people what you have to offer to become a Campus Superstar. Once onstage, the audience, or at least I myself, will have little tolerance of wastage of attention on singers who don't seem to know what they are doing. Whatever preparations or training should have already been done beforehand.
Knowledge of Stage Capabilities (舞台的了解):
Being a Campus Superstar means far more than being able to sing, you will also need a comprehensive set of stage skills in order to meet the audience, impress them visually with the clothes you wear and the stage movements you have, interact with them, wave to them, smile to them. Can you dance, do any footwork, move according to the music, react accordingly to the stage lighting, respond accordingly to the cameras facing you while you sing and of course, handle the sheer stress of just being in front of hundreds of screaming or staring members of the audience. Add all of these to the strain of the stage lighting plus remembering the director's cues and instructions.
Sounds a little tough and complicated? It is. I feel that there is no easier way to put it across. I am not here to frighten you. I am here to tell you what it is necessary to become a stage-sensitive Superstar. Few can handle all of the above stage skills overnight and practice is an essential process. Do you have enough practice? If not, what are you going to do about it? Go get your practice now then.
Knowledge of Your Motivation (动力的了解):
Behind all the physically accountable work onstage and offstage, your personal motivation deep down inside you to push forward is the engine behind your mental efforts.
What are you doing in the competition? Are you seeking personal fame and fortune? Are you working for the gloryof your school? Are you trying to prove something to family, friends, boyfriends or girlfriends? Are you seeking media attention so that you can pursue other careers like acting or hosting? Are you singing for the crazy fun and hectic madness of the competition?
If you are sure about your motivation, go ahead and sign up on the 16th and 17th March 2007. If you are not, find your true motivation first before signing up or you may have a harder time rather than enjoy the competition process.
Good luck to all the future participants and contestants of the Campus Superstars 2007! Jia you! May the best person wins the competition!
I decided to share a little bit more about the preparations needed for the competition. After all, music is about sharing and if my suggestions can somehow uplift the quality of the competition in 2007, it is still a good thing in the long run. Who am I? I am just another person who wish to see the true talents being discovered and continue to grow and shine for the sake of everyone else who loves music.
The most important thing is - do you learn more about yourself and singing in the remaining of the blog post before you sign up for the competition?
Knowledge of Songs & Personas (歌曲的了解):
How many songs do you know? I don't mean the number of songs, but the songs which you truly understand what the song means, what the song is trying to portray, who the song persona is, what the storyline behind the song is all about and the intensity of emotions in singing the song.
Most people know how to sing songs, but if they don't have the intimate knowledge of the songs that they are singing, they are only skimming the surface of the songs and thus can never move the audience with their songs, no matter how good their voices are. Sadly, such singers only know the lyrics, the notes and pitching but nothing about the songs themselves.
Listen to the songs on my main music playlist on my blog - do you know some of them? Do you know why the songs are sung in that manner and not in any other format? Do you know the storyline behind the song lyrics? If you do, good for you and continue to work on learning more about songs, which is more than lyrics, notes and pitching. If you don't or find yourself lacking in such an area, please start doing your homework on songs now.
Knowledge of Singing Capabilities (实力的了解):
How developed are your singing capabilities? It is not merely about how many songs you can sing at the KTV before your voice gets hoarse. It is also about the notes that you can reach, the notes that you can't reach, the genre of songs that you can portray well, the ones you can't mimick at all, the depth and variation of notes and pitching that you can manage, the amount of lyrics that you can memorize in a given time, the level of tempo you can keep up with, the amount of improvement that you can make before you hit the stage.
Be very sure of what you can do and cannot do because the stage is not the place for you to discover your strengths and weaknesses. The stage is for you to show the people what you have to offer to become a Campus Superstar. Once onstage, the audience, or at least I myself, will have little tolerance of wastage of attention on singers who don't seem to know what they are doing. Whatever preparations or training should have already been done beforehand.
Knowledge of Stage Capabilities (舞台的了解):
Being a Campus Superstar means far more than being able to sing, you will also need a comprehensive set of stage skills in order to meet the audience, impress them visually with the clothes you wear and the stage movements you have, interact with them, wave to them, smile to them. Can you dance, do any footwork, move according to the music, react accordingly to the stage lighting, respond accordingly to the cameras facing you while you sing and of course, handle the sheer stress of just being in front of hundreds of screaming or staring members of the audience. Add all of these to the strain of the stage lighting plus remembering the director's cues and instructions.
Sounds a little tough and complicated? It is. I feel that there is no easier way to put it across. I am not here to frighten you. I am here to tell you what it is necessary to become a stage-sensitive Superstar. Few can handle all of the above stage skills overnight and practice is an essential process. Do you have enough practice? If not, what are you going to do about it? Go get your practice now then.
Knowledge of Your Motivation (动力的了解):
Behind all the physically accountable work onstage and offstage, your personal motivation deep down inside you to push forward is the engine behind your mental efforts.
What are you doing in the competition? Are you seeking personal fame and fortune? Are you working for the gloryof your school? Are you trying to prove something to family, friends, boyfriends or girlfriends? Are you seeking media attention so that you can pursue other careers like acting or hosting? Are you singing for the crazy fun and hectic madness of the competition?
If you are sure about your motivation, go ahead and sign up on the 16th and 17th March 2007. If you are not, find your true motivation first before signing up or you may have a harder time rather than enjoy the competition process.
Good luck to all the future participants and contestants of the Campus Superstars 2007! Jia you! May the best person wins the competition!
Music clears the mind, fills the heart, moves the soul."
(Image source: sibaudio, 26 Jul 2003, stock.xchng)
(Quote source: Sean Ho 14 Feb 2006)
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