Dot's Notes on American Idol

For Dot's notes from the entire show, visit http://www.dotsidolvlog.com

American Idol
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Dallas Texas

Julie Kevelighn
She has been on the show before and totally did not make it.
Blue sequence dress and fake eyelashes. Uh…ok.
“Black Velvet”
Dot – well, it sounds like you made some progress from last time you auditioned.
You said, “I feel like I should pay more attention to my breathing.” NOPE.
Aside from singing outside of the melody, the quality of your TONE needs to be more solidified in the chest region. You came off as “annoying” because your voice did not have a balanced tone (head, nasal, mouth and chest) and you were singing out of your left brain, trying to make them like you, instead of actually committing to the message of your song.

Lloyd Thomas, 29
Looks like you may be a Body singer with all that fancy footwork! Wow!
Dockworker for airline
Very cute daughters honey... even if you dropped the pics. LOL.
Sang: “Overjoyed” Stevie Wonder
Dot - Nice voice! Great tone and energy. And you’re not a “body singer.” Like I thought, which is a good thing. (see my upcoming e-book about kinds of singers) That means you did not let your body moves upstage you. You were actually very grounded as a singer.
Simon LOVES YOU! Wow – they all liked you! Good job.

Erica Rhodes, 23
Barney and friends chick
She shows up with a whip? Say what?
Then she sang “Barney Song” and that would have got her in right away. Obviously you sing very well, but then they let you sing “Free Your Mind” and use a whip to get their attention.
Nice gimmick idea.. but what are you trying to prove at this point sweetie?
They ask you and you reply: "Barney kids grow up… Janet Jackson is my role model."
They say Yes of course. You have a great voice and a great look… and you made an impression.
Randy, says, “Barney Dominatrix” LOL!
Dot says - You might actually do very well in this competition. I want to relate to you more though. I know Hollywood week is now over in real life, but on the show, it has yet to begin... but my guess at this point is - if you know how to get along and you're creative and flexible, you probably made it through.


(Want to read more? Click HERE)

Wednesday, January 26th, 2010
Los Angeles Auditions

Avril Lavigne – Judge. Hmmm.... Kind of young to be a judge. What is this suggesting to our viewers? To see a young lady laughing at her peers. I don't know about that. Hmmm...

Neil Goldstein, 19 years old
IQ of 168
Are you serious or acting?
"Rock and Roll dreams come through" – meatloaf
Forgot words – very nervous.
Dot – interesting vibrato and your tone isn’t bad... but you are very nervous and the reason why you did not get in is because you need to have the entire package, and you can’t fake being confident. It was obvious that you are not truly confident - especially if you freeze up and forget the words. That's not excusable. Work on really discovering who you are - as a PERSON first, then a singer. Not who you think you want to be, or who you are trying to be.

Mary Powers
Mary’s Daughter is cute
Dot – nice quality of tone…do you smoke? I certainly hope not dear. If you do and you don't want vocal nodules and to die young and kill your daughter, QUIT. Enough said.
The rasp is cool, but why is it there? Yeah - I can't help being concerned... but maybe you just have food allergies?
Daughter got to meet Simon- thrills chills.

Adam Lambert wannabee’s. Hmmmm...

A.J. Mendoza, 20
Living Color
So, this audition was shown as a disaster, but probably left you confused because they didn't advise you and you can sing.
Dot – find your own voice. We don’t want another Adam. Who are you as a singer?
Also - Bad song choice honey. I don’t like the fact that Avril Lavigne is laughing at you. That doesn't feel right to me. I don't really like anybody laughing at people on this show, but especially not someone as young as Avril, who is wearing a devil outfit. Say what?
You are only 20, so you still have plenty of time to find your true voice as a singer and be authentic in your own UNIQUE expression, not what you love about Adam. You can take what you love about him, but find a way to align it with your own authentic expression and become YOUR OWN voice. They laughed at you because you were not being yourself. That’s all. Your voice is not bad at all. Just create the TRUTH OF IT within yourself. And try not to do all of that high screechy stuff too often. It even got Adam in trouble a lot in his career, and many men with ranges fall into the trap of trying to grasp onto their "high end" instead of embracing their low, like John Park from last week. YUM!)

(This whole show is actually bothering me at this point… not exactly sure why… but it just is. It better get better after tHe break)

Katy Perry = new judge. HOORAY! Sorry Avril but I don’t like how you were laughing at people and not mature enough to provide any useful advice - at least from what they showed. And why were you wearing a devil costume? I don't get it.


Want to read more? Visit http://www.dotsidolvlog.com

American Idol Season 9; 1-19-10 CORE Vocal Power Advice from Hollywood Vocal Coach Dot Todman

Note from Dot:
Hello Singers!
I'm doing this Idol series, because As a Vocal POWER Coach, I am invested in helping people sing from a free, connected, authentic space. I believe the show American Idol is a must see tool for singers if they know how to apply it.

Let me explain
I'm making these vlogs for a few reasons:

#1 Many of us like to sit here at home in our comfort zone, laugh, and be a judge, while others compare themselves to the contestants. I dont believe either is an empowered choice. What if there was a way I could watch the show with a certain awareness about my CORE, and become an INCREDIBLE singer? Using American Idol as a tool, my videos will share with you how to perform, overcome nervousness, correct song choice, vocal production, presence, vocal stamina, energy, and self confidence to name a few.

#2 Telling a singer, There is no hope for you. Never sing again I believe is destructive. Im interested in What are they doing wrong and how can they improve If I can teach a hearing impaired person to sing, then there is HOPE for everyone! Not only am I vlogging, but Im also providing CONSTRUCTIVE advice on how to become a vocally empowered singer for every aired contestant. Last season I completed notes for every single episode as a free gift because I am committed to empowering your vocal journey. I dont like seeing people crying, angry and devastated about their self worth, just because of a TV show - so Im doing something about it. EDUCATING. If you dont believe me visit http://dotsvoicestudios.com/index.php... and you will see constructive notes about yourself from last season. You dont even have to be a member anymore, to read it!

#3 lastly, Im doing this because I want you to know about the products I have that can help you sing better from a more grounded, empowered place. My material is not your average vocal exercisela la la Cd or DVD. CORE VOCAL POWER helps people deal with actual issues that do come up in real life, like waiting and nervousness and weak, ungrounded voices and mind chatter. And lack of confidence. I want to sell my products because I know they can empower you. Theyve empowered many of my students over the years - not just to sing better, but change their lives because they truly feel better from inside their CORE. http://www.corevocalpower.com

HOW THE MOVIE AVATAR CAN TEACH YOU EMPOWERED SINGING

At a first glimpse, Avatar was a movie packed with suspense, action, drama and hope. Even if you weren’t fortunate enough to see it in 3-D, the incredible animation and revolutionary special affects, coupled with an interesting enough story line to hold your attention for a good 2 hours and 40 minutes is quite undeniable.

As I’ve spoken to people about the movie, it’s been interesting to hear what they experienced from it, depending on their view of the world and what is most important to them. I’ve had people mention to me that they loved the meaning, while others actually thought the storyline and acting was weak, but it was visually appealing. Some people mentioned the idea of “a White guilt trip movie” while others likened it to sports and self-discipline - and the list goes on.


I thoroughly enjoyed the movie Avatar. As a Vocal Empowerment Coach who sees the world through the eyes of one who teaches people how empower their voice, I have my own take. The movie Avatar not only had it’s obvious themes of how we can create a better earth and be more united as a people – but also – for me there was a huge parallel with what I see my students achieve during their vocal journey. Would you agree that our main character, Jake Sulley became empowered? Yes, for me, Avatar was a movie that gave great clues about how a human soul can become an Empowered one. Of course they could have elaborated more on his inner process of transformation, but the basics were there, and I believe that the reason why this movie has been so successful, aside from being a masterful visual work of art, is that just about anyone can relate to it on some level. Even the conflict in the movie of the whole Corporate struggle was imbedded in the themes, causing us to ask, “Are we really employed at a job that is in alignment with who we are?”

When the main character, Jake Sulley first arrives on the area of Pandora inhabited by the Indigenous People, he was in defense mode, in perfect form and alertness, ready with his weapons to blast anything that might get him. We share in his heightened sense of curiosity, suspense and fear. Even the unarmed female scientist, Grace Augustine who was familiar with the location exclaimed, “Calm down Jake, you’re making me nervous,” upon the first few moments of their arrival in the jungle. This is the perfect example of....

visit http://www.innervocalpower.com to read the entire article

How to Build a Natural Voice from your CORE

Here is an excerpt from my latest Vocal Training DVD, Building CORE VOCAL POWER™, a companion to my audio program, "Practicing C.O.R.E. Vocal Power" It's a great Christmas gift. Visit http://www.corevocalpower.com for more information.

Can Deaf People Learn How to Sing?

Dot Teaches Hearing Impaired Student to Sing!

(Click HERE to listen to Before & After Audio Tracks!)

When this young man called me, and asked if I would work with someone who was hearing impaired, I thought "Well, why not?" If what I knew was true about pitch issues, and, like Arthur Joseph taught me, "singing has more to do with the brain and muscle memory than hearing," and "less than 2% of the population is 'tone deaf'," then why can't I teach this guy to sing?

So, we set forth on an amazing vocal journey. This young man who loved to sing, but had to use a hearing aid and read lips to get by in the dance industry came to me with a whole new set of challenges most people would never imagine. If I played a note on the piano or sang a pitch, he thought he had no idea what the note was, no concept of where it was or how to reproduce it!

Ben was one of my best teachers. He was consistent, determined and hard working. He even got an acting agent while he was studying with me and landed a national commercial played during American Idol! He wasn't going to let anyone tell him that just because he couldn't hear, he couldn't sing. Like everyone, he loved how singing made him feel. But you can imagine how scary it would be to sing and think, "Okay, I already have hearing issues. What if I sound horrible? How will I ever really know?"

On top of that, I eventually discovered that we had to take out his hearing aids, (which I didn't even think he had at first) because the frequencies were interfering with the correct notes. Ben had to learn first to TRUST that he could do it. KNOW how it felt when it was open and free and LOVE his voice. He had to believe in himself, and that didn't happen overnight.

Click HERE to read the entire article and visit http://www.innervocalpower.com

Was Michael Jackson Vocally Empowered?

It’s interesting. Everyone is thinking about Michael Jackson, now that he is gone. It’s hard to believe he passed away just 15 minutes from my home. When a student first told me she heard it on the radio prematurely, at 3:15 p.m.....

TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE by Los Angeles Vocal Coach Dot Todman, and learn more about empowered Vocal Expression,

Visit http://dotsvoicestudios.com and become a Member (FREE) today!

What is a Real Singer, Anyway?

“We were exploring, creating, manifesting and becoming! This is how we learn. What makes us think we shouldn’t do this in more empowering ways as adults?”

Do you remember when you were little and you looked up to an adult or older person, and thought, “I want to be like that!” Then you imagined what it would be like to be that person. You may have even acted it out with your friends or by yourself in front of the mirror! Didn’t we all play “doctor & nurse” when we were little, or other games where we became our favorite roles of interest? When we were children, did we say, “I am not a doctor, and I do not have a degree, so I must pretend” or “I am too little and I will fail!” No! We just became a doctor and embodied the idea of one as best as we could comprehend in that moment. We were little and we knew we’d get bigger some day. We imagined what we wanted to become, and were completely present as we committed to our own magical world. We were exploring, creating, manifesting and becoming! This is how we learn. What makes us think we shouldn’t do this in more empowering ways as adults?

How did we lose this ability to just completely surrender, and fearlessly “become” whatever we wanted at any given moment? Somehow, over time, with school and grades and competition, we learned that there are levels, and some are “better” than others. We learned to judge others and ourselves, and our value, oftentimes was based on a letter in the alphabet. Eventually, most of us stopped playing those games we played as a kid, and learned to “get in the real world” and prove ourselves. Soon the world became a much more serious place and there were expectations and more important roles placed on us. We learned over time, to put more pressure on ourselves.... I think you see where I’m going with this.


SINGER OR NOT A SINGER?

I get calls all of time from people who initially tell me, “I’m not a singer” or “I am a Singer,” and once they believe they’ve finally earned that yearned for title, they continue the same dis-empowering behavior by creating endless levels for themselves within the realm of “singer.” It never ceases to amaze me how we continue the same patterns of always trying to be somewhere, instead of enjoying where we are, now.

A student who recently told me he does not yet feel comfortable with the title of “singer,” had a very logical definition of what a singer is when I asked him. He said: “Someone who is admired, has a magnetic personally, is able to express their emotions musically with feeling, someone who is a story teller, someone who is skillful with words, someone who can make music with their voice... I’m not there yet, because my voice is not exactly the way I want it to be... to the level that I would like to be...I’m still getting comfortable with the growth and learning process.”

Well, that’s pretty fair, isn’t it? Let’s take a logical look at what we want to be, and then we can’t necessarily lie to ourselves and tell ourselves we are better than what we are. We have to be honest and know that we’re not there yet. So we can’t have that title because we don’t deserve it yet. Do we?

What if the belief in the gap itself, created the gap?

To read more, visit http://www.innervocalpower.com

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