Simon McEnery, singing teacher

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I'm adding an extra five lessons a week to my schedule from September, and planning my timetable now. (I'm teaching at my studio in Salisbury with perspex sneeze-screens in place, with the continuing option of Zoom lessons.) If you are interested in booking some times, this is the moment!

I've just sent this to my students, and I'm posting it here too, a quick thought for anyone aspiring to be a professional singer or actor. I've been reading a bit, as I'm sure you have, about what C-19 is going to mean for the performing arts, theatres, opera companies et al in the coming years. A few things are clear: theatres are going to be among the last places to reopen fully. Funds are going to be in short supply. Many companies will have difficulty surviving. So it's safe to assume that work, which was already sparse, will be much harder to come by for a few years. This means that if you want to forge a successful career, your drive and determination will have to kick in right now, meaning that you must seize the current situation as an opportunity to work.

What can you do? A lot. Firstly, you can build up your repertoire. When you are finally allowed to audition/go to college/whatever, you want plenty up your sleeve to choose from. You also need to be working on as varied a repertoire as possible to give yourself breadth and depth as a performer. And you need to be practising every day, developing your technique systematically and efficiently. You can be sure there are plenty of other people of your age out there who are working harder than you to give themselves that edge when the time comes. Working in a creative world sometimes makes us think that the competitive thing is less aggressive than in other spheres. It isn't. You need to do everything in your power to get yourself to the front of the queue when the time comes, and if you don't feel that kind of steel is in your character, this is the time to find it.

What else can you do? Watch, read, listen. Familiarise yourself with as much work both in and around your chosen area as possible. There are loads of archive shows etc. online. There are also biographies of performers or composers/playwrights. There are books on history, structure, technique etc.. I can recommend stuff if you need it. And check out the more inventive and creative projects that have happened in the past, are happening now, and are being planned. People who are creative and inventive will also have an edge in times to come.

Above all, don't allow yourself to drift through this time without achieving anything. It would be really easy to coast a bit. As one of life's coasters I am only too aware of the gap between what I have done in my career and what I might have done if I'd bothered to get off my rear end. Don't you hate it when teachers say 'learn from my experience'? But please do!

Develop your craft; learn about your art form; feed your spirit.

And stay healthy!

I'm now teaching from my studio via Zoom. Not many available lessons, but you can see them via the link below. Let me know if you'd like to book up (the calendar is view-only), or want to know more: [email protected].

[email protected]

Lessons available -

Lessons available Saturday 7 March 11.00 Saturday 25 April 11.00 Friday 1 May 2.30 Saturday 9 May 11.00 Saturday 16 May 11.00 Saturday 23 May 11.00 Friday 29 May 2.30 Friday 12 June 2.30 Saturday 20 June 11.00 Cheers

Congratulations to Charlie Barker on his ATCL distinction! And good luck with the coming auditions...