[bright eyes]

Hi,
My name is Shnaice. I am 14 years old going to the 9th grade. I want to become a pro in singing because this always been my dream I just don't know where to start. I like the idea of American Idol but I don't want to compete I want to make it another way. I'm trying to think of a good college but I don't know. If you can help me out than please do.
Miss. Shanice a.k.a Bright Eyes

[Clough]

Practice. Take private lessons. Join a choir or chorus at school. Try out for parts in musicals. At this point in your life, offer to sing for free in places like nursing homes and churches. That will get you some exposure.

You also might want to check out the answers on the following links:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/music/...hlight=singing

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/music/...hlight=singing

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-...hlight=singing

[skunkman44]

It's not how good you are it is how much you want it. It also matters what you want. If you want to be famous... Forget it. If you want to have the best voice... forget it. Or Rich... forget it. It doesn't work that way. If you love to sing and if you would sing when everyone hates how you sing, and you can live on two hours of sleep a day that will get you where you want. Most of the famous and rich singers have voices that could stampede buffalo. Its not the voice that makes a person famous and rich. It's their soul.
When you have that drive and soul to be the best be aware that things and people that you care for now going to be left behind. It is the nature of the business. I've been there and done that. That is why most singers have problems.

[skunkman44]

I'm sorry. After reading my answer I started to feel bad. Singing is a wonderful profession. But trust me what I say. I was married to a singer for 10 years and I was very proud of her. She was very happy singing. I had some issues with her profession. Not singing but the nights that she was gone and the time practicing. It is more than a full time job. Be prepared to work more than you have ever thought about working. She had soul for singing. But the kids were asking all the time will mommy be home soon? How do you tell them that she will be home tonight if she jumps a jet. But she is in a rented truck full of sound gear two states away. I loved her very much. And she me. We even held hands in divorce court. It's a tough life. If you want to sing first live with them. You are 14 CLOUGH is right besides there is a tradition of "paying your dues". Hey Bob Seger (the BOSS) played at my High School Prom. Madonna lived and worked down the road a few miles and George Carlin worked a bar that I wouldn't even go in down the street.

[Clough]

Hey thanks, skunkman44!

Below, is an answer that I gave recently to a similar question on another thread. It wasn't necessarily about singing, but about making a profession in the arts in general. It would also work for singing professionally, though.

I ran things together intentionally in order to be "artful" in my response and to also show that it's a "war zone" out there for anyone who wants to make it in anything in the performing arts. There is much confusion as well as sacrifice made for anyone wanting to make it in the performing, or for that matter, visual arts of any kind.

Practice, practice and practice what you are going to be performing in front of people. Spend money on singing and/or acting lessons and/or dancing lessons, try out for any play or musical that might call for children as actors or actresses, have parents that are willing to spend the money to send you to a special school where children can take regular school and at the same time learn to do the things to become actors or actresses or artists of other kinds - like in dance and the musical arts. Be able to pass the auditions to be accepted at those sort of schools - not everyone who goes to those kinds of schools is accepted to them, although many will try. Be willing to give up a lot of your free time as well as the time that you might want to spend with your friends in order to hone your skills in your art so that you can maybe be successful without the guarantee that you will be successful. Be in the right place at the right time so that certain people will notice what you are good at doing who can get you to where you want to go as far as a career is concerned. Be willing to audition for the part where there might be hundreds of other people auditioning for the same part that you are. Be willing to take risks that what you are going for might not work. Be willing to go through many auditions, travel, studying of scripts and very long rehearsals for performances that might only last a few minutes. Be not afraid to be seen by many, many people, maybe even millions, all at the same time. Be willing to rehearse late and get up tired in order to do exactly the same thing for many hours the next day. Be willing to wear clothes that you don't like, but that others think that by wearing them, you will be portraying the look that they want and not what you really want. Be willing to have the world look at you, and not really know the real you. Always be willing to look and act your best, even when you don't really want to and would really just rather lean back, lie down, sleep or just do your own thing rather than what others want you to do.

It ain't easy...

I don't really mean to make it all look that negative, but just wanted to give you a reality of the picture of what you don't see about the "stars" and "famous" people that we see and hear about, sometimes everyday, on the T.V. and in other types of media.

Oftentimes, the real picture behind the "smiles" of the famous people that we see, is not really the way that they are...

Although, they really might have some real satisfaction inside of themselves a lot of the time...

But, not all of the time...

But, they (or, maybe their parents) have made a choice. Oftentimes also, a person's love for doing a certain type of art, such as that in acting, dancing or music, is all it takes to motivate them to keep going at it. It might not matter if they make a lot of money or become "famous" at all. Most artists are that way.

Some people really need to be entertaining other people in order to realize their own worth and to feel as though they are contributing to the well-being of others because the others who are watching what they are doing are gaining something because of the person doing the entertaining.

A person can become famous right around where they live because of the excellent way that they do a special thing that takes a lot of work. Whether they become famous or not outside of the boundaries of where they are located is another matter. Sometimes, just being famous around where you are located is enough to inspire and make you want to keep going at the thing that you do best in whatever art you are doing in order to keep you happy.

And, it could be that the kids and their parents really love the sacrifice that it takes to achieve what they have concerning the art that is being presented, the accomplishment as well as the publicity that is received as a result of all the sacrifice they have given toward that endeavor.

If you are interested, please do read my profile. Click on my name on the left of this post and you will be able to find out what I have done in the arts.

If you love what you do, then go for it!

So, what is it that you are particularly good at now, please?