Coaching to win on 'American Idol'

The first time Heather Elmer of Salt Lake City tried out for "American Idol," about three years ago, she didn’t make it past the initial audition. So this season she went all out. Elmer hired a local voice teacher who had had success in getting students selected for the show.

"Thirty percent of how well you do is your voice," the coach told her, "the rest is the presentation."

Elmer, 24, took those words to heart, and her sharp outfit (black pinstripe pants, gray tank top) combined with her confident rendition of a Mark Anthony song, helped her pass the first two rounds in the competition.

In round three, facing the executive producers of the show, she sang Donna Summer’s "Last Dance," managing to belt out the parts she’d worked on with her coach. Elmer, though, may have prepared too much.

"You’re too polished and professional a performer for this year’s competition," the producers told her.

"American Idol" has had a huge impact on network television (it’s the No. 1 show in the country) and the record business (superstars like Clay Aiken and Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson have come from the show), and it has also had an impact on voice coaches.

"I’ve certainly adopted more students because of 'Idol,'" said Rosanne Simunovic, a voice teacher outside Ontario, Canada, where both "American Idol" and its northern version, "Canadian Idol," are popular. "It’s encouraged people to explore their vocal talent."

Matt Humphreys, 27, one of Simunovic’s former students, made it to the top 32 in last year’s "Canadian Idol." Humphreys had years of experience by that point--he had played in a Celtic band for five years and had a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Toronto--but he tried out for "Idol" hoping it would jump-start his solo career.

"You’re probably going to sell at least 20,000 to 30,000 units based on your appearance on the show," said Humphreys, noting that "a lot of the existing record companies keep track of what’s going on on 'Idol.'"

Dean Kaelin, Elmer’s Salt Lake City voice teacher, agrees. "'American Idol' has shaken up how record labels look at things," said Kaelin, who has had about 20 students try out for 'Idol.' "The bad part is that the music business is not as much about talent as marketability and promotion."

Kaelin said that while Elmer was told that she was "too professional," another of his students, Carmen Rasmussen, who made it to the top six in last year’s show, was "not my best student."

"'American Idol' is a TV show masquerading as a talent show," Kaelin said. And he coaches his students accordingly.

Kaelin "taught me a lot about the competition itself," Elmer said, in addition to helping her belt out some notes and avoid a nasal tone on others. Kaelin advised Elmer on song selection, performance and her wardrobe.

Some voice teachers are less than enthusiastic about the increased demand for their services. Marta Woodhull, Paula Abdul’s former voice coach from Los Angeles, said she saw a spike in bad amateurs who wanted to work with her after 'Idol’s' second season.

"I started getting calls from college kids asking, ‘Can I drop out and sing with you for a year?’" Woodhull said. "I was like, ‘No.’" Woodhull tells such students that they should train themselves formally, perhaps in a music college.

Thousands of people continue to audition for 'Idol,' and many of them will continue to seek coaches. Renee Grant-Williams, a voice teacher in Nashville, Tenn., who has coached singers ranging from amateurs to Randy Travis and Christina Aguilera, hopes that aspiring vocalists do not despair after being rejected by 'Idol.'

"So many of my students, including Billie Ray Cyrus, Martina McBride and Leanne Rimes, were all quickly eliminated in early rounds of the 'Nashville Star,' and Randy Travis was even rejected twice." Nashville Star is a country-themed show on the USA Network similar to "American Idol."

But while none of the voice coaches encourage those determined to make it big on "Idol" to give up on everything else, many say gearing for the show is a productive way to motivate good vocal training. Elmer, for example, has continued to perform in local theater. Would she ever audition for "Idol" again?

"Sure I’d do it again," Elmer said with a laugh. "It’s fun."

E-mail: phc2106@columbia.edu

SIDEBAR

Five tips for getting on 'American Idol'

1. "Become familiar with a wide variety of different song types," said Renee Grant-Williams, a Nashville voice teacher. "Idol" is increasingly asking its contestants to move between genres. And once you’ve chosen a song, "make it your own," Grant-Williams said. "You can turn a Billie Holliday song into a country song."
2. Get as much experience on stage as possible. "Perform, perform, perform," said Grant-Williams, who advises students to practice their songs a cappella. There won’t be any accompaniment when you audition, so "keep up a finger snap or a foot tap."
3. Make sure your voice is healthy and that you don’t misuse it in an audition. "There’s no excuse for anybody losing their voice on this show," said Marta Woodhull, Paula Abdul’s former coach.
4. "Understand your song; really feel the lyrics," said Grant-Williams. And Woodhull added, "Your job as a performer is to make me cry, fall in love and jump up and down. You have to be really alive."
5. Be unique, said Dean Kaelin, a voice coach in Salt Lake City, and don’t imitate Cristina Aguilera or Mariah Carey. "They’re looking for a new talent."