The Fundamentals
SiGHT SiNGiNG An Introduction
Introducing the benefits of learning to sight- sing
H
ave you ever
wondered how some
singers pick up a
sheet of music for
the first time, read it
cold and sound like they’ve
rehearsed it for months? It’s
quite an incredible thing to
experience, especially if you
are the person sight-reading
and hearing the music for the
first time yourself.!
!
I learned the process of
traditional sight-reading
growing up during my years
s t u d y i n g m u s i c t h e o r y.
However, after completing a
Master’s Degree in music, I
realized that although I could
sight-read music very well as
a pianist, sight-reading as a
singer, also known as sightsinging, was an entirely
different process. So, I ended
up taking a reading class for
singers and later took over
that class as teacher.!
!
After teaching sight-singing in
Los Angeles for 12 years, I’ve
come up with a process of
sight-singing that is simple
and eliminates all of the
obstacles I felt were
preventing students from
learning to sight-sing easily.!
!
The video on the next page
contains a summary of the
process that I teach--how it
works over an extended
period of time while also
walking you through many
drills and practices that can
improve your ability to sightsing.
My own sight-singing ability
also has given me the
opportunity to sing on over
100 TV and film projects such
as Avatar, Spiderman, Family
Guy, The Academy Awards,
and more. All of these jobs
require strong sight-singing
skills. We singers are always
on the clock and have no
rehearsal so companies need
singers who can read a song
cold and perform it perfectly
with only 2 or 3 takes. My
sight-singing abilities have
allowed me to have a great
career as a session singer
and musician.!
!
Even if you don’t plan to work
as a session, or otherwise
hired, singer, being able to
sight-sing greatly enhances
your experience in the music
world. It also makes you a
much more viable singer for
bands, choirs, and other
venues that need a singer
who can step up to the plate
and produce on the spot.!
!
If you are interested in more
detailed tutorials or the online
program, please log on to
www.lasightsinger.com and
give it a try.■
Swipe to watch Gerald’s video!
iSing | issue 1
isingmag.com
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