Some Advice for Young Singers

When my sons were just beginning their country music journey at ages 11 and 14, it was difficult to imagine in just a couple of years how far they would progress as entertainers. Some of the best experiences they had were with house bands in small live venues in Arkansas, Texas and Missouri. There was no better experience for them than to work with experienced musicians that play simply because they love music, not because they are making a ton of money doing it! Young children and teen usually start out by learning to sing with Karaoke tracks and progress to professional accompaniment tracks. Those work in the beginning because that process teaches them to listen closely to intros, bridges and breaks so they know when to come back in singing. It also helps them develop better pitch because the musicians on those tracks are usually tuned correctly. Although, I can’t say much for the demo singers, more often than not, unless it’s the original artist or band, the singers have bad vocal habits or pitch issues. My advice to my students has usually been, listen to the original artist rather than the demo to learn the music if we didn’t have sheet music to follow. After the boys, The Lucas Brothers got through the first couple of years of practicing, competing and performing; it was time to start the live venue experience. My oldest son, Neal, had already begun playing the guitar and would play for hours. Nick had started forming his own particular style of being the “ladies man” with his soulful, smooth voice. Neal had this raw, edgy, energy that really caused you to focus on every move he made. But, together, they were phenomenal! Being prepared to work with a live band was key…the boys always had their lyric sheets and the keys they needed to sing them in, costumes, headshots and anything else that might be needed for promotion. I had taught them to be professional when they spoke to anyone, especially in the music industry. They always had fun during rehearsals with the bands, but were very attentive and respectful. There are so many live venues in Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Tennessee and really in just about every state that welcome young, talented singer/songwriters. Also, don’t forget about the plethora of fairs and festivals in every state in the union that need entertainment! If you have put in your time learning much about your music, and can talk intelligently about the business of music and performing, then the sky is the limit! Don’t let another day go by just wishing you could be on that stage…. Our favorite places to perform: Arlington Country Music Revue, Grapevine Opry, and Silver Dollar City. Here is a link to the multitude of venues in the great state of Texas: http://governor.state.tx.us/music/directory/venues/venues-country Nick, 13, singing at the former Johnnie High's Country Music Revue in Arlington, Texas. Neal, 16, performing at JHCMR in Arlington, Texas. Together, they were The Lucas Brothers.