Monday, March 3, 2008

Sing Jingles - Your Singing Investment!

After being in the music business as long as I have, you meet a lot of people many of whom are extremely gifted and others, well there are others to. As a professional jingle singer, former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency and founder of ReelMusician.com, Ive heard it all The excuses that is. Many individuals want the glamorous lifestyle of studio singing work, but they dont want to make the investment that is needed to put them on the map singing commercials. Lets spend a few minutes looking at a typical investment to get you started singing jingles and general session work.

By now, youve seen all kinds of services, prices and wonder what you should do in terms of your singer reel. Lets spend a few minutes exploring what you shouldnt do. The biggest mistake new singers make is to assume that their friends studio is going to get the job done That might work for a rough draft or even a fairly polished song or artist demo, but when you want to play in the game with the big cats singing commercials, you better have a singer reel that sounds like downtown. You cant afford not to have an incredible singer reel out there and chances are, your friend cant write or figure out what the jingle producers are looking for and what will catch their attention. There are jingles that are sung professionally on the air and then there are the singer reels that have to establish credibility with producers and writers and believe it or not, sometimes there is a big difference on what you should include on your reel and what you shouldnt even though it sounds like current commercials. Remember you have to grab their attention and that may or might not be different from the niche of jingles currently in vogue.

How much should a jingle cost and where do I go? Great questions. There will be significant difference in prices when youre looking to record your singing reel. There are plenty of folks online who will try to charge you a mint and you wouldnt be any better off with them as opposed to your friends studio. At ReelMusician.com we try our best to offer affordable jingle reels for singers trying to break into the market and deliver the demos that just knock your socks off. We dont let anything leave the studio until it meets the needs of the singer capitalizing on their strengths and weaknesses. When you are looking to record your first demo always ask for samples or at least listen to them online and you might ask them for references.

How much should I plan on spending to get my jingle reel done right? You should plan on investing a minimum of $500 and really push to spend closer to a $1,000 when its all said and done. Just to give you an idea, at ReelMusician.com, and because of the demand our prices will most likely increase shortly, we start out with jingle singing packages of (3) for $290, (5) for $380 and (7) for $495. You will have to include studio time to record your lead vocals on these tracks, which doesnt have to cost an arm and a leg, but you might figure an additional $200 - $300 and then the cost of making your CD. Most individuals burn their own CDs with easy software that creates the jewel cover artwork. Thats a realistic picture of your costs. And believe me, were not getting rich at those prices. Think about it and divide the total cost by the number of jingles and its actually very affordable and cost effective. For individuals really willing to make an investment in their singing career, its a great way to go. What stops most individuals from following a very doable dream? Im not sure I have all of the answers.

Many individuals have the dream, but not the follow through. Many yet, have the dream, but are willing to spend $5 - $7 for an appetizer a couple of times a week and blow all kinds of money frivolously before they are willing to make a real investment in their future. You will find that most individuals fall into what I call the I have a dream, but refuse to follow up with any significant resources to make it happen even though I spend all kinds of money on drinks at the bar, and many other a sundry of frivolous spending. These individuals will often make the call to ReelMusician.com asking if we represent folks for commercials, but when told of the basic costs and needs of a professionally written and produced jingle singer reel, tell you that they will, think about it and get back with you. They have no intention of getting back with you because they spend their money on what they want to spend their money on And so we cant help them, nor should we. We try as best we can to help individuals who are really putting forth their best effort not because they are spending money with us, but because they have the dream and are really going after it.

Your investment in your singing career will also require a start up time investment of meeting with jingle singers in your area to get their ideas, contacts, etc as well as finding the key players in your immediate area who are writing commercials and industrial music. Once you have established or are building your singing base in your area, you will want to branch out and do the same in other markets. You will want to follow up in markets that tend to pay well if you are going to travel like Chicago, L.A., New York, Atlanta, Dallas, etc. You will need to keep a simple contact sheet either in your computer or on paper and keep up with the conversations, telephone numbers and all contact information. Your follow up will be key.

In closing, get the best possible jingle singer reel, with a great looking CD cover, and follow up with individuals like Ive just described and you will be well on your way to singing studio and commercial work! Email us and let us know how youre doing.

Tom Gauger is a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency and founder of http://www.ReelMusician.com. You may contact the author at tgauger@reelmusician.com. Free e-books The Jingle Singers Guide, and Secrets To Great Song Demos, may be downloaded at http://www.ReelMusician.com.

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To Sleep Or Not To Sleep? 7 Keys To A Blissful Night's Sleep

Anyone who has experienced lack of sleep will sympathise with parents whose babies will not sleep at night. My first child did not sleep through the night until she was a year old. By then I was frazzled and my nerves were torn to shreds. Before my second child was born I made plans and decided on a nighttime routine. By the time he was nine months he was regularly sleeping through the night. What had I done differently the second time? I decided that I would not let him drift off to sleep on my breast or on my knee. I taught him how to settle himself to sleep instead of rocking him to sleep like I rocked my daughter. If you want to avoid the torture of sleep deprivation here are a seven simple keys to help you get a good nights sleep.

Key 1- Look for the first signs of tiredness. Watch your baby and notice his actions when he is getting tired, does he rub his eves or head, suck his fist or fingers or wriggle in a particular way. When babies are overtired they become fretful and find it more difficult to drift off to sleep.

Key 2 - Make sure your baby is neither too hot nor cold.

Key 3 - Observe your babys preferences Does your baby sleep more easily when he is swaddled in a cotton sheet? Does your baby prefer silence or music such as a lullaby, classical or womb music? Does your baby prefer complete darkness or a night-light? Parents often think a babies are afraid of the dark but remember they spend the first months of their lives in a warm, dark womb. Does your baby find a mobile disturbing or does she find it soothing? Does you baby like to be rocked gently, patted or stroked? Held in an upright position or horizontally?

Key 4 - Put your baby in her pram or cot before he falls asleep If possible put your baby down to sleep when she is drowsy so she can become accustomed to falling asleep on her own. Babies who learn to do this at an early age are more likely to re-settle themselves when they awake during the night. Also babies generally like to wake up where they fell asleep so it is much easier to teach your baby how to settle himself in a cot or pram.

Key 5 - Dont over stimulate your baby during night feeds If your baby wakes for a feed during the night dont over stimulate her by chatting or playing with her. Babies cant distinguish between night or day so if you play with your baby she will continue to wake up for a play even when she has out grown her night feeds.

Key 6 - Develop a bed time routine Once you have observed your babies sleep patterns you can develop a simple bedtime routine. Routines help babies and children feel secure, however routines are only effective if they are followed consistently. A bedtime routine can be as simple as this: Feed Quiet play dont over stimulate your baby Cuddle and story 7.30 baby in bed.

Key 7- Feed your baby if he needs it Anyone can train a baby to sleep through the night by ignoring his or her cries for milk and affection. However, most young babies of 0-6 months (and older if they are below the average weight of a 6 month old baby) need feeding and attention through the night. Babies cant control their sleeping patterns nor can they distinguish between night and day. If you feed a hungry baby during the night then tuck him back into his cot he is more likely to feel loved and secure.

The secret to getting a good nights lies is helping your child to develop a sleep routine. You can do this by observing your babies sleep patterns, feeding him if hes hungry, putting him down to sleep when he is drowsy and creating a consistent bedtime routine.

Copyright 2006 Living Your Best Life

Henrietta Joyce teaches effective parenting at the University of Masters, facilitates teleclasses and parenting workshops. She also offers one-to-one and group coaching. For more transformational parenting techniques and to claim some valuable downloads, you can subscribe to her popular newsletter at http://www.effectiveparenting.co.uk

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