Benefit Of A Singer Joining Miss America Local Pageant...
If you are between the ages of 13 and 24 and are interested in becoming a FAMOUS singer or music artist then I highly recommend that you include the Miss America Pageant in your Artist Development plan and here’s why: It’s a competition. Someday you’ll be competing for a Grammy or to win a talent show or to be casted in an important role. Even a job interview is competition. Life is a competition and therefore you must learn to be GOOD at it so that you stand out. PRIVATE INTERVIEW is 25% of your score. Becoming great at interviews is going to benefit a professional singer because you’ll learn how to respond to tough questions and how to present yourself to the media if you become a music artist. Things like making eye contact, showing off your personality, speaking passionately about things that are important to you (such as your latest music), your body language, projecting your voice, enunciating and learning how to articulate your point of view as it relates to the questions you’ll be asked. TALENT is 30% of your score and you only have 90 seconds to impress the judges. Imagine the pressure! You’ll face your fears head on. Some of you have stage fright, right? If after your performance you don’t place or win the title you’ll get helpful feedback that will help you improve and if you truly are cut out for this you’ll stay in it to WIN it! An experience like this can only HELP you step up your game as a singer and/music artist. 10% of your score is how well you do in the LIFE STYLE & FITNESS category. Yes you’ll be prancing around on stage ALONE in your bathing suit, bikini or fitness attire, with lights, cameras and all eyes on YOU….showing all your curves or lack of…If you don’t have confidence and are shy about singing in front of people with your clothes on this is a sure way to break you out of that! Face your fears and you’ll be better off and more successful because of it. EVENING GOWN Category is 15% of your score. As a music artist you’ll need to learn how to walk the red carpet and pose for the cameras in high heals and a glamorous dress at some point, right? (THINK BIG!) Everything about you must say “I Am Confident”, “I Am Beautiful” and “I Believe In Myself”. Even when you are just dressing for a musical performance this category will benefit you in so many ways. ON STAGE QUESTION is 20% of your score. When dealing with media as well as in dealing with a regular job interview you must be able to respond to questions you won’t expect. So this is yet another great form of practice for a developing music artist or singer.
So yes I highly recommend to any singer, music artist or to any young lady who wants to step outside their comfort zone for a chance to become a better, stronger, more prepared, more proficient and more confident version of themselves. You'll learn how to deal with the stress of being under pressure which is very important in music biz. You'll learn to be more decisive because you'll spend a lot of time making tough choices like which dress, song, event appearance, platform or hair style will help you gain the most points. It's all apart of the winning strategy. Artists also require a winning strategy and will need to make similar decisions. You can kind of think of it as boot camp or crash training. I recommend that you participate in a handful of pageants or at least until you place or win. Even if you don't the experience will stay with you forever. I also want to point out that participants win more than just a crown. Depending on which local pageant you enter they have a variety of prizes and scholarships to give away. To learn more about Miss America and to be pointed to local pageant information in your State please visit http://missamerica.org/ .
My Personal Advice About Affording This Experience
Concerned about associated costs? This section is mostly directed to the parents of the TEEN and MISS level contestants. Once you decide you'll do a pageant you'll usually have a registration fee to pay. You'll also need to purchase the items you will wear on stage and during your interview. And of course you'll need your music if you are singing. Your pageant director will usually mentor you and recommend things to wear, songs to consider and even things like Voice Coaches, Interview Coaches, Producers, Dress Designers, Fitness Coaches, Hair and Make-Up Artists etc. Most of the pageant directors I've met have been really nice, loving and nurturing to their girls. But I must warn you that while they usually have the best intensions often their recommendations are too expensive. I've seen the parents of many contestants go broke trying to pay for their children's dreams of becoming Miss America or even Miss Virginia. Word gets around about industry professionals who offer certain services and who are a MUST HAVE in pageantry and your director may even recommend them but not only will they recommend them...they'll often TELL YOU you've just GOT to have it if you want to WIN. That tends to make a contestant feel pressured to come up with the money to hire the professional or to purchase a winning dress...That well known and respected professional that you've been advised to hire who charges you $1000 to $1500 or more for a copy of their 90 second edited version of a song or to borrow or purchase the dress that they wore once when they won the crown may burn a hole in your pocket. There are also producers out there that will charge thousands to produce the edited song cover you want. So my advice to you is to shop around and get second opinions. Consider a director's suggestions, especially if you can afford them but just know there are other professionals and shops available that are not on the pageant radar and who can save you a TON of cash. Don't forget to ask around to some of the other pageant girls and their parents. You'll learn a lot from them as well. Often I find myself wishing I'd met some of these young ladies before they blew so much money so that I could have offered them more affordable alternatives to consider. Budgeting should be a part of your winning strategy. Truth be told I was able to give my own daughter the pageant experience once. She's a singer. While everybody else spent hundreds and thousands on their gown I spent $9 Lol. Seriously $9!! It was a needle in the haystack and I was the lucky one to find it but at the time she just wanted the experience and although she learned a lot from being in that single pageant, if she decided to continue I would've invested in a better dress but I was not going to ever spend beyond my budget or skip paying my mortgage or car note so that she can have the perfect dress. Some have it and some don't. Those that don't have still figured out how to succeed without going broke and if you don't believe me there are plenty of financially challenged contestants who made it all the way to the Miss American national and televised level. No matter what we as parents can and can't do or will and won't do to promote a win for our children, they will not suffer because the experience is worth your time and whether our children are spoiled and demanding brats or very appreciative and open minded during the pageant process, when they grow up they will ALL be thankful that we were there as their cheerleader. Don't let associated costs prevent you from entering or succeeding in pageants. There is always a way.
Pageant season usually kicks off around September so the BEST time to begin your training with me is during the late spring & early summer. Especially if you have challenges with pitch or confidence. I'm able to assist with music selection, vocal and visual choreography (blocking) as well as the required 90 second music edits in most cases. I offer flexible and convenient schedules especially for those traveling to me from out of town. If you’d like help registering and/or preparing for an upcoming pageant contact me. I’m happy to help young ladies from the DMV area with the local pageant process but I'm also available to those in other States. If you can get to me I can help you prepare to win the crown for a very reasonable price! Email to Sallyb@VocalzMusic.com