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i2i Coaching Blog 9.19.17 "Don't Confuse the Map for Territory"
New territory for me right now is learning to sing. At the beginning, I was completely terrified and full of self doubt. Yet I persisted because I had set my destination and it was really important to me. I was discarding an old version of me who believed he would never sing. Then one, day, almost a year after my first lesson, my teacher mentioned that I was "in the territory" and that this was a breakthrough. What did she mean? She saw someone who was not singing from the sheet music or trying to get the notes right. She saw someone who was "in" the land of the main character, "being" that person, feeling their emotions and singing their song. I had, in fact, put down my map after months of practice and bad singing.
My bad singing was due to the fact that my left brain and right brain could not communicate fast enough with each other. It was not possible for me to sing and feel at the same time. . .
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hMAG 8.11.15 - "We All Sing Like Sinatra In the Shower"
Barbara J. Simon (singing teacher/ coach and author of Singing Body and Soul )served as one of the judges for the City of Hoboken's annual "Sinatra Idol Contest." "Song choice is key," says Simon. "Sinatra had great taste in the songs he recorded, but some are better than others for competition, and for showing off a singer's performance skills. I like to see songs that the performer relates to personally, that have an emotional impact on the audience, as well as being able to create the Sinatra feel."
Of course covering "The Voice" isn't easy. "Contestants need good vocal technique - a well developed, expressive voice - that can handle the range of songs chosen," says Simon. "I'm looking for high-quality musicianship - in addition to emulating the Sinatra style, the performer should have a clear understanding of the lyrics and possible layers of meaning, to be able to work inside the . . ."
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The Ridgewood News 10.31.14 "Local voice teacher is business award finalist"
Barbara J. Simon, voice teacher/ coach at Art of Motion Performing Arts Center in Ridgewood, is a finalist in the 2014 Hoboken Chamber of Commerce Business Awards (HHCBA) with her BJ Simon Singing Studio LLC in Hoboken.
Her studio falls into the new category of "Education Provider." This is also the year her book was published Singing - Body and Soul: A Medley of Fresh Ideas about Musical Theater - available on Amazon.com. The book has been endorsed by Stephen Flaherty, the Tony-winning composer of Ragtime.
Simon was nominated for the HCCBA Award by her students, colleagues, and fellow voice teachers. Dan Purcell of Oradell, who studies singing with Simon at Art of Motion, contributed one of . . .
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GEXhub 4.8.14 "Strike the Right Cord . . A Guide to Throat Health"
. . . If you teach yoga classes you also don't want to give cues when you are in an inversion. This also puts additional strain on your vocal cords and diaphragm, Be sure to cue before you get into an inversion. Demonstrate the inversion and then stand up and continue to cue.
Incorporate using tactile and visual cues into your classes to cut back on how much time you are using your voice. Remember we don't only cue with our voices but you also can cue by showing the exercises with your body and using tactile cueing when personally correcting form. (Always be sure to ask before you touch a student.)
In addition to these simple tips, I spoke to Barbara Simon author of Singing - Body and Soul: A Medley of Fresh Ideas about Musical Theater, who is a singing teacher and vocal coach. She teaches about throat health and gives us these additional professional tips . . .
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NJ.com 2.28.14 " Hoboken's Barbara Simon guides young singers to careers and self-discovery"
Not everyone can have a career as a professional singer, but everyone can and should experience the joy of singing. That's one of the messages that Hoboken voice teacher Barbara Simon expresses in her new book Singing - Body and Soul: A Medley of Fresh Ideas about Musical Theater.
A Mile Square City resident since 1982, Simon has helped shape the nascent careers of young singers who have gone on to everything from successful rock bands to Broadway. But she said her most important goal has been to encourage people who find themselves in song.
"I have a much more holistic approach to singing than a lot of other voice teachers," Simon said. Her book discusses expected topics like pitch and tempo, intonation and breathing, but it also quotes psychologists and medical experts on subjects like the difference between right brain and left-brain . . .
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Suburban News 12.23.10 "Cool Music"
The Ridgewood Guild hosted Winterfest in the Central Business District, featuring horse drawn wagon rides, free refreshments and entertainment in Van Neste Park. At left, voice teacher Barbara Simon entertains at the event. At right, Marina Wardell of Art of Motion serenades visitors.
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The Jersey Journal 1.31.08 "Voices Raised in Hoboken Clubs"
The term "music education" usually suggest children's recitals, beginning piano lessons, and school choirs. But professional musicians take regular music lessons as well, especially at the BJ Simon Singing Studio.
Anthony Tamburro, a local blues singer/ songwriter/ guitarist, has been studying voice with Barbara J. Simon since 2005. "Aside from increasing my stamina for performing, Barbara has taught me to see behind the lyrics of a song and make it my own," says Tamburro.
His band, Enzo & the Bakers, was first established in 2000 and now performs regularly in North Jersey. They were featured on the "Urban Legends of NJ" CD, and have found a home in Hoboken at the well-knows blues bar Scotland Yard on 73 Hudson Street. The New York Times praised the bar saying, "The Best Blues Bar in NYC is in Hoboken." . . .
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Hudson Current 1.22.08 "How to Sing"
When Barbara J. Simon of Hoboken says she's eclectic, she isn't exaggerating. From her singing, dancing and acting to a career in marketing and teaching - naming only a few - Simon has mannaged to add another accomplishment to her list: a book.
Simon's book Singing: Body and Soul started as a mere pamphlet, but the more she wrote, the more her ideas morphed into whimsically titled chapters filled with useful singing lessons. "The more I wrote, the more I felt I had to say," she said. "I wrote it in short snippets because that's how I like to read a book."
Simon wrote the book in the course of four years while giving private singing lessons in Hoboken. Her goal was to write a book on singing that would be interesting enough to hold the attention of a 16-year-old, and appeal to a professional singers and the ordinary reader. . .
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Waterfront Journal 8.28.03 "Tony-Winning Composer Applauds Singing Book"
Stephen Flaherty, the Tony-winning composer of the musical "Ragtime," sings the praises of the new book entitled Singing: Body and Soul written by voice teacher Barbara J. Simon.
Flaherty says ". . . a very wise, witty, and accessible book on the technique and art of singing. Barbara's book is unique in that it combines the technical and interpretive aspects of singing in a user-friendly way." Simon and Flaherty first met in 1983, and in the next two years, Simon performed several cabaret acts in Manhattan with Flaherty as her Musical Director.
Flaherty's composing credits (with his collaborator, Lynn Ahrens) include Ragtime, Seussical, Once on This Island, and animated film Anastasia, and his most recent Lincoln Center production A Man of No Importance which was the Winner of the 2003 Outer Critics Award for Best Musical Off- Broadway. . .
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The Jersey Journal 8.16.01 "Dancer Luigi Praises Singing Book"
Many dancers what to learn to sing. But singing training often ignores dancers' knowledge of their own bodies movement. Barbara J. Simon's upcoming book, Singing: Body and Soul, approaches singing training from a physical point of view by focusing students' attention on the way their bodies feel from the inside.
"A great book for reading, learning and enjoying," says Luigi, creator of the world's first jazz technique, who also emphasizes feeling the movements from the inside as described in his own book, Luigi's Dance Warm Up.
"After twenty years of acrobatics, singing and dancing as a child entertainer, Luigi woke up in a hospital bed, after a car accident, unable to move. 'You're paralyzed: you'll never walk again,' his doctor said. But Luigi knew he would dance again, because voice inside said, 'Never stop moving'. . .
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Go Out! 8.24.00 "Hitting The Note With Barbara Simon"
There is no denying that the quick rise of pop songstresses and bands has created a surge of musical interest in the younger generations, especially those looking to mimic their idols' talents. The BJ Simon Singing Studio provides classic voice training that can take anyone's talents to a new level.
Barbara J. Simon is no stranger to the music industry. She began her career as an NYU Musical Theater student and was a participant in an Educational Dance Company. Simon is now taking her expertise and years of musical performance and using it to teach the public a talent that is ever growing in popularity.
The BJ Simon Singing Studio, located in Hoboken, has already created stars. Allison Strong, a nine year old at the studio, is singing with the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus and won first place in the vocal competition at the NJN-TV Hispanic Youth Showcase.
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