What is a good singer anyway?

Singing is a funny old game. It’s one of the most human of instincts and now a well-studied art. What we consider a ‘good’ singer is highly subjective. It can be a complicated mix of technical control, personal taste, life experience, cultural influences, current trends and a general willingness to open up to sharing.

So where does that leave you amongst all that? Getting stuck in is often the answer. Work at your technique; sing with others; develop your skills; study other great singers; write music. Most importantly of all, listen to and nurture your creative heart. It’s such an easy thing to neglect when you’re dazzled by those further on in their journey than you but, in truth, that’s the bit that’s truly individually yours. Pay close attention to your instincts.

The mysteries of singing are many and unravelling them is a fascinating process. Doing it brings fulfilling moments and challenging moments in equal measure. Your self-esteem may be crushed, your ego rattled and your sanity questioned – but deep down every singer knows it’s one of the most meaningful things in life and well worth the journey.

A few things we think are important

01. Your singing choices are just that: yours

As long as you’re not hurting yourself, how you choose to express yourself with your voice is up to you. The ideal is for an audience to find meaning in what you do. And that starts with winning yourself over first.

02. Create well-crafted stuff

Thanks to technology, it’s fairly easy to throw something together that sounds credible on first listen. But it’s more satisfying to create art with depth and quality – whether it’s a simple yet highly meaningful interpretation of a well-known song, or a year-long effort to pull together an E.P.

03. It should ALL be enjoyable

That doesn’t necessarily mean easy. But the process is where you will spend most of your time. The elation of achieving a goal is gone in a nanosecond. So if you’re not enjoying at least some of the practice, the rehearsing, the writing, it defeats the purpose. Might as well have fun along the way.

Where the Magnificent Singer comes from.

Although The Magnificent singer is contributed to by many, it was founded by me: singer-pianist Elizabeth Tillotson. I’ve been singing ever since I can remember. As a little girl, my choral-mistress mother would take me to rehearsals and I was gathered into the fold. I had a choice: sit in the corner and read or take a copy of the score and join the sopranos. It was a wonderful way to learn, and I was fortunate to come from a background where music was a very normal thing to do. Which I completely took for granted, of course.

Singing didn’t take centre stage for a while, though. As a teenager, I reluctantly sawed my way through various cello exams and took a last-minute swerve onto bass guitar to study jazz for my undergraduate degree.

It took me a very, very, very, very long time to move from the classical-world formality of reading music from the page to the creative freedom of groove-based pop, soul, funk, jazz and Latin music. I was, and I say this without any exaggeration for narrative excitement, absolutely terrible for years before progressing to being okay. Ish.

Gradually things came together and I now sing and play the piano professionally. The combination is the sweet spot for me.

I love the freedom of singing; there’s nothing quite like being able to express yourself in the moment and it was a major reason why I spent the time getting my voice together. Equally, I love locking into the harmony and groove with the piano, and I’m grateful for the different perspective I gained from spending time on other instruments.

Elizabeth Tillotson.png — “I love the freedom of singing; there’s nothing quite like being able to express yourself in the moment".

Teaching credentials.

First-class graduate diploma in jazz from Leeds College of Music. Post-graduate certificate in further education from Huddersfield University. Guildhall school of Music post graduate, jazz. Former director of BRIT Kids, the BRIT School. Visiting lecturer on the BMus degree at Westminster University. Head of vocals at the London College of Creative Media. Somatic Voicework™ Levels I and II.