Singing Lessons: Taking Criticism, Self-Propriety and Taylor Swift

Singing Lessons: Taking Criticism, Self-Propriety and Taylor Swift

As a songwriter, singer and vocal coach, I have read the Lefsetz Letter on and off for quite some time; it is written by Bob Lefsetz, music industry attorney, consultant and taste-maker. As of late, he wrote responding to Taylor Swift's new song "Mean," which he understood through the Howard Stern show may be about him for repeatedly articulating that "Taylor Swift can't sing." Not too long ago Lefsetz said about Swift, "no one's done as much for women's music since Joni Mitchell." Every professional singer knows there is daily work to do to improve your voice, but Lefsetz's turn on Swift is strange. Is "Mean" about him? If so, he's pretty upset about it; he chastises Swift for stooping so low, reiterating that she "still can't sing."Stoop so low to respond in song?(Maybe they're in cahoots, creating buzz on the record. Who knows?)The conflict brings up an issue I deal with as a singer/songwriter and as a singing teacher often: the difference between criticism and judgement and how an artist is expected to take criticism.***********Artists absorb comments from people who are being mean, but feel the critic status allows them that latitude. The industry assumes that a performer should understand how to deal with criticism and take criticism with a polite grin and turn the other cheek. However, withstanding jabs without any response is not the same as accepting criticism. As a singing teacher, a singer and a parent, I feel fiercely protective of artists from writers who damage egos with apathetic and reckless flicks.One of the most important singing lessons a singer can learn is how to distinguish between criticism and judgement, listen to the former and ignore the latter. Both are part of a performer's life and part of the commodification of all things created by people. Criticism is a creative endeavor to deconstruct and reconstruct art with the desire to unveil the subject of the artist, in an effort to draw near to the artist. Judgement is a totalitization of the artist - "This is awesome!" "This sucks!" "Buy this!" "Don't buy this!" It is a projection of the pundit only. It has little to do with the work. It reflects how the commentator feels about himself (or herself) when he listens to the artist. If Bob Lefetz writes that Talyor Swift "can't sing" - it is mean. It's not a nice thing to say out loud, but it's not criticism. It is his judgement.Can Taylor Swift learn to sing better?You can always learn to improve your voice, but clearly Taylor Swift can sing and having perfect pitch or perfect singing technique is not what makes one a great singer anyway.Producer Don Dixon told me while we were working on the record "Fools and Kings" "Even if ten million people in this country buy your album, that means 250 million people don't know you, don't care or they don't like you." You're not playing for the people who think you're bad. You are playing for the people who like you.When Lefsetz says, "Taylor Swift can't sing," he's articulating that he doesn't connect to her voice anymore. Something happened that turned him off Swift. In "Mean," Taylor Swift is singing out "I'm rubber, you're glue." Her response makes sense, but why do we waste our short time on earth wrapped up in insults and gossip?*******Because the put-downs that hurt us are the ones we fear are true.At age 34 I spent months repeating to myself, "I don't care what anybody thinks of me," to separate my evaluation of myself from the evaluation of jackasses (especially one particular jackass). Then, for many months after I adopted the mantra "I'm awesome." This unnerved some friends.I had to say it to drown out the "I suck" still stuck in my brain. Like noise cancellation headphones.If the judgements of others rattle your cage, train your brain to drown out the arrogant voices. Give yourself enough positive feedback to maintain self-propriety, so that you might hear true criticism, which are the voices of those who want to understand you.Do what you gotta do: look in the mirror and say I love you, repeat "I'm awesome" as a personal mantra for six months.Train your brain so you can spend your energy on what's important: learning how to sing better, improving your pitch, improving your breath support, learning to write better - along with personal and social responsibility.Lefsetz praises Jennifer Anniston for taking it when people "rip her a new a--hole," unlike Swift. He's comparing the reaction of a 20 year old with that of a 41 year old. Maybe life experience has taught Anniston not to let the turkeys get her down. It's a rare bird born with that ability, and "Mean," could be what a girl's gotta sing until she gets there.I have been stung. It's never fun. The more experience you have with it, and the more you focus on developing your voice - not what some guy thinks of you - the more you save energy for what matters.As a vocal coach, when I see my students caught up in the fear of what others think, how they might be judged, I remind them to focus.Become great at what you do, learn to sing better, find your voice. Remember that every note you sing is beautiful.Everybody who can talk, can sing. Who cares what Bob Lefsetz thinks?

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