A Peak into the World of Hollywood Session Singing with Gerald White

Imagine a job where you’re asked to sing backup vocal for Lady Gaga, record songs for Disney, or perform as a singing penguin — sometimes the day before recording begins. This week’s guest Gerald White has done all of this and so much more.

As a session singer, Gerald is on call regularly by recording studios and production companies who need him to perform in recording sessions and live performances. This has allowed him to provide vocals for films ranging from “Happy Feet” to “Avatar” to “Deadpool 2.” He’s performed for multiple Academy Awards, done live shows at the 2003 Olympic Festival in Dodger Stadium, and even lent his vocal skills to video games like “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.”

But what is it really like being a session singer — and more importantly, how do you get into this industry? In this podcast, Gerald gives many behind-the-scenes stories about a session singer’s life. You’ll learn about the type of skills that are invaluable to a session singer, how social media is changing the way session singers can work, and how session singers “stay on the list” and get regular work.

In this episode, we’ll reveal

1. How a childhood spent singing R&B and pop in Mississippi led Gerald to pursue a singing career in LA 6:08 
2. How a sight singing course led to work in the session singing industry 9:37
3. How quickly a recording session moves for session singers — and why they don’t get a lot of rehearsal time 13:19
4. Why providing a penguin’s singing voice for “Happy Feet” remains one of Gerald’s favorite projects 14:55  
5. Why different groups of session singers remain local while others tour more 17:47
6. Why “getting on the list” and becoming part of a contractor’s talent pool is vital to getting regular session singing gigs 20:01
7. Why the fast-paced world of session singing requires singers to maintain their voices regularly, especially during the heavy season 23:08
8. The challenge of finding the balance between performance and teaching for a session singer 28:00
9. The different types of versatility session singers offer in recordings 30:38 
10. The importance of remaining professional around celebrities in the world of session singing 38:41

Gerald offers personalized individual and group voice lessons online and in-person for performers interested in becoming better singers. He also teaches sight singing and vocal masterclasses. Visit his website to learn more.

Interested in learning how to become a session singer? Download the recording to hear all his insights. Gerald’s IVA webinar, “Managing a Successful Career as Both a Voice Teacher & Performer.”

At IVA, we provide the teaching tools to help you offer the type of functional training voice students need. Our trainers teach from the empathic mindset students benefit from, showing you how to be a better vocal coach by example. Join the Institute for Vocal Advancement and you’ll be able to participate in webinars and online courses used by teachers in every part of the music industry.

See what’s coming up in our list of upcoming events and learn how our Teacher Training Programs can help your career. Use the code “iva20percent” to get 20% off your first year’s course membership fee!

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