In this episode, you'll get to know Preston James, rising star, southern country rocker, gifted singer, songwriter and guitarist on the precipice of the big time. I became his vocal coach when he was 15 years old getting ready for an American Idol audition. He went on to reach the national TV levels of both A.M. and The Voice. The first time he opened for someone at the Grand Ole Opry as a relatively unknown teenager, he received several standing ovations. Now at the ripe old age of 25 he's a mesmerizing performer and songwriter signed to Warner Chappell with a trove of brilliant original material to record. Listen up as he shares his stories pursuing life, love, and making music. Easy to love, stay tuned for the life-changing update on him at the end of the interview.

Find Preston at

Book your own vocal lesson with me at

My interview with veteran labor lawyer Michael Marino is a masterclass in having win-win, good-faith negotiations. For any creative with a career, the treasure trove of wisdom he so generously shares here can make all the difference in the outcome of any deal, collaboration or contract we need to do. 

MICHAEL'S LINKS: 

** Bio for Michael Marino, partner at Seyfarth Law Firm https://www.seyfarth.com/people/michael-f-marino.html/.

** Michael Marino is represented by the Price of Business Speakers’ Bureau. ** ** Contact Michael Marino about the availability as a guest for media interviews and speaking engagements by emailing [email protected].

** Connect with Michael on social media: ** LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfmarino ** Twitter/X: https://x.com/seyfarthshawLLP

JUDY'S LINKS -

** Website: https://judyrodman.com/

** Book a vocal lesson or recording studio consultation with me https://calendly.com/judyrodman

** Signup for free vocal health tips https://judyrodman.com/newsletter-signup/ 

This is the first in a new series of roundtable discussions I'm calling 'Brainstorming Forward'. The topic is AI and Music. AI can be an incredibly useful assistant and a dangerous foe to a music artist and their career. Listen to learn from a panel of experts how Artificial Intelligence really works, and get the strategies that make AI help in ways that are right for you. 

MY CAST OF BRAINSTORMERS:

Expert guests-

Is pineapple juice dangerous or a miracle remedy for the singing and speaking voice? I want to set the record straight. Listen in for the scientific as well as anecdotal results of drinking it... find out if YOU should use this remedy, AND learn the importance of diluting it if you do! 

Links mentioned:

Did you know that how you approach and handle a microphone can significantly affect your vocal ability? Listen to this episode to learn specific microphone techniques for all kinds of live performance situations. 

Here are some links I mention:

* Me singing a snippet of 'You Want It Back' - find it at 14:46 in the Youtube version of this podcast https://youtu.be/gF5HDJKYg9c

* Celine Dion singing 'Power of Love' https://youtu.be/Q5bX5K76Hag?si=PmLHV-YK-8HDvapF

* My performance singing 'Girls Ride Horses, Too' while playing guitar: https://youtu.be/MopYcmrv0Ag?si=fsRYzMfh8NkqmN5I

* Preston James singing 'Fences' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDxmQ6-qgr8

* My performance of 'When The Day Is Over' https://youtu.be/2CYUL3Tug2w

* My 7-song album with the songs I used to demonstrate mic techniques: https://www.johnandjudyrodman.com/music.html

* To schedule a vocal lesson with me: https://calendly.com/judyrodman

* Get your free copy of my vocal health tips here: https://judyrodman.com/newsletter-signup/

The singing and speaking voice is greatly affected by the health and hearing ability of our ears. In this episode, I chat with Dr. Rebecca Grome, the audiologist and owner at Ears4U in Nashville, Tennessee, who generously shares her advice on ear care, including what NOT to stick in there! 

NEED YOUR HELP:

Please support this podcast with your rating/review... that helps me keep doing it! Just go to https://ratethispodcast.com/atv, choose an app and follow the directions. Most people don't realize how important and powerful these ratings and reviews are. If you leave one, thank you a ton!!

Want more vocal control when singing in the studio? In this short but valuable episode, I give you 5 pro hacks specially designed for singing at a recording microphone. They can immediately increase your vocal control and thus skyrocket the quality of your final vocal. Find the transcript and video at www.AllThingsVocal.com.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Singing In The Studio  (My multimedia course for singers)

Vocal Production Workshop (My 2 hour workshop for audio engineers and producers)

SOVT, or 'semi-occluded vocal tract' exercises, IF done with good form, can significantly improve vocal ability and vocal health. In this episode, I show you why and how you should PULL them instead of Push them, like most people do. See this episode on YouTube for video demonstrations of these exercises.

Other Links mentioned:

• Marci D. Rosenberg article

In this episode I teach vocal exercises I designed using voiced consonants and vowels to help singers AND speakers blend their chest and head registers. Doing these exercises also helps you eliminate vocal breaks, add more resonance and range and ease vocal strain. These benefits occur as we take the voice across the passagio from chest to head voice while pulling and morphing the syllables. It's weird, but it works!

LINKS: 

• National Library of Medicine

My interview guest is speaking coach/author Peter George. Truly great public speaking skills are worth pursuing and improving, whether you're a veteran stage presentation speaker or a more casual workshop host, teacher or business person. Even singers need to talk to their audiences and do interviews. Listen to this episode for insider tips and strategies for making an impact and getting the responses you want when you talk. 

RAISE YOUR SKILLS:

To significantly raise your speaking skills, consider the following pair of training materials:

* Peter George's book 'The Captivating Public Speaker' (Amazon pd ad) 

Note: As an Amazon associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases

* my video course 'Speaking Voice Technique'. For a limited time: Get 30% off my course at checkout with coupon PGCHAT.