• Dare To Prepare

    Why is preparation so important to success in Vocal Training? Remember, MaJoVTA Members: This level of Vocal Training is unusual and cannot be accomplished except by daring, preparation and elite training. I often think about my friend Rich, a USAF reserve pilot who flies his F-15 faster than the speed of sound, 10 miles up…

  • 40T + (M/H = 100) + (3 + A) = YOU

    The story of how Michelangelo, created the magnificent statue, David, has always been an inspiration to me. The stone was rejected by three previous artists due to a significant flaw (a large crack running down one side). But Michelangelo insisted this flawed, 40-ton block of marble be hauled from the quarry to his studio. It…

  • What’s Next?

    What’s Next? One of our all-time favorite TV shows was The West Wing, starring Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney and an ensemble of other Hollywood A-listers. See the Wiki here. Set in the fictional first administration of President Jedediah “Jed” Bartlett, it focused on the behind-the-scenes activities of the administration – elements most people…

  • #workinit

    What a terrific first week of sessions for the Fall Term 2024! It was so gratifying to see and hear your progress – keep it up! Thank you for welcoming me into your lives each week as you follow your dreams and pursue your passion for singing. And now, the Labor Day holiday is upon…

  • See You On The Other Side

    “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” What is it that you fear? Talking about the recent climate in the movie industry, director David Leitch (The Fall Guy) had this to say: “The choices that you make, it’s kind of a way to live your life, you know? I think if you…

  • Steps

    Every Step Forward Brings Us Closer To Where We Want To Be Olympic swimmer, Katie Ledecky, is now the most decorated US Woman in Olympic history. She sealed the deal Thursday with a 13th medal in the Women’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay. They say she has several more opportunities to compete and may well win…

  • Good Singing Xs 3

    Good Singing Is Good Singing Is Good Singing The Style Is In The Music, Not What You Do With Your Voice Longer term members of my Vocal Training Academy have heard me say this many times before. But the vocal performances heard at the the opening-night ceremonies of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris proved…

  • Signal or Noise?

    Focus On The Signal – Tune Out The Noise In a previous blog post, I wrote about two of the biggest challenges in Vocal Training: Misinformation; and Misunderstand of terms. Today, I want to address the first of these. Misinformation comes to us as singers in two primary ways: The misinformation we give ourselves; and…

  • NtheKno

    Persistence Is More Important Than Perfection I read this recently in a pilot magazine. The author talked about the various things that pilots berate themselves over – bad landings, inability to hold altitude, too much speed (too little speed!?!). He listed these and a host of other things that are …yep… *totally* “First-world Problems.” Yet,…

  • Q&A

    Q&A This week’s blog post answers several questions I’ve been asked lately about the MaJoVTA, the website roll-out and how the website works. Here goes! Why is it called The Mark Johnson Vocal Training Academy? Isn’t this just … voice lessons? First, I’ll answer with a question: What’s your vision for who you want to…