You say you love to sing and want to express yourself in front of an audience, large or small. You can’t wait for that song on the radio or get home and take that microphone in your hand, turn your favorite music app or karaoke machine and start singing.  Or, you might be a seasoned vocalist and you think you’ll never get it right.

Hello everyone! Welcome to my justlovetosing.com website. You might have been brought here either by accident or, somehow, inclined to sing, a passion of yours, dreamt to be a singer, or simply a hobby. Perhaps, singing has been a part of your entire life as a career at a certain level, and you want to do something special with it – sing at school, for a friend’s wedding, prepare for an audition, like the American Idol, Got Talent series …etc. Whatever it is, you are in the right place.

How This Singing All Began…

My first recollection when it comes to my interest and love for singing was when I found I was able to sing the second part (or voice) with ease to any melody (harmonize).  This was at an early age,  second grade in elementary school. It became such second nature to me that whenever I hear a melody, it came to me naturally, singing the second voice, with confidence without even realizing it.

I was so impressed with myself that I kept doing it during the day while playing, taking a bath, or getting ready to take a nap. In my fourth grade, I was asked to represent our school to compete with other elementary schools. I don’t even remember how the competition went. I was carefree, I just wanted to sing and was very comfortable with it.

A Passion That Led to Other Opportunities

In my sixth grade, my dad brought me to a church choir rehearsal where he was singing in the bass section. The choir director noticed right away that I was able to sing back the bass voice part faster than any of the other singers and she loved me for being in the rehearsal room for it, I became her new “favorite” sort of.

I eventually became a regular member and the youngest chorister at the time. As one would expect, it brought me to other singing opportunities in other places, churches, schools, the community all the way to college, and eventually to many countries as well.

It Was Time To Get Serious

When I auditioned for the Department of Music for College entrance, there were only two of us out of 30 that got in that day.  I majored in Choral Conducting and Voice Degrees from the University of the Philippines.

After college, I was fortunate enough to be one of the singers and soloists of a renowned classical group in Asia which won several recognized competitions in Europe that brought me to places in Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Korea, Japan, all over the United States and Canada.

After finishing a degree in classical voice, I am proud to have been trained and have sung major classical solo works in Oratorio and Opera that allowed me to be able to sing other music genres with only minimal adjustments.

I started my own music studio for singers and directing multiple choirs made it financially secure for me. I also became a jury of several singing competitions, which is very common in a country that loves to sing. My career was in a good place and all set, ready to leverage in the music industry.

But it Got Even More Serious – In a Different Way

Due to a visa problem, which I’m not going to talk about here to avoid getting off topic, I was forced to come to the United States earlier than I wanted to. After traveling the world and being applauded everywhere I performed, beginning a new life in a new place with new people you’re not familiar with, wasn’t very cool and was a tough decision.

While in the US, I tried to make it happen again and worked with a couple of specialized voice coaches with the goal of going back to serious singing again. Money didn’t come easy, so I did many low-paying jobs that I could find to make ends meet. To make a long story short, I eventually ended up in the IT industry which I love and still to this day, but singing remained very much my passion.

What I Am Here For 

As an average person just like you,  I’d love to share my experiences and help in igniting that confident singer that’s always been there in you but waiting to come alive.

I have been singing for a very long time and I have a pretty good idea what a singer goes through in the developing years, all the way to already being established as a singer. You feel that there’s something missing, “I’m not satisfied”, “I can’t get it right”, or “I need to work on something more”, and several other reasons.

I would like to share my own struggles and the things that I did to overcome the problems a singer (or an aspiring one) may have, I’ve gone through them myself before.

You may also share your thoughts and ideas about singing and how it has been coming along. You came to the right place. If you’re still reading this page and have come this far, I ask that we both share the same love and passion, to sing.

Join me on this journey.

Richard                     justlovetosing.com