'Idol' inspires local singers

Sherri James Buxton is a professional singer and singing coach. She is skilled in the fine art of the voice, devoting decades to her craft and its intricacies and to passing on her knowledge to children and adults alike.

Buxton is also a fan of the über hit "American Idol" — the flashy, pop culture phenomenon that elicits excitement or nausea from folks, depending on whom you talk to.

It just doesn't seem to fit, though, that Buxton, who represents the classy side of singing, would identify with the reality-television singing competition.

But beyond all the Hollywood hype of the show, Buxton said there's some legitimacy to it. She credits it with fueling a renewed interest in singing.

"We have definitely seen a big growth in the number of people taking voice lessons since the show began," Buxton said. "Older people have jumped on, too, wanting to learn how to sing and sing better."

America will learn tonight whom they have chosen as the next Idol — Blake Lewis or Jordin Sparks — when the season finale begins at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Buxton, who runs a cabaret workshop at the Berkshire Music School, represents some of the more

voice-educated fans who tune in on a weekly basis — music teachers. She said her students use the show as a learning tool for what to do and what not to do.

"It has validated me, in some ways," she said. "My students come to me after watching and say, 'I guess what you were teaching me was right.' They know what to listen for, and they learn from watching bad entertainers."

Buxton said as a singing instructor, her favorite part of the show is watching how young, novice singers progress into near-professionals.

'It's not instant'

Great Barrington's Judith Gray, a singing instructor at Smith College, is another fan of the show who is trained in a more classical style of singing.

Still, she appreciates the storyline of discovering off-the-street talent with an amazing voice.

"I love listening and watching the whole thing," she said. "I have seen people who are quite talented, and some who are not. But my biggest beef is that it teaches young people that having a career is as easy as add water and stir. It's not instant."

Typically in the music business, it takes years to climb the ranks from dingy night clubs to 10,000-seat stadiums.

"You need to live it, work it, grow as a person," Gray said.

Kerry Ryer-Parke, an adjunct instructor of voice at Williams College, has never seen even an episode of "Idol," and she doesn't even own a television. But she is still curious about the show.

"If I was someplace where it was on, I would watch," she said. "I'm very curious."

Ryer-Parke said the show is a take on what the classical music world calls a "master class," where novice singers perform in front of an established singer to garner criticism.

"Good singing is usually easy to tell," she said. "Some people are just born singers, but others have to work at it pretty hard."

While it's still unknown how long this "American Idol" mania will last —the latest ratings are down 4 million viewers from last season — it has certainly made an impact on the pop culture scene; we even have our own yearly "Berkshire Idol" competition.

No faking it

Buxton said if it has done anything, it has made it clear that there's no faking it in singing. You either do it with heart, or you go home.

"When you sing, you need to find your honesty," she said. "You may have a wonderful voice, but if you don't know what you're singing, if you don't feel the lyrics, it will show."