AUDITIONING FOR A VOCAL REALITY SHOW

As I teach voice, I hear more and more that people are going to these reality show music auditions to try out for their show. Usually, they are going before they have any vocal instruction whatsoever. I guarantee that unless you have that one-in-a-million voice, you will need some kind of vocal instruction before you decide to try out. And you need more than a couple of weeks of instruction. Just like you cannot pick up a clarinet and start playing without instruction, so it is with the voice. There are so many techniques to learn and most of them do not come naturally. For instance, your diaphragm needs to be used when you sing. How would a novice know how to use their diaphragm in singing without some kind of instruction? And that is just one part of learning to sing well. And, if you like to produce a lot of volume when you sing, you could very easily harm your voice if you only sing with your throat and not your whole body core. You don't have another voice to replace the one you have if it breaks. So, if you are thinking of going to these auditions, plan ahead and find some good instruction before you try it. Currently, I have about six voice students who are working towards this goal. I would love to add you to my list and I know you would enjoy it!

MAKE A NEW YEAR'S SINGING RESOLUTION TODAY!

Here we are into the new year and our lives are returning to our normal schedules. Maybe you have made a New Year's resolution or two. If you are a singer and especially if you are taking voice lessons, one new resolution you should make is to practice, practice, practice more! When I give my students lessons, I can definitely tell who practices and who doesn't. It will not be enough just to come to your voice lesson and sing. I can tell you that your vocal journey will be much slower if you don't practice every day. Try to devote at least 30 minutes to one hour each day to practicing--about 15 minutes for vocal exercises and the rest of the time practicing your song or songs. I usually give my students about three songs to work on and these are at different stages of development. With today's technology, it makes it easy to practice. Whether in your car or at home, iTunes karaoke songs make it very easy to work on your songs. You can bring these songs up on your cell phone in the car or your ipad or computer at home. And I give each student a practice cd that they can play in the car as well as at home. So there is really no excuse not to get your practice sessions in daily. So, start practicing and you will see a definite improvement right away!