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!

MY WONDERFUL STUDENTS!

Well, on Saturday we had our Spring Recital at Music Instruction Studio and my students were a hit! I am so proud of all of them.


 I also have another new student who's name is Claire, and she started singing lessons recently. I told her that I had recorded another one of my 7 year olds (Emma Sofia) and she is on my YouTube. So, Claire told me that now she was my newest and youngest 7 year old, so she had to be put on YouTube, also. I told her as soon as she learned "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie", I would put her on YouTube. So, on Saturday, I recorded her. The video is so cute, I want to share it with you. Even her little sister tried to get into the act at the end of the recording.

HOW MUSIC AFFECTS OLDER ADULTS AND THE DISABLED

Music can affect every aspect of our lives.  I cannot imagine what this world would be like without the God-given ability to produce music.  And probably every one of us has a loved one in our lives who is either a senior adult or someone who is disabled.  Studies have shown that the following statements have been proven to be true.  Just keep these things in mind as you interact with the people you know and love.

- Music is one of the activities that involves the whole brain.

- Music heals. They are finding that it can be used in pain management.

- Music therapy is used in hospitals from during childbirth to complement the use of anesthesia during surgery.

- Music serves as a distractor.

- Music causes the body to release endorphins to counteract pain.  

- Slow music relaxes a person by slowing their breathing and heartbeat.

- Music reduces blood pressure.  Playing classical, celtic or raga music every day can significantly reduce high blood pressure.

- Music is good for your heart.  It is the tempo that helps.  The steady beat is good for the heart.

- It speeds post-stroke recovery.  Verbal memory and attention span can improve.  I know a person who had a stroke and cannot verbally communicate at all.  But when we sing, she can sing and say the words.  It  is amazing to see her sing along with everyone else.

- Music enhances intelligence, learning and IQ.  

- Music improves memory performance.  Mozart’s music and baroque music, with a 60 beats per minute beat pattern, activates the left and right brain.  The simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes learning and retention of information.

Stay tuned for more valuable information as to how music can have a positive affect on our lives, no matter what our age.

ANOTHER BREATHING EXERCISE

I hope you have been practicing the breathing exercise I posted this week. I also have another one for you. First, breathe in and count to 4 as you are breathing in. Make sure you have taken in all the breath you can when you are on 4. Then breathe out as you count to 4. Make sure you have emptied out your lungs on the 4 count. Now, that was easy. Do that 4 times in a row. 


 Next, do the very same thing, only count to 8. Then, exhale and count to 8 at the same time. You will now have to start measuring your breath as you inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale your breath evenly and fill and empty your lungs as much as you can. Practice this 4 times. 


Next, do the same exercise only this time, count to 12. This will be much harder. Practice this 4 times also. You will learn to control your breathing as you practice this exercise. Don't forget to breathe deeply using your diaphragm. This is an exercise that our choir practices and it is very effective.

DEEP BREATHING EXERCISE

Breathing is another important factor to improve your singing.  There are effective exercises to improve your breath support and being able to hold out phrases longer.  In this post, I am going to review a very simple exercise you can do.  


All you need to do is take a deep breath and count as you exhale this breath.  So, inhale as much breath as you can, and while you exhale that breath,  count as high as you can until your breath is all exhaled out of your body.  Do it again and try to count to a higher number.  Normally, you can count to 25 or so, but if you practice you can count to higher numbers.  The more you practice this, the higher your numbers should go.  Don't breathe just with your shallow chest breathing, but take deep breaths using you diaphragm and your whole upper body core.  Work on getting your numbers higher and you will be able to increase your amount of breath you can use to sing.  This exercise can be done anytime, so try it.  It can only help you and deep breathing is good for your body, also.  It adds more oxygen to your blood and makes that blood flow better!

SINGING ON PITCH WITH A PURE TONE

Singing on pitch is an important part of developing your singing voice. When I start teaching a new student, many times they slide up to the note, strain their voice to sing the note, or sing the note with no support of their diaphragm. They don't realize the importance of singing each individual note on pitch. Try this exercise to see if you can sing a note on pitch without scooping up or down first. Play a note on your piano, keyboard or smartphone piano app and try to match that pitch. Now, play another note and match the new note. Don't scoop up or down to the note--just sing it dead on to match it. Just think of a bull's eye and hitting the center of it.  This takes practice. Most of us will sort of hit the note, then we adjust it. This is not what we are trying to do. We are trying to sing the note without adjusting or wavering our tone, and it is hard to do. It takes concentration. And the higher or lower the note is for us, the more we need to concentrate. 


 Scooping is a real problem in singing. We may think it sounds good to scoop, but to really does not. (Once we learn to sing our notes perfectly, then we can learn to scoop like the professionals. ) And when more than two notes are involved, most amateur singers just slide down the notes. Each note should be sung as individual notes--no running them together. This takes practice--over and over and over. The best way to hear if you are singing on pitch is to record yourself as you exercise. And when you sing those high notes, do not forget to use your diaphragm when singing the pitches. You will never match them correctly if you don't. When you are singing a 1-3-5-3-1 exercise, watch out for the 5 note! It will be flat if you do not concentrate. Try to imagine that you are an instrument. When played, most instruments hit the note as a pure note. When I am singing (especially in a group or choir), I try to picture that I am a clarinet or an oboe when I sing--especially when we are singing a section where blending is important. Just like an orchestra blends all the instruments together for one unified sound, so should we blend our voices together in the same way.

THE "MINI EPIDEMIC" - BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR VOICE

Just like any other part of your body, you can damage your voice. Lately, we have been hearing all the stories of how our celebrity singers are having vocal problems. I have heard it called a "mini epidemic". Adele, Keith Urban and John Mayer all come to mind recently. Our vocal chords are not made out of steel or indestructible plastic and cannot be replaced. I have been paying attention to the contestants on American Idol and The Voice lately. I am thinking of one female contestant on The Voice this past week. When I heard her growl, scream her perfect pitches and just abuse her voice as she was singing, I couldn't help but think that her career will be cut short if she keeps singing like that. It is like overdoing anything with your body. You can only exercise and work out and run so much before your body starts breaking down. Everything needs do be done in moderation. And when one does not sing properly (such as singing and straining with your throat instead of using your whole whole body), the throat problems will just come faster. That is why, when starting out, a singer needs to be taught to sing properly by opening up the throat to use the core of the body to sing instead of singing just with the throat. That is where your voice teachers and coaches can help. Just like any bad habit, this bad habit of singing needs to be re-learned and it won't happen overnight. It has to be practiced over and over. I have been singing for over 60 years without throat problems because I sing with an open throat. Just listen to some of my songs I sing on YouTube and you will hear my technique.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post below.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

If you want to improve your vocal technique, you must practice every day. For those of you who remember singing in school choir (maybe you are still in school choir), remember those vocal exercises that your music teacher would use to "wake up" your voice? You need to remember those exercises. Find a piano app on your phone or iPad and play a note on it as a starting point. The best situation would be if you have a piano or keyboard at home. But if you don't, the phone app works, too. Sing up and down the scale three to five notes at a time. Keep going higher and lower as you sing. It is hard to describe this, so just search YouTube for some vocal exercises and you will know what I am talking about. Maybe I will do a video of a couple of exercises for you so you can follow them. Yes, I will do this for you and play them on the piano. Most people can sing from one octave (which is 8 notes) to 1-1/2 octaves (12 notes). Your goal is to get to 3 octaves (24 notes). This will take awhile and lots of practice. Exercising will also help your pitch placement which is so important.   Look for my exercise video coming soon.

MAKING THE SONG YOUR OWN

When a new student sings a popular song for me, many times they try to copy the artist singing the song. Most of the time, this does not work. Some artists have a style that is unique to them. When someone else tries to sing that style, their voice does not fit the style, and the song ends up sounding unnatural. If a song has low notes that you cannot reach, you need to change the notes to higher notes found in the chord. Also, do not scoop your notes. This only ends up sounding like you are singing wrong notes. This is why people need voice teachers and vocal coaches. Your voice sounds very different to someone else than it does to you. Another problem is when someone sings along with the artist and not by themselves. The singer gets a false sense of security because they think they are sounding just like the artist. But nothing could be further from the truth. That is why shows like American Idol want the person trying out to sing accapella. They can tell right away if the singer is singing on pitch and there is nothing for the singer to hide behind, like the accompaniment. So, my point is that when you want to sing a song, only sing along with the artist until you learn the song. After it is learned, then you need to find backing tracks without the artist singing and sing in your own style and not the artist's style. You need to make the song your own.

LEARN TO USE YOUR DIAPHRAGM

When singing, most people who have not taken lessons sing only with their throat and their upper body. It is much like they are talking. But we know that when singing, we need more volume than just our speaking voice. That is where our diaphragm comes in. It is located below our rib cage. There is one exercise I want you to try so you can "feel" it. Just say the word "hey" several times. Don't be shy--say it loudly. Can you feel that tightness under your ribs when you say it? That is your diaphragm tightening up.
 Now, take a deep breath, and you will also feel it. We use our diaphragm for breath control and pitch control. When singing a high  note, a deep breath and tightened diaphragm will help you reach that high note easier. A vocal teacher will help you achieve this. For now, just practice saying "hey" so that you will begin to notice your diaphragm when you sing. Then, when singing, try to get the same tight feeling when you increase your volume and sing those high notes. This is one step in the process of learning to sing well.

THE VERY FIRST THING

Well, I see you are definitely interested in learning more about the singing voice from your views yesterday. Thank you so much for visiting my new blog and I hope I can give you some pointers to help you improve your singing voice. When I first start teaching a new student, the very first thing I do is find their vocal range. For instance, what is the lowest note you can sing? The lowest note does not have to be with the best voice quality, but it needs to be sung solidly. And then I find out the highest note that you can sing. Again, the quality does not have to be perfect, but the note has to be hit on pitch. It is good to have a piano or keyboard handy so you can find out what the lowest and highest note is. If you don't have either, did you know that you can download free apps on your phone, iPad and computer that will play the piano notes? I usually take the student up and down the scale to find these low and high notes, one note at a time. I play the notes chromatically, so I play every note and have them sing as i play. Then, I can also find out where they sing the strongest. Some people have low singing voices, some medium range, and some have high voices. Usually, a beginner can sing at least an octave (which is 8 notes)and sometimes some will sing more than two octaves (which is 16 notes). When someone takes piano lessons, they always have a lesson book to follow. That is because the piano is always the same and never changes. But have you ever noticed that there aren't too many voice lesson books out there? That is because our voices are all unique and each voice has different strengths and weaknesses. So, teaching vocal singing is is definitely a one-on-one learning situation. I don't want to write too much in each blog because I don't want to confuse anyone. However, if you have any questions about this post, please don't hesitate to ask me in a comment. I will be happy to respond.

MY VERY FIRST SINGING TIP

Lately, much emphasis has been placed on vocal singing.  There are many contests out there on television as well as the internet and we also have Youtube where people can post videos of their singing.  I am here to help improve those voices.  I have made a video of the easiest way to improve your singing voice.  It is as simple as opening your mouth.  Do not forget the little words like "a", "the", "and", etc.  These words are just as important as the main words.  In my video, I sing a couple lines from a popular song the wrong way (not opening my mouth very wide) and then I sing it the right way (opening my mouth).  You can immediately see a big difference.  I am not doing anything different with my voice--I use the same technique both times.  I just don't open my mouth very wide the first time.  If you have any questions about my post, please comment and I will answer your question.