The voice is fundamentally a wind instrument. We use air to make sound, rather than vibrating strings or hitting objects. However, when we’re trying to reach the high notes in our voice, it’s more helpful to think about a violin than a flute. When you want to make a high Read more…
Many people come into singing and discover they don’t know how to breathe. Well. Kinda. For singing, you need a very specific kind of breath, one which makes use of your whole lung capacity on the way in, and which you can control as you breath out. There are lots Read more…
One of my favourite kinds of warming up and technical exercises is tongue twisters. They’re great for warming up all of the muscles needed to form words when singing and help singers practice good diction and articulation (i.e. the ability to sing words so that the audience understands what they Read more…
One of the most important things you need to do when practicing singing is to warm up properly. Warming up is not quite the same as vocal exercises, although a good warm up routine will go from physical warm-ups to vocal exercises without feeling like the warm-up stops and the Read more…
I have recently rediscovered the childhood magic of the drinking straw. I don’t know what it is about this small, plastic thing that creates such joy, but I love ’em. Why have I rediscovered straws? Well, I have been looking for some new ideas for technical exercises, and I have Read more…
Sirening is a versatile exercise for warming up, tackling self-consciousness and diagnosing vocal faults.
One of my favourite exercises for beginners, and for warming up with a choir is square breathing. It’s all about developing control of your breath, and extending lung capacity. From the beginning of any vocal training, it’s really important to work on your breathing. To breathe properly, you need to Read more…