For Learners
Three Theatre Techniques for Singers
I started out in acting, and only fell in love with singing later. Singers can learn a lot from actors! Here are three theatre techniques that can help improve your singing.
For Teachers
A Meditation on the Breath
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Singing begins in the breath. How do you breathe?
For Learners
I Can’t sing! I’m Tone Deaf!
Too many people say to me “I’m tone deaf”, but I’ve yet to meet someone who acutally suffers with this disability. Yes, tone deafness is a real medical condition. Tone deafness is an inability to recognise relative pitch, which is a subsection of a condition called amusia. People who suffer Read more…
For Learners
Reaching High Notes – When the Voice is a String Instrument
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…
For Learners
Movement for Non-Actors (Part 2) – Where?
As we talked about on Tuesday, movement isn’t normally part of a singer’s repertoire, but it becomes vitaly important in musical theatre. However, once you’ve worked out why you’re moving, it’s time to work out where to go. Geography of the Stage In this post, I’m going to give a quick run-down Read more…
For Learners
Exercises for Beginners: Tongue Twisters
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…
For Learners
Excercises for Beginners: Straw Singing
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…
For Learners
Why Even Beginners Need to Practice Singing
It’s amazing how often I come across comments like this, which I recently read on a forum: Singing doesn’t count, as it doesn’t … require the same kind of practice as instruments do. There’s a bit of a myth that exists that singing, especially at a beginner level, doesn’t need Read more…
For Learners
Excercises for Beginners: Sirening
Sirening is a versatile exercise for warming up, tackling self-consciousness and diagnosing vocal faults.
For Learners
Exercises for Beginners: Square Breathing
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…