We’ll get to the singing element of this post in just a moment, but first I ask you to bear with me. It’s breathing new life into an old post. I see the words on the screen and I’m often timid in making a start,  driven mostly by an irrational doubt in my ability to write a compelling argument that will make a difference to YOU, the person who has stopped by to read what I have to say, and who maybe feels the same way about their SINGING as I do about writing. Stay with me here …. let’s do this together!

Can you empathise? 

I mean, if I have doubts about whether I have what it takes to pull a convincing article,  you may be fighting the same demons about finding your voice - about singing. But the good news for both of us is that you’re HERE, reading this article because of your singing desires, so let’s put it in context. 

Just imagine if…

….you were asked to prepare a song - say, to record it and put it out there into the world for all to hear, over and over? What is your gut instinct? Fight or FLIGHT? 

I have met and taught many people who really just want to know how to connect with the potential vocal sound that is intrinsically their own. They’re often frustrated by what they feel are the limitations of an inadequate instrument - and lack confidence as a result. But you see, this can be remedied.

How? Read on.

What if you had the right tools to use?

So, you want to improve your singing. What’s important is that you make a beginning, a START and that you take that leap. Your vocal sound doesn’t have to be polished and perfect - but, that simple step of making the first sound, is the best and only step forward there is to make. 

Singing is my joy, my place to go to, my constant. It has always been the something that quietly drives me forward, from within. People tell me my voice is beautiful, that it’s a gift. But no, I say, it is a talent that I have honed to a finite set of skills. It is an accomplishment. 

You can do it too. 

So, how should we make a start? 

We all have voices - two little vocal folds that come together, vibrate in the airflow which ultimately translates as OUR sound, individually unique. Why then are we so often fearful or embarrassed about unearthing/uncovering their singing voice? 

• Is it a question of not knowing HOW to start? 
• Perhaps it’s not being able to reason why your spoken and sung voice seem to come from completely different places? 
• Or do the sounds that do come out in public, bear no relation to what you hear when you sing in the shower?

Self-perception is a demon of course. It lurks in hidden places within our psyche, ready to pounce, to take us down, to withhold permission to indulge, the moment we become gripped by the self-imposed question ‘should I do this?’. Agreed?

Overcoming fears …

One of my adopted ways to overcome a very real fear of talking on camera for online videos and live broadcasts and fully embrace all tools for online marketing was to start a Voice Vlog within my professional YouTube Channel. I recorded a companion vlog post to this article, which helped me thrash out my overall strategy for re-introducing and writing about my 5 Essential Vocal Exercises even MORE.

So, what are these 5 essential vocal exercises? 

I’ve written many articles about vocal technique. By utilising just 5 of the basic singing ‘tools’ when you warm your voice up (if you’d like access to a FREE basic 15-minute warm-up audio file, then click HERE),  you will be guaranteed a better understanding of how your voice works. More importantly, you’ll get to feel and recognise when it’s NOT! 

Here are the magic 5:

• POSTURE 
• BREATHING
• ONSET
• LIP TRILLS and 
• SIRENING

 In a sister post called, ‘New to singing? Here’s something you can’t afford to miss.’ I explain:

First things first; by far the biggest step is building trust between student and teacher. Whether working in my studio or online, these are the fundamental building blocks of every lesson I teach: 

• I encourage students to give themselves permission to sing badly and make odd sounds. After all, that’s the nature of the game - trial and error.
  
• I underline how important it is to have fun and not attach too much weight to how the voice actually sounds.
  
• Making fresh inroads to the world of singing will at times seem very odd to most newcomers, so it is really good to have a freedom mindset.

 ‘Next Steps’ singing journey advice

If you’re not ready yet but want to get to know more about my work, then you can

• joining my FREE online community for singers, the Friday at Five
• ‘like’ my Little Soprano Facebook page
• connect with me on Linkedin
• watch and listen to me on YouTube
   

What IS really important?

If you want to learn the basic tools for good voice production, then the actual application of that learning, and by that, I mean how you weave it into your life, is just as important as the actual 5 essentials themselves. Many amateur singers fail to do this necessary weaving and wonder why their vocal instrument begins to suffer. 

I’ll end this post with a fabulously supportive and interesting Ted Ed animation about the art of practicing any skill and the patience it takes to acquire it over time. 

Thanks for reading this far and - ENJOY!