Singer's Learning Tip: Trust the wait
A short video note dedicated to a few good singing souls out there: you know who you are!
(Confession: I found this blog post lurking in my unpublished folder. Too good to pass up! It's a year old, but honestly, the advice is timeless. Pertinent to the same degree, right now.)
I have witnessed frustration and even disappointment in students when I am teaching and it's important to give it the space it needs. Every singer is different. Learning how to sing well takes time, you can't rush it. Persistence is key, and it's my job to pave the way for experimentation and experience.
I like to create a working environment where everyone feels at ease - freedom to bring true voices to the fore. Mistakes will happen, odd sounds will be heard but always there must be a feeling of creation, happy trial and error, with true learning at its core. It's a journey and it takes persistence, as do most things of true worth.
American baritone, Thomas Hampson says it all here ... No more words requi...
A 2020 note to self: learn to get uncomfortable. NOTICE.
Singing imperfections and the OK Plateau.
It is Technique Tuesday. As a professional musician with a lifetime of technical vocal learning behind me and a trusty ongoing pursuit of future perfection in front of me, I regularly invest in telling my students to be at ease with where they are on their vocal journey. At ease, but not too comfy. To forgive their vocal imperfections BUT also be inquisitive, and questioning about the WHY. Be precise with how they invest their learning time when winkling out precious moments to focus on what they hope to achieve in their learning.
In 2013, I blogged a link to Joshua Foer’s wise words above and thereby also to a fabulous Brain Pickings post, by Maria Popova. It was called: The Psychology of Getting Unstuck: How to Overcome the “OK Plateau” of Performance & Personal Growth. In a nutshell, it seemed to set out everything so clearly and I at once recognised my own vocal-learning journey in there, one which I built over the years around ‘
...Technique Tuesday Quotables
A new feature for Technique Tuesday, giving a little bit of insight into how students learn to grapple with learning about and perfecting their vocal technique.
This week's 'quotable' is simply stunning; it's the sort of thing that teachers dream about.
In VV (Virtually Vocalise) we had been talking about technically tricky things - the relationship between the tongue, the jaw and the larynx. Easy to dive off down 'rabbit holes' with too much information. Here's how the conversation went:
It brought JOY to my heart; I fairly floated off my seat! Teaching singers how to become vocally free has to be my number ONE goal as a vocal coach.
Golden. Wonderful stuff; rinse and repeat.
Voice-works series: 8 German Greats
**Singer application is now closed, but why not join us as an observer? We would love to welcome you!
Join me in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire (UK) on 16–17 May 2026 for two wonderful days studying nearly a century of German song. We’ll work with music by Franz Schubert, Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss.
Voice-works series: 8 German Greats
Join me in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire (UK) on 11–12 July 2026 for a Voice-works Study Weekend exploring Eight Vocal Greats. Across two focused and enjoyable days, we’ll trace a vocal lineage from Purcell to Britten, with each singer curating up to six pieces from this rich musical field. There's an Early Bird payment plan, spreading the cost across three instalments, is available until the end of April. h 2026.
Repertoire that meets you where you are.
A curated, confidence-building guide for returning, rebuilding, or refining classical singers. Includes expert commentary, a clickable playlist, and clarity on how to choose songs that truly fit. Instant download.
The Classical Singer's Path
A new Substack series, written from the inside out - glimpses into my own life as a classical singer, and the way I think about the art we share. It is quieter than the bustle of The Voice School, a place for reflection, stories, and ideas that might travel with you into your own singing life.. It’s free to subscribe, and early support means a lot as I get it going. You’re warmly invited to join me there.
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Ranked #29 in their Top 60 Singing Blogs — a lovely recognition of our reflective approach to singing.
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Singing Basics Guide
Getting to grips with or making improvements to your singing and the methods to achieve progress are all far easier and more accessible than you think.
