How do you learn classical singing?
Where do you start, learning how to sing classically?
You've got to want to do it - be excited and curious enough to get on board.
The vocal journey has a very human beginning and it is good to remember that. At the heart of all we do as singers, is the joy of making music and the release of self-expression. Sharing with others is vital to the learning experience, because it provides a solid base for exchange, observation and mutual support.
Also, there is no quick fix - no singing teacher worth their salt has a magic wand. You - the singer in you - has to be bitten by the I-want-to-sing-classical-song bug for the duration and be lit up by it over and over again.
I remember years ago, watching a television advert, where an old lady taps a police officer on the shoulder in the street and asks,
“How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”
The officer answers with a wry smile, “Lady, you gotta practice!”
And he was right. Like anything else, you...
Singers: How should we practice?
In other words: practice certainly, but focus. So, just how should you practice singing?
Let me first tell you about this. It's worth thinking about, especially when it comes to muscle memory. Some years ago, I came across an excellent post in a roundabout way as you do, pulled in by its title:
You can see why can’t you? Learning rewires our brains. I was thinking of singing/performance. So I clicked the link to have a good read. (Tip - It's still a good read, even now.)
Funny how these things can pull together fragments of your life, personal and professional. I started thinking about my little daughter, Alice and the problems she had had with Leukodystrophy. But that's another story.
Soon I was deeply engrossed in fully understanding the important role myelination plays in our gradual acquisition of skills, thanks to Jason Shen’s clear explanations and diagrams.
But then, another pathway of understanding opened.
As a vocal...
Technique Tuesday: Did you know ... about vocal support?
One of the trickiest concepts of vocal technique (spoken or sung) to grasp is the delicate question of ‘support’.
What is it? I’m not fond of using that word when teaching actually, because of the picture or feeling that it can evoke.
Usually, that word physically translates to actions like ‘grip’, ‘tense’, and ‘block’ rather than ‘release’, ‘allow’ and ‘enable’.
When you’ve got it, you’ve GOT it, and that word becomes part of the skillset, a component that is so hard to explain. Unlocking the puzzle initially, finding new ways to nudge students along the path of learning is a challenge because different ideas both mean and feel differently to each person.
The infographic below focusses on ‘Expiration’ or the ‘outbreath’.
All singers worry about how long their breath will last, often running out...
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.
