Technique Tuesday Revised: Breathing - no need to push!
I first shared this infographic in May 2017 - inspired by a quote from The Voice Gym that I had seen on Twitter. Its message has to be one of the most golden statements when it comes to learning how to sing well.
But, what does it mean?
Misconceptions
When we think about breathing, everyone is usually very stressed about it as they get into their singing. It becomes a primary concern ie, will I have enough to get me through that phrase?
Will it last…?
There’s the fear that since breath is always escaping, it needs to be controlled by
- a) getting masses of it IN, and then
- b) to hold on to it, to control it for as long as possible, to nail that 4-bar phrase/that high note/the last note…
If we imagine gaining greater volume when we sing, there’s a psychological trigger that suggests to us that we must push more air to make it happen. But a greater volume achieved by pushing more air simply puts more stress on those little vocal folds (only 3-6 cells thick each) and leads to a...
Virtual Workshop Weekend for singers: Sing Joyfully 2020
This year, in the wake of COVID-19 and the uncertainty that it has created for singers getting together, I decided to make 2020 my year of delivering my regular workshop courses online.
Residential weekends at Dartington Hall, form part of my teaching year structure. Situated near Totnes in South Devon, the Dartington Hall ethos provides the perfect vibe for such valuable learning exchanges to happen. The workshop weekends run in March (Love Your Voice) for solo singers, and October (Sing Joyfully) for ensemble singers.
Thanks to the pandemic, I’ve been on a learning curve of my own since March, reconfiguring my music studio, learning more about the tech requirements for teaching, and leading online. Little did I know how eerily on-point my post of January this year, where I welcomed applications for my ‘Love Your Voice’ course at Dartington Hall. This is how I opened the post:
“Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing f...
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 at peak moments of the phrase despite best efforts. Why is this? It’s because their postural alignment and understanding in relation to different abdominal muscle groups is slightl...
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...
Stay connected. Let's Sing!
I’ve been teaching online for some time now, and I really enjoy it. It started out of necessity, because I had moved away - relocated - just as a parent had reached out asking me to mentor his son. To avoid disappointment and to see if I could help despite the 165 miles distance between us, I began crafting my teaching business to include delivering lessons and mentoring more online.
That was back in 2012. Technology has moved on a lot since then - of course. If you can handle the thought processes, be creatively curious about how to overcome problems, or embrace new tech solutions, then it’s an exciting way to deliver to students and groups who would normally be separated by geography.
Coronavirus brought a whole new meaning to separation and isolation, with many singers, necessarily cut off from their normal routine - lessons, rehearsals, ensembles, choirs, and performances. All halted.
Technology and the internet, with all its variety and wonder, has been a saviour; the online ...
CODA: final singing notes
Postlude thoughts, given by the singers.
We’ve all just had a week of back-to-normal life routine after our wonderfully indulgent long-weekend ‘Shake Down 2020′, where we did nothing but sing, discuss, cook, eat, relax, listen and work for 4 days. It was idyllic - such good times, full of music, vocal vibration and lots of laughter.
But - how did this re-entry truly feel?
Teaching: freedom to inspire.
“Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding.”
William Arthur Ward
When it arrives, this kind of synergy brings an exciting dynamic to the relationship between student and mentor. If present, the two elements generously combine to create an unwritten contract of possibility.
Where the mentor provides a thought-provoking, boundary-busting structure to learning practices, so the student is encouraged to open themselves up to new ideas and patterns of work.
There is co-operative freedom to inspire. Magical when you experience it.
Dartington Hall, near Totnes in South Devon, provides the perfect vibe for such exchanges to happen and with my next residential weekend in March just visible on the horizon, those of us who have already signed up to be there are beginning to feel the buzz of excitement.
For solo singers, the Love Your Voice weekend workshop promises...
Three working w...
Singers: Health as a priority.
So, when during this past week I’d been suffering from fatigue, and a dull headache was making me slow, not for one minute did think something was brewing. Fine summer months and long sunny days had dispelled any notion of colds and coughs. It didn’t dawn on me that my health and immune system were being challenged until I woke with that tell-tale scratchy feeling at the back of my throat. You see, I had totally missed those early signs.
Summer has been deliciously busy. Much of August was taken up with preparations for my daughter’s wedding. Well, making the wedding
...Think on this: The function of Art in every day life
The sculptor is here looking, it has been said, at the human form metaphorically: the figure is as much Nature as Woman, with its supporting arm and shoulder “ shaped like a blunt unyielding promontory”. Moore himself chose the site for the Figure, and his choice caused no little surprise at the time. He wanted it to be looked at against the skyline, in contrast to the common assumption of the time that a piece of sculpture should be discreetly enclosed, whether by building or vegetation.
The Reclining Figure resonates with me every time I stand up there on the high rid
...
Learning how to sing: why community matters.
In March 2017, the Universe neatly delivered the opportunity for me to build an online mentoring group for singers. I had just hosted an initial weekend course at Dartington Hall; called ‘Love Your Voice’. It was nurturing, inclusive, and organic, tempting some of the participants to sing out for the first time in more than 10 years.
We sang all weekend, of course, immersed in solo song, in finding their voice. I built a feeling of trust and safety in the exploration, and emotions began to stir.
There was much discussion at the end of sessions, in the tea breaks and in the evening around the table as we all dined together. I listened hard to the vocal wants, needs, and desires of everyone involved and came away charged with the task of creating an online membership, a location-independent community. The experiences of the weekend workshop could be extended, and continued through a central hub.
And so, Virtually Vocalise was born. A notion of something like it had been lurking in ...
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Voice-works Study: July 2025
A study weekend is ideal for singers who enjoy a hands-on, exploratory approach to learning. With a maximum of six participants, everyone will receive focused guidance and the space to experiment freely. Click the button for all the lovely details!
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.
