The New Year is just getting underway.

As I write so my ears are drawn to the rush of traffic outside - even amongst the restrictions that the pandemic imposes, life goes on. And so it must.

Singers who study within The Voice School will be aware that the wheels that drive all lessons, classes, events, and mentoring groups are about to start rolling. I'm advising that each should take the broader view and imagine not just the beginning of their year's journey, but to envisage where they might wish to arrive at the end of it.

Everyone agrees that 2020 was the strangest of years. Life - interrupted. Yet, within The Voice School, once we had regrouped and restructured - put a virtual plan in place for community and connection with plenty of singing to boot - it was one of the busiest of my 35+ years teaching career. 

A steep learning curve as to how to overcome problems,  implementing, and using technology to the advantage of all the singers. What an endeavour ... But, 2020 culminated...

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...