Taking lessons and choosing a teacher can be overwhelming, especially in a huge city like Los Angeles. As a teacher and a voice student for life, here are a few tips to choosing a teacher and taking the leap. Location: I suggest choosing a teacher no more than 30 minutes away. When you have a drive to a lesson, it’s easy to use the drive time to get in some extra practice. But if it’s too far, the drive will get old. Practicing: Do you have a place and time to practice? A good rule of thumb is to practice a minimum of two...
read moreEvery singer has a different range. In “Range Explained: Jocelyn Scofield,” Jocelyn goes through her range from low to high and describes what she feels in her voice and how she understands her range. In no way is she saying that others should imitate or explain their range in the same way. This is simply how she feels and understands her range.
read moreThis is a blog about an experience I had and why I think we must adjust the way we teach music to children. There are 3 fundamentals that are crucial when teaching music. It starts with birth and if you teach music like a language, children will easily learn these three concepts. 1) How to use your singing voice 2) How to keep a steady tempo 3) How to sing in tune That’s it. It is not difficult. We all can do it. It takes time and some basic skills, but will set anyone up for music involvement at whatever level they choose. Good...
read moreThe difference between range and tessitura becomes important when you choose songs, choose keys, and start singing with other people. My last blog was about range and finding your range. You can read it here. Once you’ve found your range, the work becomes having every note in your range strong and consistent. The notes in your range should be easy to move from one to the other with even breath, support, and tone. Here’s where your tessitura comes in. The tessitura is basically the best notes in your range. Let’s say...
read moreWHAT IS RANGE: Range is how high and low you can sing. Your range is from the lowest note you can sing consistently to the highest note. The word consistently is important. Often singers can hit low notes in the morning, that by the evening they no longer can sing. When giving someone, a client or another musician, your range, I would play it safe and only include notes you can ALWAYS hit/sing. HOW TO WRITE YOUR RANGE: Normally range is given like this: A4-C6 or C3-G4. The first letter indicates the note and the second indicates the...
read moreBands. They can be great, fun, emotionally fulfilling, expand your musicality and sense of community. They can push you musically, educate you on other instruments, and support your dreams in music. They can also be a headache, have drama and be wrought with fighting and bounced checks. I’ve been in a number of bands, mostly as a hired singer. Here are some of my tips for making the most of a band and avoiding conflicts. Here are my tips before entering into a band: Ask for a contract. Any contract specifying what they...
read moreAs a singer and teacher, this is a big deal to me. It is an aural stamp of you as a person. Your voice is the instrument that expresses your thoughts and feelings. It connects you with people and plays a critical role in your relationship to others. It is a BIG deal. I was recently in a lesson and one my students was very honest with me about how much he dislikes his singing (and speaking) voice. He doesn’t like to hear himself. He doesn’t like how he sounds in a microphone. He doesn’t like to sing in front of...
read moreThe holiday season is great for musicians. There are a lots of gigs to be had and it is crucial that your voice stays healthy. As soon as Thanksgiving hits, I do these things to try to healthy. Drink 100 ounces minimum a day of water. Take 2-3 grams of Vitamin C a day. Only sing when warming up, rehearsing, or gigging. When gigging, I don’t sing over talking, noise, or other music. Limit my singing to 5 hours max (includes all singing). Designate a 1-2 days a week as vocal rest days. Eat clean, nutritious food. (Limit/cut caffeine...
read moreI am writing this because…yes, I blew a performance recently. I was hired by a contractor who hasn’t heard me sing besides my demo. To get hired for this concert was a pretty big deal. There were several other vocal contractors there, as well as the best session singers in LA. She even asked me to do a solo. I so wanted to nail it. I was like “YAY.” Rehearsal went well. It gets performance time and I start counting in 4 instead of 2. Whoops! Spent a few measures flopping around then was able back on. The...
read moreThis past weekend, I went to a fantastic master class hosted by Reena Gupta, MD, FACS. She is the director of the Division of Voice and Laryngology at the Osborne Head and Neck Institute. Click the link to check her out. She did a few sessions on vocal damage, including scoping a few people to check out their vocal cords. When talking about nodules, Dr. Gupta said 90% of the time they are misdiagnosed. Usually patients come seeking a second opinion or worried they have nodules and they don’t. She also said that the most common...
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