Few things in modern history have disrupted the world around us more than the COVID-19 pandemic. With so much free time and limits as to what you’re able to do in public, singers of all levels are stressing as they ponder when they’ll be able to once again entertain a crowd through the magnificence of…
Tricia Grey, the founder of Sing Like A Star, has had much success with her students over the years. There’s Angelica Hale, a runner-up on America’s Got Talent, as well as Jennifer Geller, a Broadway actress/singer who has been in Rock of Ages, Bring It On, and Hamilton, and, of course, various competitors on both…
John always loved to sing. When he was a little boy, he’d entertain at church, picnics, parties and more. Like most boys he had a “high voice” that “almost sounded like a girl’s voice.” He could hit high notes that singers like Mariah Carey hit! As John became a teenager, hormones kicked in and he…
You’d be surprised at how many professional singers smoke cigars! This is not good for a regular person’s vocal cords, much less a professional singer’s, either. Basically, tobacco smoke irritates and dries the vocal cords. This causes them to swell up so they can’t work properly. If you consider yourself a singer, and you don’t…
Skill One: Dynamics Crescendo means to get louder, and decrescendo/diminuendo means to get softer. We want to be able to do either of these without adding extrinsic interfering muscle. Increasing volume requires “just enough and not too much” increased air pressure and a corresponding increase in vocal fold tension. Decreasing volume involves a decrease in…
Breathing is one of the most controversial and hotly debated topics in vocal pedagogy, second only to the debate about chest voice and belting. When we interview students and ask them what they think they need to improve most about their singing they often list breathing as their most important challenge. While breathing is not…
When we discuss breathing we must include posture. Without the correct posture for singing breath management is impossible. For optimal singing the chest must be high, the shoulders relaxed and back, and the body aligned. the head should be comfortably back (gently moving toward the back wall), the neck log, the knees slightly bent to…
Most of the students who come to us are interested only in singing popular music – which is often sadly limited to what they are exposed to on the radio and T.V. This is totally understandable. I remember starting voice lessons as a young teen and being very disappointed that my teacher had no idea…
Every vocal style has its own language of inflections, riffs, mannerisms and traditions that you can only acquire if you immerse yourself into it. In all styles of music, spending lots of time listening to and imitating artists of all eras – not just the current stars – will help you build and develop your…
Continue learning about the different styles of singing in the third part of our series “Singing Authentically in Every Style”. Before you start reading Part III, refresh yourself on Part I and Part II. Pop Style Pop is short for popular, the style of music that most of the general public tends to listen to…
