During a performance is not the time to be doing a playback in your head of every step you are taking both good and bad.  While performing it is your job as a singer to be in the moment, not judging the moment.

You can always record yourself and sit down and do a good judge later, and I highly do recommend that. (Sit and watch or listen, use your teachers ears, or use my ears for feedback-AFTER the performance.)

You can actually see singers judge themselves on stage.  They are listening rather than emoting and being.  Don’t be caught doing that because it is obvious to the audience and will pull them out of your performance.

Singing is such a leap to experience anyway  for the audience, watching someone standing and singing words for 3 minutes is odd if you think about it.  And that is the key, you don’t want to let the audience have a moment to think about it.  They need to experience the moment just as you are experiencing it.

If you are real and in it, they will be.

So you can’t stop and judge because then we loose the 100% commitment.  We we need nothing less than full commitment of you the singet in the audience to remove ourselves from the strangeness of the singing phenomenon so we can enjoy it for what it is.

Use your time warming up and practicing at your piano or in your room to analyze your every note.  Let your teacher give you critique during lessons.  Use my Vocal Assessment service if you would like to get feedback on what you should be working on from me.

But after that.  When the performance time comes whether it be an audtition or for an audience let go of ALL judgement and just sing the thing. You will be SO MUCH BETTER AND PROFESSIONAL FOR IT!

Ariella Vaccarino

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go(singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for myVocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YOUTUBE Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my Weekly Podcasts on Itunes:

My Itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

Podcast number four is now up on itunes!  Can anyone improve their voice?  Of course I say yes! My podcast will give you  10 areas for you to work on to improve your voice.  This was inspired from an older blog of mine that you may have read.

clink here: to link to the podcast site.

or

click here: to go directly to the podcast through its  Itunes page.  Oh, and while you are there, please write a fabulous review on my itnes page.  it will help me be more “searchable”.

Sing well!

Ariella Vaccarino

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go(singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for myVocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YOUTUBE Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my Weekly Podcasts on Itunes:

My Itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

Vocal Technique!!!  This is a touchy subject for a lot of singers as well as voice teachers.  As a voice teacher for 18 years now and a singer myself, I have had many experiences along the way that have helped me to decipher Vocal Technique and whether it was or was not working for me. Here are 10 tips to help you decide whether your singing technique is working for you:

Click  Here if you don’t have itunes:    Ariella’s Podcast page

Click here for itunes:   Ariella’s Itune’s Page

(I am new to the itunes podcast so I would love some help to kick start my ratings , the page will get prettier as I work all the itunes kinks out, but for now the podcasts are going up.)  Please subscribe.

Ariella Vaccarino

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go(singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for myVocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

Just because you don’t have something set on the calender to sing does not mean you shouldn’t be training regularly.  You never know when you are going to get that call and how much time you are going to have till your first rehearsal or performance.  You want to have your voice “locked down and ready to go” at any moment.  Your last minute energy should be put into prepping material for a performance, not prepping your instrument.

I’m speaking from my own experiences on this one.  I can remember numerous times in my life when I was slacking in my vocal training and received calls for vocally demanding gigs.  It is very stressful.  I would be stuck learning and memorizing new music while desperately trying to get my voice into pristine vocal shape for it- sometimes with only days to do so.  The feeling of dread comes to mind when I think of those times and the stress I was felt.   The outcome was often frustrating, because I knew that I could have been better.  Remember, nobody is out there thinking how good you could be if only you had some more prep time.  They are judging you in the minute they hear you.  Your audience will think that you are performing to the best of your capacity whenever they hear you.  Make sure they hear you at your best.

It’s time to start building your vocal stamina.

Don’t get caught out of shape.  If you are, you will not give your best performance, and you will stress your voice, body, and emotions out trying to get through it.

Rather then waiting till you get hired for a good gig to get into vocal shape, get into great vocal shape so you are ready when you are hired for that great demanding gig!

Singing opportunities will not check your training schedule first. If your hope is to book the “marathon” role, tour, gig, or show- then you need to be prepared vocally for it when it comes.   Big singing requires big training.  Put yourself in training for that vocal marathon now so you are not off  ”your game” when the singing work does come.  The healthier and stronger your voice is, the more stamina you will have.  The stronger you are as a singer the more able you will be to bounce back from the blows, strains, and over taxing you will be  put through in a heavy performance schedule.

Don’t just get in vocal shape, rather, train to be in fantastic vocal shape.  Think about all the football, basketball team movies we see,  they take the underdog team bring in a new coach and work them to an insane degree, run them, make them do weights, eat healthy, pile on practices  that no other teams are required to do.  This makes them ready for anything.  You can do that for yourself as a singer slowly building stamina with longer vocal warm ups and healthier practices.  Start three times a week, then 5 times, then start adding second practices in the evenings etc… Singing through 5 songs then increasing…You will as a result be prepared for anything.  Your body will be strong.  You will be able to sing out longer.

Prepare yourself for the big.  Why do anything less.  You will stand out with your great singing and radiate confidence as a result.

Now go Vocalize!!!

Ariella Vaccarino

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for myVocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

As I say for my business (Voice Lessons To GO) as well as for my singing, there is no use thinking about your competition. What is the point?  You really never know what it is that is going to make a judge, casting agent, or directer pick you out of an audition “line up” for the part. So don’t sweat it.

The gorgeous woman who just sang before you like a Siren may have reminded the judge of an ex-girlfriend he didn’t like.

– or-

You might be amazing but the moment they see you they know you won’t be a match for the short tenor they have to play your husband.

Because I am not only a singer/voice teacher but I am also a business woman, I may have a bit of a different perspective on all of this.  I can use my CDs as an example.  So many people have asked me – “Aren’t you worried about your competition?,  or  ”Aren’t there other voice lesson CDs out there?”  My answer has always been: “So what, there are millions of people out there, I’ll just keep doing my best at what I am doing.  There is room enough for everybody.  Everyone can have their niche.”

I don’t spend my time looking at or considering the competition.  I need to be strong enough to stand on my own as a business woman no matter how many others are around me.  I’m not sure which helped me more the entrepreneurial woman to my musician or the musician to my entrepreneurial self.  But the combo together has helped me to see the world a bit differently.  I also think I view opportunities a bit out of the box.

If I didn’t think like that, there probably would be no Voice Lessons To Go.  You might be thinking, I thought this blog was about the competition, why is she talking about herself? That is my whole point.  The competition doesn’t matter.  You are what matters. Put the energy into evolving yourself instead of thinking about the others.

Think on a grander scale as a singer beyond your single auditions.  You need to know who you are, be confident, work on being and bringing out your best, and then marketing yourself.

The competition will there no matter what- trust me.  People will like you over them and them over you no matter what. That is the business.  There are no guarantees.  But it sure will help you get that part a lot more often if you are fully realized as a singer.

Click here to view a past blog post that will give you 10 ideas to work on when becoming a complete singer: http://voicelessonstogo.com/blog/so-my-voice-isnt-fabulous-can-i-have-success-as-a-singer (don’t worry about the title, the information is what you need).

What you do need to concentrate on is how YOU can be the best singer you can be.  Work on all the areas that make you a great artist and performer. Develop the whole you and the whole package.  Then walk into your auditions with pride knowing that you are a complete performer.  If they sign you or cast you- awesome.  That is ideal but no matter the competition unless you are amazing yourself, none of it matters anyway.  Don’t sweat the competition, sweat what you can do do be your best instead.

Happy evolving!  Sing well!

Ariella Vaccarino

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go(singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

***Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for myVocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.***

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

Sometimes it is good to just slow down and concentrate on doing something of high quality in our vocal warm up rather than just singing through a lot of exercises, (a lot of exercises is also good for different reasons of course- try Voice Lessons To Go).  To help fine tune your voice and your ear, I created the attached video.  Keep in mind what is key in this exercise is to take your time through it and really be sure that you are matching the pitches you sing to the pitches on the instrument you are playing along to.

click here to watch the video:   singing voice lesson- ear training

Sing in the center of the pitch is something I say in this video.  It becomes especially evident when singing something like a Major scale filled with both half and whole steps that precise pitch is imperative.  Think of each pitch as a bullseye- you want to hit the center target point.  Don’t let your sound go under or over the central point.  That is what people refer to as singing flat or sharp.

Other then centered pitch, pay attention to the sound quality of each tone of the scale.  Is it to far back, to swallowed, to bright, to breathy?  Work on your sound quality with each tone through the scale.

Something as simple and common as a Major scale is a great way to work on your tuning and improve your vocal quality.

By the way, expect regular new instructional short videos from me in the future!- Please pass them on.

Happy tuning!

Ariella Vaccarino

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/singingvltg (I love a good retweet!)

Can you improve your singing voice? Absolutely.

Everyone can learn to sing better.  Talent and improvement are two different things.  As far as talent goes, you only have what you have been given.  Some are given diamond and others- not so precious metals… but everyone can improve singing.  Anyone can grow to be a better singer.

There are so many areas in singing that can make a difference.  All those areas can be worked on and improved.  Here is a list of the many areas to work on when looking to improve your voice:

1. Develop your ear.- This can be done in a variety of ways: Listening to a lot of good singing and trying to learn form it is great for you,  doing ear training exercises – check out Voice Lessons To go v.2 Do Re Mi Ear and Pitch training for this, and learning about music-how to sing and hear solfedge (Do Re Mi), hearing intervals (the space between notes), learning how to sing and hear scales and different types of chords.  All these things can help to open your ears to music. Better hearing and understanding of sound will lead to better singing.

2. The tone, vocal timbre of your voice.- It is important to find the natural sound of your voice.  Many people try and imitate sounds they hear on the radio.  If you are trying to imitate Brittany Spears remember she is singing through a processor which is electronically effecting the sound of her voice.  You need to find your sound.  Strip down your voice to your natural sound and then build it where it needs help from there by adding qualities such as: warmth, brightness, hollow, depth, and ping.

3. Your musicality when approaching a song.  There is more to singing a song then just repeating notes with words.  Music needs to flow, have lines and variation.  Releasing your notes properly at the end of long phrases, and swelling your sound up and down while holding a long note are examples of the many areas of musicality that can be developed.  Play with tempo- (speed of a piece), dynamics (loud to soft), phrasing (legato- smooth, staccato- choppy) etc…

4. Emotive expression (your acting through a song).  Not only do you need to sing well, you need to move people through your performance.  This is where you acting ability comes in.  Practice your lyrics as monologues.  Find the beats to the words and phrasing.  Find the variation to repeating choruses.  For example one time you may be timid, the next resolved.  Use your whole body to express yourself.  Be totally engaged and committed to the performance of your song.  Your eyes should be bright and alive with expression.

5. Charisma- Some people are born with it.  But other can develop it.   You want to be the person on that stage that people just HAVE to look at.  Open yourself up fully when on stage.  You want to seem approachable.  Be an interesting person and reveal it. Use humour freely with an audience.  Don’t be afraid to really be you in front of people.  Take an improv acting class to help you be totally raw on stage.  This is very attractive to people who will “wish” that they could be free like you in front of people. Don’t be afraid to take risks and never hold back.  This will make you exciting to watch.

6. Your vocal range- Get practicing with great vocal warm ups regularly. Voice Lessons TO GO will help you to do the trick if you can not get to a good private teacher.  Never strain!  Take your time to properly develop that range by not pushing and practicing regularly.  The stronger you get get your body to support your voice, the easier it will be to reach down or up in your range.

7. Your vocal stamina- This happens by doing a few things regularly: Breathing exercises, Vocal exercises, singing through repertoire, and physical body exercises.  Doing all these things regularly will make a you as fit as you can be as a singer.  The more you practice the better you will be and the more you will be able to count on your voice for a good performance.

8.  Your appearance on stage- Sorry to say it, but it is very important.  Not saying you have to have the perfect body and perfect face.  But you do have to know what your look is.  Having a bit of your own developed style will help you to stand out and be remembered.  Try and be in good physical shape- it will only help you in your singing anyway.  Think about it.  You want to be attractive to look at on the stage.  Be confident in your posture and be well put together well.

9. Your song choice and repertoire- Don’t sing audition and performance pieces outside of your comfort zone.  Sing what you do well.  If you have a great 5 note range for now- then find a song that does not challenge that.  If you can’t belt- don’t sing something from Wicked, if your voice is high and sweet but not strong- pick a pretty folk tune, if you are funny don’t sing a ballad.  Find the right type of music to show you  off rather then show off your faults.

10. Your work ethic and dependability as an artist.- Always be someone that people can count on as a singer.  Show up memorized, well rehearsed, and well behaved.  this can go far in the business.

Get working singers, there is lots to do!

Ariella Vaccarino

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for myVocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/singingvltg (I love a good retweet!)