It happens.  Singers occasionally crack when holding a note.  Usually it is due to a momentary lack of support in your abdominals.  As a result your larynx pops up unexpectedly and crack, you feel like you are swallowing your throat for an instant.  All in front of your audience that of course is giving you their undivided attention.

Oh and the sound that it makes… really it couldn’t be worse.  One moment you are singing like an angel, the next it sounds like you swallowed a frog.

Can you recovery from it?

I don’t think so.  Honestly, when you see someone perform and a crack happens, even after they have sung for an hour brilliantly, you can’t help but think of that cracking moment first when reviewing the concert can you?  No, no recovery available.  But you can move on quickly.

No, a crack is bad it stands out like a sore thumb.  But, as a singer, YOU need to recover from it mentally so you can proceed with your concert with your held up high.  Remember, it is like a model tripping on a runway, you can’t deny it ever happened, but the show MUST go on as they say.  So you must gracefully proceed in front of all the people you just cracked in front of.  Ah, what we singers endure!

So, do your best practicing to strengthen your stamina in your body so that you rarely ever encounter the dreaded crack moment.  And then, if you do, recover instantly in front of everyone.  The crack happened it is done, relax get your support grounded and continue.  If not, you may crack AGAIN because you are so stressed and you are not allowing your larynx to settle back down so that you can support your lines of singing.

A good singer will rarely crack… And hopefully it only happens in a rehearsal.  If you are finding that your voice cracks frequently then you need some help with your vocal technique.  Get yourself to a good voice teacher or contact me for a Vocal Assessment to help you with that.

Click the following to hear a beautiful tenor have a bad day:

sad example - This guy clearly is a well-trained singer with a beautiful voice who had a very bad moment.  I picked this clip because it is just audio, I didn’t want to embarrass anyone.

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.

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

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

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!)

We as singers will ALL encounter people that do NOT like us in our business.  Even worse we will ALL encounter bad people in our singing business who will try to sabotage our careers; tell us the wrong call times, spread nasty rumors to directors about us, give us the worst songs to sing, the latest time slots for auditions, say mean things to us before we have to perform or even worse- during performing(I have a horrible story for that one which I’ll tell in a bit).

This point of this blog is this:

We will ALL encounter people who do NOT like us in our business, bad people even.

(Did she just say that again?)- Yes, I did.  I want it to sink in.  As soon as you accept it as a part of your singing career the easier it will be for you NOT to allow these people to cripple you emotionally when they cross your path.

They are probably unhappy people who feel threatened by what you have going on.  So take it as a compliment.  If you are threatening them with your talent, you must be good.

There is not too much for me to say here.  It is just a warning or reminder about the people you will be encountering along your path.  Try and divorce yourself from the drama of it.  Let them be the drama, you be the professional.

As for the story regarding having bad people say bad things to me WHILE performing.  I was in a show years ago, and one of the characters did not like me because I was offended by the graphic statements he  used to say all the time in rehearsal and had told him, (I was 16 doing the rest of the cast was much older).  Perhaps I was a bit to righteous at that age, but I thought it was ok to stand up for yourself, as long as you were polite about it.

Anyway, he went from loving me, to HATING me (amazing how some people can turn so fast like that).  He decided in a very immature way to remind me regularly how much her HATED me.  We had a table scene in our show where we would all sit and eat and sing our respective lines and then freeze.  While frozen he would quietly say AWEFUL things to me while looking at me every night.  Then he would continue his lines to the audience then freeze and say terrible things to me again while staring at me with a smile.  It was unbelievably awful as I think of it now.   The whole show for me was extremely difficult because of him.  Once he decided not to like me, he made sure to tell everyone bad things about me.  -A nice cozy warm loving experience it WAS NOT for me.

The sad truth is, I lost it one night back stage after all the abuse.  I screamed that I hated him on the top of my lungs and kicked him with all my might in his butt like a psycho.  My shoes were very soft china doll shoes and as a result, I BROKE MY TOE!!!!  Right there in between acts.  I never let on to anyone fear my pride- the pain was insane.  I continued the run with a broken toe still being verbally abused every show.

I was never hired by that organization again because of him.

All very unfair.  He was a complete jerk, (talented though).

But you know what?  There really should be no surprise.  I encountered people like him over and over again throughout my career.  They are always out there.  Just be strong, remove yourself from all of the drama.  Be a professional.

Make friends outside of your career so that you have people to talk to.  Don’t be surprised by the bad people, be prepared for them!

Now heads up, and 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!)

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!)

Auditioning is the MOST UNNATURAL thing that we can go through.  Unfortunately, it is what is needed to unlock our world of performing for us as singers.  I’ve put together 10 tips to your best singing audition for my third podcast.  This was inspired by an older blog I wrote a few years ago.  Please check it out.

My Podcast site for those of you who do not have access to itunes:  Voice lessons To Go’s Podcast Page

For itunes:  Please subscribe and rate fabulously Voice Lessons To Go’s  Itunes Podcast page

Hope these tips are helpful!

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!)

What is the difference you may have been asking yourself?  You hear these two terms, but it can be confusing to know whether they are just different ways to describe the same thing or really different things.  Well, the mystery shall now be solved:

Voice teachers and Voice coaches are two different things.

There is a lot of spilling over from one to the other though and some people do a both.  But in general this is the deal.

The Voice Teacher

Your Voice Teacher is your vocal technician.  Their job is to teach you the mechanics of the voice and how to use it properly by using the correct technique to get it out of your mouth in the most beautiful, freest way possible.  This will be done through vocal exercises,  (Vocalize!- my book filled to the brim with Vocalizes).  They will discuss and work with you on proper jaw and tongue release, body support, connection, posture, breathing etc…Their job is to teach you how to sing your best technically.  How to get the sound out of you in the best and freest way.  If you are looking on improving your voice and or learning how to sing your best, you want to start with a Voice teacher. (like me )

The Vocal Coach

A vocal coach’s job is to teach you how to approach, interpret, and perform a song.  This has nothing to do with your vocal technique, that is separate. They are usually great pianists, that can play through any of your music.  Their job is to discuss with you your “styling” of a piece.  Kind of like an acting coach for singing.  But this is not about stage direction, more about your approach to a piece of music.  So for example a classical vocal coach would know the difference between different composers and the styles in which you sing them, they would be able to help you develop your cadenzas, help you with your pacing of a piece, your translations, your interpretations.  They would be familiar with the many ways to sing a piece, the history behind the music.

A coach can bring you to that next level of performance.  I had the most amazing coach for years.  I would study with a voice teacher separately and then go to him to learn how to really sing my songs.  He would always give me ideas on the interpretations and styling of my pieces.  He was also great at helping me to add new repertoire.  The man could play the piano just AMAaaazingly.  He gave me the professional level of experience that I was looking for as a singer who was a performer.

Now that you hopefully understand the difference between coach and teacher there is more to be said. Many voice teachers do coach during their lessons.  I know I do,  I discuss interpretation of music, work on performance skills with my students etc…  And many Vocal coaches dabble in technique.  I know my coach did a bit because he had such a fabulous ear for music.  So these two teachers are not a black and white divide.

Some teachers and coaches can do both better than others.  But, the big issue with having both a voice teacher and vocal coach is that you have to PAY FOR BOTH OF THEM.  This is very expensive.  These people (should be) very well trained and worth their fees, but for a singer who has not hit the golden gig yet, it is a tough expense to fork out week after week.

So you need to figure out what is right for you.  If money is not an issue, then go for both.  But if it is, (which it usually is), you probably do not need both unless you are really training at a high level.  Get your voice down first.  Learn from other great singers and allow them to be “your coaches”.  You can also coach once or twice a month while keeping up regular weekly voice lessons, or save your coaching sessions for big performances.  I think coaches come in as you become more professional. They are a fabulous thing to be able to do as a singer, but you need to start by getting your vocal technique together first.

Hope that helped clear it up.

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!)

Thank God I can sing. It allows me the ability to express my emotions through my voice using my whole body as a vessel.   I wonder what would happen to me if I couldn’t sometimes?

I don’t mean to be dramatic but it can be a borderline religious experience for me.  When I don’t do it for a while I feel all shrivelled and empty inside.  When things are really rough there is nothing like singing to release my “pain”.  I don’t mean to be Kurt Cobain about it, but it is the truth.

I don’t know how I would have gotten through my high school days without my guitar and my voice.  I used to get through all those crazy teenage emotions only by picking up my guitar and writing a song.  If my parents were driving me crazy, a guy didn’t like me, or if I was deep in a crush there was me writing a song about it and singing for hours in my room.  It truly kept me sane.

Other people have other ways to do this, for some it is religion, some dance, some yoga, some sports…  For me and most likely you if you are reading this, it is singing.  A form of expression that I can feel through my whole body.  It comes out of me like an extension of myself, and I can let it go and release it. Pretty powerful stuff.

I think people who don’t sing, might not be able to understand that a singer needs to sing.  I often feel like I was born with a 6th sense that I was made to use.  Imagine if you never tasted or heard or saw but could?  The thought of not being able to sing it is that extreme to me.

There of course are levels of singing, from alone in your room on your guitar writing a song to standing center on a stage singing a ballad in a musical.  Everyone I think who sings was born with a different level of singing that they are meant to and need to do.  Some singers feel more of a spiritual connection to it than others.

Singing is an amazing powerful gift, but it can hold us back from living on the “normal” level sometimes.  We as singers can experience such a rush through our bodies when we are really letting go that all else can feel pale compared.

That is why it is important to keep singing regularly, whether you have a pending performance or not. Regular practicing can help you maintain a balance in your “emotive self” as well as maintain and improve your voice.  My days are always better if I start them off with a singing practice.  And if I sing and workout… that is usually a great day.

I think it is important to face what singing is and means to you.  There is more to this singing then performing.  There is the physical and spiritual connection that it allows us to connect to our emotions.  They don’t talk about it in your College Vocal Program.  This is something private that you need to learn to connect with on your own.

We singers are lucky to have been given this amazing tool.  It is a gift that we have been chosen to experience.  Lucky us.

Now go sing.  You were meant to.  Do it for you.

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/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!)

I am really excited today because I just completed my first podcast and here it is:  Please click and listen!  :)

click here: Jobs For Singers! -13 ideas of creative jobs for singers to do while trying to get their big gig.  The goal of this podcast is to help you get out of your day office job while keeping you singing and paying rent!  I did most of them by the way and am proud of it

My biggest point in doing this podcast is to show you that you can, as a singer be working, as a singer on some level all the time.  I myself have NEVER had an office day job, so I am proud that you can be paid to sing.

This is going to be the first of my Podcast series so I would love to hear some feedback from my subscribers.  Any ideas you’re looking to hear me cover would be great to know as well!

(Can you tell that I am a little excited?  I actually figured out how to do this- it was soo technical for me…geez. )

Happy Singing!

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!)