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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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So yesterday morning I had a sound check and orchestra run through for a concert I did last night.  Call time was at 10:15 am.  As you can imagine that is not ideal for the singing voice!  It reminded me of a time in my life when I used to sing at schools through L.A. Opera.  It was an educational program that brought opera to schools all over.  We had 8 a.m. assemblies to perform in sometimes!  Being that I am a coloratura soprano (the one who hits the highest notes), that was a tough morning prep.

I came up with a routine from that that really helped me get through it which I would love to share with you.  Try and hit as many of the steps as you can.  This routine is ideal, but I do realize that we can not always reach our ideals.  So do your best with it.

So how do you prepare yourself for an early morning singing performance, audition, or rehearsal?

Here are 15 steps to try follow when preparing for an early sing:

1.  Wake up early.  Not only do you need time to get ready, practice, and prepare, your body needs time to wake up and get itself going so that it can be there for you to do these things well.  Give yourself an extra hour or so.  (I know it might be painfully early, but especially if you are going to be singing high notes, you need to get yourself out of bed.)  It is important to somehow convince your body that it is not to early to get everything moving required to sing.

2.  Take a hot shower.  It will help wake up your brain as well as your body.  The warmth of the water on your muscles will help to start getting the blood going.  You will need these muscles to support your voice so that you can sing well.  So you need to wake them up!

3. Do yawn sighs really gently in the shower, humm a bit sing very gentle warm ups. Nothing serious.  Just make easy singing sounds.  Continue doing this during your morning routine, keep them light.

4. Slow stretching.  Again, you want to wake up the muscles of the body.

5. Breathing exercises, I have great ones on my first v.1 of Voice Lessons To Go- Vocalize and Breath.   This will open up your ribs, get your abdominal muscles working and make space for your resonance.

6. Physical exercise.  If you can get on a bike, take a walk, do a yoga tape, or even dance to some favorite tunes, even 10-15 minutes will make a great difference.  This will invigorate your muscles and activate them to “alert” mode  so that you will be prepped when you are singing.

7. Eat.  Singing takes energy.  Feed your body.

8. Drink something warm.  I like to drink a tea called “Throat Coat” before I sing.  An herbal tea is a great warmer and soother for the chords.  I keep one going all morning.

9. Get dressed. Give your body a few minutes to digest before your practicing begins.

10. Warm up your voice.  Take it nice and slow.  At this point your voice should be a bit warm from your humms, and yawn sighs.  Start easy on your vocal warm up.  Voice Lessons To Go is perfect for this.  You may not have complete resonance when you are singing at first if your body is not totally awake so take it easy.  Don’t push, let your voice come in naturally as your warm ups progress.  Do a nice slow long warm up if you can so that your voice really wakes up in a healthy non intrusive way.

11. Walk away and finish getting ready.  (That’s right, I didn’t say practice your music yet).  Give your voice a little time to settle down from the warm up while you are arranging your stuff, putting make up on, getting directions…whatever.

12. When everything is done and prepared sit down and practice your stuff. Make sure that you really sing through everything well so you don’t feel that you have loose ends on your way over to where you have to sing.  I always like to make sure that on my high notes I am warmed up higher than required of me that day so that if my voice settles by the time I have to sing, I have extended my range stretch in the practice past the point necessary.  This helps me to feel more confident when I walk in to sing.

Do not over sing or strain.  This is not the time to practice new exercises, and repertoire, range broadening, or stamina building.  You need to save to good stuff for your actual performance.

13. After you practice.  Be quiet.  Go get yourself to where you are going.  Spend your time thinking about the words, staging, and rhythm on your drive or walk over.  Your body by now should be really warmed up.  Keep a warm drink with you for the event. I also like Glycine drops to help keep the voice moist.

14.  Once you arrive and before you actually begin singing, do a few breathing exercises, stretches, and something physical such as jogging in place for a minute or two to prep the body for your sing.

15. Don’t forget to bring in an excellent attitude even though it is early morning.  Say your good mornings with a smile, everyone is suffering with the call time, be the one to help people through it rather than the one complaining about it.  Everybody will appreciate your good energy.

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.

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I am  prepping for an upcoming concert and I just got through my memorization process.    That is what it is for me, a process.  Something I have to actually set my mind to do and make time for .  Being a classical Opera singer myself, (as well as a voice teacher and Creator of Voice Lessons To Go),  I am often faced with memorizing large amounts of music in Foreign Languages.  Thank God this is something that has  never given me problems.  As long as I make the time to do it, I can always get it done.

Just like practicing your voice and learning the notes of a song, memorizing words need their time slot on your schedule when preparing to sing in front of people.

Regarding memorizing, the sooner you do it, the faster you can get into creating the music on your own rather then relying on sheet music to get you through.  Once you are memorized you can practice singing into a mirror or out into an “imaginary audience”.  This really helps you open up and feel your role in the song and gives you time to make it yours.

Whenever possible you want to sing memorized in front of people.  People connect to you through your eyes.  They should be up and out when you are singing, not buried in a music folder.

Having your music with you on stage holds you one step back from delivering a professional performance.

So how do you memorize music most effectively?  I think it really depends on what kind of learner you are; audio or visual.  Think of how you do or used to study for tests in school.  Did you just look at your notes, have to talk through them aloud, have to practice writing them back onto paper to absorb them?

For me it has always been a bit of a combination.  For example last night I went through my piece of music and wrote all the lyrics out onto lined paper.  I translated it as well (was not in English).  Then I looked at what I have written to find patterns in the words and get an overview of the full structure of the lyrics.

When singing through music it is not the same as looking at a sheet of all the lyrics written out.  For me I need to think about it as a monologue, finding the beats.  I then went through my music again in my head trying to come up with the lyrics again spot checking where I needed help.  Usually, you already are part memorized from learning your song when you start the memorization process so you need to identify where these parts are so you can focus on the parts that need work.

The other thing I think is great to do is to tackle a tough spot towards the end of the music so that once you have that you know you have something to look forward to when starting the top of the song again.

So I did that a few times, circling and underlining parts that needed help on my lyrics sheet.  Then I wrote it out again. Each time “feeling” the words come to life on the paper.  For me the process of writing it out and seeing it show up in front of me is very powerful.

I did this till I was able to get through the song in my head and on paper smoothly. (about 45 minutes)

The next step I do always is to put the music down, let it go, and sleep on it.  I really think the sleep helps to solidify the lyric to my brain.  This morning I went through all my lyrics in my head, and sang them out loud softly a few times.  Not only do I need to get them on paper and in my head, but I need to practice saying them with my mouth, so I don’t stumble.- You need to memorize the mouth movements especially if it is a fast wordy song.

Today I will sing through the piece and practice performing it without looking at the music, spot checking as I need it.  Then I will really practicing performing it not thinking about about the lyrics to get them onto auto pilot.  I do this because I know that when I am on that stage I will not necessarily remember to think about the lyrics with the audience, orchestra and lights surrounding me.

Over the next few days I will go through the lyrics in my mind, speak them through, do them while doing other things such as cooking, exercising, and driving.  I will also listen to a recording of the music repeatedly to train my aural skill of listening and learning.

Doing these things will make me memorized and prepared.  Not doing them will have me nervous and undependable as a performer on a big stage.  Always choose preparing instead of worrying!

Now go write out those words !

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!)

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!

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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!)

Well, I have a concert coming up in a few weeks and I have been on a performing hiatus for a few months now.  As a result my dependable anxiety dreams have begun again.  Yes, even I still have them.  This one is a common recurring theme that presents itself it in similar scenes.

They usually are made up of me finding out that I have a performance to do in a few moments.  Of course, I am never warmed up, and am not dressed properly.  Most of the time, I have NOT YET LEARNED the piece that I am about to be performing on stage, or I don’t know the lyrics, or had forgotten to memorize it.  Sometimes I don’t even know the melody ,  or the staging. Most of the time I don’t know any of it and I am about to be thrown into it. -And often I have gum in my mouth that I can’t seem to find anywhere to put.

These dreams are so stressful for me, and the stress of them seems to last into the following morning after the dreams.  It is the count down to the performance in front of people that I was not prepared for on any level that just repeatedly shows itself in my dreams before a performance.  Ahhhh, yuck.  These seem to happen more when I have taken a break from performing for a while- understandably.

Do you get these?  I have been having them since I was a child (I have been performing since then as well).

There is one thing that I do to combat this stress- since I can’t control the dreaming.  What I can control is what I do with my time before a performance when I am awake.  And that is PREPARE- even over prepare. Get your music learned as soon as possible, keep your voice in good shape through regular vocalizing year round (Voice Lessons TO GO is great for that), so that you are not in a race to get yourself in vocal shape while prepping for a concert.  MEMORIZE your material as soon as you can.  You will have to memorize it anyway, and that seems to hold a lot of anxiety for us until the deed of memorization is done.  So get it done.  Show up memorized, and well rehearsed to your first rehearsal so that you are ahead of the game.

Doing these things will help you to combat your performing anxiety.  The dreams are bad enough.  Make your reality as stress-free as possible by being overly prepared.  Feel like you can perform your piece in your sleep!

I’m going to take my own advice and go practice!  I’d love to hear some of your anxiety singing dreams!

(I know I am not alone on this one!)

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.

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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!)