Want to take a risk and go all out romantic for your Valentine, why not Serenade them?  I know it can be a very risky move, but it is also hugely romantic when done right.  Here are 5 tips for pulling off a good serenade:

1. Be sincere- don’t make a joke out of it your serenade.  Give it 110%.  That way your Valentine doesn’t have to feel insecure about getting all googly and melty in response to it.  If you think it is a joke, it will not be romantic and come off lame.  Sing from your heart and be honest with your emotions.

2. Pick a great song- whether you write the song or sing somone elses, make sure your song choice fits in your voice and is appropriate to the Valentine’s Day theme.  Feel free to personalize a song that is all ready written by adding your Valentine’s name or any other bits of info he/she will like.

3. Pick a great location- if your Valentine is the shy type don’t bring out the yukalele in front of all her/his friends- keep the performance private so that he/she can relish the moment without feeling self consious, on the other hand if she/he is really comfortable in public, see if you can get hold of a microphone at a big event you take her to and sing away!

4. Organize your accompaniment- whether it is to be sung acapella (without music accompaniment), with banjo, or a chamber orchestra, figure it out.  Maybe you know someone who can play for you while you sing if you can’t pick up a guitar yourself, if not, you can always sing to a karaoke cd.

5. Memorize the piece- You should spend your time looking into your Valentine’s eyes, not glued to notes or lyrics on a piece of paper.  -You don’t want to miss their reaction, it is sure to be a special one.

… And finally as always…

6. Make sure you warm up your voice before hand so that you can give the best possible performance, you’ll only get one shot to melt his/her heart with your song.  Make sure you are singing with a clear tone and not warming up and clearing your voice through your performance.

written by: Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons TO GO (singing lessons on CD), and author of Vocalize!

-Want to find out how your serenading is sounding before you sing to your Valentine?  Sign up for Your Vocal Assessment on my site.  Send me a link to or mp3 of your voice with your questions, and I’ll get right back to you with my feedback.

follow me on Twitter:  singingvltg

If you are singer blessed  with a beautiful voice.  You have a talent and a skill set that sets you apart from other people.  Don’t forget to do good with your gift.

I have sung in many an Opera and concert, but one of the things I most cherish doing, is lending my voice to family and friends for life cycle occasions.  These are non- paid gigs I am talking about to be clear.  Gifts that you give people with your song.

This year I have sung at a friends wedding, another friends baby naming, and I am warming up right now to sing at my close friend’s grandmothers funeral.  This is something I always volunteer to do for people that are important in my life.  I hope and think they know they can count on me to be an active part in their services and rituals.   It gives them a personalization to a life cycle event that they can’t get through a hired singer which is fabulous, plus it puts you up front and in the middle of an important event in someones life that you care about.  That is a great gift to yourself.

How fun it is for me that I never have to watch the bride and groom from the pews, rather I am right up front with them, living such a magical moment.  Most people don’t get to experience those things.  Even during tough events such as funerals it is so meaningful to give of yourself and be so close to the ritual itself.   It keeps you on your toes regarding your own life, wakes you up to other peoples trials, and gives you an opportunity to share your voice and help to heal others with it.

A beautiful voice is a powerful tool.  Put that together with a well selected song and you can really lift an experience for people.  So don’t forget to volunteer.  People may not ask you for fear of imposing on you.  It is your job to offer, in a way were they know you mean it but are not obliging them.

And make it clear that it is a gift for them, not something they will have to pay you for.  We don’t need our friends to pay us to sing, let’s leave that world separate for these occasions.

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

www.voicelessonstogo.com

Getting down to it, let’s not forget about the joy that singing brings to us.   We can talk about technique and auditioning forever, and I am sure we will…  But why do you sing, why do you love to sing?  We need to hold on to it and stay strong with it when the auditioning, technique, or frankly cost to keep going is pulling us down.

For something we do because we love it… there sure are a lot of negative elements that can get in the way.

Remember: I love to sing because…

I am good at it.

It makes my body feel good.

Creating beautiful sound through my body is such an amazing experience.

I love music.

It calms me.

It makes me feel free.

So many things can hold us back from remembering or even being able to enjoy why we sing in the first place.  It is important not to let ANYTHING tarnish the beauty of music for us.  Whether it is judges, friends, bad auditions, being unable to get a record deal…  None of that should take away why you sing or hold you back from doing it.  Whether you are singing in the car out of joy to the radio or in a band trying to get a touring gig, you need to protect your love for the art.  Put a protective box around your joy of singing and don’t let any one in no matter the situation.  Don’t loose site of why you sing.

I write this because I have just seen so many beautiful disheartened singers.

I created Voice Lessons To GO, so that I could spread good singing instruction to anyone who wanted access to it.  I just don’t want anything to hold you back from such a powerful thing.

I would love to hear why you love to sing…

Ariella Vaccarino

www.voicelessonstogo.com

Hey guys,

I am going to be doing my first trade show next week at NAMM. So come check the She Sings Out, Inc. booth #240 in Nashville, Tennessee. We will be debuting Vocalize! The sheet music compilation of all four of the Voice Lessons To Go Singing Lesson CDs. I’ve never done anything like this, but I hope to learn a lot.

The point of these shows is to have Buyers fall for your products and order them for their stores. So wish me luck! I am just a grass roots company, wanting to help people who want to sing.

How can you take care of your voice and make sure you are in great vocal health, ready for that performance or audition?  Here’s a top ten list of some rough things to try and avoid or at least be conscious of around singing out time.

1. Whispering may seems like an easy thing, but actually is harsh on your vocal chords.  We tend to do it late at night on the phone without realizing the stress it can cause our voices.

2. Yelling in anger or at games and concerts (it’s all yelling).  The worst kind is when it is in crowds because you can’t hear yourself so you “over yell “trying to make an audible impact in a crowd.  This is one of the worst things you can do since this tends to come right from the throat without support and really taxes your voice.  You may find yourself hoarse after a big concert, that is why.

3.  Talking in clubs or restaurants over loud music is the worst.  I know it is hard to avoid, but I’m telling you if you are singing the next day then watch yourself in these loud places.  It can really throw you completely off vocally for a few days.  Try and get close to people’s ears and consciously speak normally or take long conversations outside.

4. Smoking, cigarettes or anything else… is harsh to your lungs and vocal chords.  If you are a rock singer it may add a cool quality, but at the expense of cancer risks and bad smelling hair and clothes.  It also can help to lower and “huskify” your voice.  You know what smoke does to your lungs just remember the smoke has to pass through your vocal chords to get to your lungs.

5. The vocal fry is the groveling sound you make when you sit and roll on your vocal chords.  It is pretty harsh on them, so try not to do it too much.

6. Singing or speaking on a soar or hoarse voice is a killer to recovery. If you are soar or horse then your chords are swollen. You wouldn’t walk on a swollen ankle, try not to sing on swollen chords.  It will just prolong the problem if not make it worse.  Wait for the voice to heal before returning back to singing.

7. Straining when singing, uh-uh.  Singing should feel great, healthy, and natural.  Don’t strain with sound or range.  Your voice will suffer from it.  The more you strain, the more you will have to strain because you will throw the voice off balance causing swelling which will prolong your path to healthy good technique.

8.  Singing from your throat to get your emotional point across. Put emotions down into your body with support and into your mind for the character, stay away from your vocal chords, (no grunting out of anger).   You hear actors do it all the time, they get really angry and emote right from their throat, this is a no no when singing.  Your same intention of emotion has to be there, but the emotion needs to take a trip down deep in your body and be expressed from your abdominal muscles, not your throat.

9. Coughing and clearing your throat is like slapping your vocal chords together.  Obviously unavoidable sometimes, but if you can choose good cough drops (with glycerin) that is the preferred choice.  You are trying to prevent your chords from becoming swollen and getting hoarse.   Sometimes the more we cough and clear our throats to longer we prolong the cycle of need for it.  Try and break it whether or not it feels natural, by swallowing as an alternative.

10.  Singing on a painful voice.  I know it’s hard to be patient when we’ve been out of singing commission for a while.  But if you have had a soar voice don’t sing at all until it is completely pain free.  You can sing with a runny nose and normal cold it is when it has gone into your throat that you need to rest and wait.  There is no such thing as singing through the pain for progress to occur.

written by:  Ariella Vaccarino, creator of Voice Lessons To Go, and author of, Vocalize!

www.voicelessonstogo.com