As a voice teacher I am in a position to hear many types of singing voices.  I teach group singing lessons to children  along with my private teaching, and it has given me a really interesting insight to the voice and pitch.

When someone comes to me privately for lessons, they are usually at a point in their life where they know their voice, their talents, their issues etc…  Private voice lessons are expensive, so I usually get two different types of students.  Those who love to sing and have a talent for it, and those who know they have difficulties with singing and are looking to improve their own voice so that they fit in more with the singers around them.  In general these are the two types that “fork out” the time and money to take  lessons privately with me.  Those who are not pursuing a career but sing well often don’t tend to show up at my door, they are more apt to buy my Voice Lessons To Go CDs since the time and expense of private lessons is so much more of an investment.

With the group singing lessons for kids, I offer them at a much lower rate since they are shared with many children.  My goal for these classes was to make singing and music education available to any child interested, (since music education in our public schools is, sadly, so limited).

What I am privy to hear as a result of these classes that I give, is a lot of young children who don’t know yet whether they are singers, talented, average, or pitch challenged.  Their parents also often do not know.  These kids just sing.

So I find myself faced with more pitch, confidence, and volume issues than ever.

Regarding the pitch:  I am finding that there are a few different types of issues.  There are those kids, people, who really cannot sing on pitch.  They can’t hear the melody period.  Whether they love to sing or not.  These singers usually do NOT know that they are not singing in tune.  These singers, I find, tend to be in the smallest group.

The other type I am finding is the singer who does not sing on pitch but they CAN be trained to do so.  Often times, it requires slowing them down and forcing them (kindly of course), to pay attention to the pitch.  This is often the first time they do so.  When I rein these particular singers in giving them specific pitch matching exercises, they improve remarkably fast.  It is like they just never realized they needed to listen and match anything to their own voices.

I find it extremely exciting as a voice teacher to help these young singers find their way on to the melody before they get themselves into years of criticism from others.  Here are a few exercises to practice finding a pitch center:

1. Play one note on the piano; sing it back on “La”.  Keep changing the notes.  Sometimes it requires someone singing the note to you properly for you to find it.  It is interesting to see how some singers can hear and mimic my voice but not the piano.  This too is something that they can train themselves to overcome in time.

2.  Play two random notes on the piano and sing them back.  Then try three note patterns etc…  Keep changing the note sequences.  Do this slowly to make sure you are hitting every note involved.

3.  Practice singing a Major scale up the piano.  I have a YouTube video showing you how to do this.  Take the notes up slowly.  Match to the center of each tone.  Remember the goal of this exercise is to sing correct pitch, so go slow and listen.

Here’s the link to my You Tube Video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/VoiceLessonsToGo?feature=mhum#p/u/0/aY804n86tNA

What I love about getting these singers at such a young age is that I have an opportunity to put them on the right road for a lifetime of singing filled with confidence.  Sometimes it just requires a teacher showing you the way for you take the path on your own.  The more correct encouragement you get to sing properly and in-tune at a young age, the more apt you will be to continue healthy singing your whole life.

If you are struggling with pitch, or know someone who is, take a few weeks to work on it.  If you are improving, then you can turn it around.

Sing well, and in tune!

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 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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I have spent many years teaching young girls singing lessons.  Taking them through the transitional journey of their own voice from girl to woman.  This is something I actually really enjoy because first hand I can protect and prepare their voice for healthy years of singing ahead.  There is a fine line  to preparing/protecting verses pushing the young voice.  It is important that are never pushing the voice especially the young voice to do anything.  Your singing should always be natural to your bodies ability and development.

The one real difficulty though is the patience required of the student (and their own parents) for the tween’s head voice to file in properly and develop fully.  As you can imagine.  A tween girls higher register is usually breathy.  So they often come to me telling me they are altos.  (That is another subject I shall write about at some point, but know that I have rarely met a “true” alto.)  Or they bring me a song with high notes for an audition and want the “problem solved” by the end of a lesson. – You can’t force a head voice to develop. Especially in one lesson.

Check Out an older blog of mine regarding what age is appropriate to start singing lessons if you are interested: http://voicelessonstogo.com/blog/category/young-singers

The young girl who has been belting her way through her single digit years, will eventually find herself needing to sing a higher then beltable high note.  This is where the head voice comes in.  The head voice usually develops along with puberty.  Girls hit that mark at different times.  There is nothing you can do to rush the process.  Rather, you must let your voice do its own natural thing.  Its hard to wait for things, I know.

It is especially frustrating when a young singers friend is hitting the high notes and getting the parts while the student is just getting a lot of breathiness.  Patience is key here.  The voice is going to do what it is going to do. There is a biological clock involved. Just like a boy can’t force a beard to grow, a girl can’t force her head voice to develop.

In voice lessons there are things that your teacher can do specifically in prepping the head voice.  Vocalizes that practice going from the lower register smoothly into the upper register.  Singing them smoothly and comfortably will help the transition between chest and head voice as your sound comes in.  It is great to have a head start on this so that you don’t find yourself with two completely different voices that can’t work together.  You can use my Voice Lessons To Go CDs to help you out with blending your registers: http://voicelessonstogo.com/products.html

So, if you are parent of a younger singer or a younger singer yourself.  Allow the process to happen naturally without any pressure.  Some girls are going to walk in at 11 sounding like young operatic sopranos and others may not have anything but breath till their 17th birthday on a high G.

It is really all OK.  We all grow up in time.  Enjoy your young voice.  Keep it healthy, and never force, push or strain it.

Sing well!

Ariella Vaccarino (a once young singer myself!)

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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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As I have watched American Idol for some added blog inspiration this season, I am really feeling for the singers during their judgement from the panelists.  It brings back a lot of memories for me as a singer when it comes to receiving conflicting advice from your mentors.  It can be extremely confusing to the “green” and even not so “green” singer.  What do you take to heart, what do you learn from, and what do you ignore?

When 4 people are giving you conflicting advice, or even 2 people what do you do?

It is a very hard position to be in as a singer because we want so much to please the people in charge.  We need the job, we want to keep the job, and we have to get the next job.  Think of all the pressure and opinions one singing gig may have:  your teacher, any opposing teachers on your technique, your conductor, your coach, your pianist, your band members, or director, or choreographer, your producer, your agent, your parent, your boyfriend, the music critic, the audience…

Everyone has an opinion on how you should sing and what you should do to make yourself better.  Whether they are talking about your technique, your song choice, your fach (vocal category), your personal style, or your genre of choice.

This is a really tough position to be in.  For example on American Idol last night Randy told Katie Stevens that she was singing perfectly in her R&B genre while Simon Cowell said she was a country singer.  This is a young girl who is very talented who needs to find her way receiving conflicting advice by two highly acclaimed professionals.  How is she supposed to deal with that?

That is a lot of pressure.  All you can do singers is pick a few people to trust who have a great record of experience that you respect and listen to them.  Then take it all in and listen to your gut.  The truth is, it is you standing up there, being judged.  You need to feel 100% true to how you are presenting what you’ve got inside from the truest voice to the most honest emotions conveyed.  You have to be happy with your outfit and your own hair style.  You need to feel connected to your song choice and cozy in your genre selection.

At the end of the day, when the lights come down, the answer is in your gut and instinct. Use a few wise people to help guide you to that true place.  You are the one to receive the acclaim or critique of your performance no matter who told you to do what.  So own your decisions and choices, but make sure you do so with a professional positive attitude.

-I can guarantee you that you will be judged for them.

Sing well people!

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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There is a lot of question and controversy over what age to start singing lessons.

My answer is, any age as long as the lessons are age appropriate. Until the voice starts to mature at around puberty you do not want to be too demanding or technical with the voice.  There are of course always exceptions to that, but it is a good guideline.

That is why many teachers do not teach younger students voice.  I have always had a different approach and have taught MANY young singers over the years.  You can gear a voice lesson for any age.  Kids who want to sing should have the opportunity, they join choirs don’t they?  Singing privately with an instructor is actually healthier that singing with 20-100 kids in a choir.  In a choir you sing out, are not personally monitored for vocal production, and have to match your voice to other singers around you, blending, not hearing yourself or developing your own sound.

In a lesson, you learn how to sing as a soloist, and with the right teacher you can gain confidence, proper vocal production, and critical feedback.

A young student can learn many valuable things: repertoire- whether it be Disney, Hannah Montana, or renaissance songs; musicianship- solfege, octaves, range, pitch; how to warm their voice up properly and easily; and how to sing healthily- not to strain, or scream when they sing and to sing in a range that is comfortable to them.

As the young voice develops their teacher can expand their repertoire of vocalizes (check out mine at http://voicelessonstogo.com/products.html ), and blend the chest and head voice naturally as it comes in.  The young singer can learn proper breathing technique, posture, and how to support their sound with their body.

I think a five year old can take a singing lesson, as long as it consists of the simplest warm ups and easy songs to sing.  I don’t think there should be such a stigma against voice lessons for the young student.  We do not want to turn future singers away.  But of course, no heavy technique or stress should be pushed onto a young voice.

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 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!)