Learn to Sing
Learn to sing - what happens in singing lessons?
In my blog post today I’m going to take you through the benefits of taking singing lessons, and what happens in lessons with me. I’ve rarely met anyone who hasn’t dreamed of having singing lessons or working on their voice - but what do lessons entail? What happens in a lesson when you are a pupil, and what will you gain from lessons?
“The only thing better than singing, is more singing”
Why do people take singing lessons?
There are a number of reasons people take singing lessons, here is a list of some of the main ones I’ve encountered.
For enjoyment. Singing is enjoyable, and it makes us feel good. Many pupils take lessons simply because they enjoy the chance to sing and make music together. This is something I love sharing with my pupils.
To improve confidence. Many people feel vulnerable or self-conscious when performing, but lessons can help to give you confidence. Some people use lessons to help them learn and have more confidence to join or audition for choirs, musical theatre groups, sing with their guitar, or to join their local opera or Gilbert and Sullivan groups.
Sometimes pupils feel more confident presenting and public speaking in their jobs through their practise performing in singing lessons.
To gain qualifications through exams - school exams or College/University/ABRSM/Trinity/etc exams that progress through grades.
To learn more about technique. The human voice changes throughout our lives, so even the most experienced singer will continue to work on their technique. Lessons can help to ground your warm-up and practise with up-to-date information and ideas to help you with whatever stage you are at.
To explore different sounds. We all have the capability to make different sounds with our voices - and make different decisions about how certain phrases or songs should sound to communicate what we want to the audience. In lessons we can explore different sounds and choose which one you would like to use.
To problem solve. Some pupils have experienced difficulty doing something with their voice, or conquering a certain technique or repertoire. Lessons can help you work towards your goals.
To work on the performance or repertoire. Having a second person in the room can be useful to give you another perspective on your performance. Your teacher can guide you through portraying a character, showing journey, and making musical choices to ground that portrayal.
What happens in my singing lessons?
Firstly, I’ll invite a new pupil to sit and we will have a chat. I’ll introduce myself a little, and I ask about your previous experiences learning music (if any), your understanding of music, the body, and reading music, and your goals for lessons. I may make notes to remind myself - for instance if you can read music a little I know you can find your own note to start in your practice. If not, we will find other ways to help you.
I will ask how your voice feels today, check you have no illness, allergies, or feel tired. All these things may affect our lesson and what we sing together.
I will sit at the piano because I can play/accompany you for your lesson. Sometimes I use recordings for you to listen to/sing with, but for live performance practise and technical work I prefer using the piano as it gives us more freedom to stop and experiment.
Warm Up. We will sing a general/easy warm up of several exercises aimed to gently warm up your voice, and introduce the sung sound into our session. I know this can be a nerve-wracking thing for a new pupil (I’ve been there too!) so I will explain that these noises are for ‘play’ and experiment. They are not meant to be judged - in fact that isn't really my job at all!
I will choose exercises depending on your voice type, how comfortably you are singing in our lesson, and if you mentioned something in your goals you wish to work on.
We will sing a song. Either you will have brought music to sing together, or I will have music for you to learn. In regular lessons you may work on more than one piece for each lesson. The pieces you are working on will probably contrast - different emotions, different characters, different languages, different historical style etc. This avoids singing with the same style as it makes you sing out-with your comfort zone and make new muscle memory, helping you grow as a singer.
What will I gain from singing lessons?
This will depend entirely on you, and your goals!
You will enjoy singing with a live accompaniment, learning a song from an unknown piece of music up to performance standard
You will learn new ways to use technique and your voice to alter the sound you make
You will learn how to negotiate different phrases to make them sound the way you want them to
You will learn a variety of repertoire, including songs you may never have heard of before, broadening your knowledge and understanding of your voice
You will learn to think about the interpretation and performance of your music, and develop your skills as a communicator
You will become more confident in the sound you make from gaining better understanding of your voice
You will learn a skill, with many different aspects that shows development and skill attainment. This will give you a sense of achievement and pride, regardless of whether you sit exams or learn for your own enjoyment
You will learn a skill that you can share with others whether at home, with your friends or family, or taking part in performances
You will learn the skills of how to use your voice so that you can problem solve technique and work on music yourself
I have a broad experience of teaching and have taught people with different learning styles and approaches, so please let me know if there is anything you would like to share with me about you before your lesson.
I always aim to teach in a way that helps each pupil achieve and succeed in their own goals, and I am open to altering our lessons to help you do this.
sea
Sea themed music that celebrates the power and beauty of the sea.
Exploring music written about the sea
This month we are celebrating the sea, and the music we that is written about the sea.
This list is a few of the diverse pieces written from more recent centuries, and it is also a playlist on youtube. Click the link at the bottom to read about each piece while listening to them too.
Feel free to comment and add your own favourites in the comments box - what have I missed out?
Prelude in G, Op 28, no.3, Chopin
Used in the BBC adaptation of Persuasion which features the sea-faring exploits of Captain Wentworth, this Chopin prelude seems to capture the ever moving and reflecting water which is present in so many Sea themed compositions.
Sirèns, Debussy, ‘La Mer’
Would it be the sea if a composer wasn’t writing about mermaids or Sirens luring sailors to their death? Here Debussy writes soaring melismas for the choir to represent those other-worldly creatures.
O Waly waly - Britten, Folk Song Arrangements
This folk song and arrangement is a favourite with me and many of my pupils. The technical aspects of performing are matched by the job of the performer to be a supreme storyteller.
4 Sea Interludes: Storm, Britten, ‘Peter Grimes’
There were 4 sea interludes to choose from, and I chose the storm as we haven’t had any music yet that really captures the strength and danger of the sea.
Here Britten really uses his powers of orchestration and melody to suggest the crashing sea on rocks, spray, wind, and surge.
My Gallant Crew, Sullivan, ‘HMS Pinafore’
As much as we respect the sea, we also enjoy satire and gently poking fun at authority and those in power. In this Sullivan song from HMS Pinafore the Navy and privilege are gently mocked.
Leave Her Johnny, Sea Shanty, ‘Assasins Creed’
The Shanty tradition is alive and well in this shanty used in the ‘Assasins Creed’ computer games. In recent years a sea shanty went viral as young people on tiktok enjoyed the art form and recorded their own performances.
La Mer, performed by Charles Trenet
To finish, we have French singer Chalres Trenet with his celebration of holidays and beach life. His rendition sums up the hot summer relaxing by the ocean.
singing lessons: why do we sing?
The Science and Psychology behind why we sing
Exploring some of the science behind why we sing.
There are lots of reasons that we as humans sing - as a teacher I’ve had pupils come for lessons for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes the reason they started lessons aren’t the same as the reasons they continue, but they are all welcome!
Singing has many benefits for us, some obvious, and some a little more hidden.
Which of these reasons do you recognise?
As a teacher, my job is to welcome you to lessons and help you reach your goals.
One of the first things I do is to ask you what your goals are, establishing some of the reasons that have brought you to my studio.
This is a valuable time for me to find out all about you. Some people wish to learn a certain song or have a goal of singing a certain type of music or for a particular performance, and others simply enjoy the process of learning about their voice and singing music with me each week.
When teaching adult learners it is unusual that someone joins me with no experience of music or singing, so it’s nice to know what that is.
How you describe your past experiences helps me understand what kind of experiences they were - were they all positive? Why did you stop? If there was a particular reason you might prefer not to talk about it, but it is usually apparent in the way you describe the past.
My job is to help you and your voice from our meeting onwards, without negativity or judgement. My studio is a positive space open to all.
So why do we sing? What makes us want to do that or encourages us to meet with others and sing together? Here are some of the psychological reasons why.
Deep breathing
Singing encourages calm, regular, deep breathing, and full exhalation. We know these things to all be helpful for both mind and body. They encourage a feeling of calm, relaxation, reduce stress and blood pressure
Accomplishment
Learning a skill, developing knowledge and ability, gives a sense of accomplishment and pride. We enjoy tasks with slow or fast development that challenge us
Complex task
Singing uses many parts of the brain all at once, particularly if you count performance and memorization as part of the process. Our brains enjoy complex tasks, and these are in turn good for our brains. It is an in-depth focussed activity that forces us to concentrate. If you are learning music to perform in a musical or opera you are also adding in movement and acting. We know complex tasks are good at keeping our brains working well as we age
Connection to others
The act of meeting with others, joining together to sing a song in rehearsal or performance, builds a feeling of connection and bonding that is positive for us.
Communication beyond language
A parent singing lullabies to their baby soothes the infant but also conveys that they matter. The act of singing a lullaby to your child releases the ‘love hormone’ Oxytocin in the parent, and decreases the stress hormone cortisone.
Music makes us feel good
Music has been shown to have a positive effect on people with depressions and anxiety, and to reduce cortisol levels
Conveys Emotion
Singing music helps us to process emotion - we access memories, we convey emotions, we work through our sadness/grief, and we celebrate with song.
‘we sing the blues not just because we are sad, but to give the emotion voice. I think all of us have had the experience of knowing the emotions of a performer by just hearing them sing or play’ - John Lennon, retired professor of Emporia State University
It amazes me that there are so many scientific, measurable benefits to singing! Teaching in schools and privately I have witnessed the joy and mood-boosting effects of singing and music and it is always a wonderful thing to be part of that.I hope you have enjoyed this list, if you wish a more complex explanation, follow the links to some of the science. Why do you enjoy singing? As ever, feel free to comment below.
Singing and Golf: what can we learn from other hobbies?
What singing tips can we learn from other hobbies and sports?
Recently we had a little spare time and decided to head to the Driving Range for the afternoon. I’m a terrible golfer and have not hit a ball for years, but it was fun to do something different, and we hope to go back more often.
I’ve picked up a few tips over the years listening to others who play, and watching golf on the tv. It got me thinking; are there any transferable pieces of advice that might also be helpful in singing?
I often have pupils who begin learning to sing with me tell me they know nothing at all about singing or how to use their body - but the truth is there are actually lots of similarities with other sports and hobbies that you could put into your singing practice.
Golf is a search for perfection, for balance. It’s about meditation and concentration. You have to use hand and brain.
Celine Dion
#1 Swing with less than 100% effort
Yes, this gets said a lot in singing. Sing comfortably within the limits of your voice. Singing at 100% is not only very effortful, it is likely to cause your voice to tire and and a handful of technical problems with your voice to occur.
#2 Play More Break
So, this is a little more convoluted. In golf, it means
the amount the ball moves left to right of a straight line in response to contours
NCG’s Golf glossary
In singing, we want the smooth legato line (latitudinal) to be mixed with feel of the voice being connected into the body (a longitudinal feel) in what is sometimes likened to a string player playing into the string, pressing through the bow.
#3 Work Hard on the Details
Singing is a wonderful, beautiful thing, that makes us feel great! But remember that mixing a little study, some exercises, and singing some repertoire outside the usual pieces you might pick can add a huge number of positives to your favourite songs.
#4 Use a Conservative Strategy
Just starting out on your vocal journey?… Put down ‘Queen of the Night’. Put down ‘Largo al factotum’… because you’ll never sing these arias?… no. It’s just not helpful to run before you can walk! It’s also likely to be less rewarding if you feel the piece you are singing is very hard work and full of technical things you aren’t yet doing.
#5 Practice Your Short Game More that your Full Swing
You know those high notes?…. yeah, they sound great! They feel great?… good! But they are rarely the most important notes in your voice, or the song. Don’t forget that you spend that majority of your time singing the other notes in your voice, and they need to be just as well sung.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these top 5, the full list I took them from is linked below, and there are definitely more comparisons!
Your singing teacher will enjoy guiding you through your lessons, happy golfing and happy singing!