singingscholar

[1oyalty]

bts: learns and completely masters new choreo in weeks (sometimes through video), dyes their hair countless times, records several songs to absolute perfection, works out, performs for thousands (practices live singing, dancing, and rapping every single day), prepares to be funny and engaging and real for interviews and variety, takes time to work on solo growth and writing lyrics, producing songs, developing personal style… all the while stays smiling, bright, and engaged with fans

me: writes name and date on a paper and calls it a night

[singingscholar]

[singingscholar]

[singingscholar]

[singingscholar]

[singingscholar]

[singingscholar]

Practice routine

Physical warm up 

1. Some superquick yoga stretches 

2. Just simply breathing deeply 

3. Sh sh sh and other huffs to get the digraphram working aswell 

4. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh - time it and write down / Too – wee – aaaaaaaaaaaah - time it. 

Warming up the voice 

> I prefer to keep 'warm ups' and 'vocal practice' in two separate categories. To me, a warm up consists of easy vocalization tasks that require little concentration or effort, and that aren't necessarily intended for improvement of technical skills (although they can certainly play a role in improvement, too). 

1. Tounge twisters 

2. Trill lips/tounge on scales (without pushing it!) 

3. Humming on scales 

4. Vowels on scales 

    1. Front of mouth (Lips) - MAY ME MY MO MOO

    2. Teeth - TAY TEE TY TO TOO

    3. Tip of tongue - LAY LEE LY LO LOO

    4. Back of tongue (upwards movement) - GAY GEE GY GO GOO

    5. Glottal Vocal - HAY HEE HY HO HOO

    6. Open Vowels (Open Voice) - AY E I O OO

    - yuuu (1232) yooh (1232) yaaah (1232) on the same and then the same sounds but a note higher 

    - ng sirens 

5. Simple songs with small ranges (Din fyrfota vän) 

Vocal skill building (increasing vocal range) 

1. Some of the best exercises for increasing range, particularly at the top of the scale, are simple three-note exercises on all of the five pure Italian vowels (Ah - as in father; Eh - as in me; tEe - as in meet; Oh - as in home; Oo - as in blue) I use the following exercise to develop both the upper and lower range. 

Technique 

1. Choose a technique to practice with exercises for aslong as you feel like you need to 

Applying technique to songs 

1. Apply the technique to a song you’re practising and try perfecting the technique 

Repertoire 

1. Work on songs 

Do passes through the song focusing on aspects of my technique. 

Focus on trouble spots. 

Sing through the song for acting values. 

Sing through the song for musical value. 

And sing through the song as if I was auditioning. 

Record 

1. And possibly listen and note what you can work on and work on it another session 

Vocal cool down 

1. Backwards - start high and go cool: vowels 123454321. Lip trills 12321. Elevator (lightly!). Hum 54321. Without straining it. 

[singingscholar]

http://blog.counterpointspublishing.com/2011/06/vocal-technique-how-to-best-practice-practicing-singing/

Warm ups

Easy long tones in a comfortable range. Remind yourself how to breathe and what an optimal onset is (talk to your teacher about this).

Purely technical work

Simple exercises that work your full range (not your comfortable tessitura). Later articles in this series will suggest countertenor-specific exercises. I think it is important to at least start with the same set of exercises each time. You want to cultivate the sense that your voice will dependably respond every time you use it. Building a routine is integral to accomplishing this.

Incorporating your new technique into new music

Read the translation out loud as a poem (if in a foreign language).

Read the original text out loud as a poem. This will help you find the important words in each sentence. Hopefully the composer paid this much attention as well.

Write in a word for word translation (that means that your English syntax will be wrong, as you will follow the original language’s word order).

Sing the music on a single vowel (or NG, vvv, zzz, or some similar sound). Make the transitions from pitch to pitch easy and sloppy – lots of portamento. The goal here is to use the technique you practice in your exercises. Do not compromise that because you perceive that the words will have meaning that you need to convey. That is for later.

Sing the music with just the vowels of the actual words. Change nothing in your technique from step #4.

Sing the music with the tragically bad English translation. It will be awkward and stilted, but enlightening.

Sing the music with the actual words.

[singingscholar]

http://www.candrasleeman.com/singing/creating-a-practice-routine/

1. A body warm up (see post on waking the body up). This is just as important as a vocal warm up.

2. A vocal warm up (ng is always a good one; start from the bottom of your range and work up over your passagio/ break up into the upper part of your range. Make sure you are negotiating the passagio smoothly).

3. 10-15 minutes of working on maintaining what you can already do (I know this seems weird but trust me if you neglect to do this- you’ll find that you have made headway with a technique, think its sorted, then forget about it, only to come back to it at a later stage and feel like you’re right back at the start again).

4. 30 minutes of working on a technique that you find incredibly difficult. This is so important. Its too easy to practice the things that we can do well- because they don’t demand alot of us but if you want to really improve, you MUST practice those things that you are currently unable to do or find incredibly difficult.

5. Learn the complete melody of the song/s you are working on.

6. Learn the lyrics of the song.

7. Sing through the song with the correct lyrics and melody.

8. Sing through the song with the correct vocal quality (this is where you might need to go back to step 4 and work on some exercises to get you singing in the right vocal quality).

9. If you have the time record yourself and listen to yourself singing the song. I have found this to be incredibly effective. Once I started to do this it gave me increased perspective on what I was doing vocally and what I needed to pay attention to and work on. Usually I thought I was doing one thing and the recording revealed something different. (Note that its very easy to get distracted by the physical effort it takes to produce certain sounds/qualities so this can be distracting and I find there is a little bit of discrepancy between what the singer hears and what the listener hears.

10. Make sure to do a vocal cool down that is a length of at least 5 minutes.

[mygrandmotherspiano]

Downward facing musician...

I’ve seen lots of people ask for advice at various stages of their lives as musicians… and generally speaking, most of the advice given is the same…

Practice every day.

Find a good teacher.

Don’t get discouraged.

Drink heavily.

Maybe that last one is just me…

But here’s some unconventional advice for musicians.

Take yoga.

I don’t mean super crazy Cirque-du-Soleil in a sauna yoga. I just mean a gentle yoga practice. Because honestly… it really does wonders for your mental discipline, your breathing, and your personal awareness your body.

For one thing, I did not have the “breath support revelation” because of voice lessons. I had it because of yoga. It’s so much easier to access those muscles and learn that control when you’re being still and concentrating on just that, and not pitch and dynamics and articulation and pronunciation and vibrato and and and and… you’re just concentrating on your breath for its own sake.

But far more subtle than that is yoga’s underlying principle of connectivity. It’s sort of easy to agree with the idea of everything being connected, but to see and feel the implications of that is a whole new ballgame. I’ve learned a lot of cool tricks for releasing tension and bettering my posture, and they’re all about awareness of how one thing in your body connects to another. 

And another thing… understanding how smaller gestures, movements, and ideas can fit into larger ones. Again… it’s sort of a tough thing to be able to think about when you’re trying to keep a billion other kittens in the basket. In yoga, you’re able to be still and really focus… it’s pretty powerful.

So yeah… find a gentle and positive yoga practice. Not only will you be in better shape, you might find answers to some of your nagging habits or holdups like shoulder tension, flagging breath support, or anxiety.

[bellabooskincare]

Vocal Warm-ups

Warming up your voice is the most important thing you can do especially during a singing competition with competing you would like to hit notes precisely. My music teacher never skipped a warm-up session when some students complained he always said he wanted our vocal cords to be at their best. I learned many different vocal exercises I practice them every day.

Repeat these phrases: red leather, yellow leather, red leather, yellow leather

 You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York.

Your voice is very delicate so when you wake up try not to yell, shout, or sing instead you should hum.

These Warm-ups have 3 basic principles behind them:

1. Good Posture

2. Proper Breathing

3. Be gentle with your voice and Warm-up before intensive use.

Keep your vocal chords hydrated so remember Drink lots of water!

-Camisha

[agitatedadeki]

Quick list of vocal exercises to say over and over again: 

Red leather, yellow leather

The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue, the tip of the tongue, the teeth the lips

Andrew Garfield’s latest scar healed

Momma made me mash my M&Ms 

Satisfying Steve Harvey sexually

Should saucy sharks seek shelter soon? 

Which witch whined when the wine was spilled on the wailing whale?

The pansexual panflute proficient panther panned Pan’s Labyrinth

Tricky siskel spat a bit of wicked biscuit

Condoleezza Rice owes me money damn it

Tootsie

[broadwayhotspot-deactivated2022]

Vocal Exercises for Vocal Rest or Strain

Ok, I promised I would make this post ages ago but have been super busy! I have been hit pretty hard by some vocal issues in the recent past that have forced me to go on vocal rest. Vocal rest is not fun for anyone! But a good short term necessity for a long term fix. My ENT told me that it’s bad to go on complete vocal rest and there are small exercises you can do to keep your muscles engaged during periods of vocal rest that are safe to do- and you can do whenever you like! I normally do these exercises in the morning or before a long rehearsal to make my cords feel relaxed and prepared for singing. Just a quick disclaimer - I am not a voice teacher nor a vocal professional and do think that if you have been placed on vocal rest that you should discuss if these exercises are appropriate to do with your voice teacher, doctor or ENT before you attempt them. I also don’t know how well you’ll be able to understand these exercises through my explanation but here goes nothing! 

These exercises are called Voice Secluded Exercises. I normally do them with a straw, but you can also do this first one with a very tight “oo”.  By secluding and minimising the space you can sing through, you release stress from the vocal cords and use breath momentum and motivation to create sound (which you should always do when singing). Try singing a 5 or 4 note scale gently through the straw. I normally do this in my mid range using head voice dominance. I don’t go too high or too low and keep it nice and easy. Remember the goal is not the sound you create or volume but to let your breath be the motivator of sound and release stress from your vocal cords. 

Another exercise - which is a personal favourite and I can’t go a single day without doing is blowing bubbles into a small cup or bottle of water using a straw. This relaxes your vocal cords and doesn’t need to use any strain or sound. Trust me you will feel your cords relax when you’re doing it! I also sing passages, scales and even full songs through a cup and straw. I find it relaxes everything and you realise how little strain you need to create a great and healthy sound. It’s perfect if you’re feeling a little hoarse or a little strain in your vocal cords or if you feel you are using a lot of unnecessary strain in a song or passage. 

Please note that these are EXERCISES! You will not get up on a stage and sing a song this way ever, but these are great tools that I have found work for me especially when I’m feeling hoarse or a little strain or when I need to be put on vocal rest and want to maintain my stamina. So if you are a singer and haven’t tried these exercises before, try adding them to your daily routine and I bet you will notice a huge difference in the sound you create when you sing full out afterwards. 

[bananasaboutballet]

February 20, 2016 || Journal

Today is a Saturday which means no ballet. However, I did have an hour long rehearsal (cries at shortness of rehearsal) for the Garland Waltz in American Ballet Theatre’s Sleeping Beauty. It went well, and I was close to dripping by the end of rehearsal. I did not get many corrections by the rehearsal coordinators, but here are some notes for me to remember:

-remember to count out the seven ballonés-jeté combination

-ballotés are with a bent knee when extending from sur le cou-de-pied, not straight like I was doing before

-spacing in beginning entrance

-final pose: do not flick hand with an accent, have your hand out on time

I am so excited for the shows and to dance along side company members in one of the most famous companies worldwide! I feel so honored to have been cast in all of the shows. ((: Next week, the ABT staff returns, so I hope I dance the dance to the best of my abilities next week and that they are pleased with the work the dancers have put into the dance.

Today, I also went for a fifteen minute walk with occasional running. Tomorrow, I am excited to get fitted for running shoes so I can embark on a new cross-training journey of running. I love being outside in nature! ((:

I will work on my fouettés and jet glue my pointe shoes tonight to keep up with my monthly goals! I realized I have barely worked on two of my monthly goals of improving the Grand Pas Classique step and my turns to the left! This week, I will certainly work on those. 

[bananasaboutballet]

February 17, 2016 || Daily Ballet Goals

Things to work on after class:

-24 fouettés on flat

-If we do pointe, go for 20 fouettés on pointe.

-Do at least one petite allegro combination of choice that we did in class.

-Work on jeté en tournants mainly on left side, but work on both sides.

Reflection on achieving goals (done after class):

-I did only 16-17  fouettés on flat

-only able to do eight clean fouettés sometimes with doubles

-I ended up working on normal pirouettes after calss on pointe and did at least ten triples with help of my friends correcting me! I need to work on maintaining strong arms in a correct first position while turning. Thinking about this obviously really helped my turns.

-My jeté en tournants are getting so much better! I mainly worked on my left side. *hooray!*

[bananasaboutballet]

February || Monthly Ballet Goals

32 solid fouettés on flat, 24 solid fouettés on pointe. I know this sounds horrible, but fouettés are something I really struggle with fouettés! Let’s change that.

Grand Pas Classique diagonal at least four times through cleanly on both right and left side! I struggle more with the left side. It is challenging for me to do it slowly, but I am up for the challenge to work hard.

Jetés En Tournants: I want to be able to do these to the left without doing an awkward fan thing with my legs that I often do. I really want my coordination on my left side while doing this step to improve.

Work on turns to the left this month! I have been neglecting practicing pirouettes to the left side, which is not okay.

Update: I changed my fouetté goal from 8 to 24 on 2.17.16 because I did 13 with ease yesterday. I also did 12 with doubles yesterday (2.16).

[bananasaboutballet]

March 8, 2016 || Class Journal and Corrections

é I had one of the best classes today! I had so much fun, and it just reminded me of how passionate I am about it. 

I did eight pirouettes to the left from fifth in a row on pointe and 16 to the right on pointe. I also did twelve fouettés on pointe to the right, and later in the week (on Thursday or Friday), I did my first sixteen fouettés on pointe. I was radiating happiness through feeling like my hard work was finally paying off. 

Corrections: 

don’t suck in stomach too much and tuck butt under too much that you cannot breathe correctly. Practice being able to breathe comfortably in passé balance, and in all other positions, while keeping stomach in. It is better to stick your butt out more and be pulled up, rather than being overly tucked in with an inability to breathe.

Don’t turn, he told us this in pirouettes en dehor, with hip up. I am more likely to do this on the left side.

Legs together in chaines

Jetés need to be high enough at 45 degrees. When your leg is low, you cannot work your muscles correctly. This will affect your jumping in petite allegro with assembles, jetés, etc, so think about it lots at the barre.

Don’t lift heel in assembles. Use energy from pointing your supporting leg foot to jump high. 

Make sure you raise the leg brushing out in assembles to 45 degrees to jump high.

Travel lots in waltz turns.

Don’t get stuck in plié before pirouettes.

Petite battement: I overdid the upper body leaning forward.

en dedan turns/turns in general: leg has to hit passé almost before you start turning. Many people in my class are getting to passé at almost the end of the turn. This correction was given while we were turning at the barre from fifth position.

fondu  —-> plié with leg at 45 degrees: use knee in coupé to lead turn

second plié to pirouete: think only about the knee and not the foot to turn with passé leg high 

get hips really forward in penché