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If you know me, you know that I love music and singing. Even if you don’t know me, there’s a good chance you’ve still picked up on that fact…. All my life I have enjoyed singing, and I sing all.the.time. My family thinks it gets old. When I’m cooking, I usually have choral music blaring loudly (just imagine an ice cream churn plugging away, Oasis Chorale turned waaayy up, and me screeching along).
My music journey has been trucking along at breakneck speed for the past year. Since this time last year, I survived a week of music camp (June 2015), applied and did not make it into Hope Singers for the summer 2016 tour, took 6 months of private voice lessons, applied and was accepted for Laudate Mennonite Ensemble (August 2016), applied and did not make it into Oasis Chorale 2016, applied and was accepted for SCMC Music Camp and Chamber Choir (happening in exactly one month!), and applied and was accepted for the Rivertree and Friends debut of Dan Forrest’s new setting of Jubilate Deo (in 8 languages…) two weeks after I get back from music camp. Needless to say, music has been a huge part of my life in the past year. I am so thankful for God’s leading and strength through all of this. He’s brought so many amazing people and opportunities into my life. My life feels extremely full at present (no surprise once you add all the music stuff + cookbook + blog + personal life), but I would do it over again because I have learned so much in the past year. I’m thinking that things should slow down a little bit once the end of June rolls around…at least that’s what I keep telling people. We’ll see if it actually comes to fruition or not. 😛
Since I love hearing other people’s music tips, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve found to be most important to my own musical success. I really really really want to hear any music tips that you would like to share with me, so please post away in the comments section!
1) Sleep a lot.
Do not underestimate the effects of lack of sleep on your voice! A few weeks ago, I couldn’t figure out why I was experiencing some vocal fatigue even though I was being careful not to strain my voice. Well, my whole body was in a constant state of tension and self-preservation because of my hectic schedule and lack of sleep. It took me awhile to make the connection between improved vocal performance and adequate sleep, but once I realized the damage I was doing to my body and my voice by not resting enough, I’ve been making a conscious effort to do better. The results are almost instantaneous.
2) Drink a lot.
I cannot emphasize just how important this is. Proper hydration is critical to keeping your vocal folds in good working order. It’s not just important to drink while you’re in the middle of practicing, though. In order to actually achieve good results, you need to start drinking water hours before you start singing. If you sing a lot, just get used to keeping a glass of water handy at all times. Once it becomes a habit, it’s very easy to do and you won’t feel right if you’re not half water-logged on a regular basis.
3) Run.
In case you haven’t figured this out yet, three of the most helpful things for singing (sleep, hydration, and exercise) also happen to be three of the most helpful things you can do for weight loss. Funny how that works. I started running a few months ago to try to trim up a little. To my surprise, I found that I could sing so much better after running. Which is a good thing because I stopped running for weight loss benefits long ago. I’m lazy like that. Running (or any cardio exercise) improves singing because it wakes up your breath and gets the diaphragm engaged.
4) Warm up in the shower.
There are two main benefits to warming up your voice in the shower: 1) showers have good acoustics so you’ll naturally go easier on your voice while warming up than you would in a room with not-so-good acoustics, and 2) the steam is good for your voice.
5) Stretch.
Stretch every part of you to get rid of tension before singing. This doesn’t have to take long, but it’s so helpful! If you have tension in any part of your body, you are likely to have tension in your throat, face, and vocal folds, which 1) doesn’t sound good and 2) can be damaging to your voice.
6) Wake up your breath.
Breath is key to pretty much everything. When you warm up, get your diaphragm activated before worrying about anything else. Focusing on this all-important point first will help prevent vocal strain.
7) Don’t overdo.
I used to warm up for about 20 minutes and practice for an hour. With time, I’ve found that singing for an hour or more 6 days a week isn’t good for my voice, at least not at this point in my life when I have a lot of things going on and not a lot of time for rest and relaxation. With some recent breath breakthroughs I’ve made, I’ve found that a 5 minute warm up is sufficient (provided that I sing several times a week). I then start my practice with some of my least strenuous pieces of music, work on the most demanding pieces toward the middle of my practice, and “cool down” my voice with some less demanding pieces of music, finishing off with some humming. All together, I try to keep my practice sessions to 30-40 minutes these days. I’ve found this to be helpful in keeping my voice in tip-top shape. With some strategic planning, that time has been sufficient for me to learn pieces for voice lessons + Chamber Choir + Laudate. Of course this time does not include the amount of time I spend listening to recordings of the music I’m working on, storing it away in my brain for when I sing it during my practices.
8) Take some complete vocal rest.
If you feel your voice getting fatigued, take at least a day of vocal rest. No singing (it’s hard!!). If you’re really dedicated, keep talking to a minimum as well. I personally take one day, usually Sundays, off from practice each week. If I have a particularly strenuous vocal session during the week for some reason, sometimes I take another day off as well. Be in tune (haha) with your voice and if it’s telling you to back off, take the hint!
9) Get feedback from others.
Because none of us sound as good as we think we do. 😛 Voice lessons are a great way to get consistent feedback from a professional. Friends and family can be good feedback as well. Speaking from experience, family are often brutally honest, which I think is a very good thing and very helpful. Be willing to take criticism and don’t take feedback as a personal insult. You don’t have to agree with everything people tell you, but everyone’s opinion is worth consideration. Aside from getting feedback from others, a good way to get constructive criticism is to listen to recordings of yourself. Hearing a recording of yourself versus hearing yourself in real-time can help you more easily hear technical issues that need fixing.
10) Put some soul into it!
What is music? It’s a means to glorify God. It’s a very effective method of communication. If you want to worship God and communicate through music, you have to put a little soul behind your singing! This should be portrayed musically as well as physically. Sing in phrases; connect things; crescendo and decrescendo to highlight important points in the text you are singing. Have an expressive face (a pleasant “inner smile” with “open” eyes is a good resonance tool); don’t be afraid to move, but let all movement be voluntarily, not subconscious.
Do you have any tips to add to my list? Are you participating in any music endeavors this summer? I’d love to hear all about it! Comment below and share.
Theo-Ann says
Loved all your tips:)…several years ago, (before settling down as a stay at home mom), I was an elementary/kindergarten teacher, and then the Lord allowed me to teach jr. high and high school choir, lead children/teen groups at church, help the church choir, and schedule special music and give tips before soloists and groups would sing their special. Like you, I have been singing all my life, but didn’t take voice lessons until my mid-twenties, when I was still single. I had opportunities to not only sing in church choirs, but to perform as a soloist in concerts and in a city chorale. All that said, I was thankful I had all this experience because I could help my students. I loved every minute of it. Here is what I would add to your list: when I was taught, I learned to sing every syllable with a vowel….ah, eh, i (for ee), oh, ooh. I would mark these on my words so that every thing was clear. It really helps in groups/choirs because everyone is pronouncing the words the same way. Consonants like “t’s” and “d’s” at the end of words need to be clear as well. Spend that extra half-second on it to come through. Don’t stretch your neck to sing that high note!:) Also, your mouth should be a tall oval when singing and this means with every single vowel. Transitioning from chest voice to a falsetto needs to be light and not harsh sounding. In fact, I’d much rather have more of a falsetto in my lower range as I move up towards my high voice to be consistent. And speaking of that, if you’re a true alto, delight in that. There are some who think they need to be a soprano (cuz’ you know the “diva” attitude, right?:) j/k) ? But, it really can do damage to your voice, and it really sounds like they are straining and doesn’t sound right. All in all, my biggest thing with all these tips as that we can be understood. We have a message to share; we can’t do that effectively if we’re not singing from the heart, have good diction and facial expression, and even, perhaps doing some things on stage that would distract the listener (i.e., fiddling with your hands, fingers, or even swaying too much.) Hope these tips help!
Briana Thomas says
Awesome tips! Thanks for sharing! Those are all things I’ve worked on, but when narrowing this post down to 10 top tips…well…. Haha. Thank you!
Theo-Ann says
you’re welcome, yes, narrowing it down for a post must be hard! But, you did great. Just wanted to share my knowledge with all of you since you asked.:)
sue says
RE #9: Mama says i only sing in the key of OFF. Hubs says i harmonize in my own special way. SOOOO find encouragement, BUT be realistic. find people who appreciate your “style” & don’t share it with people who don’t. seek training if you wish to improve or modify your style/skill
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Rita S Loyd says
I am a Presbyterian and have been singing in church choirs for 40 years. This summer my Hope Presbyterian Church ChoiIr from Austin, TX is touring Europe. We’ll be singing in Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague. I feel so blessed to sing God’s word in all these places! I am not a soloist, but I can carry my part and I, too, am always singing. Thank goodness my husband of 48 years, loves me!
Briana Thomas says
That’s wonderful! I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun and be a blessing!