Hydration is crucial for vocal and overall health. Drink 1.5-3 litres daily, plan ahead, and use steam inhalation or humidifiers. Avoid dehydrating substances and track progress for long-term benefits. (3-minute read time) Photo by Thao…
Hydration is vital for vocal health, maintaining flexibility, and preventing vocal fatigue. Singers need balanced fluid intake, humidity, and steam inhalation while tailoring hydration to lifestyle, environment, and personal needs. (3-minute read time) Photo by…
If you go to bed straight after a big singing day/evening, then find yourself waking up the next day with a tired throat, husky voice, and take a long time to warm up…doing a vocal…
Warming up the voice can often be unpopular. But whether you do it through sequential repetitive patterns, or the song you’re belting, you can’t escape the warm-up process. (3-minute read time) Photo by Stepan Kulyk on …
Recount an issue where students experience vocal strain from passionate car singing, describe the symptoms and consequences of vocal fold swelling, and provide practical advice for safe car singing and recovering from vocal strain. (5-minute…
I did a series of posts in the Winter of 2023 regarding myths surrounding the management and maintenance of vocal health when you are unwell. If you missed it, here they are … Myth #1…
Singing myths debunked: there’s no single way to sing; age doesn’t hinder singing; regular practice is essential; mouth shape affects resonance; high notes come from faster vibrations, not ‘head voice’; singing lessons benefit everyone. Singing…
Debunked: talent isn’t innate; high notes don’t require force; vocal range can improve; warm-ups vary; warm liquids don’t guarantee performance; diaphragm use isn’t stomach pushing; posture isn’t rigid; singing and talking use the same muscles….
Changing perspectives can help solve singing problems; stepping back provides clarity while zooming in allows for detailed work, and applying this to vocal challenges can lead to effective solutions and renewed motivation. (4-minute read time)…
You need to manage your cough for 2 reasons: To minimise post-viral complications To minimise how swollen your vocal folds get. The more swollen they are and the longer the cough lasts means you- a….
There is a silent battle going on in each of us. The battle between our muscle memory and our conscious, discerning choices. This battle exists in thousands of areas of our lives – such as…
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again….
A thesis about practice is brewing in me….but you’ll be pleased to know this blog ain’t it…LOL! Still, I hope you enjoy this collection of concepts and get at least one idea that might make…
Being a living, breathing musical instrument means that the fuel we give it makes a difference. That means that recipes and meal prep is an important tool for singers. If you have ever been part…
Decades ago, I discovered this evocative photograph, Un musicien sous la pluie (Musician in the Rain) by Robert Doisneau. Taken in Paris in 1957, to me it is the embodiment, heart and soul, of a…
Two and a half years after writing my first (ever) blog on Reset, with the world in the grip of the Coronavirus pandemic, my mind has turned to another type of reset. I find myself…
“We all have issues with our own voices, whether we are listening to our speaking voices on a recording or judging our singing voices. Singing makes us feel especially vulnerable, and being vulnerable takes courage. So as…
“Mucus is our body’s equivalent to fly paper, it lines the nose trapping the dirt and germs stopping them from damaging the lung. But it does better than just sticking to them – mucus is…
Bring on tomorrow Let it shine Like the sun coming up on a beautiful day It’s yours and mine. “Bring on Tomorrow”, from Fame, by Steve Margoshes & Jacques Levy It’s Sunday morning…no, wait,…
If you have already read Part 1 of this blog, you’ll have a clear understanding of what Production Week is likely to throw at you. This blog gives you some ideas on how to plan for…
“If anything makes a show jump from good to great, it is clarity.” Rachael Beck, Director & Performer And the time when that clarity arrives for an amateur musical theatre company is during…
Top Tips on preventing voice loss at school swimming/athletics carnivals. I have lost count of the number of times a school-aged singer has arrived for their after-school lesson with so much hoarseness following their sports…
As a singing teacher, I spend a reasonable amount of time talking about the perils of too much and too little mucus (not as gross as it sounds, trust me). It is currently spring in Canberra,…
One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as a singer is self-awareness about your vocal instrument. This tipsheet will introduce you to the understanding that exists around how muscles work and help you plan your vocal training so you will move towards development and away from fatigue and injury.
The global spread of COVID-19 has presented a plethora of challenges, with lesser and greater degrees of trauma, for every member of the human race. In Australia, a tremendous response to the need to stay home…
Help…I’m a singer!What do I do when my air quality is HAZARDOUS??? Today is Friday 10 January, and I look out the window at a sky that is bluer and clearer than it has been for…
This amazing image makes me think about preparing for a sporting adventure – one that is extreme and physical. A lot of people might not think of singing in public as an extreme sport or adventure,…
Human brains love to have patterns, formulae, methods for working stuff out. We search for reliable ways of making decisions for our own welfare and to enable us to live the life in front of us. But…
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