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Greetings Singers!

As we head into senior recitals and summer tours I thought it would be good to give a few tips that will keep you on top of your performance game. I think we can all say there was at least one time in our lives where - just the thought of performing - turned us into a big pile of nerves. And even those who have been at it for some time can still experience mental baggage. So what can we do to make sure we are in prime condition for performing? Well, there are actually a bunch of things we can do to help ourselves. Yes, it’s true we singers are in a difficult spot when it comes to our instrument. Unlike other instruments, that can get set aside when not played, our body is our instrument.  And as much as it might be annoying, it’s good to remember you are your own instrument and everything you do will affect the way you sound. Does this mean you have to walk on eggshells all the time? Of course not.  However, having full awareness of your body will not only allow you to sing better but will also result in a healthier you.  Nothing wrong with that!

Below I have written a list of tips that will ease your performance day

Pre-performance day

Hit the gym. Maybe take a yoga class, go swimming or if it’s nice go for a jog outside. Not only is it just good to exercise but take some time to center yourself and understand the way your body moves.

Run errands a couple of days before your performance day. No one likes to wait in line or get caught in traffic, especially when you know you have to get to a venue at a certain time.

Visualize a positive performance. It might feel a bit strange but singing is as much a mental activity as it is physical. Imagine the way you feel, the way you are breathing, the crowd, anything and everything you’d like to accomplish.

Practice! Be good to yourself and prepare. Part of what causes nerves is the feeling of being unprepared. This can totally be avoided.

Get plenty of sleep the night before!

The day of the performance

Relax on performance days. It doesn’t hurt to take a short nap or simply take 30 minutes to meditate.

Stay well hydrated. Try to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Remember your water should be room temperature. Tea with honey and lemon is also great but try to avoid cold beverages.

Watch what you eat. Don’t go trying any new foods on a performance day. I’ve heard apples and soups are a good choice. Stick to healthy foods and try not to sing on an empty or full stomach.

Rest your voice. Try not to talk too much. It’s good to do a vocal warm up but don’t overexert yourself.

If possible, check out the area or stage you will be performing at to make yourself more comfortable.

Do a mic check. This is another great way to boost your confidence and comfort level. Make sure to sing something that shows your range and the tone of your voice. It only takes a couple of minutes and can help you feel a lot better. Also, don’t be a jerk.  Get to know your sound guy’s name. Hey you, doesn’t quite have a friendly ring to it, does it?

Remember why you are there. I know I say this all the time but it’s one of the first things to go out the window. Remember that this is what you love to do. Go share your joy with the world

First published here: Of course, everyone has their own opinion aboutwho has the best singing voices around nowadays. Some people might like singers like Josh Groban or Julie Andrews, while others might like different types of music, such as rock, jazz, country and western , the list goes on. We would all like to be able to sing like our favorite singers. In this article, I’ll give you 3 great pieces of advicethat will help you enhance your singing abilites 100%. Probably the most crucial part of singing is the breathing. Most singers, even some experienced pop singers, don’t breathe correctly. The correct way to breathe is from your diaphragm, which is just under your rib cage. By doing this, and slowly breathing out as you let out the tone, you will get a fuller and rounder tone, as opposed to singing from your throat, which is what many singers do. The second has to do with hitting those high notes. The problem that may singers have when they sing is that they try to hit that high C exactly. What you actually need to do is reach for slightly above high C, then in actuality what happens is that you hit the note that you were trying for. This is more of a mental trick than a physical one, but it works. The final piece of advice has to do with your vocal chords. You should try to think of them the same way that you would think of the strings on a piano. The lower notes are longer and like a piano the strings are thicker. The higher notes are shorter and the strings are thinner. Thus, when you sing, you need to shorten the vocal chords when you sing the higher notes, or the note will not come out. If you’re wondering how to practically implement these tips, I found a superb singing training course that you can use on your computer.

Why Good Posture is So Important

Many  pupils who visit me for vocal singing lessons, underestimate the importance that good posture and correct breathing have on their vocal lessons. Yet before we embark on singing itself, we have to establish the best working conditions for the human framework. This is especially important in an age when we do not use our bodies correctly due to a way of living which does not fully exercise all those parts of the body or its organs which play an essential part in the performance of many physical activities, including singing.

Your Voice Is Your Instrument

A singer, like an instrumentalist, is dependent on a good instrument. Whilst instrumentalists can choose an instrument which they can test and which matches their artistic temperament in tone and technical range, the singer has no choice. His instrument is his own body. Instrumentalists can go on performing even in their old age, long after they have acquired artistic maturity. As a would-be singer, you must be aware that the length of your career can be extended provided you succeed in preserving your physical fitness. In order to achieve this, you must learn to stand correctly.

Standing Not Slouching

Standing is never relaxed, especially if you want to learn how to sing. It calls for active work on the part of the innumerable muscles to counteract the force of gravity and to counter balance the stresses and strains on the joints that unite one bone to another. In order to act efficiently a muscle has to be tautened not relaxed but at the same time unwanted tensions must be avoided. So it is a good idea first to find out about your capacity to relax by lying down on your back. Care should be taken to ensure that the supporting surface really takes the weight of your body. Once true relaxation is achieved we can establish the correct posture for standing and the positions of the legs spine shoulder and girdle.

The spine consists of two relatively firm sections and two which are more flexible.

The firmer sections are:

1. The thoracic part of the spine, the chest

2. The sacral part, embedded in the hip bone

The more flexible sections are:

1. The neck or cervical spine

2. The lower back or lumbar spine

To achieve the most efficient position for balancing the body the flexible sections of the spine have to be straightened out.

The weight of the body is borne by the legs which are joined to the hip bones and then to the spine. The correct position of the hip bone is easily upset, either by an exaggerated curvature of the lower back, or by an incorrect alignment of the legs. You can learn to control your position by putting your forefinger on to the upper frontal border of the hip bone each side of the body and your thumb on to the upper border of the rear part of the bone. Now you should produce rocking or tilting movements of the hip bone.

The correct position is reached when the frontal part is moved inwards and upwards, while the rear part moves downwards. In this position the lower back is straightened and lengthened.