HOW TO PRACTICE SINGING

Chapter Seven

                How to Practice Singing

1. Warm Up the Voice with Exercises that:
1. Check the Breath
2. Create Good Posture
3. Thin, shorten, and loosen the vocal cords.

2. Do Vocal Technique Exercises for 20-45 Minutes. Do Work that covers

      The following skills:

1. Support:
• Breath Control drills
• The balance of the apoggio
• Legato singing
• Floating high notes
• Exercises that work air flow
2. Evenness throughout the range:
• Positioning the throat work
• More thinning and release exercises
3. Resonance:
• Balancing the vowels
• Even vibrato exercises
4. Tailor exercises to your songs

3. Communication & Monologue Work:
1. Use a cork
2. Overdo consonants
3. Focus attention on an imaginary viewpoint
4. Expect a reaction or result from the distant viewpoint
5. If applicable, monologue in both languages with a literal translation
6. Use SRS, and write down the thoughts of the character
7. Write down transitions on how one thought goes to another

  

4. Research
1. Find the story line and research the song by:
• Looking on the internet to get a summary (wikipedia.com)
• Go to the library
• Rent the movie or buy the soundtrack
• Find “side notes” about the characters
• Buy the sheet music or the entire work, if possible

5. Learn the Music
1. Learn the notes on the piano or from a tape or CD
2. Hum or “ZZZ” or sing on a vowel to get familiarity
3. Notice & understand all musical directions: Use a music dictionary
4. Mark where you need to breathe
5. Get used to singing the melody with an actual accompaniement once you learn the notes

  

6. Drill pre-determined section of the song to gain technical ability &       translate it into a “sensation” or feeling.
1. Merge technical exercises into the song
2. Incorporate communication into tech difficult sections ASAP, merging the “sensation” with a “point of view.”

7. Sing and Practice the pieces a capella and:
1. Check pitches along the way with a pitch pipe
2. Use a metronome
3. Use a cork
4. Use the viewpoint of the character who is singing
5. Sing with good, grounded posture, with initial use of the wall & then wean yourself away from the wall
6. “Step up to the Plate” with Performance Energy

8. Rehearse with an Accompanist and:
1. Set Tempos
2. Review the spots in the song that have tricky entrances & rhymes
3. Stay in the viewpoint once the song is “set.”

  Additional Note:  Some beginning students may find it helpful to rehearse
  with the actual tape or CD from their last lesson.  Listening and/or singing
  with it will reinforce the learning process.