All singers are challenged with working through the ‘passaggio’ –  the transition through vocal registers.  The main registers are sometimes described as chest voice, middle or mixed voice and head voice as this is the physical feeling singers have as they move from a lower register to a higher register.

You cannot remove the passaggi, but you can train yourself to even out  the passaggio so that you maintain ‘one voice’ through your whole vocal range.

That is something your voice teacher should be working on with you.

Here are some examples of voices where they are singing confidently through their vocal range and really nailing their high voice:

Male:

Female:

Here is a brief video for any men who are wanting to move through the passaggio – developing a mix voice:

There is no such thing as a ‘gifted’ musician.  A person may have a desire to be a great musician, but the greatness only comes from hours and hours and hours of practice.World class performances comes by striving for a target just out of reach – but with a vivid awareness of how the gap might be breached.

Purposeful practice is about striving for what is just and out of reach and not quite making it.  It is about grappling with tasks beyond current limitations and falling short again and again.

Excellence is about stepping outside the comfort zone, training with a spirit of endeavour and accepting the trials and tribulations that will definitely come along.  Progress is built upon the foundations of necessary failure. Failure is a part of any learning. If you are not failing, you are not learning and growing as a musician and a person.

Success and failure is found in motivation.  Thousands of hours in purposeful practice will help to achieve excellence.

But it is only those who care about the destination, who are motivated that will get there.

The following video is about Lang Lang, a pianist from China.  His story is incredible.

He obviously has the desire to be a musician, but you can also see the dedication and sacrifice he and his family have made for him to succeed.

I am enjoying the last few days of holidays and am now excited to be beginning a new term.    

Voice lessons at the Singing Strong Studio  resume on Monday 11th April.

There will be 10 weeks of voice lessons for Term 2.

The first Singing Strong Cafe concert for the year will be held on Thursday 21st April from 6.30pm at Dal Mondo Cafe, Post Office Place, Traralgon.

This is a great evening of musical entertainment and provides student an opportunity to perform in a relaxed and supportive environment.

Please put the date in your diary. You are most welcome to invite family and friends. There is plenty of room for guests.

You might like to organize to have a meal there or coffee/dessert.

Please send me an email if you wish to participate indicating the song/songs you will be singing.  If you have a specific time you would like to attend whether due to other commitments or needing to leave early please let me know so that I can place you in the program at a suitable time.

The Singing Strong studio is running a practice blitz from from Monday 22nd February until Sunday 6th March.

Record your practice sessions and the student with the most time recorded will be showered with prizes! There will also be a 2nd and 3rd place award as well.

Remember you must record your practice sessions on the singing strong website to qualify.  Thank you to those who have already started to do this.

How to get into a good practice routine:

Put it in the diary!

Life is so incredibly busy with so many commitments.  Taking on singing lessons means finding time to practice. I suggest you take a moment to decide when will the best time be for you to practice, put those times in your diary and stick to it.

We are fortunate in some ways to always have our voice with us so we can practice almost anywhere, but setting aside specific times in a designated place where you can be free from distractions and really focus is so important.

Where should I practice?

Have a space where you are comfortable, have all the tools you need and are free of distractions.

Try to find a space where family members wont be interrupted too much, however make other members of your family aware that they need to let you practice.

How long should I practice?

It depends.  If you are serious about making good progress, the more time you put in, the more progress you will make.

Start with at least 10 minutes, 5 times a week when first starting out and then gradually increase this time as necessary. Depending on perfomances and exams, you may need to practice an hour every day.

A good rule of thumb is to practice on the day after your lesson if possible. This reinforces what you have done at your lesson.  Leaving it for a couple of days means you can easily forget what you have worked on.

Log in here to record your practice times: