One small change

There is one small change you can make to improve your singing instantly.

I have noticed that I have been reminding my students about this regularly.

Even in warm up exercises, they start the phrase strongly but by the end of the phrase it can be weak, often breathy.

One thing you can improve in your singing overall is to add energy throughout.

Make sure you stay engaged throughout the entire song.

A great singer doesn’t just start a song well. They end them beautifully as well.

A strong ending makes your performance sound polished, professional and full of confidence.

Sienna Spiro and nodules

Sienna Spiro is a new artist that is making her mark on the music scene at the moment.

She is British, and still young, just 20 years old.

She might be most well known with her song “Die on this hill”, and she also has a song in the movie Devil wears Prada 2 “Material Lover”. Her pop, jazz, funk style is great to listen to and she is great at writing her songs. She is influenced heavily by the musicians of the 60’s.

Sienna has nodules. This is usually something that singers are concerned about getting, as it does affect your singing. When I first heard Sienna speak, I was genuinely concerned about her voice. It is incredibly husky, but I would think people find this sound appealing. As a singing teacher I would be concerned about this damage to the voice.

However Sienna doesn’t want surgery and is making the most of what she has got, saying she is working with a vocal coach so that she can continue to sing safely. You can hear it in her singing at times, the voice simply fails. Sienna is using this to her advantage, creating a very unique voice with her vocal style. She has great delivery of her music, singing with emotion and passion.

Sienna just released a live recording of her song “Pure” and you can hear the rawness of her voice.

What do you think? Watch and listen below.

Raye: An example of an amazing artist

I came across a live performance of Raye at Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, 7th July 2026. This was an amazing live performance that has been generously uploaded to you tube.

You can watch the full performance below.

This is a wonderful performance where the music is the focus and the high level of the musicians is on display for all to enjoy.

I was first made aware of the artist Raye when I heard the song Oscar Winning Tears and then her song Where is my husband.

If you are thinking that this has all just fallen into her lap, you are very wrong.

It is interesting to note that she is a singer songwriter that has been performing for over 10 years. She is now 28 years old, so started her music career when she was very young. However it has taken her a long time to find international recognition. Her determination, hard work, developing her craft has finally got her to this level of performance.

Watch this performance and see the comfort she displays being on stage, the hours and hours and hours of rehearsal that would have gone into this performance, and the simple joy of creating great music.

Take time to recharge

There are times when we need to take a break and give our bodies a chance to recharge. It has been an incredibly busy first 6 months of 2026 for me. Apart from teaching, I participated in a performance of The Hunchback of Notre dame the first two weekends of March.

It was wonderful to be on stage again in a show. The last show I completed was Mary Poppins in 2024.

Performing in this show was so much fun. I had the pleasure of being part of the ensemble. I was thinking this would be a fairly easy for me, however, little did I know that the ensemble are pivotal to the show and are on for most of the show. Also as you can see from the set, there were lots of stairs, and I was running up and down these multiple times, especially in the first Act. Luckily I had prepared well, with months of training, swimming, pilates, walking and I was also getting vocal training during this time. I am also having piano lessons to improve my piano skills.

I got to the end of Term One, and the first day of holidays I got sick, just before Easter. There were some other significant personal challenges at the same time and it was two weeks before I felt even a bit better.

I had the joy of travelling to Japan at the end of April with my family.

Here I am at Fushimi Inari Taisha,

one of Japan’s most famous Shinto shrines in Kyoto

I would highly recommend going to Japan. It is a beautiful country. Extremely clean. Very organized and everything runs smoothly. The food is amazing and we had excellent accommodation. You certainly need to pick your time to visit. We went at the end of Spring. I would recommend going at this time if you want to avoid huge crowds. We saw blossoms, and it was in between Easter and Golden Week. Of course it was busy, but we never had to queue for more than 30 minutes, even at Disney Sea. It was more of an adventure than a holiday, walking on average 17,000 steps a day.

When I returned home, it was straight back into work and life. My husband David got quite ill. Needless to say I caught it as well, and although tried to keep going, was on and off work for another 2 weeks. I couldn’t shake the infection, so had more tests and finally got the medication I needed and within a week was feeling so much better. The end of Term Two was a flurry of mid year concerts, assessments and shows to watch. Winter is the busiest time of the year for local amateur shows. I had the joy of watching two of my best friends perform together in the musical “Come from Away”. I had worked with one of them in the past on their singing, and it was so wonderful to see her on stage singing at such a high level and at such a high standard. It was an amazing performance.

A couple of days before the end of term my husband suggested we go away for a week. We ended up in beautiful Merimbula.

The view from our apartment in Merimbula

I love staying in the Fishpen. We have the view of the lake and you can also walk around to the beach and into town. We slept, read, walked and enjoyed being outside.

Sometimes you need to take these breaks where you don’t have the rush of seeing the next sight, being in the next city.

Walking on the beach alone gives you a chance to think. It has been wonderful to let the mind wander and imagine so many things.

I have returned and feeling refreshed I am writing in my blog after such a long break from doing anything to my website.

It’s a wonderful feeling.

The beach at Merimbula in winter

Remember to take a break, take a breath and reflect. Its wonderful for the body.

Singing when unwell

Singing when unwell can be challenging, but there are ways to minimize strain and still perform effectively. Here are four tips to help you manage:

1. Stay Hydrated

Drink Water: Keep your vocal cords well-lubricated by drinking plenty of water. Aim for room temperature or warm water, as cold water can constrict your vocal cords.
Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol: These can dehydrate you and irritate your throat.
Steam Inhalation: Inhale steam from hot water to soothe and hydrate your vocal cords. You can add a few drops of eucalyptus oil for added relief.

2. Warm Up Gently

Gentle Warm-Ups: Do gentle vocal exercises to warm up your voice. Start with humming or lip trills to get your vocal cords moving without too much strain.
Avoid High Notes: Refrain from singing high or loud notes during your warm-up. Focus on the comfortable part of your range to avoid further irritation.

3. Modify Your Technique

Sing Softer: Reduce the volume to avoid putting too much pressure on your vocal cords. Use a microphone to help project your voice if needed.
Focus on Breath Support: Use proper diaphragmatic breathing to support your voice and reduce strain on your throat.
Articulation and Diction: Enunciate clearly to ensure your words are understood without having to push your voice.

4. Rest and Listen to Your Body

Vocal Rest: Limit speaking and singing outside of necessary performances to give your voice a chance to heal.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your voice feels. If you experience pain or significant discomfort, it’s best to rest entirely and seek medical advice if necessary.
Avoid Whispering: Whispering can strain your voice more than speaking softly, so try to speak in a normal, quiet tone instead.

Taking these precautions can help you preserve your voice and reduce the risk of further damage when you’re not feeling your best.

Pop songs for boys under 10

Start with Fun and Playful Exercises: Introduce singing through fun exercises that engage their imagination and playfulness. Games like “Simon Says” where they mimic vocal sounds or animal noises can be great warm-ups. Encourage them to sing along to their favorite songs or cartoons, making it enjoyable and natural.
Provide Positive Encouragement: Building confidence is crucial at this age. Offer plenty of positive reinforcement and encouragement. Celebrate their efforts, no matter how small, and focus on progress rather than perfection. Create a supportive environment where they feel safe to explore their voice without fear of judgment.
Incorporate Visual and Kinesthetic Learning: Young boys often respond well to visual and kinesthetic learning. Use visual aids like diagrams of vocal anatomy to explain concepts in a simple and engaging manner. Encourage physical movements that help with breath control and vocal projection, such as stretching or pretending to blow bubbles. Incorporating movement into singing can make it more dynamic and enjoyable for them.

By combining these approaches, you can make learning to sing a fun and rewarding experience, setting a strong foundation for their musical journey ahead.

Singing Strong end of year concert

Billie Eilish

Hi! it’s Mary from Singing Strong and welcome.

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about Billie eilish’s new song, “What was I made for?” from the Barbie movie. I have not been to the Barbie movie, I haven’t had time to go and see it yet. I’ve had lots of people telling me it’s a great movie and I plan on going to see it, but there’s some great music out of this movie, in particular the song “What was I made for?”

Billie Eilish and her brother Phineas are great songwriters, they are so well versed in using music that appeals to a wide audience. I respect the work. I have a personal reason:

One: because I am a soprano and I love to sing higher.

Two: it’s not belted. Everyone talks about belting, we’re going to belt music everything has to be yelled and yes that’s good to a point, but it’s only one feature of the whole voice.

When I first heard the song I was just thrilled that she was using a light soprano voice to sing this song. Now having said that she has made a stylistic choice and I think it has a lot to do with the style of the song, you know being with Barbie dolls as a child or you know that Barbies, these were around when I was young, so I think she added all the breath personally, I think it’s a creative thing of history or nostalgia and looking back. That’s my interpretation. When they recorded that, you have to think about what is happening that she has an incredible lot of air over the vocal chords and that is going to challenge you. I would question how many times did she do each section? How long did she have in between the takes. Did she have breaks for the voice? She could have done it in only one take, but it would be very taxing on the voice, pushing so much air. You have to remember she’s in front of the microphone, it’s really close and the technology we have now to be able to you know manipulate the sound and create what they wanted to achieve.

Thank you Billie Eilish for encouraging young voices to sing with a high light soprano voice. Music and singing doesn’t always have to be pushed or belted.

Seeing Miss Saigon at the Sydney Opera House

Hi it’s Mary from Singing Strong. I had a lovely excursion to Sydney a couple of weekends ago for my daughter’s 22nd birthday. We had the most wonderful time in Sydney I haven’t been there for, I’m trying to think, it’s been over 20 years, so I’m starting to give away my age a little bit here, but that’s okay. We went to Sydney and we got to walk around circular Quay. We walked around the Opera House and walked around to Sydney Harbor Bridge. This was amazing. I always love to watch the fireworks on New Years Eve from Sydney, so it was lovely to actually walk around there. We also went to Bondi Beach. My daughter is a Bondi Rescue fan and we went there and had a look at all of the area of Bondi Beach. We also went to Manly on the Sunday which was the most beautiful weather but incredibly busy, Sydney is just exploding with people, but it was really lovely, we had a great day.

We went to the Opera House on the Saturday night to see Miss Saigon. Miss Saigon has been around since the 1980s, but I had never seen it for whatever reason I didn’t manage to get to see it. It’s composed by the same people who composed Les Miserables. It is very different but musically as exciting as Les Miserable. If you haven’t seen Miss Saigon I would highly recommend it. Now it was very confronting I have to say, but the music was amazing. The young girl who played the role of Kim is literally 18 years old and has been plucked out of the obscurity and she was just incredible. The thing that I really valued and got so much enjoyment from even though it’s an incredibly sad story was the calibre of the singing and I have to say well done Opera Australia for putting this on. The singing was just world class, and I can say that honestly because I have been to a few different places around the world. The technicians are to be congratulated on the sound quality, there was so much going on in this show but it was just fantastic. The singing was incredible.

Now I know a lot of people are not so much music theatre fans and prefer contemporary pop music and that sort of thing and there’s nothing wrong with that, there’s some great singing. I’m going to be talking about that in the future, how pop singing is just amazing, but this night, I don’t know whether it was just the thrill of being at the Opera House. It was such high quality singing, so well-rehearsed, such strong powerful in control voices that could sing a huge dynamic range who were singing, this incredibly low music and then she has this beautiful high soprano coming through on some of the songs, it was just amazing. The show is coming to an end in Sydney, but it’s coming to Melbourne so if you are a person who lives in Victoria and you haven’t seen it I would highly recommended it. It is not for children, it’s like I said incredibly confronting. We just need to be careful with what we are exposing our children to. If you haven’t seen Miss Saigon you must go. I’m not going to do any spoilers, not going to tell you that the actual show itself because there’s some incredible things that happened on the stage that just flew my mind.

Well done to the production team and everyone who was involved. I’ve seen a lot of shows in the last 12 months now that we’re out of covid. I’m trying to go and see everything and I have to say out of all the shows that I’ve seen recently that is like number one at the top, can’t get any better, at the moment I to find a show that is a higher level vocally. It just blew my mind. if you are in Victoria and have an opportunity it starts on 29^th October. It’s not that far away, please go and see it, you will absolutely love it. As I said it is very confronting, very sad, but just an amazing show. Please go and see it. You can watch it online, but I just don’t think you get the same experience. There’s something about live theatre that you get a totally different experience.

Well done everyone at Opera Australia, I loved it.