Vocal Athletes

Want to learn how to sing better? Watch the movie Cool Runnings. Ok, I’m only half joking. Last weekend, I finally saw this classic comedy about the Jamaican bobsled team on their journey to the Calgary ’88 Olympics. And as it turns out, there are parallels between training for the Games and training for vocal mastery…
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Q & A with Spencer

We often receive questions about singing either by email or on our Facebook group “Vancouver Vocalists.” In this issue, Spencer tackles a few technique questions…
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Fix It In The Mix

In a Speech Level Singing™ lesson, you will hear me refer to your MIX voice. You may also hear it referred to as a “blended” voice. So what do we mean by “mix.” The word is short for “mixture,” so in order to define it we have to determine WHAT we are mixing…
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Vocal Care for Colder Climes

We’ve had an amazing summer here in Vancouver with a record-breaking amount of sun and heat. But little by little, the days are getting cooler and shorter. Soon the cold weather will set in…with all the accompanying hazards for singers.

Want to get the down-low on how to care for your voice through the dead of winter?
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Practice Makes Perfect??

The three words every kid dreads: “Time to practice.” Violin, piano, voice…didn’t matter, our mothers always knew how to ruin a perfectly good afternoon in front of the T.V. Of course, it was useless to ask why. Mother always knew best: “Practice makes perfect. Everybody knows that.”

But DOES practice make perfect?
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Lost Your Voice?

Blame it on the flu, your allergies…or the Canucks! But you’ve lost your voice for one reason or another, and you’re desperate to get it back..
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Managing Your Nerves Pt. 1

I was in trouble! Only the first night of the tour, and boy, was I nervous! And why shouldn’t I be? After a month of intensive rehearsals, learning over 20 songs with choreography, here I was performing in front of over 500 fans with the vocal group Rhythm & News. And next up was my big solo…
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Managing Your Nerves Pt. 2

It’s All About Them. So let’s say you’ve paid your dues, put in your practice sessions, prepared painstakingly for your performances…and you still get VERY nervous. Ask yourself why?
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10 Quick Tips for Beginners

Ten things I wish someone had told me when I started singing.
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Belting 101: The Life and Times of a Yeller

My first voice lesson was short and to the point. I was twelve, singing in the church choir next to the aging love child of Gandalf and Opera Man. We were (drum roll) the tenor section! It was a small church…
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If You Can Speak, You Can Sing

“If you can walk, you can dance. If you can speak, you sing.”
- African proverb
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Talent vs. Training

“There is no try, only do.”
- Yoda

British researchers, focusing on music, sports and chess, have released an extensive study of people who achieve greatness. The conclusion is that there is very little correlation between natural talent and becoming a master of your craft. It is very simply a matter of hard, disciplined practice, and, more importantly, the right kind of practice.
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