It takes time and good habits to develop a good singing voice…

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Getting results from your singing lessons takes time. Don’t get discouraged. It took me years to get the quality of voice I have now, and I still take vocal lessons.

Your voice can maintain for as long as you are alive if you do it correctly. There are professional singers who really understand this. These singers have always had a coach because they know their voices are continually growing and developing. This is no different than developing the physical coordination it takes to be very proficient at learning to play an instrument. Your voice is an instrument. I am constantly learning more and more things about my voice. I am almost 50 and I’m doing things with my voice now that I could never do when I was 20 or 30 or 40! Most people think your voice deteriorates as you get older….but that doesn’t have to happen!

Your voice is going to change over time, especially if you are performing. You need to keep this in check. Doesn’t matter what style you are singing. It takes time to develop good habits so don’t stop. Everyone can have a great voice. Don’t get in your own way to your ultimate goal….don’t get lazy….you can do it! Yes, it takes time….and enjoy the journey!

Careful balance between technique and freedom……

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Our goal as a singer should always be to create an experience for the listener. This experience could be many things…ie, emotions like joy or sadness, physical energy, or the recall of a memory.

The listener is just an everyday person wanting an experience that affects them positively. The listener is looking for a singer who can relay the feelings and thoughts that they maybe cannot relay themselves.

That is the singer’s job.

However, when a singer is “too” technical or careful, some of the essence is missing. Singing needs to be playful …. not too careful. The listener must believe the singer. A good singer has the freedom to “play” around good technique and express the magic of his/her song and voice.

Without good technique, the singer can disturb the listener. The listener can be put off easily with squeezy vowels and splatty tones. The singer may have good intentions, but without good technique the listener is not likely going to have a positive experience.

Good technique and playful freedom go hand-in-hand with good singing. A singer who is technically sound and playful at the same time can express everything the listener wants to hear.

What age should your child start piano lessons?

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Susan McAllister-Bee

What age did you start piano lessons? I was around 7 years old. My mother would drop me off at a lady’s house and we would sit beside each other at the piano for a half an hour. I really liked it at first. I can’t exactly remember when things started to change………

She was a nice lady and I tried hard to please her. I remember asking my mother if I could quit. I think I was 9 or 10. Quitting was not an option, so I had to stick with it. Thank goodness I had my grandmother around to show me fun things like chording and singing with the piano. And, thank goodness my mother made me stick with it!

The process of learning to play an instrument is not always easy. We all want the end results, but we are not always willing to put in the work to achieve these results. This is where the Music for Young Children program can help.

The curriculum in the Music for Young Children program is set up so that your child will succeed. With your loving support, and the fun atmosphere of learning the piano with new friends in the same class, your child is well on his/her way to establishing the happy habit of practising. Your child’s musical journey can start right away with the Music for Young Children program found all over the world.

Children as young as 3 1/2 are meeting the critters who live on the keyboard. These children have no problem remembering Fireman Fred who lives at the Fire Hall. They practise finding his note by sliding down the first black pole in the Fire Hall.

You might think these lessons are expensive, but they are absolutely not. Classes for ages 4 & up are one-hour long and cost no more than the average half-hour piano lesson in your city/town.

So, what’s holding you back. Every child should have the opportunity to learn to play the piano. There is no easier way than with the Music for Young Children program.

Singers, has this happened to you?

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I haven’t been blogging much lately. I’ve been so busy with the kids, performing at festivals and keeping up with my gigs. The weeks are just flying by. However today, I had a booking that inspired me to share my singing experience with you straight away.

First, let me mention that I’m a seasoned singer. I’ve been singing professionally for years. And, for the record, sometimes I neglect myself. Yes, sometimes, I don’t practise what I preach. By this, I mean, I neglect my voice…I don’t bother to warm-up adequately before a singing performance. Sometimes I notice, sometimes it doesn’t matter. Today, it definitely mattered. Today, I noticed big-time. Today, I should have warmed-up better.

I always do liproll exercises while I’m driving to bookings. Today was proof that I needed to do more than that, but didn’t.

I could tell right away in the first song that the notes near my bridge (A, B flat) were giving me trouble. If the song was mostly set under my first bridge then I would really “get stuck” when I had to reach the A or B. This is most of my songs! I found I was preoccupied with “warming” into those notes, instead of focusing on the audience and the song.

It took about 45 minutes of careful singing to finally get the notes around my bridge to set in comfortably. By then I was crooning and ready for the night. The problem is, the gig was almost over! Only 15 minutes left! By the end of the gig, I was very warmed-up and ready to sing.

This has happened to me before. You would think I would know better. After all, I’m a singing coach. I preach about warming up the voice adequately all the time…………maybe next time I’ll learn, ha! Don’t let it happen to you!