Author Archives: Susan McAllister-Bee

Kids and music go together like peanut butter and jam!

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My son is 9 and he has been complaining more and more about his music lessons lately. Just last week he said to me that he wished his mother wasn’t a music teacher!  The comment wasn’t really a surprise to me. It’s not uncommon for kids to complain about the focus, discipline, and energy that is needed to stick at learning a musical instrument. So, I did some rearranging in his practise schedule and tried to come up with some interesting ways to get his mind back in the reading music mode. One thing that seemed to work was chocolate-covered peanuts, his favourite!  He played two measures of a new song, hands separate, three times on each hand. He could eat a chocolate covered peanut after he played the RH three times. Then he switched to the left hand and played the two measures three times. I just popped the chocolate peanuts right into his mouth so he didn’t get chocolate on his hands.  If I thought it was done well enough we moved on to the next two measures hands separate, and so on. It worked very well and he consumed an entire box of Glosettes!

This was well worth the effort because he could now actually play the song quite well hands separate, and it made him want to go back to the piano and review it regularly. The investment made early in the week of practising took a lot of pressure off as the week progressed. He was able to start putting the song hands together, two measures at a time, easily on his own. He was motivated to do it. He had learned the parts separate and now he wanted to put it all together….to finish what he started.

So you want to be a singer…

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Learning to sing is no different than learning to play the guitar or the piano. It requires a great deal of discipline and practise to get your vocal cords working to the best of their ability. Copying other singers can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. If you are not approaching the pitches correctly, or not using the appropriate mix of head and chest voice for the song, then it can be problem. This can create some very bad habits, and lead to hoarseness and possible damage.

Bottom line is, if it hurts or if you are straining for notes, then you are doing it wrong. Singing should feel easy and free. If you are grimacing and singing loudly during high notes then you are not singing freely.

Everyone’s vocal cords are different. That’s the fascinating thing about the vocal instrument. No two sound alike. Some voices are automatically pleasing, and some not so pleasing. Of course, this is all subjective. What’s pleasing to my ear may not be pleasing to your ear.

If you’re not sure how to make your singing better, then it’s a good idea to see a vocal coach with a reputable background to learn exercises that will help you build strength, endurance and better tone.

How I Learned Not to “Pull Chest”

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Do you automatically sing louder as you sing higher? If you do, then you are likely a “chest-puller”. The vocal cords will keep stretching and stretching as you sing higher and higher, and you end up just blowing a lot of breath through a very wide space. This is not a good thing. Not only will it cause damage  but it causes your voice to lack luster, crispness and presence.

The vocal cords need to thin as you go higher. It’s the same for EVERYBODY! You must allow this to happen. You may not like the sound at first, and this probably means the vocal cords are not adducting (closing) the way they need to. Test yourself, can you do a quiet whine or cry in your head voice. Does it have an edge and crispness, or is it flat and dull?

Here is how I learned to stop pulling so much chest. First of all, you need to know I started playing music and singing as a teenager in rock and country bands, like so many kids do. Gig after gig I would sing hard and continually lose my voice. This all stopped the day I got a solo gig in a very small but quaint bar in a restaurant. I was basically “live” elevator music, if you know what I mean. I was able to really practise the skill of leaning into my notes, because I had to create dynamics, variations and presence at a low volume. My voice was amplified and I used a crisp reverb effect for ballads, and a short delay and slight reverb for fast songs. When I did need to pull chest, I would always work the “lean” as well. They work very well together.

Hope this post is helpful. All you singers out there, let me know what you think. Susan

How far did you go with your piano lessons?

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Boy, times have changed! I don’t recall a lot of exciting times at my music lessons while I was growing up.  How about you? Did you take music lessons? Did you continue? Did you enjoy them?

A very high percentage of people are going to say they took music lessons for a few years and then quit. Why did you quit? The majority will say the process was difficult and boring. It continued to get more challenging and you didn’t have the motivation to keep at it.

Today children can learn music in a very different way. This CBC news video of a Music for Young Children class in Summerside, PEI, Canada, is a good example of how kids are learning today. http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Canada/PEI/ID=1430244648

OK, so get this. This video is level 1 students as young as 3 and 4 years old learning music and piano. Each year these kids move up the ranks of the MYC curriculum and around age 8 and 9 they reach the top level and graduate with Grade 1 piano and Preliminary Rudiments! This is highly unusual unless you are a Music for Young Children student!  Visit www.myc.com for more information.

Your comments are welcome. Let me know what you think!  Susan

We all want smart kids…

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My kids are almost 9 and 12 now. I wanted them to have many experiences as a baby and toddler that would stimulate their brains and help make them smarter. You know, that “window of opportunity”. Research has proven that exposure to music in the first years of life has a very positive effect on the brain. Here are a few ways to encourage stimulation through music.

1. Singing with sounds…not words. For instance, ba, ba, ba or do do do, bup bup bup…….sounds like these that a baby can imitate. Do them high, do them low.

2. Touching to the beat or rhythm of a song.

3. Smiling and moving while they watch you sing.

4. Using an instrument such as an egg shaker or bell. Drumming with a kitchen utensil.

5. Creative movement to the beat….swinging, crawling, jumping.

A highly-acclaimed music program for babies and todders originates in Atlanta, Georgia called “The Music Class”. www.themusicclass.com They have teachers who are qualified to teach early childhood music education all over the world, and the curriculum is superb. Sessions run for 8 to 10 weeks at a time, and the parent and child meet with other parents and children in a circle setting.

In this video watch Roy Sayer of  The Music Class with one of his classes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=humOI4FzYrY

What does it mean to “Get In the Mix”?

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When we talk, we are using our chest voice. If you put your hand on your chest and talk, you can feel the sound vibrations. The higher in pitch you go (try talking like a whiny baby), you should feel the vibrations leave your chest and resonate in your nose, eye and top of your head area. I get amazed sometimes when I meet people who can’t find their head voice because they’ve  never tried to find it before, and they don’t know the feeling or how to get it. Then when they finally do use their head voice, it is usually very airy and weak at first because the vocal cords have never produced these sounds before. Getting to know your “head voice” and exercising it is a good good first step to getting in the mix.

The mixed voice is simply that…a mix of chest voice and head voice. Some singers will have more chest voice  in the mix, while others may have more head voice in the mix. You may find these variances in the style of music they are singing. Belt singers like Celion Dion, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Striesand,  Adam Lambert, for instance have a strong chest mix that they can produce and carry up through their bridges. Classical singers are most likely to have a stronger head voice in the mix allowing for a more even, balanced sound.

Regardless of your preference of style, exercising the chest, mix and head voice in the proper way is crucial to developing a strong healthy voice.

In musical theatre, singing and acting go hand in hand…

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So you want to go into musical theatre. You’ve studied voice and music in university and now you are ready to work……….Ahhhh, too bad you didn’t taking some acting classes too. The director is looking for the whole package……….well, unless you just want to be in the chorus.

The director not only wants you to read some lines, but he wants you to belt a song…..that’s it……..show us your best belt.  Do you know how to do it? If you studied classical voice then you’re in trouble. You don’t learn how to belt with classical training.

A good belt is when your chest voice can carry up into “the mix” through your second bridge and beyond. Notice I said “the mix”. That means there is head voice in there too, however it’s just not predominant. Without the head voice you end up with this sound that is quite unpleasant. It is strained, dark and sounds like you’re yelling.

Belting is something that can be learned. Classical training is not going to strengthen your belt. Try speech level singing. Learn how to get into “the mix” and strengthen your chest register up through your 2nd bridge.

The great vocal debate….technique or style?

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Well, I have my opinion and I’m sure it doesn’t jive with all the university vocal teachers out there. Let’s remember this is the year 2010! Universities have been teaching opera and classical voice for centuries. Technique has it’s place and without it, singers can be in big trouble. However, without a sense of style, well, you are really just another nice singer, aren’t you?

I’ve had singers come to me with style that can sell records. Do they have vocal troubles, sure they do. I’ve had classically trained singers come to me who sing beautifully. Do they have trouble? No, not really. They can vocalize easily with wonderful diction and great breath control.  But……the big but…..can they sell a record?……….well, that’s unlikely in today’s pop music business because unfortunately they are “too perfect”. Too perfect you say? Yes, their voice is too perfect. Unfortunately, classically trained singers do not usually make the break into the pop-recording business unless, however, we are talking about the likes of Pavarotti, Andre Bocelli, or Groban.

Singers, my advice if you truly want a career with singing, is to not take university training. Musical theatre voices now-a-days need a good chest mix. The days of Phantom of the Opera are few and far between. Musical theatre is changing. Voices need more bottom end to appeal to the young listener. You will not get this in university……….

Freedom to express yourself….

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Ahhh, we are so blessed to live in a country and culture where we can sing and express ourselves without being locked up or banished. Notice, I didn’t say judged. I wish it were easier for singers to just free themselves from the concern and worry of being judged. Expressing yourself through singing should come from your true self….your inner self. It’s hard to bare your soul through song…especially when you know that some listeners will just not get it. But that’s the point, isn’t it? Who are you singing for? You or the listener? If you are not singing for yourself, then ……. well, why bother?

Hockey or Music lessons for boys?

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Huge decision. In Southwestern Ontario hockey is no doubt the most popular sport for boys, and probably girls too. If a boy doesn’t grow up knowing how to play hockey, then he might as well move to …. well, you know what I mean. It’s not uncommon for a hockey schedule to take up two nights a week and all day Saturday. Where can you possibly fit another extra-curricular activity in?

Do you consider music education an extra-curricular activity? Some parents don’t. Let’s realize that music education is not being taught in the classroom to the extent it once was. Some schools have abandoned their music program all together. This is a sad and unfortunate truth.

Luckily, some parents realize music education is necessary to ensure that their children learn the skills necessary to read music and play a music instrument.

Canada can thank an infamous Frances Belodis for creating Music for Young Children (myc.com). This program allows parents to be involved with their child’s musical journey in a fun and in-depth way. The graduation rate of students from the MYC program is phenomenal. Unlike when you were growing up, MYC students are much more likely to continue their musical journey throughout their life.

So, when trying to choose between hockey or music, consider both. Your child will thank you.