That’s my head voice?

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Have you ever had an “ah ha” moment? Well, that’s what happened with my adult student today and it was her first lesson.

She had developed the habit of only using her chest voice to sing. She ignored her head voice. I guess she didn’t like the sound. It’s actually quite a common habit among singers.

The problem is if we ignore our head voice, then we can’t reach the high notes “appropriately”. That is, with a “mixed voice”. Oh, you may be able to reach that high note, but what does it sound like? Is it wide and splatty, and overall just plain not nice to listen too? Probably.

You see, you can’t get a nice sound on a “high” note without using some of your head voice. That’s why you need to learn how to mix the chest with the head so you get a balance of each.

Are you not sure what is your head voice? Well, try to sing the vowel “oo” (like the hooting of an owl), and make high sounds……like the siren of a fire truck or ambulance. Is it breathy? Then you are likely using falcetto…..that is not your head voice. Try again, but don’t let the high note be breathy. Lean into it a bit. There you go, that’s your head voice!

I Just Want to Sing Better!

Posted on October 26, 2009 by Susan McAllister-Bee

There are many reasons why the voice may not do what you want it to. Today lets talk about vocal strain! This is probably the most common reason singers have trouble. Quite often the strain is caused by the muscles in the throat tightening up when the singer goes for higher notes. How do you know if these muscles around the larynx are tightening inappropriately when you sing? Does your larynx rise up when you try to sing a high note?

Sometimes the only way to know is by having a professional watch and listen to you sing. With the help of a good vocal coach you can learn the best way to sing through your entire range and get the sound you want. When your voice is exercised properly and regularly (yes, just like going to the gym), then singing becomes as free as talking………and that’s the way it should feel.

Hello world!

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Welcome to my first post! My passion has always been studying the voice and singing. I’ve studied with a few good teachers….all with different approaches to the voice. In this blog you will learn what has worked for me and my students.

Part of the fascination I have with the voice is that you can’t see it! Unlike any other instrument……like the piano, guitar or trumpet, etc., ……the voice is a instrument that everyone has and everyone can use. So why do so many of us fail to use our singing instrument? My guess is because we think we don’t sound good, and therefore we don’t use it.

I have taught music to kids of all ages. It is important for children to start to make singing sounds as soon as they start to talk. This is easy to achieve by playing games with mimicing sounds like airplanes, birds, trains, and frogs. This is where it all starts. Exploring the voice!

In Music Pups that is exactly what we do! Not only do we sing and make musical sounds, but we play rhythm instruments, and we use creative movement to stress the beat or rhythm. It’s loads of fun for the entire family and a great way for the family to learn how to structure the learning process at home………..That’s all for now, Susie!