So many young aspiring singers coming to me for singing lessons that absolutely love singing, however, often many of them don’t realise the work and dedication that’s involved in improving their voice and how to get the most out of the instrument. It’s all well and good to enjoy singing because of the way it makes you feel and singing as your hobby is beautiful but actually seeing a change in your instrument can be even more fulfilling for a person.
It is very important to reinforce what you learn in your singing lessons with affective practise at home. Here are a few tips on how to do this:
1# Warm up your Voice
Warming up your voice and doing your vocal exercises is key to vocal development and improvement. Through your exercises you will have the time to make sure your breathing correctly, producing the right mouth shape, that your voice is placed correctly and that you are producing a beautiful free tone. Vocal exercises and warm ups allow you the space and time to do this. Your singing teacher will usually record your vocal exercise for you to rehearse during the week and then run through when you return to your singing lessons to make sure you’re reciting it correctly.
2# Songs for Practice
As important as vocal exercises are, no singing teacher can expect her student to remain interested in singing lessons when they are purely doing exercises. This is why it’s important to put those exercises into practise in your songs. Choose some songs with your teacher that you can work on in your singing lessons. Make sure there generally within your vocal capability and also suitable for your age.
3# Rehearse & Refine
When working on a song in your singing lessons, it’s essential to identify your weak areas. You should never just skip over areas that you struggle with. They should be your focal points and you really shouldn’t move on until you refine the problem area. Try going through the difficult passage slowly and repeat accurately over and over. Then slowly start going over the same part at tempo, however, remember that it should still be sing accurately. Once you think you’ve nailed the problem area you are ready to move on.
4# Be Patient
This is a big one because we can often be in a hurray to get through songs quickly and not learn or sing them to the best of our ability. Be patient with yourself and with what your capable of at the time. With the right singing teacher and your own hard work you will eventually achieve the vocal outcome you desire.
The old saying of “practise makes perfect” is something I believe in and encourage for all of my students. Have patience and work at your craft, develop your voice by being dedicated to your singing through practice. You will be surprised at how fast you will improve once proper habits of rehearsal are developed. Most of all enjoy your singing lessons because that is why you started in the first place!
