Sunday, October 29, 2017

Musical Monday - Singing Pumpkins in Many Styles

This is fun just to listen to but imagine letting young people listen and be able to figure out the types and eras of music represented by these talented pumpkins.  How many do you recognize?
Happy Hallowe'en!!

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Musical Monday - Top 5 Apps for Singers and Singing Practice

These are wonderful resources that you can use as a choir director or member to ramp up your skills.  Sometimes we just need a refresher for ear training or even getting the right note when singing a capella somewhere.  Again this comes from the
VoiceCouncil Magazine.  Fine tune your ears and refresh your theory knowledge with these essential top singing apps for singers.

Top 5 Apps for Singers and Singing Practice

Various app logos
Fine tune your ears and refresh your theory knowledge with these essential apps for singers.

1. Virtual Piano Keyboard

Virtual Piano Keyboard logo
Not everyone is lucky enough to have a keyboard or piano to practice with, which is why Virtual Piano Keyboard is a great app to have.
This app is a portable keyboard and voice recorder that is perfect for finding your starting notes and keys, and recording your practice sessions. One bonus about this app is that the keyboards range is not limited and unlike other apps, you can easily scroll between octaves when practicing.

2. iRhythmic

iRhythmic logo
Metronomes are so important, especially when learning quick and difficult runs, and iRhythmic is the perfect combination of metronome and teacher.
This app allows you to change the time signature, as well as the tempo and also enter your own rhythms into the app. This is great when you are trying to learn specific rhythms that you are finding difficult to work out! The fact you can change so much within the app sets iRhythmic apart from other Metronome apps. Unfortunately, it is not available on Android, but don’t worry because Jelly Metronome is a great substitute with a fun interface and very similar features.

3. SwiftScales

SwiftScales logo
Warming up properly is vital in any singers’ routine, and SwiftScales provides a variety of scales to help you do so.
With SwiftScales you can use the preset warm-ups specifically suited to your range, or create your own scales and save them to the app. The best thing about this app is that once you have created your own scale, you can share it with other people with ‘Scale Codes’; perfect if you want to swap routines, or share scales with students to ensure they warm up correctly.

4. Harmony Voice

Harmony Voice logo
Singing and creating harmonies is a difficult skill to learn, but Harmony Voice will work out your own harmonies and practice them.
With this app you can listen to the harmonies the app creates while you sing the melody line, or sing harmony line on top of track imported from your music library. Unfortunately, this app is only available on iOS, but if you are an Android user, why not try a recorder like the J4T Multitrack Record, so that you can record one or two lines and practice singing another over the top.

5. ABRSM Aural Trainer

ABRSM Aural Trainer
Aural tests and ear training can sometimes feel repetitive and boring, but ABRSM is an engaging way to practice your aural skills, whether you are working towards an exam or not.
The app will work you through aural exercises that increase in difficulty, which means you can practice and improve your aural skills. Make sure you use the interval trainer this app provides. It is the perfect tool to use when you want to improve your sight singing. Although this app isn’t available for Android, you can use AuralBook for ABRSM, which will provide the same progressive training and the official ABRSM app.

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Want Your Voice Fit For Singing? Dr. Rachael Gates explains how...

When you are a singer, you continuously get told to "warm up" before singing.  What exactly is that?  This is a good article from Voice Council magazine with great explanations about how and how much to warm up.

4 Easy Fitness Tips for Better Singing
Yoga
The physical demands and stressful aspects of vocal performance can decrease the ability of the immune system to fight off infections – says Dr. Rachael Gates.
My advice: Establish routines that increase your general well-being and help you maintain a healthy singing voice.

1. Exercise with purpose

Just by walking a minimum of twenty to thirty minutes at a consistent, comfortable pace every day, you may find that you have more energy and cognitive sharpness.
Eurhythmics, Alexander technique, Feldenkreis, yoga, and dance are recommended conditioning options for singers for their ability to reduce stress and visibly contribute to stage presence and poise.
Power lifting is not recommended as it requires strenuous compression of the vocal folds and can overtax laryngeal musculature. If you do lift, be sure to continue breathing throughout exertion to avoid holding your breath.

2. ‘Warm up’ don’t ‘wear out’

The vocal folds benefit from being warmed up and stretched before intense use.
Begin your practice by vocalizing with light and easy exercises in your middle register before moving gradually into voice exercises (vocalises) that involve your high and low registers.
Condition for a performance months ahead. The night of a performance, avoid extreme vocal warm-ups that would tax the muscles and potentially cause vocal fold swelling.
Time spent warming-up may depend on the time of the day, the time of the month for some women, when and what you last ate and the level of difficulty in what you’re about to sing.
Be very careful not to oversing or rush into your extreme top and bottom ranges. Keep in mind that the reason you warm up the voice is to be able to sing your loudest, softest, highest and lowest without strain.

3. Give yourself a cooling off period

Beware of post-performance receptions. In noisy crowds you may push the voice to be heard
After an intense singing session, use vocalises that are light and gentle to cool down. The easy cool-down will prevent blood from pooling in the blood vessels of the vocal folds and will prevent tightening.
Avoid talking for approximately 30 minutes after an intense practice or performance. Beware of post-performance receptions. In noisy crowds you may push the voice to be heard. Such strained speech can easily damage the vocal folds after a taxing performance.

4. Allow your voice to rest and recover

Your voice’s muscles need to replenish nutrients through rest. As you use your voice for long periods of time, the muscles stop contracting as well and you begin to feel fatigue as you lose more and more muscular control.
Once you stop singing or talking and thus begin to rest the voice musculature, you start to regain strength and control.
When we refer to building better stamina, we are referring to muscles that are becoming more efficient at bouncing back after rest periods. No matter how fit a person is, no one can go on contracting a muscle forever.
The body needs short breaks. You need the rests written into your songs and you need the breaks between songs during a concert to help stave off fatigue.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Musical Monday - We're Canadian & Thankful

It is our Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend.  I am SO thankful to be Canadian.  This song has so much that is Canada in words and pictures.  For all our fellow Canadians, ex-pats and friends from around the world, we are thankful for YOU!!!

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Singer Foods – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

  This is a really interesting article from Voice Council Magazine.  I think as with any "rules" you have to find what works for you.  These four tips are quite sensible.  What do you think?hare


Bananas wearing a sombrero
Your diet is a part of an optimal performance -says Jeannie Deva
Sometimes it’s liberating to break some rules and be impulsive, but right before a performance or long singing rehearsal is probably not a good time to be wild.
Experience has taught me that to sing freely, easily and perform at the top of my game, I have to maintain a certain diet and avoid some foods, especially right before a performance.What we eat and drink has a direct influence on our musical sound
Unlike instrumentalists, we singers have the curse and the blessing of our body being our instrument.
And so, what we eat and drink has a more direct influence on our musical sound.

The Four Watchwords

The sounds of your voice are made by internal muscles some of which are coated with mucous membranes. Muscles and mucous membranes have certain nutritional needs and are hampered by certain foods.
You can assess the benefits or adverse effects of any food by evaluating it against the four singer dietary maxims: dehydration, phlegm production, muscle constriction and energy loss.
No Coffee or Cigarettes!1. Dehydration – To work well, the voice needs adequate hydration. This is achieved from eating and drinking things like water, juicy fruit and lots of vegetables – which also supply the body with important minerals and other nutrition which promotes health. Caffeine, (coffee, black tea, chocolate, cola soft drinks), alcohol, smoking and certain medications dehydrate the body and thus your voice. If you like coffee, keep it to a cup a day and don’t drink it closer than several hours prior to singing. You can have an occasional celebratory alcoholic beverage but wait until after your performance or recording session.
No Spicy Foods!2. Phlegm Production – Ever have to stop singing to clear your throat? Excessive phlegm caused by irritation of the mucous membrane can make even the easiest note difficult or impossible to sing. Foods known to induce phlegm include: dairy (cheese, milk, ice cream…) spicy foods, citrus and bananas.
No Iced Drinks!3. Muscle Constriction – Stimulants such as caffeine can cause muscles to tighten as well as lose hydration. Iced drinks also have a similar constricting effect. Think about it: would an athlete put ice packs on his muscles just before a routine or competition? Heat causes muscles to relax and swell. Neither extreme is desirable. Your vocal muscles need to be limber, not tense or swollen. Room temperature or cool (not iced) water remains our best beverage.
No Sweets!4. Energy Loss – Eating sweets gives an energy surge followed by a slump. Trying to boost your physical energy with sugar laden foods may lead to chronic fatigue. Instead, eat unprocessed fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins; you’ll build an energy reserve and stay well hydrated at the same time. Add in some exercise and you’ll have the stamina you’ll need for demanding singing engagements.

Personal Differences

Everyone is different. Use these four watchwords to see for yourself how your body reacts to different types of food and beverage. Then modify your diet to achieve maximum hydration, minimum mucous, limber muscles and a consistent energy level. Good luck.