Posts in Music
Upper String Scale Introduction

I have always loved scales. They are the first thing I try to figure out whenever I am handed an unfamiliar instrument. Because of my obsession with them I have found, modified, and invented many different ways to practice them. As a teacher, I love them because they can be used to work many different aspects of…

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Quantifying the Breath - Exercises for Breath Control

In my experience breath control is the first thing to deteriorate if I am not singing regularly. Unfortunately teaching voice lessons and running choral rehearsals is not really singing regularly, despite what people may think. I first noticed this when one of my voice students was working a piece I had sung on my senior recital. I had difficulties making phrases that had...

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Basics of Breath

The breathing that is required for singing is very different than the breath needed for everyday conversation. Talking does not require very much air, so we can (and usually do) breathe very shallowly, using only the top part of our lungs. Singing requires much more air than talking to get a good sound, so we have to change the way that we breathe to gain good vocal technique. Continue reading

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MusicKJ BellMusic, Breath, Voice