Listen and Learn

When you teach the way I do, you're bound to come across students that challenge you to explain how to do things you've never tried. Singing uses the same physiological components no matter who you are and how you sing. It's just a matter of finding new combinations and shapes to create new sounds and timbres.

Example: there is a young lady in my studio who really wants to work on her belting voice. She struggles with pushing from the throat and tightening the jaw to make it happen rather than letting it come from the more powerful diaphragm and focusing the sound in the mask. We were stuck because I am not a trained belter and was having a hard time figuring out how to teach her how to do what I'm not a natural at. So, in an effort to learn, I went and found recordings of different belting singers. The one that really did it for me was listening to Idina Menzel sing "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. If you listen to her belt out those high notes, you'll hopefully hear how athletic her breathing is. By listening and analyzing her singing I was able to pinpoint what my student had to achieve in order to get the sound she was looking for.

So the moral of the story is that if you're trying to become a better singer, one of the best things you can do is find other singers who's voices inspire you and pay attention to how they breath, how they use their face, their body language, even their personality. If you see something you like, add it to your own technique and see what happens. WARNING!!! Be smart! Know your vocal limits and if you're going to try new things, warm up beforehand!