Practice Tips

Daily practice is necessary for the full benefit of lessons.  The amount of time spent in practice varies from individual to individual.  The important thing is that each minute of practice be used carefully with complete concentration of thought; be able to have your practice time free from distraction.  Fifteen minutes of careful practice is worth more than one hour of "just singing."  Problem areas within exercises and songs need to be thoroughly analyzed and corrected at home. 

Warm-up

Each practice session should always begin with the vocalises and exercises.  For the first several months, the exercises are the most important phase of the voice lessons and should be the point of concentration in home practice.  One builds a good singing technique this way that is then transferred into the singing of songs.  Later, when songs become more important, the exercises and vocalises must still be continually practiced for constant technical improvement.  I frequently change and update a student's exercises as they progress to fit their strengths and weaknesses. 

Posture

Practice should be done in a standing position to achieve good body posture and support; most performances are done standing!  In the event that a student has proficiency at the keyboard, it is preferred that they record themselves and accompany themselves that way, rather than practicing while seated at the keyboard.  Obviously, those students who perform while accompanying themselves will need to practice both playing and singing together.  Most of the time the piano should serve as a pitch check or guide, or as an occasional accompaniment.  Too often, a student will neglect vocal technique due to trying to master the accompaniment before the song is properly learned. 

Learning a song

When songs are introduced, the text should be read out loud as a poem.  Then the melody should be vocalized on yaw-jaw.  Once the pitches and rhythms are correct, the corresponding vowels of the words should be used.  Finally, the words can be added.  It can also be very helpful to read the words in rhythm before combining them with notes.  In problem passages where poor tone quality is evident, one should revert back to the vowels and then try to match the words into the same vowel positions.  Find the position of strength!

Musical Terms

It is the student's responsibility to know the meanings of all musical terms and symbols encountered in each new song.  After consulting a music dictionary, many students write the meanings above the terms in the score until they become familiar with them.

Foreign Languages

Foreign language songs for more advanced students require translating the text into English from dictionaries and from special books you may use before and after lessons.  Feel free to use the internet to find translations from reputable sites.  You should not sing a foreign language song unless you know what you are singing about.  When singing operatic arias, read the story of the opera to understaned your character and where this aria falls within the context of the entire opera.  Again, I have resources, but have no reservations about reputable online sources. 

Memorization

Unless we have a specific arrangement, all songs are to be memorized.  Begin your learning of the song with the intent that you will memorize it.

• After a song is completely learned with the music, the memorization procedure which I expect is for you to write the words in poem form on 3" X 5" or 4" X 6" file cards.  Include the title, the composer's name, the song category (sacred, French, Broadway, etc.), and any little helpful hints needed to sing the song accurately from the card.
  
• Practice for a week with the card, checking the music occasionally to be sure you are learning everything right.
  
• The week after you have sung the song with the card for me, I expect you to sing it entirely by memory.  These cards then become a permanent file of all the songs you have learned.  The reason for memorization is simple; there is a freedom of expression that comes from having full and complete command of the musical and intellectual aspects of the song.  Music is the language of emotion, after all!
  

Fatigue

When your voice feels tired, stop practicing for a period of time.  Never push your voice beyond what seems to be physically comfortable.  A head cold or a minor sore throat should not prevent one from singing; however, when the speaking voice has become affected and there is evidence of laryngitis, singing can be harmful.