“Twang” is a term that can stir up heated conversation in some circles.

There are those who say

it is a made-up term, others say it belongs only in country music. In terms of acoustics, “twang”
corresponds with the same frequency range (2-4 kHz) as the “singer’s formant.” In some
singers twang has a nasal quality, in others it does not, similar to what you may find in classical
singers trying to find “ring” in their voice. Regardless of what you may think about the term, it
is used by many singers, teachers, and music directors and in my opinion it is worth learning
about. Mary McDonald Klimek writes about twang inExercises for Voice Therapy by Alison
Behrman and John Haskell. Klimek suggests the following cues to help a student find twang:
 Say “nyae, nyae. nyae, nyae, nyae” like a child taunting another individual.
 Cackle like a witch “yeh-heh-heh.”
 Baaa like a sheep
 Neigh like a horse
 Imitate the Road-Runner’s “MBeep-beep”

The student should have fun making these sounds and should not use volume as a substitute
for finding a bright resonance. If the student is struggling to produce a twangy sound, have
them add a little bit of nasality. You can also have the student make the sound at a lower
volume level, which may help alleviate pharyngeal constriction. Finally, have the student make
the sounds as if they were scraping peanut butter off the roof of their mouth. This will help arch
the tongue and decrease the space in the vocal tract, both of which can help the student
produce twang.

Help them decide which vocal gesture produces the best twang quality and use that for the
following steps. Klimek uses a series of exercises designed for speech; here is my variation for
singing. Using the vocal gesture that works best for the student, create a vocal exercise with a
simple pattern. Now repeat the same exercise two times in a row: the first time have the
student sing their favorite vocal gesture from above and immediately follow that with the vowel
of your choice. Then go up or down a half-step. Work through all of the vowels and when you
feel like your student is getting the hang of twang, take the initial vocal gesture out and focus
only on the vowel. Anytime your student gets away from the twang quality, you can use her
favorite vocal gesture to get it back.

Do you teach twang? What are your strategies for finding this quality? If you have additional
thoughts or comments, please leave them in the comments section below. For the original
exercise by Klimec, see pages 95-96 in Exercises for Voice Therapy by Alison Behrman and John
Haskell (Plural Publishing).

Thanks for reading! ~Matt

Matthew Edwards
 Mix it up Monday: McClosky articulation exercises

David Blair McClosky was a classical

baritone, voice teacher and therapist who worked with professional speakers, singers, and
actors. He also created The McClosky Technique, which is still taught via the McClosky Institute
of Voice.
In his book Your Voice at its Best, McClosky offers a series of articulation exercises that
specifically address various parts of the the articulatory system. If you have a student struggling
with “tongue tension,” it is often more of a motor skill issue than a muscular issue. The patterns
are sorted by how they are produced. You can use a descending 5-4-3-2-1 pattern or create your
own.
Articulation of labial consonants
 Walt won’t wait for Will
 Patty passed the pie
Articulation of dental consonants
 Think a thought throughout
 They are with us there
Articulation of hard palate consonants with the tip of the tongue
 Time and tide won’t wait
 Dawn declares the day
 Articulation of hard palate consonants with the body of the tongue
 Roger rode his raft
 Shepherds shear their sheep
Articulation of soft palate consonants with the body of the tongue
 Keep your cookies cool
 Give the golden goose
Articulation of labial and dental consonants
 Father fed his flock
 Knaves are very vane

For more phrases, see pages 19-20 and for McClosky’s full explanation of how to use these
exercises, see pages 15-22.

Do you have other phrases that you like to use when training the articulators? If you do, please
share them in the comment section below. If you are not already following the blog, please
sign-up on the bottom right of this page.

Thanks for reading! ~Matt

Mix it up Monday: Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to

gain a better understanding of your students
 Source: http://likesuccess.com/author/isabel-briggs-myers
We know intuitively that our students have unique personalities. From the moment they walk
into our studio we assess how they see the world and how they experience their voice and the
voices of others. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a self-report questionnaire that provides
valuable information about our personalities. My favorite testing website is 16personalities.com.
The questions are easy to answer and the whole process takes only 5-10 minutes. The website
analyzes the participant’s answers and provides a four-letter code along with a narrative of how
to interpret the information. Each of the letters stands for a different trait, as described below.
The code does not mean that the person is solely on one side of the spectrum, but rather shows
a preference in that direction.

I have found that this information enables me to form stronger bonds with my students and
adapt my teaching to fit their needs. Before I talk about how I use this in my studio, let us first
take a look at the options for each of the four preferences.

Extrovert or Introvert

The first letter of the Myers-Briggs personality type describes whether a person primarily
focuses on the outer world (extroverted) or their own inner world (introverted).

Extrovert Introvert

Outgoing, a people person Reflective and/or reserved

Feels comfortable in groups and likes working in Feels comfortable being alone and likes to work that
them way

Seems to know everyone Keeps a smaller and closer group of friends

Jumps quickly into activities, often without thinking
before getting started Often spends more time reflecting and is slow to act

Source: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/extraversion-or-
introversion.htm
Sensing vs. Intuition

The second letter defines whether a person focuses on basic information first or if they tend to
interpret and add meaning.

Sensing Intuition

Tries to read between the lines about what happened

Remembers events as snapshots of what happened at an event in search of meaning.

Solves problems by jumping around between

Solves problems by working through facts different ideas and possibilities

Pragmatic. Looks at the bottom line. Interested in doing things that are new and different.

Starts with facts and then forms the big picture. Looks at the big picture first then seeks out the facts.

Trusts impressions, symbols, and metaphors more

Trusts experience before words or symbols. than personal experience.

Sometimes spends too much time focusing on

Pays so much attention on facts that they may miss possibilities and not enough time turning possibilities
new possibilities. into realities.

Source: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/sensing-or-intuition.htm
Thinking vs. Feeling

The third letter is associated with how people make decisions. The questions in the test seek to
determine whether a person prefers to assess a situation logically or by looking at the people
involved and any special situations.

Thinking Feeling

Enjoys technical and scientific fields where logic is

important. Is oriented towards people and/or communications.
 Is concerned with harmony and is nervous when it is
Notices inconsistencies. missing.

Looks for logical explanations or solutions to Considers what is important to others and expresses
everything. their concern for others around them.

Makes decisions from the heart and wants to be

Makes decisions from the head and wants to be fair. compassionate.

Believes telling the truth is more important than being Believes being tactful is more important than telling
tactful. the truth.

Doesn’t always communicate the “hard truth” of

Doesn’t always value the “people” part of a situation. situations.

Can be seen as too task-oriented, uncaring, or Sometimes perceived by others as being too
indifferent idealistic, too mushy, or too indirect.

Source: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/thinking-or-feeling.htm
Judging vs. Perceiving
The fourth and final letter addresses the outside world and asks if you prefer to get things
decided or to stay open to new information and options.
Judging Perceiving

Likes to have things decided. Likes to stay open and respond to whatever happens.

Appears to be task oriented. Appears to be loose and casual, resists planning.

Makes to-do lists. Works in bursts of energy

Likes to approach work as play or a mix of work and

Likes to get work done before playing. play.

Plans ahead to avoid rushing to meet a deadline. Is stimulated by an approaching deadline.

May focus on the goal to the point that they miss new May stay open to new information for so long that
information. they do not make decisions when they are needed.

Source: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/judging-or-perceiving.htm
 Source: http://tinyurl.com/hjn35wg
When students join my studio atShenandoah Conservatory, I have them take this test and
tell me their personality type. I then use the information to inform how I cue the student and
how I interact with them. With students who lean toward extroversion, I can be loud, lively,
and energetic. However, I have learned that many of my introverted students are overwhelmed
by that energy and with them it helps to pull myself back a bit and allow them more time to
self-assess during lessons. Students who are “sensing” will often have a great handle on what
they are feeling when they sing and we can talk technically about vocal production. Those who
are more intuitive often do better with abstract concepts about how to produce a given sound
quality. Students who are “thinkers” seem to enjoy logical explanations and approaches to
interpreting a song whereas those who are “feelers” seem to be more attracted to the emotions
behind a piece. Finally I have found that students who have a “judging” preference really need
structure while those who are “perceiving” like to work in a flexible environment.

Of course these are broad generalizations, but in my experience they have been rather accurate
and quite helpful. I encourage you to first take the test yourself and then have a few of your
students take it and see if the answers provide further insight about how you can help them
thrive in the studio.

Have you used the Myers-Briggs questionnaire in your studio? Do you have another personality
assessment tool that you have found useful? If you do, I would love to hear your experience in
the comment section below. If you are not already following the blog, please sign-up on the
bottom right of this page.
 Thanks for reading!

Matt
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Mix it up Monday: A register blending exercise from

Richard Miller
 Richard Miller’s book “Solutions for Singers: Tools for
performers and teachers” is full of great ideas on how to troubleshoot common technical issues.
On pages 140-141, Miller answers the question “How do you develop female chest and mixtures
in low range?” Miller is of course approaching this from a classical standpoint. Therefore, he
does not advocate isolating chest register and strengthening it separately as many CCM
pedagogues do. Instead, he suggests an approach that begins with full head voice and gradually
progresses into descending scales that incorporate various combinations of head and chest
mix. As a CCM teacher, I find his suggestion quite useful for developing multiple colors of mix
in my students. Miller suggests you first descend on a five note pattern in full head voice from
top to bottom. He suggests beginning on a B major scale and instructs the reader to add a little
more chest into the mix over several repetitions before ending again with full head as shown
below.
 Since CCM singers are not looking for one consistent tonal quality but rather multiple options,
I think this is a great exercise. You can use it as notated above and/or add your own
variations to even further develop your student’s mix. Also be sure to try different vowel
qualities in conjunction with registration changes. Can your student begin on a head voice /i/,
use chest/head mix on /e/ and end with a full chest /a/? What if they reverse that and start
with a head voice /a/ and descend to a chest voice /i/?

Experiment with as many variations as you can think of. I would suggest starting with blocked
practice (focusing on only one vowel and exercise variation at a time over multiple repetitions)
and then try random practice in a few weeks (changing the variables on each repetition). Have
fun exploring and feel free to leave other related ideas in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading! ~Matt

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Technology Thursday: FREE pedagogy books from

Project Gutenberg

The Project Gutenberg began in 1971 when Michael Stern

Hart, inventor of the eBook, started digitizing and distributing books in the public domain. As
of October 2015, the Project Gutenberg website has digitized over 50,000 books in formats
including HTML, PDF, EPUB, Kindle, and plain text. Today I want to share links to some of the
pedagogy books that can be found in the collection. Many of them are from lesser-known
authors, which to me makes them even more interesting. Enjoy reading! ~Matt
The Mechanism of the Human Voice by Emil Behnke
Vocal Mastery by Harriette Brower
Caruso and Tetrazzini on the Art of Singing by Enrico Caruso and Luisa Tetrazzini
The Head Voice and Other Problems: Practical Talks on Singing by D. A. Clippinger
Great Singers on the Art of Singing by James Francis Cooke

Advice to Singers by Frederick James Crowest

Great Singers, First Series by George T. Ferris
Great Singers, Second Series by George T. Ferris
Resonance in Singing and Speaking by Thomas Fillebrown
Style in Singing by W. E. Haslam
The Child-Voice in Singing by Francis E. Howard
Confessions of an Opera Singer by Kathleen Howard
Famous Singers of Today and Yesterday by Henry Charles Lahee
How to Sing by Lilli Lehmann
The Voice: Its Production, Care and Preservation by Frank E. Miller
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking by Wesley Mills
The Brain and the Voice in Speech and Song by F. W. Mott

The Renaissance of the Vocal Art by Edmund J. Myer

 What Every Singer Should Know by Millie Ryan
The Voice in Singing by Emma Seiler
The Psychology of Singing by David C. Taylor
Seed Thoughts for Singers by Frank Herbert Tubbs
Piano and Song by Friedrich Wieck

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The CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute

Matthew Edwards is Artistic Director of the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah Conservatory. For more
information visitCCMInstitute.com
“So You Want To Sing Rock ‘N’ Roll?”
 Ranked the #1 New Release in "Vocal and Singing" on Amazon.com(October 2014), "So You Want To Sing Rock 'N'
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both singers and teachers. Order your copy today!

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A mixing exercise for Mix it up Monday!

Aaron Johnson, PhD is a researcher, educator, clinician, and

performer who was most recently on the faculty of University Illinois Urbana-Champaign and
 will be joining the Department of Otolaryngology at New York University School of Medicine
beginning in the fall of 2016. Today I am going to share a summary of the mixing exercise he
contributed toThe Vocal Athlete: Application and technique for the hybrid singer by Marci
Rosenberg and Wendy LeBorgne. The exercise consists of three steps that help singers get over
the fear of their break, learn to control where they transition, and eventually learn to smooth it
out. I think this is a great exercise for CCM singers, especially musical theatre performers.
When singers know what their options are, they have more freedom to communicate the
human experience through song. I’m presenting Dr. Johnson’s exercise in bullet points below.
For the full explanation, please read his contribution on pages 98-101 of the book. To see an
excerpt of Dr. Johnson’s work with real-time MRI machines, watch the video at the end of this
blog (I know you will enjoy it!).

“Register Transition Exploration”

 Step 1: Exploration and Acceptance of the Break
 Glide from chest to head using a comfortable vowel at mezzo-piano. As the student glides up, encourage them to take
their time going through the register transition and ask them to be a passive observer of what is happening. Do the same
sliding back down. Allow them to take a breath between ascending and descending glides if needed. Encourage the
student to embrace the instability of their voice and let go of their fear of cracking.
 Step 2: Adjustment of Transition Location
 When the student is comfortable embracing their break, explore shifting the break to different pitch ranges. For instance,
slide upwards and ask them to carry the chest register up higher than they normally would before transitioning over to
head. Then as they slide down, ask them to carry the head register lower than they normally would before transitioning
over to chest.
 On the next ascending slide, ask them to transition to head registser earlier than they normally would. Then on the
descending glide, ask them to transition to chest register earlier than normal.
 Have the student continue to explore until they begin to feel like they have control over where their voice transitions.
 Step 3: Smoothing the Transition
 Now that the student has some control over when they transition, begin coaching them through the process of smoothly
gliding up and down their range without a noticeable break between registers.
 Bonus advice: Using semi-occluded vocal tract exercises for assistance in register transitions
 Using straws and other semi-occluded vocal tract positions will help the student smooth out register transitions by
increasing impedance (see The Vocal Athlete pp. 236-239 for more information).
 For the greatest amount of impedance, use a small cocktail straw. For less impedance, use larger drinking straws.
 Vowels such as /i/ and /u/ with the lips protruded and consonants such as /v/ and /z/ will also add impedance.
 Open vowels such as /a/ provide the least resistance and are the most difficult vowels to use while learning to navigate the
transition.

Now for a little fun:

Thanks for reading!

Mix it up Monday: Simple yet effective tongue stretches

 It is a busy time at Shenandoah Conservatory as we get ready welcome voice
teachers from around the world to the 14th Annual CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute. Therefore,
today’s post is going to be rather short and to the point. Here is a list of tongue stretches and
exercises from James C. McKinney’s book “The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults,” page
163. They are short and sweet, but quite effective! Enjoy! ~Matt

Corrective exercises for hyperfunctional use of the tongue

1. Alternate between extending the tongue out of the mouth as far as possible and retracting the tongue as far as possible.
Begin slowly and increase the speed with repetition
2. Trace circles around the inside of the lips both clockwise and counterclockwise
3. Alternate between trying to touch your nose and chin with the tip of your tongue.
4. Lay your tongue on the bottom lip and vocal on /a/, persist until you can do so without your tongue trying to pull back into
your mouth, quivering, or constantly trying to change its shape.
5. Select songs that require fast articulatory movements.

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Mix it up Monday: A few thoughts from Cornelius Reid

I was reading through the first chapter of Cornelius Reid’s “The Free Voice: A guide to natural
singing” on the plane home from the APME conference and these two paragraphs really jumped
out at me.

“The undeviating purpose of training is functional freedom, not, as

is commonly believed, beauty of tone quality. An artist desires above all to communicate, and the benefit
to be derived from a healthy coordinative response is that it provides absolute spontaneity of expression.
With the attainment of functional freedom, the singer then becomes able to express what he has to say
the way he wants to say it, not the way he has to. He has been released from the strictures imposed by
‘tone consciousness.’ Functional freedom alone is able to fully release sensitivity, insight, emotional and
intellectual depth, and musical perception.
To make beauty of tone the direct object of study is to put the cart before the horse. In the first place, no
one can know the true textural quality of a given voice until functional freedom has been attained.
Therefore, without functional freedom the natural beauty of the voice is unknown. Thus, the only
conclusion to be reached is that the teacher who strives for tonal beauty as a direct object of study either
has prescience, or is merely imposing his own aesthetic evaluations onto his students. Success in
achieving pure tone quality will only come with the release of wrong tension, which is the meaning of
vocal freedom.”

For some readers, some of these sentences may be controversial. However, I think there are
some really important statements to reflect on this week. Let’s take a look at a few that jumped
out at me.

“The undeviating purpose of training is functional freedom, not, as is commonly believed, beauty
of tone quality….In the first place, no one can know the true textural quality of a given voice until
functional freedom has been attained.Therefore, without functional freedom the natural beauty of
the voice is unknown.”

I cannot tell you how many voice teachers I have heard instructing students on how to create a
beautiful tone. But what does that mean? I’m 6’4″, I have a loud voice (speaking and singing)
with a fair amount of natural “metal” in the sound. Even when singing with my best classical
technique and repertoire, my voice in no way shape or form possesses the colors of someone
like Thomas Hampson. Does that mean it is less beautiful? In many situations, in my early
training, I felt like the answer to that question was an absolute yes – I did not have the beauty
of tone of a world class (i.e. Metropolitan Opera) baritone. That was hard to deal with as a
young singer. What I didn’t understand then was that my type was unique and there was
certain repertoire that my voice was a perfect fit for. Yet even when singing rep that was ideal
for my type, I would not fit the typical definition of having a “beautiful voice.”

When we constantly bring up the word “beauty” or its derivatives in a voice lesson, we establish
an unachievable expectation, much like the airbrushed models in magazines set up unrealistic
body images for young teens. However, if we focus on “functional freedom,” there is no need to
define “beauty” or to even hold it up as a standard. Instead, we can focus on getting the body to
produce sound with freedom and ease and allow others to form their own opinions about the
quality of the voice in conjunction with the setting (genre, character, etc.).

With the attainment of functional freedom, the singer then becomes able to express what he has to
say the way he wants to say it, not the way hehas to.
At Shenandoah Conservatory I work with a lot of actors. I find that they can easily find
themselves locked in knots in their acting classes when they are trying to “place their voice”
while committing to what the acting teacher is asking from them. Why does that happen?
Because in many instances, in young singers, placement can only be replicated by muscular
manipulation of the vocal tract. In order to replicate a given “place,” the singer has to
consciously manipulate the structures of their voice, which takes a great deal of mental control.
If they are spending that much effort to control their vocal mechanism, how can they pay any
attention to their scene partner and pursue a given action as directed by their teacher? It is
nearly impossible. However, when a singer has attained functional freedom, their vocal
mechanism will respond to the emotional impulses created by their pursuit of an acting
objective and their voice will respond accordingly.

“Success in achieving pure tone quality will only come with the release of wrong tension, which is
the meaning of vocal freedom.”

I think this is what all good voice teachers want, but sometimes in the repetitive nature of our
work it is easy to slip into a rut and begin saying the same things to all of our students, using
easy fixes to make it through a long day. Can placement be beneficial for some students?
Absolutely. But it can also cause a lot of tension in others. Can assertive methods such as
introducing various laryngeal positions be useful in the studio? Yes. However, to train a
functionally free singer, we should eventually try to move away from positioning and encourage
students to form their own pathways to any given sound using the least manipulation possible.

If you want to “mix it up” this week, ask yourself if the exercises you are choosing for each
student are working towards a specific goal and/or functional freedom, or if you have perhaps
fallen into a rut. I’ll be doing the same. No matter how long we teach, how much we read, or
how much we know it is easy to fall into a pattern in any job.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: Never say “You’re wrong”

 Classically trained voice teachers often form strong
opinions about vocal training and feel deeply committed to them; in many cases rightfully so. I
think it is because in classical music there are some very clear “rules” so to speak. For instance,
scooping is rarely desirable, sopranos should not carry chest voice into the upper range of their
voice, hochdeutsch is expected when singing lieder, and the list could go on and on. However,
in commercial styles there are no rules. What makes a commercial artist successful is the
unique musical and vocal stylisms they bring to their work.
Conflict can arise in the studio when a teacher encounters a commercial singer who is

trying to find their own unique voice with a technique that does not align with their own
aesthetics. In many cases what the teacher perceives as the cause of the problem may be
absolutely correct, but if the correction is delivered in a harsh manner (as is typical in many
classical vocal settings), the student will shut down. Best case scenario it will take several weeks
to gain the student’s trust and start making improvements. Worst case scenario they will be
offended that you think they are singing “wrong” and they will not come back for lessons.

Famed author Dale Carnegie talks about how to offer corrections in his book “How to win
friends and influence people.” The way that we approach a disagreement can make all the
difference. Carnegie says “When we are wrong, we may admit it to ourselves. And if we are
handled gently and tactfully, we may admit it to others and even take pride in our frankness
and broad-mindedness. But not if someone else is trying to ram the unpalatable fact down our
esophagus.” Essentially, as soon as you tell a student they are doing something wrong, they are
going to feel the need to save face and you will meet resistance.

So how does this translate into the voice studio? If a student comes in and displays what you
perceive to be a fault, you may be tempted to say “you are doing ___________, which is
wrong and that’s the reason you can’t sing high notes.” Instead, Carnegie suggests you make
observations with a touch of humility to help soften the delivery of your thoughts. For instance,
you could try phrasing your observation in the following way: “I may be wrong, but I think you
are locking your jaw, which may make those high notes a little harder than they need to be.”
You are saying the same thing, but in a manner that does not make the other person have a
knee-jerk reaction to save face and start making excuses. Carnegie sums up this philosophy as
“Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never say, “You’re wrong.”
 I think this is especially hard for those of us who were not taught that way by our own teachers.
However, I have found that using the many approaches that Carnegie details in his book will
yield much better results than correcting students in the manner I was often corrected in
lessons and coachings. Try using this softer approach with your students this week and let me
know how it works by responding in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: How to Really Bomb a Master Class

(Advice for the Teacher)

A few weeks ago I posted Richard Miller’s brilliant advice for the singer. Today I want to share his
advice for the master teacher. Enjoy!
1. Begin by being anecdotal, recalling your own impressive performance career. Recount having been embraced on stage by
Bernstein, and what Ormandy said about your artistry; mention how many times you have sung each of your major roles,
and in which houses.
2. Follow this with an account of how you selflessly gave up a major career to devote yourself to teaching.
3. Sit at a desk or table, just out of range of the singer’s vision, and while smiling and swaying to the music, conduct with
your pencil.
4. Sit in a chair next to the piano and conduct the accompanist. Then spend a large part of the twenty minutes in instructing
the pianist as to how the piece should be played.
5. When working in a large hall, insist that your speaking voice has wonderful projection, and refuse to use a microphone.
6. Interrupt the singer after the first eight bars.
7. Convey your suggestions privately to the singer so that the audience members (who have paid a registration fee) cannot
hear the comments.
8. Begin immediately to point out what is wrong and avoid mentioning anything positive about either the voice or the
performance.
9. Claim to teach bel canto.
10. Make several quite minor suggestions and ask the singer to sing the entire piece over again. (This will fill much of the
time if you are at a loss as to what to do).
11. With a sorrowful shake of the head, mention that the assigned repertoire is totally wrong.
12. With another shake of the head, mention that the assigned repertoire is totally wrong.
13. Make constant running comments to the student as he or she is singing.
14. Sing along with the student, especially if you yourself have sung the aria.
15. Avoid all technical suggestions for fear of offending the people who invited you.
16. Tell the singer he or she has no talent and should not continue studying.
17. Insist on accepting only your tempo, interpretation, embellishments, and cadential figures.
18. Spend a lot of additional time with the singer you most enjoy; cut short the sessions with the others, particularly if they are
not especially gifted.
19. Keep looking at your watch or the clock on the wall.
20. As the singer performs, stare intently at a copy of the music with your head buried in it, then lecture the singer on how
best to communicate the text to the audience.
21. Make the same suggestion to everyone, regardless of the individual problem.
22. Give a mini-lecture of eight to ten minutes about the composer’s intent.
23. Describe the circumstances under which the poem was created; include details of the poet’s life, especially if they are a bit
bizarre.
24. Above all, be artistically grand and speak from Mount Olympus.

Thanks for reading!

~Matt

Mix it up Monday: How to Really Bomb a Master Class

(Advice for Students)

Today I would like to share some wonderful

advice from the one and only Richard Miller. Luckily I have never experienced all twenty-four
 of these in one class, but I have definitely have seen variations of most of these. Consider

yourself warned! ~Matt

1. Although the advanced materials mention that all music to be performed in the public master class is to be memorized,
come onto the stage carrying a copy of the music you are to sing, something you’ve looked at only recently.
2. Announce to the master teacher that you have chosen to sing an item full of technical problems that you would like to
have solved during twenty minutes allotted to you.
3. Don’t warm-up in advance.
4. Mention that you are in the midst of changing techniques, and that you want to demonstrate the two ways you can sing, to
find out which one is right.
5. When the master teacher points out things in need of improvement, insist that you never make those mistakes except when
you are nervous.
6. Choose an eight minute aria that will take up one third of your time. Look indignant if you’re interrupted.
7. If, in the interest of time, you are requested to cut the da capo, plead to be allowed to sing it because you have
embellished it.
8. Choose something in a language that you have difficulty pronouncing.
9. Begin by using up the time to explain to the master teacher and the audience the character in the dramatic situation. Make
it funny.
10. Announce that (a) you are just getting a cold, or (b) you are just getting over one.
11. The first time you are corrected, cry.
12. If male, wear red suspenders and no jacket; if female, wear unaccustomed high heels and a tight-waisted dress that looks
great but is uncomfortable for singing, or
13. Regardless of what your teacher may have advised, wear sneakers, jeans, and a sloppy sweater.
14. Have friends whistle and cheer when you finish.
15. Although a professional accompanist has been provided, use your mother.
16. Enact the aria.
17. Before you begin to sing, mention all of the shows you have been in and the contests you have won.
18. Refuse to do any of the vocalizing patterns suggested.
19. Always justify what you do: “I did that because _________.” Disagree with the master teacher on matters of technique
and on interpretive suggestions.
20. Be hesitant to admit that any of the technical suggestions are helpful. Refuse to recognize any differences in sound or
sensation.
21. Request to go later than scheduled, because you can’t sing before a certain hour of the day.
22. Choose a Broadway tune when you know the master teacher is a Lieder specialist. Or, to avoid any silly diction
corrections, sing something in Russian, Swedish, or Czech that you have learned phonetically, although neither the master
teacher nor you knows the language.
23. Publicly explain that you have always had very bad teachers, so that your faults are not your own responsibility.
24. Near the close of your twenty-minute session (perhaps in the eighteenth minute), be sure to ask a complicated technical
question that would take an additional 20 minutes to answer.
For more great information, check out Miller’s book “On the Art of Singing.” You can find the
material from today’s post on pages 190-192.

Mix it up Monday: KP and KR Feedback

 Augmented feedback is information received from
others when performing a task. In the voice studio, this feedback comes from the teacher.
Augmented feedback comes in two types “knowledge of performance” (KP) and “knowledge of
results” (KR). KP feedback gives the singer information about how they produced a sound. For
example, you may tell the student they didn’t smile enough on the high note, or that they raised
their chin, or that their abdominal wall wasn’t engaged. When using KR feedback, instead of
telling the student what they did wrong, the teacher tells the student how close they came to the
goal. So for instance, you may tell the student that the vowel was “almost right” or that some
aspect of their performance is “80% there.”

It is important to know when to provide each of these types of feedback. For instance, KP
feedback is usually most beneficial in the initial stages of learning a new skill. However, the
teacher needs to be careful not to micromanage the student. Micromanaging prevents the
student from having time to assess their own performance. While the micromanaged student
may perform better in the lesson, it is more likely that they will return to the next lesson and
appear to have made little progress from the last session. This is because the student was
relying solely on the teacher to achieve the desired results.

When a student has a clear understanding of what is expected and is working on consistency
and mastery of a skill, KR feedback is usually more effective. However, in order for the KR
feedback to be effective, the student must understand what the target is and how to get there.
Sometimes in the excitement of the moment, we want to offer feedback immediately after a
student has sung a phrase. However, kinesiology studies suggest that immediately offering
feedback may impede progress. Instead, wait a few seconds, let the student process what they
did, and then offer your feedback. Ask them to “think about that for a minute” and then try the
exercise/phrase again. This gives the student time to process the feedback and has been shown
to enhance skill acquisition.

As you teach this week, think about what kind of feedback you are offering and try
experimenting with KP and KR as appropriate. When you offer KR instead of KP, it is likely
your student will make more mistakes and it may take them more time to “get it right” in the
lesson. However, the long-term gains they will make as they become more self-sufficient are
well worth it.

For more information about motor learning as described in this post, check out The Vocal
Athlete by Dr. Wendy LeBorgne, CCC-SLP and Marci Rosenberg, CCC-SLP. Wendy and Marci
will be guests this summer at the New CCM Institute and will be teaching participants how to
incorporate motor learning principles during session I.

If you have thoughts or comments, please share them below. Thanks for reading!

Matt
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Mix it Up Monday: The “hat game” (for kids)

Viola Spolin (1906-1994) was an American acting teacher and

educator who is largely responsible for creating the idea of “theatre games” in the United
States. Spolin’s son Paul Sills was the founding director of Chicago’s The Second City, an
improvisational troupe whose alumni include Joan Rivers, John Belushi, John Candy, Bill
Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, and countless others. If you
have ever watched “Whose line is it anyway?” you have been exposed to the types of games that
represent Spolin’s work.

Spolin believed that theatre games should be the primary approach for working with kids.
Through play, the teacher gains insight into the child’s attitude, insecurities, and behaviors.
Attention spans and energy levels vary from child to child, but Spolin believed that if children
were given an interesting problem to solve (through play), they would stay engaged for long
periods of time. The long-term goal for Spolin was to move the students from spontaneous play
into communicable stage behavior appropriate for the theatre.

My amazing wife Jackie

Today’s exercise is one that my wife Jackie developed in her own work with children in the voice
studio. Spolin had an exercise called “Creating Scenes with Costumes” (p. 292), where the
students were instructed to go through a collection of costumes and hats, pick pieces that they
liked, and dress themselves up. The students could then either look in a mirror to choose their
character or allow the group to choose a character for them. Finally, the students had to improv
a scene based on the characters they had created.

The box does not have to be limited to hats. Scarves, glasses, headbands, and capes work great
too.

Jackie developed a simpler version of this game to use in voice lessons with her younger
students using a box full of hats. Once a student has memorized their song, they get to play the
hat game. The student goes to the box, picks a hat, and places it on their head. They must then
instantly become the character and sing their song. My wife instructs the student to be silly,
have fun, and to act and sing like the character would. Once the student has completed the song
(or a cut) with one hat, they go back to the box, pick another hat, and repeat the exercise. The
student does this as many times as the game remains fun and useful. My wife then discusses
the exercise with the student, which produces valuable information about how the student
experiences the world around them as an actor. They also discuss how the student’s voice was
affected by the exercise and how they could use those qualities in different songs. For instance,
“Castle on a Cloud” might need a little more princess in it while “It’s a hard knock life” might
need a little more construction worker.

Not only is this exercise fun for both the student and the teacher, it also has significant
pedagogical benefits. We all begin our lives as creative, energetic, and imaginative creatures –
children. When we enter school, we are told to talk quietly, to color inside the lines, and to do
things correctly to earn a good grade. While these rules are not meant to kill creativity, they
often can. A child’s desire to play without inhibitions usually remains alive until they start
going through puberty. If you can tap into that spirit early in their training, they are more likely
to come out on the other side of puberty with confidence in themselves and their craft.

If you have other ideas for improvisational games that can be played in voice lessons, please
share them in the comment section below. Until then, clean your old hats out of your closet,
dump them in a box, and have fun this week!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: The blow ball game

 Over the past few months I’ve had several requests to
include demonstrations in my posts. So this week I decided to start playing around with video!
From now on I will be doing traditional posts as well as posts that are either completely video
or primarily video.

I got the idea for this week’s post at a voice conference, although I cannot remember which one
(if you remember, please comment below). When I first tried it with my college and adult
students I got really positive results. My wife Jackie teaches many pre-teens and teens and
when she tried it, the results were terrific! The students were having fun, laughing, and best of
all they had something to take home from the lesson to play with AND improve their technique.
My wife and I have both been using these devices ever since. Watch the video below to learn
more, and stop by your local Dollar Tree to pick up some of your own!

Thanks for reading/watching!

~Matt

Mix it up Monday: Using negative practice in voice lessons

 Negative practice is an idea that comes from
psychology and motor learning studies.

“Negative practice involves the repeated performance of a behavior with the goal of eliminating or
reducing the occurrence of the behavior. The idea is that massed practice of the problem behavior
creates fatigue or a similar aversive consequence and thus reduces the rates of the behavior in the future
(similar to the process of positive punishment).” (Weems and Costa, 2005)

Simplified for our purposes, negative practice helps a student overcome a vocal fault by
purposely producing the fault followed by the new approach so that their brain begins to
recognize the difference. So let’s say a student is struggling with nasality and you have just
helped them discover how to produce a non-nasal sound. With negative practice, instead of
focusing only on the new technique, you would have them sing a vowel the old way, then
immediately have them sing it the new way. During the negative practice, have them talk about
what they are doing differently between the old way and the new way and how they can
remember the difference. After a few repetitions using negative practice, have them vocalize
with the new technique again. Then after a few minutes of successful practice in the new mode,
stop and have them sing the old way followed by the new way several times again. The act of
going back and forth between old and new, and asking them to articulate the difference to you
will help the student master the difference between the two. At the end of the lesson, they will
be more likely to be able to recall the differences on their own while practicing.

I have found negative practice to be extremely beneficial in my studio. My students improve

faster than before because they leave each lesson feeling confident that they know how they
were singing and how I am asking them to sing now. Try negative practice in your own lessons
this week and let me know what you think. If you have other comments or thoughts about
negative practice, please leave them in the comments section below. If you find this article
interesting, please subscribe to the blog using the subscription form at the bottom right of this
page. Also be sure to check out our offerings this summer at the CCM Voice Pedagogy Institute.
Throughout sessions one and two we will be discussing motor learning principles and how they
can improve student success in the voice studio.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Weems, C. & Costa, N. (2005). Negative practice. In M. HersenJ. Rosqvist & A. M. Gross (Eds.),
Encyclopedia of behavior modification and cognitive behavior therapy(Vol. 3, pp. 916-916). Thousand
Oaks, CA: ads
About these SAGE Publications Ltd. doi: 10.4135/9781412950534.n2080

Pedagogical Musings: “There’s more than one way to skin

a cat”

First of all let me clarify that I am a cat LOVER. This is just

a phrase from my childhood in southern Ohio that has always stuck with me. For my
international readers, it basically means there is more than one way to get something done.
This past Sunday I picked up Richard Miller’s “National Schools of Singing” to review a few
things and I started thinking, which of course lead me to write this post. Miller’s book describes
with great depth the differences between Italian, German, French, and English schools of
singing. What is very clear is that successful teachers and singers have come from all of these
countries even though they approach vocal technique differently. Artists from these countries
have different tonal goals, yet they produce art that people want to experience. Isn’t that the
most important aspect of what we do?

It is not only Miller’s book that drives this point home. Pick up “Great Singers on Great
Singing,” by Jerome Hines “Spectrum of Voices,” by Elizabeth Blades-Zeller, or “Singing in
Musical Theatre” by Joan Melton and you will find an impressive variety of opinions from
singers/teachers who have all been quite successful. If you look at the wide variety of books,
CDs, DVDs, and YouTube videos by famous CCM pedagogues including Aaron Hagan, Tom
Burke, Melissa Cross, Mary Barton Saunders, Seth Riggs, Brett Manning, and numerous others
you will find that they have differing opinions but all of them have successful students. So how
are we supposed to sort it all out? Well I think it comes down to the fact that sometimes it takes
different strokes for different folks.

The classical voice world has used the “fach” system to differentiate between different vocal
weights and timbres for well over a century. It has proven to be quite useful in an artform
where there are expected tonal norms and expectations for specific roles. However, in the CCM
world there are no norms. Look at the success of artists such as Sting, Bob Dylan, Katy Perry,
The Band Perry, Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins, Nirvana, and Metallica. These artists do not
fit in the same box, they are all very different and very successful. Being unique in the CCM
world is critical and if we try to “fach” or homogenize the voices of our students, we could easily
take away the qualities that make them special.

Our role as voice teachers should be to do no harm while honoring our students’ tonal goals.
Having a variety of tools in your pedagogical toolbox makes it much easier to be an effective
teacher for such a wide variety of students. Instead of thinking “which technique is right” or
“which technique is better” in broad general terms, I would like to urge my readers to
instead think about each situation individually. “What techniques could I teach this singer to
help them reach their tonal goal?” It will be easier to answer this question if you have a
thorough grasp on vocal function and have developed your own systematic approach to
training the voice. However, at the end of the day you will notice that you get better results with
less resistance from your students when you begin to explore diverse approaches. Even if they
are completely different than what you were taught as a singer.

If you are looking for a continuing education opportunity this summer where you can partake
in this type of exploration, please consider joining us at the CCM Voice Pedagogy Institute. The
new lineup of guest teachers will bring together diverse opinions within a unified structure that
will improve your understanding of vocal function, enable you to analyze diverse technical
approaches, and develop your own systematic method for teaching CCM artists.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: Using a cork to improve your

students’ vowels
 Arthur Lessac made his Broadway debut in “Pins and
Needles” in 1937. He went on to an illustrious career as a performer and spent the latter part of
his career as a professor at SUNY Binghamton. Lessac wrote “The use and training of human
voice” in 1960 which describes his approach to vocal training. Today I am going to present
what he calls a “structural stretch exercise” that requires you to form the vowels using the lips
and tongue without engaging the jaw. While his book is primarily aimed at speakers, this
exercise is also applicable to singing voice training.

Lessac states that when most people transition from an /a/ vowel to an /u/ vowel the space
between the teeth will decrease as the lips narrow. This reduces the space in the oral cavity and
can affect resonance. To train the singer or speaker to isolate the lips, Lessac would place a cork
between the teeth on both sides of the mouth. He suggests you cut a cork to around 1/4″ thick.
 Place the cork between the teeth as seen below.

If that position is uncomfortable, you can cut a cork slice in half

then place the pieces in between the teeth horizontally.

Have the singer sustain an /a/ vowel with a large lip opening. As the singer sustains the vowel,
have them slowly bring the lips towards an /u/ position. The student should not bite down on
the cork and should instead feel a sensation similar to the beginning of a yawn. After learning
to transition from a wide open /a/ vowel to a closed lip /u/ vowel, take the student through the
entire series of vowels, from open to closed. When the student is comfortable with this exercise,
remove the cork and ask them to repeat the exercise. To do this, they will need to focus on
isolating the movement of the lip muscles that extend from the cheek bones to the lips.

If they want to monitor themselves without the cork, they can use one or two fingers pressed up
against the cheeks. You can also have the student sing through their repertoire with the corks to
help them isolate the movement of their lips and tongue from the movement of their jaw. After
singing through a song once or twice, try removing the corks and take notice of any changes
and discuss what they are experiencing.

There are other methods for using corks as well, all have the same goal – to reduce excess jaw
tension and relax the throat. Do you have a way that you like to use corks in the voice studio? If
so, please share in the comment section below. Thanks for reading and be sure to follow the
blog to receive updates when there is a new post.

~Matt

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Mix it up Monday: Managing transglottal airflow

 There are many different ways that people describe
transglottal airflow, the way air moves through the vocal folds during phonation. Phrases like
“spin the tone,” “sing on the breath,” “release your air,” and many others are commonly used to
achieve results. If the terminology you are currently using works, then by all means keep using
it. However, if you are looking for other ways to explain this concept to your students, I am
going to offer a few ideas to “mix it up.”

When helping my students learn to manage transglottal airflow (the way air moves through the
vocal folds), I like to introduce them to the two extremes – holding their breath and exhaling. I
teach my students that these two extremes are primarily caused by changes at the vocal fold
level. If they are holding their breath, the folds are closed tightly together. This position is
similar to what is found in chest register. When the student is exhaling, the folds open wide. If
you were able to bring the folds slightly together from the exhale position until they began
vibrating and producing a pitch, the mechanism would be in head register. I then have the
student sing a single pitch in both chest and head register and ask them to identify what they
feel in terms of airflow. They will usually notice that chest register feels more like holding their
breath and head register feels more like exhaling. If they are having difficulty noticing the
difference, I will have them sing through a straw with their hand at the opposite end so they
can physically feel the changes in airflow. I then have the student sing messa di voce style
exercises. I ask them to initiate phonation in chest register (held breath) then transition to head
register (more exhale) and then back to chest register (held breath). Then I ask them to begin
with more exhale (head register) transition towards more held breath (chest register) and then
back to using more exhale (head register).

When we are working on a song, I can then use these two extremes as I coach them. If the
student is singing a Britney Spears ballad, they are going to want more exhale in the sound to
achieve a breathy intimate quality. If they are learning to belt and the sound is excessively airy,
I may tell them that they have too much exhale in the sound and that it will feel more like they
are holding their breath when singing in chest register. Now of course this is all tailored to each
individual student. However, I find that the majority of my students can easily understand this
concept and quickly apply it to their songs.
Terri Brinegar, author of Vocal and Stage Essentials for the Aspiring Female R&B Singer, uses a
garden hose as an analogy. This is another great way to introduce the concept of transglottal
airflow. When using a garden hose as an image, I ask the student to think of a twist style brass
nozzle. When the nozzle is tightened, very little water will escape while a great deal of pressure
will build up behind the nozzle (this is similar to chest register). If you open the nozzle, more
water will flow through and there will be less pressure built up behind the nozzle (this is similar
to head register). I then talk to my students about how to manage their breath so as not to
overpower their nozzle (that’s going to have to wait for another post).

If you have other ideas about how to teach this concept, please leave a comment below. Thanks
for reading.

~Matt

Technology Thursday: Isolated Vocal Tracks

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could hear famous singers without

their bands? Well thanks to a few brilliant people on the internet, now you can. Get on
YouTube and search “Isolated Vocal Track” or “___(artist name)___ a cappella” or
“____(artist name)____ mic feed” and check out what pops up. Some of the videos are better
than others, but they all provide some very interesting insight. There are many ways these
videos can be used to help educate our students. For instance, listen to how exact Whitney’s
rhythm is on her entrances in this example. Also note how the vocals have been stacked on the
chorus. If your student is struggling to find the same fullness Whitney has on this song, play
this for them and talk to them about the process of double-tracking.
Mic feeds from live performances are in most cases less processed than the original album.
They are also usually void of auto-tune. With these videos you can give your students an idea of
what their favorite pop stars sound like in live performance with everything stripped away.

When students are trying to learn how to add stylisms to their pop/rock songs, they will
usually learn better by listening and imitating than reading and intellectualizing. I like this clip
of Freddie Mercury as an example of scoops, fall-offs, register changes, vowel morphing, and
more.

And if your student ever has a bad moment on stage, it can be helpful to not only remind them
that everyone has bad performances, but to also show them an example or two.

What are your favorite isolated vocal tracks? Add to the conversation by sharing them in the
comment section below.

Thanks for reading!

Matt
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Mix it up Monday: “Bang Bang into the room”

For centuries voice teachers have created small text based

exercises for use during vocalizing. I remember warming up with “I love to sing” and “Many
mumbling mice…..” These types of exercises can help break the monotony of single vowels
while also bringing the articulators into the warm-up process. I like to liven things up a bit
when the student needs a little energy or fun in their day by using licks from pop songs. Here
are a few of my favorites. As you are listening to the radio, keep an ear out for others.
Have fun!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: Make a plan of action!

Mix it up Monday is BACK! I took a brief hiatus for the

holidays and then travelled to University of Northern Colorado to teach a pop/rock intensive and then to
San Diego to present at the Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (check out my spring travel
schedule here). Today the spring semester begins and it is time to start blogging again.
When I first started teaching I knew what I had done to fix specific problems with my own
voice and I had a handful of my favorite exercises. That was about it; I would be lying if I didn’t
say it was overwhelming at times. Luckily I came across a book that proved to be very helpful –
 James C. McKinney’s The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. In the first few pages
McKinney lays out the following steps for forming a plan of action when teaching (p. 17) that
lay the groundwork for the rest of his book:
1. Ask yourself what is wrong with the sound you are hearing.
2. Think about what could be causing the voice to sound that way.
3. Then decide what you are going to do about it.

Now in hindsight, this seems pretty simple. However, coming from a generation where you did
what the teacher asked and didn’t think too much about it, I wasn’t necessarily in the mindset
of listening for what was causing the issue and then developing an exercise to fix it. I was really
only thinking about placement, posture, and breath. When I started to think about cause and
effect, my teaching drastically improved.

So how would you use these steps in a lesson? Let us listen to an example of a “vocal fault” you
may hear in your studio.

The student in this situation is seeking lessons to strengthen her “soprano voice” so that she
can be more competitive as a musical theatre performer. In this example the singer’s voice is
excessively breathy. The harder question for many beginning teachers is what could be causing
the breathiness.

When analyzing a singer’s voice, always begin with the vocal folds and ask yourself, “are the
vocal folds vibrating the way I want them to?” In this case, the answer would be no, the vocal
folds are not closing in an efficient manner and therefore there is more breath than tone being
emitted during phonation. So what can you do to correct the issue? Well there are numerous
options and through experience it will become easier to know which one is the best to start with
for the student in front of you. For instance, you could develop the singer’s chest voice with
loud bright vowels to improve vocal fold closure. Another option would be to describe the
anatomy of the vocal folds and use your hands to demonstrate the difference between vocal fold
closure in thin and thick fold vibration patterns and then vocalize with thick fold
configurations. You could also have the student hold their breath and then initiate phonation
with a glottal onset as a means to teaching a more efficient vocal fold closure. There are of
course many other options as well.

So how do you make a decision about where to start? You always want to pick the simplest way
possible to get what you are looking for. If singing louder will get you the result you want,
perfect. If that doesn’t work, you may have to try something moretactile. For instance, ask the
student to hold their breath and then initiate phonation. Just remember that the simpler you
can make the adjustment, the easier it will be for the student to get out of their head and just
perform. Therefore, always try to use the mostindirect approach you can.

When troubleshooting, spend at least three to five minutes on an exercise before giving up on
it. Let your student have time to process what they are doing and assess what they are feeling
 before giving feedback. Motor learning studies suggest that it is best to give feedback after 5-10
repetitions rather than after every repetition.

So to put this into the three steps outlined by McKinney:

1. Ask yourself “What is wrong with the sound I am hearing?” In this example, the voice is excessively breathy.
2. Ask yourself “What could be causing the voice to sound that way?” In this example, the vocal fold closure is
inefficient.
3. Then determine what exercise you are going to use. Try the most indirect path first, then progress to more tactile and
assertive approaches if necessary. Resist the urge to give immediate feedback and instead allow the singer to try five to
ten repetitions first.

If you have other thoughts, please share them in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: Nasality

Nasality is a common issue that you will

encounter in the voice studio. While nasality is rarely desired in classical singing (French nasal
vowelsbeing the obvious exception), in some CCM styles it is considered acceptable. Whereas
there are fairly standardized expectations of what certain voice types will sound like in classical
singing (i.e. the German fach system), in CCM styles there are no standardized fachs.
Individuality is what is important in CCM styles and for some singers, part of that individuality
is a nasal quality. For example Rufus Wainwright and Britney Spears

The voice becomes nasal when tone escapes through the nasal cavity
instead of the mouth. This happens when the soft palate is in a lowered position.
 A low soft palate.

To fully eliminate nasality, you need to completely seal off the nasal cavity. There are many
different ways to help a student do that.
 W. Stephen Smith describes an indirect approach in his book “The Naked Voice.” Smith suggests that the soft palate will
rise when air flows through the voice freely. While inhaling through a yawn has been a common tool for addressing this,
Smith suggests that it can trigger depression of the posterior tongue which constricts the larynx. Instead he suggests
thinking of inhaling through the upper half of a yawn. Furthermore, he believes that when air is freely flowing and the
tongue and lips define the vowel without entanglement, the soft palate will naturally rise (Smith, 2007, p. 110).
 In his book “Solutions for Singers,” Richard Miller suggests using the centuries old technique of pinching the nose shut
when singing non-nasal vowels. If the singer feels a sensation of the sound being cut-off when pinching the nose shut,
then the soft palate is falling. When they achieve a sound that is unaffected by pinching the nose, then the soft palate is
elevated. Once they find this position, have them release the nose and continue to sing the vowel with a raised velum
(Miller, 2004, p. 112).
 Roger Love, author of “Set Your Voice Free,” believes that nasality is often exacerbated by an elevated larynx. Love
suggests that when the larynx rises, it narrows the back part of the throat and sends air toward the nasal cavity. Love uses
a sound he calls the “Yogi Bear/Dudley Do-right”to teach a low laryngeal position. After the student has mastered this
sound quality, he has them monitor the vertical position of their larynx by placing their fingers on their Adam’s apple.
When they sense the larynx rising, he instructs them to add more Yogi Bear/Dudley Do-right (Love, 1999, p.100-103).
 Gillyanne Kayes, author of “Singing and the Actor,” uses a series of exercises to teach soft-palate movement when
addressing nasality (discussed in this previous post). To help students experience an elevated soft palate she uses an
exercise called “Finding the Seal.” In this exercise she has the student make a /p/ with their lips and build up breath
pressure behind the closed lips (the cheeks will puff out like a blowfish). She then instructs them to alternate holding the
breath pressure behind their lips and exhaling through their nose. As they continue to repeat the exercise, she tells them to
focus on sensing what is moving in the back of their mouth. What they feel moving is their soft palate (Kayes, 2004, p.
59).

No matter how you choose to address nasality, it is important to know that it is a soft palate
issue first and foremost. There could be contributing factors such as a high laryngeal position
or a lack of airflow, but at the end of the day if the soft palate does not rise, you will not be able
to reduce nasality. It is also important to remember that if you are working with a CCM singer,
they may want that nasal quality even if you dislike it. One of the easiest ways to learn what
vocal qualities they like is to ask them to create a Spotify or YouTube playlist of their favorite
artists and share it with you. This will give you an idea of their tonal goals and help you assist
them in achieving those goals.

If you have other ideas on how to address nasality, please share them below. Thanks for
reading!

Matt
Works Cited:

Kayes, G. (2004). Singing and the actor. New York: Rutledge.

Love, R. (1999). Set your voice free. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Miller, R. (2004). Solutions for singers. New York: Oxford University Press.

Smith, S. (2007). The naked voice. New York: Oxford University Press.

Mix it up Monday: Releasing the masseter muscle

Jaw tension is a common complaint

amongst singers. Vowels that require the jaw to relax and lower, such as /a/, can be quite
problematic even though it would seem that producing an /a/ vowel should be second nature.
We have two sets of muscles that control jaw movement: those that lower the jaw (anterior
body of the digastric, geniohyoid, and the mylohyoid)

and those that close the jaw (internal pterygoid, masseter, and the temporalis).
 The larger and stronger of these muscles are those that close the jaw, after all these are the
muscles that we use to bite down on food. If they were weak we would have problems eating an
apple, Cinnabon, or triple cheeseburger.

Today I am going to introduce an exercise for releasing the masseter.

1. Have the student sit at a table and place their elbows on the surface in front of them, shoulder width apart, and place their
thumbs on their upper cheekbones.
2. Ask the student to gently slide their fingers down until they find the soft spot where the masseter muscle originates, right

below the zygomatic arch (circled below).

3. Next have them gradually increase the pressure by allowing the head to drop down and forward into the thumbs. This may
be uncomfortable for some students, especially for those with TMJ. Take it slow and if it is too uncomfortable, stop and
try something else.
4. Ask the student to let gravity pull their jaw down towards the floor and mentally focus on releasing the masseter muscle.

5. While still in this position, ask the student to sing a comfortable pitch on /a/ and have them assess what they are
experiencing.
6. Finally, have them lower their hands and slowly rise from this position to a standing position while leaving the jaw where
it is. Have them sustain single pitches on /a/ in the comfortable part of their range and then try 1-2-3-2-1 patterns.

Both my wife and I use this exercise and have observed that it works well in most cases. As
always, it is important to remember that each student is unique and there is never an exercise
that is a silver bullet for all singers, even if they have the same technical problem.

The source of this exercise is Gillyanne Kayes’ “Singing and the actor,” a great text for your
pedagogy library (special thanks to my wife Jackie for pointing this exercise out to me). If you
have other suggestions for releasing jaw tension, please comment below. Thanks for reading!

Matt
Mix it up Monday: Psychological Gesture and Storytelling

Michael Chekhov

Singers are storytellers. Yes we make melodies with our voices and we sing harmonies, etc.
However, the most successful artists focus first and foremost on telling a story.

“Emoting” (singing with emotion)

In the classical voice world, there are several acting methods that focus on using emotions to
teach acting. I have always questioned the benefits of these techniques because it is
nearly impossible to truthfully convey an emotion on demand. For instance I want you to be
really sad right now! Did it work? Probably not. Most people are incapable of
spontaneously summoning up an emotion. As one of my favorite acting teachers Gary Race
used to say, “which sad do you want? Sad like my dog died, sad like I failed a test, sad like I was
just dumped?” They’re all different and when you try to give just one overarching emotion, you
will usually end up with a generalized version of the story instead.

Using active verbs

Emotions are reactions to an action that has been done to you. If someone pushes you, you will
likely be angry. In that situation, the emotion is stirred up because of someone’s action against
or towards you. You may respond with an action such as punching them. Your action of
punching will cause an emotion to arise in the other person such as grief. If you think
about that particular incident in the future the corresponding emotions may be stirred up
within you. But it is important to know that those emotions are being generated by reactions to
an action that was taken against you by another person. You will only be able to accurately stir-
up that emotion within yourself by recalling the situation and action that caused it.

So how do you convey the “emotions” of a song?

 So what do you do when a song clearly requires “anger” or another extreme emotion? Let’s
use Paramore’s song “Misery” as an example. “Misery” is a song that requires some sort of
anger/aggression in performance (view the lyrics here). To get to that place, your student will
need to personalize the song. Ask the student to think of a specific confrontation that occurred
while they were in a relationship. If they haven’t had a romantic relationship, a friendship or
family relationship will work. Have them describe the incident and then tell them you are going
to use that experience to strengthen their performance.
Using the student’s real life experience, ask them what the other person said or did to them to
trigger their reactions? Next ask the student what they did or said in return? Now assign verbs
to those events. For instance, let’s say the friend/lover said, “You are scum!” We could label
that exclamation with the verb “to thrash.” Let’s say the student responded with “I am so sorry,
it’s not what you think.” We could label that with “to plead” (click here for a list of active verbs).
If we turned that action into a script, the friend/lover’s active verb for that scene would be “I
thrash you.” The student’s active verb would be “I plead with you.” In each song
the student sings, they need to define active verbs that coincide with the text. The introductions
and musical interludes are the places where the other person’s actions usually take place.
Figure out what the invisible scene partner does in those moments, write that action in the
music, and assign it an active verb that the student can react to.
Connecting Active Verbs with Physical Actions
Psychological gesture is a tool you can use to connect the active verb analyzation to your
physical performance. Michael Chekhov was a Russian acting teacher who was one of the first
to teach that an actor cannot simply be an emotion (click here for a great book on the
development of acting techniques). Chekhov believed that behind every line the actor read,
there was a desire to physical act. For instance, if I was to tell an annoying salesman to get off
my front porch, I could possibly have an underlying desire to grab him by his shirt collar and
physically throw him off the porch. That would most likely get me arrested. However, that does
not mean that the desire to act does not exist within my being. Instead of physically grabbing
and throwing the salesman, I may instead use a forceful hand gesture that conveys my internal
desire to act. Chekhov believed that you could explore various actions and connect them to the
text to create a more realistic performance using a technique called psychological gesture
(Brestoff, 1996). The Michael Chekhov Acting Studio in New York City suggests five basic
gestures: push, pull, throw, lift, crush (Petit, 2004).
 Push: Take a step forward while using both hands and arms to push forward as if moving a heavy object.
 Pull: Use both hands to grab an imaginary rope, take a big step back, and pull.
 Throw: This is the same as pitching a baseball.
 Lift: Do this action with both hands and arms. Bend down to the floor and lift your arms and hands upward towards the
ceiling, like lifting a heavy box over your head.
 Crush: Use both of your hands in front of the center of your body and pretend to crush a soda can.
Let’s use the lines from the relationship scenario above. Have your student say, “You are Scum”
while doing each of the five actions. Which action seems to work best? Next, have the student
try the other line of text, “I am so sorry, it’s not what you think” with each of the five actions.
Which action works best for that line? There is no correct answer. Each person will respond
differently to the actions. That’s because we perform each action in a manner consistent with
who we are and what we want. If you are a violent person, your push will be much different
than that of someone who is more reserved and seldom succumbs to extreme emotions. To help
your student explore this exercise create short dialogues, assign gestures, and work on them
together during the lesson. Talk about how the student reacts and get them to engage with you
while fully committing to the action (here is a short sample script).
Apply it to a song

Choose a song and do the psychological gesture exercise with each line of text. Have the student
write the actions that they think best fit the lyrics on their lyric sheet or in their music. Have
them sing the song several times while doing the actions until they have memorized what those
actions feel like internally. While they are doing this part of the exercise, encourage them
to respond emotionally as a result of the action. When they appear to be emotionally
connected, have them drop the physical movements and sing the song again. If the student
has spent enough time rehearsing the actions, you should notice that there is a natural
inclination to physically move in a manner that is appropriate to what they are singing. The
goal of this exercise is not to choreograph the student’s movement, but rather to train them
to respond to the primal instincts that have been awakened through the psychological gesture
exercise.

Conclusion

There are many different acting techniques that produce great results. Psychological gesture is
only one of many tools that I have found to be effective with my students. Experiment with the
exercises and adapt them as needed. If you have other suggestions about how to incorporate
psychological gesture work in the voice studio, please comment below.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Technology Thursday: What you need to know about

microphones – part 3
 Part one and part two of this series covered the basic types of
microphones singers will encounter and how those microphones respond to the amplitude of
the voice. This final post of the series discusses how microphones respond to the frequencies of
the voice.
Frequency Response

Frequency response is a term used to define how accurately a microphone captures the audio
spectrum of the acoustic signal. A “flat response” microphone captures the acoustic output with
little to no alteration of the audio spectrum. Microphones that are not designated as “flat” have
some type of attenuation or boost across one or more bands of frequencies within the audio
spectrum.

When using a microphone with a polar pattern other than omnidirectional (a pattern that
responds to sound equally from all directions), the user may encounter frequency response
fluctuations in addition to amplitude fluctuations. Cardioid microphones in particular are
known for their tendency to boost lower frequencies at close proximity to the sound source
while attenuating those same frequencies as the distance between the sound source and the
microphone increases. This is known as the “proximity effect.”

Let us compare the frequency response curves of two microphones, the Shure SM-58 and the
Oktava 319. The Shure SM-58 microphone attenuates or “cuts” the frequencies below 300 Hz
and amplifies or “boosts” the frequencies in the 3-kHz range by 6 dB, the 5-kHz range by nearly
8 dB, and the 10-kHz range by approximately 6 dB (Figure 18–10). The Oktava 319 microphone
cuts the frequencies below 200 Hz while boosting everything above 300 Hz with nearly 5 dB
between 7 kHz and 10 kHz (see the figure below).
In practical terms, recording a bass singer with the Shure SM-58 would drastically reduce the
amplitude of the fundamental frequency with a strong amplitude peak in the singer’s formant
zone. In contrast, the Oktava 319 would produce a slightly more consistent boost in the range of
the singer’s formant without reducing the amplitude of the lower frequencies. Either of these
options could be acceptable depending on your needs, but the frequency response must be
considered before making the recording.

Implications for the Singer

The frequency response of a microphone can significantly alter the balance of forward
placement and fundamental of a singer’s voice (called the singing power ratio). If a microphone
significantly boosts the amplitude of the forward placement zone, it will alter the singing power
ratio, thus altering our perception of the singer’s voice. If a singer is struggling to find a reliable
technical approach for boosting the upper frequencies of his or her voice, a microphone that
boosts those frequencies could be beneficial. However, if a singer has an abundance of acoustic
power in the upper frequencies of his or her voice, a microphone that boosts those frequencies
could artificially alter the singing power ratio in a manner that would cause the voice to be
perceived as overly bright and perhaps harsh (Omori, Kacker, Carroll, Riley, & Blaugrund,
1996).

Singers should take the time to audition numerous microphones to see which one best
complements their voice. Set several microphones in a row with the same settings at the
 soundboard and sing the same excerpt on each microphone. If possible, make a recording and
listen for changes in the timbre from microphone to microphone.

Microphone Technique

Just as there are techniques that improve singing, there are also techniques that will improve
microphone use. Understanding what a microphone does is only the first step to using it
successfully.

Practicing With a Microphone

The best way to learn microphone technique is to practice with a microphone. Using a dynamic
microphone, try the following:
 Position the microphone directly in front of your mouth, no further than 1 cm away. Sustain a comfortable pitch and
slowly move the microphone away from your lips. Listen to how the sound quality changes. When the microphone is
close to your lips, you should notice that the sound is louder and has more bass response. As you move away from the
mic, there will be a noticeable loss in volume and the tone will become brighter.
 Next, try sustaining a pitch while rotating the handle down. You should notice that the sound quality changes in a similar
fashion as when you moved the microphone away from your lips.
 Now try singing breathy with the microphone close to your lips. How little effort can you get away with and still sound
good?
 Try singing bright, at a medium volume level, with a closed mouth and spread lips with the microphone placed
approximately 1 to 3 cm from your mouth. In this position, you should be able to create aggressive sounds without over-
singing.
 Next, cup both of your hands around the microphone and then sing into your hands. Try using a vocal fry in this position
and experiment with death metal–style sounds. You should notice that the cupping of your hands increases the bass
response and helps boost your vocal power without excess effort.
 Also, experiment with variations in your diction. Because the microphone amplifies everything, you may need to under-
pronounce some consonants when singing on a microphone.

Mix it up Monday: Tongue Twisters

A few weeks ago I blogged about the benefits ofextended tongue

phonation for releasing posterior tongue tension. If you dwell on extended tongue phonation for
too long, it could cause new tensions in the vocal mechanism. Once I feel the student has
gained awareness of what it feels like to phonate with a released tongue, I move them to tongue
twisters.
These exercises help keep the tongue mobile by forming a variety of consonants and vowels at
the front of the mouth. The nature of the vowels and consonants in the exercises I am sharing
this week make it rather difficult to retract the tongue and maintain clarity of the words.

The first four consonants are formed at the front of the mouth, the last two in the back. For the
purposes of this exercise, I teach the students to make /k/ and /g/ on the front of their tongue
(this comes in handy for rap and rap-like pop/rock songs as well as patter songs in musical
theatre). The IPA vowels (in order) are /I/, /ae/, /i/, /ae/, /o/ (if you are not familiar with IPA
follow this link).

I begin working on each line individually often for two to three weeks. Once the student has
mastered the individual lines, I start combining several in a row, for example:

These
exercises are developing your students’ fine motor skills and it will likely take several weeks to
see improvement. If a student is struggling in the early stages, that is a good thing. It means
that their brain is processing the information and struggling to form the connections necessary
to execute the exercise (this is the cognitive stage). Week by week you should see improvement
as their brain-body connection improves (the associative stage). Eventually they will reach the
autonomous stage where their body goes on autopilot and executes the exercises accurately
without thinking about the process of forming the consonants and vowels.

If you have other tongue twisters that you would like to share, please comment below. Thanks
for reading!

Matt
Mix it up Monday: Mastering new styles

Students and teachers often ask me how to learn a new style. I think
my answer often surprises them, especially if they are classically trained – imitate. Imitation is
a bad word in the classical singing world and rightfully so. If you try to sound like 50 year-old
Samuel Ramey when you are 18, you could easily end up with vocal problems. However, in
CCM styles imitation can be quite useful as long as the goal is to imitate vocal colors and
stylisms. Think about how guitar players learn to play. First they study chords and scales and
then they begin learning other artists’ songs and guitar solos. Eventually they start getting their
own ideas based on all of the repertoire they have learned through imitation and they
begin writing new chord progressions and licks that form the basis of their own songs. They
find their own artistic voice by imitating.

Roger Love, a Los Angeles based voice teacher, suggests singers should take a similar approach.
In his book Set your Voice Free, Love lays out four steps to help singers find their own artistic
voice.
Step One: Have the student begin with a single singer that they admire and ask them to
immerse themselves in the work of that artist. Have them listen to the artist over and over
again analyzing the nuances of their voice, the way they use language, if and how they add riffs,
and any other stylistic habits they have. Next have the student start singing along with the
artist and instruct them to imitate every vocal quality and stylism they discovered during the
intensive listening exercise.
Step Two: In the second step, the singer expands their repertoire of vocal possibilities by
imitating multiple artists and multiple genres. Ask your student to find R&B, country, rock, and
pop artists to analyze and imitate as they did in step one. The student’s goal is not to imitate the
vocal technique of the artists they are imitating but rather to learn the flavors of the different
artists voices, the nuances, the color possibilities.
Step Three: In step three, the student is going to find a song to work on and they are going to
mix together all of the vocal traits they have been learning from other artists. Ask them to sing
the first part of the verse as one artist, the second half as another, the pre-chorus as another,
etc. It will seem odd at first, but in this step the student is learning how to move from imitating
singers to imitating sounds and stylisms, which gets them closer to the end goal – step four.
Step Four: In step four, the student gets to sing songs they choose and they will begin
to focus on finding their own artistic voice. If they have absorbed all the artists they have
studied and imitated, they will have many new colors and stylisms in their ear that they will
begin to integrate into their interpretation. The best part is that because they have studied so
many different artists and genres, they will no longer be imitating any one particular singer but
rather bringing together the language of all of their influences.

I use several variations of this exercise in my studio. When working with musical theatre
students, I have them find five different performances of their song on YouTube, create a
playlist, and then show it to me in their lesson. I ask them what they liked about each artist and
then I have them mix elements of the different performers together. This keeps them from
imitating the cast recording while also giving them tonal and musical goals to work towards.

If a student is unfamiliar with the history of pop/rock, I start them off in the 1950’s and 60’s
and move through the decades week by week asking them to imitate the artists. As they go
through the decades, they begin to notice influences and gain a better understanding of how
the styles evolved. Eventually when we get to contemporary artists, they have plenty of ideas to
integrate into their work. I also have them work on what I call “cover song projects.” I have the
student find a song they would like to cover and then ask them to start thinking about how they want to
change it up. I have them create a YouTube playlist with songs that have stylistic elements they would
like to mix together in their cover. For instance covering a song using the piano style of Sara Bareilles,
with the vibrato of Rufus Wainwright, and small percussion accents with shakers and a djembe. This
makes them think outside of the box and start figuring out what they do and do not like. Best of all, it
makes them take ownership of their work.
To read the exercise in full, check out pages 151-155 in Set Your Voice Free. If you have ideas of
your own, please share them below in the comments section.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: Soft Palate Positions

 The soft palate

Over the past few years I have come to believe that it can be very useful to show students the
possibilities of their voice during their training. For instance, even though CCM singers
primarily sing in mix, it is beneficial for them to know what it is like to sing in full chest and full
head register.

Today I want to talk about the soft palate. In CCM styles there is no one correct position for the
soft palate. Some singers sing with a low soft palate position, which gives them a nasal quality.
Others have a very high soft palate position, which adds depth and “darkness” to the tone. If I
can avoid talking about the soft palate when working with a rock singer, I do. However, I also
work with a lot of musical theatre singers who have to adapt their voices to fit a wide variety of
styles. With those singers specifically, I have found the technique I am sharing today to be very
helpful. It gives them a valuable tool to help them quickly transition from legit musical theatre
to country or Motown to 80’s rock.

The first position I introduce is the /ng/ position. In this position the the tongue raises up to
touch the roof of the mouth and the soft palate lowers, allowing all of the tone to pass through
the nasal cavity (figure 1). When singing /ng/, if the singer pinches their nose shut, all of the
sound will stop

Figure 1: /ng/

The next extreme position is the “British /a/.” In this position the soft palate is fully raised,
closing the nasal port, and the sound exits only through the mouth (figure 2). If you pinch your
nose shut in this position, the sound will not change.
 Figure 2: British /a/

The third and final position is French nasal /õ/. In this position the soft palate is partially
raised. Half of the sound exits through the nose and the other half exits through the mouth
(figure 3). When you pinch the nose, half of the sound will be stopped and the tone quality will
change.

Figure 3: French /õ/

First introduce these positions on a sustained vowel. When the student is comfortable with the
positions, vocalize them throughout their range in each position. It is doubtful that your singer
will ever sing an entire song in the /ng/ position. However, there are styles that can be sung
in French nasal /õ/ and British /a/.

The next step I learned from a voice teacher named Kristy Cates at a masterclass at the
Southeast Theatre Conference. Have the singer lift their elbow up so that it is parallel to the
floor with the hand flat and pointing straight forward, forearm parallel to the floor. Begin with
a very nasal French /õ/. Begin to the lift the hand towards a vertical position simultaneously
lifting the soft palate towards a British /a/. You will reach the full British /a/ when the arm is
vertical. As you move from horizontal to vertical, try to find a sweet spot that you and the
student like. Once you find that spot, try to start there without using the arm motion.
 Figure 4: Soft palate positions
The idea of having multiple soft palate positions is something that I have taught for so long and
seen so many variations of that I am not quite sure where it originated or who developed it. I do
know that it is discussed in Gillyanne Kayes “Singing and the Actor” along with many other
exercises that are valuable to the CCM singer and teacher. If you have other variations of this
exercise, please share below. Thanks for reading and be sure to follow the blog to receive
updates when there are new posts.

Matt

Technology Thursday: What You need to know about

microphones – Part 2

Last week I discussed the types of microphones you are most likely to
encounter. This week I am going to discuss sensitivity and amplitude response.
Sensitivity

Providing an in-depth explanation of sensitivity is difficult without going into additional

discussions of electricity and electrical terminology. However, a simplified explanation should
suffice for our purposes. In the simplest terms, sensitivity describes how responsive a
microphone is to the amplitude of the source. For instance, compare a dog’s ears to a child’s
ears. A dog can hear a squirrel running through the back yard while a child cannot. We
therefore describe a dog’s ears as more sensitive than a child’s. Microphones with higher
sensitivity can be placed farther from the sound source without adding excessive noise to the
signal. Microphones with lower sensitivity will need to be placed closer to the sound source in
order to keep excess noise at a minimum. When shopping for a microphone, you should
audition several options plugged into the same soundboard with the same volume level
settings. As you sing on each microphone, you will notice that some microphones replicate your
voice louder than others do. This change in output level is due to differences in each
microphone’s sensitivity. If your voice is naturally loud, you may prefer a microphone with
lower sensitivity (one that requires more acoustic energy to respond). If you have a lighter
voice, you may prefer a microphone with higher sensitivity (one that responds well to softer
signals).

Amplitude Response

Figure 1
The amplitude response of a microphone describes how sensitive it is to sound arriving from
various angles. The amplitude response will vary depending on the angle at which the singer is
positioned in relation to the axis of the microphone. Microphone manufacturers publish polar
pattern diagrams (also sometimes called a directional pattern or a pickup pattern), to help
consumers visualize the amplitude response of a microphone at various angles. Polar pattern
diagrams consist of six concentric circles divided into twelve equal sections. The center point of
the microphone’s diaphragm is labeled “00”and is referred to as “on-axis” while the opposite
side of the diagram is labeled “1800” and is described as “off-axis.”
Although polar pattern diagrams are printed in two-dimensions (see figure 1), they actually
represent a three-dimensional response to acoustic energy. Think of a round balloon as a real
life polar pattern diagram. Position the tied end away from your mouth and the inflated end
directly in front of your lips. In this position, you are singing on-axis at 00 with the tied end of
the balloon being 1800, or off-axis. If you were to split the balloon in half vertically and
horizontally (in relationship to your lips), the point at which those lines intersect would be the
center point of the balloon. That imaginary center represents the diaphragm of the
microphone. If you were to extend a 450 angle in any direction from the imaginary center and
then drew a circle around the inside of the balloon following that angle, you would have a
visualization of the three-dimensional application of the two-dimensional polar pattern
drawing.
The outermost circle of the diagram indicates that the amplitude of the instrument or
voice is transferred without any amplitude reduction, indicated in decibels (dB). Each of the
inner-circles represents a -5dB reduction in the amplitude of the signal up to -25 dB. For
example, look at figure 6-6. If the microphone’s response curve crossed point A on this
diagram, we would know that the strength of the signal received by the microphone at that
point would be reduced by 10 dB. The examples below (figure 2, 3, and 4) show the most
common polar patterns that you will encounter.

Figure 2

Figure 3
 Figure 4
Implications for the Singer

Picking the right polar pattern can help alleviate problems with feedback and excess room
noise. If you are performing with a floor monitor, a cardioid microphone is the best option.
Since cardioid microphones have virtually no amplitude response from the posterior of the
diaphragm, they will have only minimal response to the monitor. In some situations, such as
recording a classical singer in a recital hall, you may want the microphone to respond to
acoustic energy from more than one direction in order to capture the natural reverberation of
the room. In that situation, a bi-directional or omni-directional microphone is the better
choice.

Next week I will discuss frequency response and offer tips for how to practice with a
microphone. Check back next Thursday, or “Follow” the blog to receive a message when there
are new posts.

~Matt

Mix it up Monday: The Pentatonic Scale

Voice teachers have traditionally used the major scale when building vocal warm-ups and
exercises. While classical music is primarily built around the major and minor scales, CCM
styles are built around many other types of modes and scales and it is useful to integrate those
into vocal warm-ups and exercises. This week I want to introduce you to the pentatonic
scale. The pentatonic is a major scale without steps four and seven.
 Pentatonic Scale

I’ve created a few exercises to get you started and shared them below. I also encourage you to
play around with the scale yourself and come up with additional patterns. Building exercises
around the pentatonic will not only break up the monotony of traditional three and five note
patterns, it will also help tune your students’ ears to the tonal language of CCM styles. This is
especially useful if the student is interested in learning how to riff. Have fun! ~Matt

Exercise 1

Exercise 2
 Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Technology Thursday: What You need to know about

microphones – Part 1

Bing Crosby
The late 1920s and early 1930s saw the emergence of “microphone singing.” Until the late
twenties, singers performed acoustically and therefore had to train their voices to have “ring”
and “power” in order to be heard in live performance. Bing Crosby was one of the first singers
to make the microphone part of his instrument and exploit its potential. Soon others followed
and a new style of singing called “crooning” became popular. Today, CCM singers will perform
with a microphone 99% of the time and it is essential for them to understand the equipment
they will be using during performances and recording sessions. This is the first of a three-part
series on how microphones work and how to find the best microphone for each singer and
situation. This is a complex topic and this is just an overview, but it will hopefully get you
started. Be sure to follow the blog to receive notifications when parts two and three are posted.

What is a microphone?

Microphones are what electricians call “transducers.” Transducers transform one type of
energy into another. In the case of a microphone, the acoustic sound waves of the voice are
transformed into electrical impulses that can be enhanced and/or amplified by the sound
engineer. The three most common microphone types singers will encounter are dynamic,
condenser, and electret condenser.

Dynamic

Figure 1

Dynamic microphones consist of a dome-shaped Mylar diaphragm attached to a free moving

copper wire coil that is positioned between two poles of a magnet (Campbell & Greated, 1987).
The Mylar diaphragm moves in response to air pressure changes caused by sound waves. When
the diaphragm moves, the magnetic coil that is attached to it also moves. As the magnetic coil
moves up and down between the magnetic poles, it produces an electrical current that
corresponds to the sound waves produced by the singer’s voice. That signal is then sent to the
soundboard via the microphone cable (see figure 1).

Condenser
 Figure 2

Condenser microphones are constructed with two parallel plates: a rigid posterior plate and a
thin flexible anterior plate. The anterior plate is constructed of either a thin sheet of metal or a
piece of Mylar that is coated with a conductive metal. The plates are separated by air, which
acts as a layer of insulation. In order to use a condenser microphone, it must be connected to a
soundboard that supplies “Phantom Power” (see figure 2). A component of the soundboard,
Phantom power sends a 48-volt power supply through the microphone cable to the
microphone’s plates. When the plates are charged by the phantom power, they form a
capacitor. As acoustic vibrations send the anterior plate into motion, the distance between the
two plates varies, which causes the capacitor to release a small electric current. This current,
which corresponds with the acoustic signal of the voice, travels through the microphone cable
to the soundboard where it can be enhanced and amplified (Benson, 1988; Campbell &
Greated, 1987; Turner & Gibilisco, 1985).

Electret Condenser

Electret condenser microphones are similar to condenser microphones, however they are
designed to work without phantom power. The anterior plate of an electret microphone is made
of a plastic film coated with a conductive metal that is electrically charged before being set into
place opposite the posterior plate. The charge applied to the anterior plate will last for ten or
more years and therefore eliminates the need for an exterior power source (Benson, 1988).
Electret condenser microphones are often used in head-mounted (like those used on
Broadway), lapel microphones, laptop computers, and smartphones.

Dynamic vs. Condenser

Dynamic microphones are most commonly used in live performance because their lower
sensitivity rejects excess stage noise. Recording engineers often prefer using condenser
microphones for recording applications due to their high level of sensitivity. You will
occasionally find condenser microphones in some live performance venues for genres that do
not have excessive stage noise. For example, hand-held microphones used by jazz and folk
artists, and head-mounted microphones used in musical theatre.
While diaphragm type should be your first consideration, there are several other factors you
need to consider when selecting a microphone including sensitivity, polar pattern, and
frequency response. Those will be covered in parts two and three, so be sure to check back next
week and the week after!

Matt

References
Benson, K. B. (1988). Audio engineering handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Campbell, M., Greated, C. (1987). The musician’s guide to acoustics. New York: Schirmer Books.
Turner, R. P., Gibilisco, S. (1985). The illustrated dictionary of electronics, 3rd edition. Summit: TAB
Books, Inc.

Mix it up Monday: Sing like you speak

“Mix it up Monday” is a new series on the blog. Each Monday I will

post an exercise for you to try out in the studio or in your own practice. If you want to receive a message
each time a new post is added, be sure to “follow” the blog. Thanks for reading! ~Matt
This week I am going to highlight an exercise by classical voice pedagogue W. Stephen Smith
from his book The Naked Voice: A Wholistic Approach to Singing. (This is my summary of Smith’s
exercise, please read the Naked Voice, pages 49 through 65 for the full exercise.) Smith believes that
we should begin with speech when learning to sing. Other pedagogues share this belief and
since CCM styles are primarily speech-based, I find this exercise very useful.
Step one: Vernacular speech

In this step, you are going to help the singer separate the idea of vocal tone from vocal
production. Begin by speaking /ni-ne-na-no-nu/ without any attention to tone quality. CCM
singers will probably find this easy, whereas singers with classical training will often try to
make the voice resonant and will struggle with this step. You may also find that singers with
classical training will try to take a huge breath before doing this exercise. This kind of
breath puts too much pressure on the vocal folds. Instead, instruct the student to breathe like
they would when speaking with a friend.

Step two: Speaking with projection

The next step is projecting the speaking voice using the same pattern, /ni-ne-na-no-nu/.
Instruct the singer to imagine they are talking to someone in another room. The goal is to
increase the intensity of their speaking voice but avoid adding excess pressure. Smith says it is
important to use the word “projection” instead of “loud.” He believes that projection is
associated with our regular voice, whereas loud is associated with shouting. In this step you
must be careful to preserve the quality of the speaking voice and not fall into the trap of forcing
the tone.

Step three: Speaking with line

Next you are going to have the student speak the /ni-ne-na-no-nu/ series with line. Smith
prefers the word “line” to “legato.” Line requires a “simple beginning, constant movement, and
an ending” with equal intensity between syllables. When speaking with line, the results will be
similar to speaking in monotone. Singers will often begin this exercise with a free mechanism,
but engage their throat muscles as they repeat this step. We want to avoid this. Instruct the
singer to keep the speech spontaneous, always with a sense of moving forward, and tell them to
resist the urge to go on autopilot (allowing the throat muscles to engage).

Step four: Speaking with projection and line on pitch

In steps one and two, the speech lacks a steady pitch. When you add line, the voice will
naturally find a pitch that can be identified on the keyboard. Ask the singer to repeat the
exercise from step three and find the pitch they are speaking on the keyboard. Once you find
that pitch, have them sing the series /ni-ne-na-no-nu/ on that specific pitch, and then skip
around the keyboard and have them repeat the pattern. This is not a range extension exercise,
so remain in the middle part of the voice and avoid approaching extremes. Smith says this
keeps the exercise spontaneous and helps prevent the singer from going on autopilot.

In step five, Smith teaches the singer how to refine their vowels. Because I primarily work with
CCM singers who sing like they speak, I usually skip this step.

I’ve also developed a process similar to Smiths’ first four steps using the song “Mary Had a
Little Lamb.” I begin by having the student speak the text. Next, I have them speak the text
with their “radio announcer voice”, which adds inflection to their speech. Then I have them
approximate the pitches of the song and instruct them to add no musical inflection whatsoever
and only attempt to speak on pitch. Finally, I have them sing the exact pitches and I ask them
again to perform it with no attempt at being musical. Throughout this process, I only allow
them to progress to the next step when they have mastered the one they are working on. When
they can sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” without manipulating their voice, I coax them into
being more musical. I will then move on to a speech based pop/rock or musical theatre song. If
they start to ”sing“ instead of speak on pitch, I stop them and go back to speech and work up to
singing.

Experiment with both versions of this exercise and see what you discover. While the primary
focus of my work is CCM styles, I must say that when I was a working opera singer I found this
exercise to be very beneficial. Especially when working on patter songs and recitative. Be sure
to check out pages 49 through 65 of Stephen Smith’s book for the full version of his exercise
and for a more in-depth explanation of my variation, check out my book “So You Want to Sing
Rock ’N’ Roll” pages 98 through 99. If you have comments, please share them below.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: Tongue-out phonation

“Mix it up Monday” is a new series on the blog. Each Monday I will post an exercise for you to try out
in the studio or in your own practice. If you have an idea you would like to share, please comment
below. If you want to receive a message each time a new post is added, be sure to “follow” the blog.
Thanks for reading! ~Matt
This week I am featuring an exercise by Sarah L. Schneider called “Tongue-Out Phonation”
from the book Exercises for Voice Therapy edited by Alison Behrman and John Haskell.
Last week’s post included semi-occluded vocal tract exercises as well as tongue release exercises
as part of a regimented warm-up routine. This week’s exercise combines both tongue release
 and semi-occluded vocal tract work in one exercise and then expands the tongue release work
into text. Since the exercise is designed for speech, I’ve made slight adjustments for singers. For
a full description of the original exercise, check out the article on pages 87-88 of Exercises for
Voice Therapy.
1. Extend the tongue over the bottom lip, inhale, and hum (wrapping your lips around your tongue). Work up and down the
range on 1-2-3-2-1 and 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 patterns to warm-up the voice while simultaneously releasing the tongue.
2. For the second step, you will once again extend the tongue over the bottom lip and inhale, but this time you are going to
add a vowel. First begin with a sigh on /a/. If the tongue is particularly tight in the back, it may try to retract while inhaling
and phonating. Have the student monitor the movement of their tongue with a mirror to raise their awareness of this
reflex.
3. Next build an exercises using the consonants /m/ and /b/ with the vowel /a/. For instance, you could chant /ba-ba-ba-ba-
ba/ or /ma-ma-ma-ma-ma/ on a single pitch. You could also use the same consonant vowel combinations on three or five
note scales.
4. Next pick a simple phrase to sing, such as “I love to sing” on a 5-4-3-2-1 pattern and sing it with the tongue out. The
vowels and consonants will not be accurate, but you will be training the body to release the posterior tongue muscles
while singing words.
5. Now alternate between tongue-out and tongue-in singing on the same phrase. Try to maintain the same freedom in the
back of the tongue found in the tongue-out phonation when you allow the tongue to rest in the mouth.
6. You can also use tongue-out phonation in the context of a song in order to train the body to release the posterior tongue
muscles.

I’ve found this exercise to be extremely useful in the voice studio. Try it out and let me know
what you think in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading!

Matt

Mix it up Monday: Dr. Ingo Titze’s Five Favorite Vocal

Warm-ups for Singers
“Mix it up Monday” is a new series on the blog. Each Monday I will post an exercise for you to try out
in the studio or in your own practice. It is easy for teachers, and singers, to fall into a routine and
use the same exercises over and over again. My hope is these posts will give you new ideas each
week to keep things exciting for you and your students. If you have an idea you would like to share,
please comment below. If you want to receive a message each time a new post is added, be sure to
“follow” the blog. Thanks for reading! ~Matt
 Dr. Ingo Titze

Dr. Ingo Titze is the Executive Director of the National Center for Voice and Speech, President of
the Pan-American Vocology Association, and the creator of “straw phonation.” Dr. Titze is
especially interested in singers and has made countless contributions to our understanding of
the vocal mechanism. Today I want to feature his advice for how to warm-up.
Dr. Titze published an article in the Journal of Singing detailing what he believes are five
essential exercises for warming-up the voice.
1. Dr. Titze suggests starting with lip trills, tongue trills, humming or straw phonation. These exercises activate the
respiratory system and improve vocal fold closure.
2. Second, he suggests two-octave glides on /i/ or /u/. These stretch the vocal folds and require use of both the thyroarytenoid
and cricothyroid muscles.
3. Next he suggests /a/-/i/ scales with a forward tongue roll and extension. These help loosen the tongue and jaw and
cultivate independence between the vocal folds and the articulators.
4. Fourth, he suggests messa di voce exercises, which require fine motor control of the vocal mechanism in order to regulate
vocal fold closure and air flow.
5. Finally, he suggests staccati on arpeggios.
I’ve found this warm-up routine to be extremely effective in my studio and my students can
easily understand what they need to do and why these exercises work. For more information,
check out the original article in the Journal of Singing, January/February 2001, volume 57,
number 3, pages 51-52 or check out a reduced version here on the National Center for Voice and
Speech website. Also be sure to check out Dr. Titze’s numerous books for sale on the NCVS
website.

Try these out this week with your students and comment below to let me know what you
think or if you have other ideas that align with Dr. Titze’s suggestions.

Have a great week!

Matt

Embracing new pedagogical approaches: Indirect, tactical,

and assertive techniques

Dr. Carla LeFevre (UNCG) wrote an article in the

March/April 2015 “Journal of Singing” about teaching a lower laryngeal position and open
throat singing. In the article, she identifies three categories of vocal exercises: indirect, tactical,
and assertive. I love these categories because I think they clearly and respectfully define
different but valid approaches. For example, when working with a student who has tongue
tension, an indirect approach would be to say “feel as if your tongue is Jell-O,” a tactical
approach would be to stick a straw under the student’s tongue, and an assertive approach
would be to massage the muscles underneath the jaw while vocalizing. All of these approaches
could work and achieve the same desired outcome as long as you know what you are
specifically trying to accomplish in terms of vocal function.

All of our students have different learning styles and personality types as do we their teachers.
Some students will respond more to visual cues and others to aural cues. Some will appreciate
explanations of how the mechanism works while others will prefer to take in the experience and
sense their voice within their body. Over the past few decades, numerous teaching methods
have emerged – Speech Level Singing, Estill Training, Jeanie LoVetri’s Somatic Voicework™,
Bel Canto Can Belto, Lisa Popeil’s Voiceworks™, The Four Pillars of Singing, and many others.
All of these methods present different combinations of indirect, tactical, and assertive
approaches that the creators have found to be effective in the training of singers. Obviously
these various methods work and produce great results or otherwise they wouldn’t have a
following.

So how can we as a profession embrace these contrasting yet similar methodologies instead of
engaging in growth-stifling debate? By evaluating their approach within the three categories
that Dr. LeFevre has identified rather than competitively comparing them against each other. If
a student is already singing on Broadway and has no major complaints, an assertive approach
is probably not indicated and could potentially cause problems. In this situation, a more
indirect approach will probably yield better results and client satisfaction. However, if the
teacher is presented with a student who comes from a low laryngeal classical background and
wants to sing rock, a more assertive approach may be warranted. A student who has never felt
their larynx rise may benefit from being exposed to those sensations and sounds and the easiest
way to get there would be through one of the more assertive techniques.

There are also compelling reasons to include personality type in your evaluation of pedagogical
methodologies. If your, or your student’s, Meyers-Briggs personality type includes “thinker”
versus “feeler,” you or they may naturally be more attracted to an analytical approach. Some of
the Estill and Four Pillars of Singing techniques that focus on laryngeal and other physiological
positions may really benefit your teaching and/or singing. However, if you are a “feeler,” you
may do better with Somatic Voicework™, which encourages students to experience their voice
in their own way and to make adjustments primarily based on registration, vowel, and volume.

Of course you will want to evaluate whether or not a technique will give you the functional
result you are seeking. You may also want to consider how the technique aligns with modern
scientific understanding of the vocal mechanism. However, by thinking in this manner, you are
 less likely to throw out potentially useful exercises just because they do not align with your
personality or learning type.

Having multiple approaches in your toolbox can only benefit you and your students. My hope is
that we as teachers will become more respectful and receptive to approaches that are outside of
our comfort zone and begin to encourage growth and change instead of stagnation.

~Matt

Fifteen Steps For Finding Clientele for Your Voice Studio

Whether you are new to teaching or have recently relocated, growing your studio can be a
daunting challenge. Today I want to share a few tips that my wife and I have used in the past to
fill up our studio within six months to a year. I have shared this process with other teachers,
who have found it helpful and I hope you will too. If you have additional ideas, please share
them in the comments section below.

Good Luck! ~Matt

1. Think about your brand and come up with a unified message for all of your materials. Examples: “Studio Bella Voce”
(http://www.studiobellavoce.com), and Sing Like a Star Studios (http://www.singlikeastar.com). Jonathan Flom’s “Act
Like it’s Your Business” is a detailed guide to discovering your brand that could be useful during this step.
2. Once you have a brand idea, head over to one of the stock photo websites such asiStockphoto.com and find one or more
graphics and/or photos that fit your brand. You may have to purchase these, but the cost is well worth the benefit of
presenting a polished, professional image. You’re going to be using this/these on your website, flyers, postcards, and
business cards.
3. Purchase a Magic Jack (MagicJack.com) so that you have a phone number exclusive to your business. You can also
request a personalized phone number, one of our previous numbers was 313-SING.
4. Find a website company (my favorite is Wix.com) and build a website that matches your brand. Most students are more
interested in what you do for your students than what you have done yourself as a performer. So try to keep the content
student centered and be sure to highlight former students’ successes more than your own.
5. Visit VistaPrint.com and create a two-sided business card. On the front side, have your headshot, name, qualifications
(degrees, certifications, etc.), and contact info. On the back, list your website and a quote or two about your teaching.
6. Visit Fastcolorprinter.com or a similar website and order at least 1,000 4X6 postcards that match your business card.
7. Develop a snail mail list of every school (public and private), church, theatre, dance studio, and private studio that teaches
instruments other than voice in your area.
8. Create a 8×11 flyer that matches your business card, post card, and website and print enough copies for your mailing list.
9. Write an introductory letter, no more than one page to include in your mailing packet. This letter should state that you
have relocated to the area, what you were doing previously, the type of clientele you have experience with, some of your
students’ successes, and end with an offer to do a free master class and an invite to take the teacher/owner out for coffee
or lunch.
10. Stuff large envelopes with your introductory letter, one or more flyers, a handful of business cards, and fifty to one
hundred postcards and mail them to your snail mail list.
11. Sign up for online advertising sites such as LearningMusician.com and MusicStaff.com. Also be sure to list yourself on
NATS, Classical Singer teacher directory, and any other sites in your geographical area. I’ve had good success with
Craigslist, others have not. I think it really depends on what part of the country you live in.
12. Start a Twitter account and follow every radio station, school, theatre, and performing artist that you can find in your
geographical area. Try to post once a day, even if it is just a re-tweet or share a website or news article you found
interesting. Staying active will get your name out there. The sooner you build name recognition, the better.
13. Go to every local business in your area that has a bulletin board or space to share business materials and drop off
flyers/postcards (try to use the larger sizes first and reserve your business cards for person to person contact).
14. Consider offering the first lesson for free until your studio fills up. I know some people are against that idea, but I can tell
you it has worked incredibly well for many teachers. A lot of people have no idea what happens during a voice lesson and
 they are not willing to spend money to find out. If you give a lesson away for free, they will give it a try and in my
experience, 99% of the time they sign up for more.
15. Consider substitute teaching while you are building your studio. When you substitute teach, students will usually ask you
about yourself and what you do. By briefly sharing your story, you become a walking advertisement for yourself with
direct access to one of the biggest marketplaces for your services. If you eat lunch in the teachers lounge, you will get to
meet a lot of new people and will have the chance to talk about your voice studio. You will also more than likely get a call
to sub for the music classes at some point, which will give you direct access to local choral directors. It’s also a great way
to supplement your income while you are building your studio.

Celebrity Vocal Fold Problems: It’s not necessarily their

technique that’s at fault

Meghan Trainor is the most recent of several high profile performers who has had to cancel
performances due to a vocal fold hemorrhage. Some voice teachers on social media were quick
to blame her technique and suggest she needed “classical training” to prevent such a disaster in
the future. More than likely, that is just NOT true. Most vocal fold injuries at the professional
level are a result of insane performance demands, not poor technique.

Let us compare the demands of a classical singer to Meghan Trainor. Famed opera singer Jonas
Kaufmann’s schedule consists of six performances in the month of July and seven in August, for a
total of thirteen performances in four cities. That’s a pretty significant performance schedule
for an opera singer. Trainor had fourteen dates in July, ten dates scheduled for August, and
four for the first week of September for a total of twenty-eight performances in twenty-one
cities. That is a significant difference!
When a performer such as Kaufmann gets sick, there is usually an understudy capable of
stepping up and taking his place. When Trainor gets sick, it’s not so easy. If she cancels, there is
NO ONE to take her place and there are A LOT of bills to pay and no ticket revenue to pay
them. If a singer notices that they are losing their voice early in the afternoon on the day of a
performance, it is already too late. The venue has been rented, advertising has been paid for,
security staff have already been hired, stage crew members have already built the stage and
hung the lights, and all of the support staff have already arrived and clocked-in. If the show is
cancelled the artist still owes all of them their money AND the artist also has to provide refunds
to those who bought tickets (Read a Washington Post article on the topic here).

Knowing all of this, performers often feel like they have no option but to go on with the show.
No matter who you are, if you try to sing (or give a speech) through hoarseness, an upper-
respiratory infection, or a cold, you are at risk for a vocal hemorrhage. That has NOTHING to
do with technique. You could be the greatest vocal technician in the world and still get hurt.
Meghan Trainor is not to blame, she is a vocal athlete and just as star quarterbacks sometimes
get hurt, so do star singers. NO ONE should be shamed for getting a vocal injury. Does she
need to see a laryngologist? Yes. Will she need to go through voice therapy? Yes. And there is
nothing wrong with that. Should she have been under such extreme pressure to perform in the
first place? Probably not. But we are not the producers or the investors, and neither we nor
Meghan have much say over that. It’s just how the business works.

~Matt

Mix it up Monday: Teaching students about internal and

external hearing

If you would like to purchase a pair of “hearphones” click here.

Thanks for watching! ~Matt