The normal vocalize consists of one pattern on a specific vowel repeated up and down the scale again and again.  They each concentrate on different areas such as freeing certain vowel sounds, extending range, creating agility in the voice, etc… And that is fabulous; please continue to do those…

Something that I have included over the years, (being a voice teacher who is comfortable at the piano keyboard), in my own warm ups and for my students is alternating the patterns of my vocalizes unpredictably throughout an exercise.  I find that I tend to do this in my warm up when I, or my students, are feeling stuck muscularly.

I have had a lot of success with this strategy of freeing the voice and sound, since the muscles are not sure what to prep, or create tension for.  The quick changing unpredicatable patterns help to sneak a way through some doors of resonance when a singer is feeling blocked.

Here is the link to a YouTube video I made showing you how to do this trick!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyf2tSKfnUQ

Use it during your warm ups when you are struggling to break through to your freest singing voice.

Sing well!

Ariella Vaccarino

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

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I had to have an MRI recently (for my knee) and found myself with 50 minutes to do nothing. (This is a rare thing in my extremely hectic life). I couldn’t move for 50 whole minutes. Had no one to talk to, couldn’t surf the web. Nothing. It was kind of stressful at first. What was I going to do with myself for all of that nonconstructive time?

So I began to concentrate on my breathing. Deep, slow, low breaths while I lay there.  Since everything was so still around me, I had a lot of time to concentrate on exactly what was happening in every breath. From the first to the tenth breaths I completely opened up my breathing, accessing new, deep muscles and released just by concentrating on releasing and unlocking.   And it only took a couple of focused minutes.

Once I found that breath, I was able to access it each time easily.  But I had to make a conscious effort to find the breath in the first place.  I had been laying there a long while before I began this breathing thing, and my breath the whole time was extremely limited in resonance capacity because I hadn’t alerted the right muscles.

I highly recommend adding this to you daily routine. Do it in the morning before you are officially out of bed: 10 slow deep breaths. Concentrate on opening your back, and having your lower tummy raise naturally by the breath intake. These are not shallow breaths that raise the chest, maybe your first couple will be, but think low release and watch how quickly each breath becomes more engaged and connected to your abdominal wall, lower diaphragm, and back muscles. Once your belly is rising and your ribs are expanding you’ve found your proper breath.

To go further, I have a great set of breathing exercises on my first volume of Voice Lessons To Go Vocalize and Breath.  These are extremely thorough and a wonderful work out which I highly recommend beyond the morning breaths to develop stamina, support, and capacity.  But, the morning breaths are a great way for a singer to start their day, by making them aware of their breathing mechanism and setting a productive singing mind set.–of course I couldn’t just lay there for 50 minutes…:)

Ariella (temporarily on crutches, but still thinking about healthy singing!!)

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

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Hi everyone,

I was interviewed last week on my thoughts about children’s voices, music education, and my new Voice Lessons To Go for Kids! CD.

- Fun for me!

Here’s the link.  It’s under 10 minutes: (Please ignore how the host says my name!!)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/connectingwomen/2011/04/08/connecting-women

Ariella Vaccarino

Probably the number one topic I am asked about on the technique of singing has to do with bridging the chest voice to the head voice, hiding the break, and creating one voice.

Depending on your vocal style and your individual voice, you will tend to sing in either more  of your head voice or chest voice.  Head lends itself to more of a classical sound while chest is more pop.  Musical theater can land somewhere in the middle.  But no matter what, as a singer, you will be challenged to access the full pitch range that your larynx possesses.

The following exercise, that I have up on my YourTube channel, practices just this issue; taking your voice from the bottom to the top while evening out the break in the passaggio, between head and chest voices.

Add this vocal exercise to your daily regimen.

http://www.youtube.com/user/VoiceLessonsToGo?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/NGqZmzX04O4

Smooth singing to you!

Ariella Vaccarino

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

No matter how hard you train and prepare, the one factor that you cannot totally control in your singing is your health.  I’m writing this today sick in bed with bronchitis and laryngitis- lovely.  All my students had to be cancelled this week, there is no singing for me, not to mention my energy level… blahh.

My brain is still working though…since it is not quite a head cold, so  I am able to write about it .

This moment reminds me of the MANY times in my life when my health has failed me during a crucial singing moment and all the emotions and pressures that came with those times.  I know I have blogged about these types of things before, but it is a huge part of a singer’s world, psyche, and life.  -And it can be very frustrating if not crazy making.

Since I am not due to be recording or preforming this week, all it is costing me is quite a bit of  my income from my teaching. (Which can be problematic as well- but definitely much more tolerable than dealing with missing important performances or performing mediocre or even badly when the show must go on.)

It really is just something that happens.  For singers, more than any other artist, I believe it is the most difficult, since our performing is a direct result of what is happening in our throats and bodies.

All I can say to this is it is a part of our lives as singers.  We can do our best to stay healthy, save our voices, not yell, use humidifiers, stay hydrated, wash our hands, and stay out of crowds.  But the truth is, sometimes we will just get sick.  And maybe once a year we may just not be able to sing well for a week or two.

Rather than live crazed about this, my advice to all is just to learn to live with it.  Directors, composers, and producers also get sick.  Audiences get sick. They all need to accept that we are not super human.  Sometimes we have to cancel, step out, or just say no.  Do it respectfully, and hopefully not too often, and let it go.  Don’t spend your time feeling guilty or pressured by it.  It is part of what you signed up for – using your body for  a career.  And it is a risk that anyone who hires you has to take.  That is why they invented the understudy.

There will be moments that are crucial that your voice will just not be there for you in life.  And it will be very hard to accept.  But it is all a part of the journey.  Whether it is  a MET final, an American Idol performance, or your senior recital, there are always health risks that can be devastating in a moment of opportunity.

The odds are always in your favor though.  We tend to be healthy most of the time.  Enjoy those moments and sing gloriously through them.

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

Last week, I posted and blogged about the importance of singing a quick moving vocalize in your warm-up.

Another type of exercise that you should consider adding to your regular warm up routine is one that works on sustained exposed singing.

A sustained singing warm-up is the type of exercise that you need to do slowly and properly.  Sing through this exercise smoothly and supported up to the high note and hold.  As you raise your pitch, go down in your body for maximum support.  Never feel that your larynx is rising for you to reach the higher notes; rather anchor down into your abdominal wall for support.

Here’s a link to the video I made for this sustained vocalize on YouTube:  Sing away to it !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocgTI1OF6xU

Sing well!

Ariella Vaccarino

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

I am inspired.  Jacob Lusk from American Idol sings soooo good.  What is so great about him?  You may be listening and know how his voice makes you feel, but technically, why is he so good?

Simply put, he sings in the perfect “pocket”.

As a voice teacher, I can tell you that what he is doing is anchoring his voice to the bottom of his range (which is fabulously low) and stretching up from there.  He never loses that anchor, and that is why his voice is so thrilling.   You do not lose the bottom of his sounds, even in a high note.  And as he goes higher, rather than reaching or lifting up in his larynx and body, he just stays grounded and opens up more doors of resonance and sound.

Jacob Lusk knows how to access his sound using his body and he does not get in the way of it.

It is like we are born with trap doors in front of all our resonating areas.  When we sing we are constantly doing vocalizes and visualizations to unlock and remove these doors to free our sound.  You cannot push through these doors or you will encounter muscular tension.

The resonators are in different places, your chest- the back of your head and neck, the front of you face near your eyes, and the top of your head to name a few.

Jacob Lusk has the ability to hold on to an open chest resonation as he opens more and more doors of resonance as the pitch rises.

As a human being who’s just listening to him sing,  I hear that he opens his mouth, gets out of the way and just lets the music flow through him.  Some may say, “divinely”.  He is in the raw, which is so exciting to listen to and travel the vocal journey with.  His voice rides a wave of free sound.

Here’s the link to hear his performance of “A House is Not a Home”

http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_10/performances/jacob_lusk_a_house_is_not_a_home/

Just lovely.  You sing it Jacob Lusk!

Ariella Vaccarino

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

Wow Casey Abrams, you take my breath away.  You are the ultimate performer.  I can’t take my eyes of your every move why you are performing.

This is why Casey Abrams is so fabulous and what we can all learn from him.

His voice is awesome and he knows how to use it.  It’s raspy and grindy and full of blues and soul.  Yum!  It is hard to have a voice like that.  It is something that you are just born with.

(Please, if your voice does not lend itself naturally to that sound, do not try and emulate it because you will hurt yourself.  Since his tone is NOT pure, your can really cause damage to your vocal chords to try and emulate it if your own tone is clean and pure.  Love his voice for what it is; there are not many who naturally have that fabulous unique tone.)

He is an incredibly well-studied musician. He can play numerous instruments very well, and he completely understands the use of the melodic line in his own singing.  He sings like a composer, totally trained and knowledgeable.  His choices both musically and stylistically are incredible.  I love that such a well versed musician is playing out to America and hope a lot more music lessons will be taken as a result of it.

He is the ultimate performer. This is my favorite part.  On top of Casey Abrams having a great voice and being an educated musician, he is also an incredible performer with brilliant comic timing on par with great comedians.  His performances are unique and keep me on the edge of my chair.

Here is a link to his performance of  ”I Put a Spell on You”:

http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_10/performances/casey_abrams_i_put_a_spell_on_you/

Casey stands out for a reason.  He is phenomenal.  I hope that he is here to stay in the public eye.  I think I would enjoy watching him in a Will Ferrell movie as much as listening to his albums; that is a pretty unique combination.

I am sure he will sell many, many concert seats in his life.  I cannot wait to see more.

Ariella Vaccarino

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of

Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

The vocal warm up process is the root and building block to healthy singing.  During your warm up there are many different aspects of singing that you can focus and improve upon.  Let’s start with the importance of a quick moving vocalize for this blog, there will be some other types to follow.

Quick singing is definitely an exercise you should include in your vocal warm-up regiment. The reason for a quick moving vocalize is to gain agility and flexibility in your singing voice.  You can’t sing runs without that.  The other benefit of moving your voice quickly is to run your voice faster than your muscles or mind can catch up, in order to bypass the tension that can grip from tongue, jaw, and throat muscles.

Here is the link to a new video that I have made of an exercise addressing the importance of a quick vocal warm up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak5NFqgbMqU

Please remember to add something like it to your vocal routine.

Sing well!

Ariella Vaccarino

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go(singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)

I knew Group Sing class started with me this week.   It is specifically for Non- Professional Adults, who love to sing.

It is so beautiful for me to hear someone’s voice for the first time.

It is like being let in on a precious secret.  Every voice is unique and carries its own gifts and flaws.  You never know what sound is going to come out of someone.  I was so thrilled today to hear the voices of these new students, women who rarely share their voices with other people. They each had their own defining timbres, ranges, vibratos, and strengths.

Their voices were “raw”, and had not been worked on for years, and yet they were still beautiful.  

Even if you never train, if you have a voice, you can always sing.

Yes, you can be better with training; more polished, build stamina, gain confidence, and that is all important.

But, it is more important to remember that our voices are already in us and have wonderful things about them naturally.

Singing for the love of singing is a way that we can express ourselves and it is a natural instinct for us to do so.  Unfortunately, somewhere singing got put into a different category from what is natural for us.  Often people only sing in front of people if they are really good AND pursuing it as a career.  But so many people love to sing and are born with lovely voices.

There is such emotional and physical benefits that a person can get from letting their voice flow into song.   Revealing your voice in front of people can be quite a spiritual experience and takes a lot of courage to do so.  It gives the listener a glimpse into a very deep personal part of you that is vulnerable yet powerful.

I love when I get to work with the people whose love is to sing, what a privilege for me.

Thank you to these new students for taking such a risk with yourselves.  I saw beauty in all of you.

Ariella Vaccarino

Written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of  Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of  Vocalize!

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my feedback right away.

Check out my instructional videos on my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

My itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/voicelessons2go (I love a good retweet!)