How to Exercise Daily for Improved Singing

These simple practice habits can help you excel in your singing, as well as keep your voice healthy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Quiet Room
• A Mirror

1. First, take a moment and focus, getting rid of any mental tension or stress. This is essential - you can't sing properly if your mind is elsewhere. Leave all your troubles at the door of your practice room. You can always pick them back up later if you want to.

2. 
    
   Picture A shows correct singing posture - the others are common mistakes

   Check your posture - use the mirror if you need to. Your hips should be in line with your torso, and your shoulders should be rolled back. Your head should be elevated and your chin should be almost parallel to the floor. It should feel like there is a string pulling you up from the top of your head. If you have trouble maintaining yor posture, try singing with your back against a wall.

3. Stretch your muscles, especially your shoulders, back, and waist. Being limber will add to voice quality, as well as improve flexibility and release tension.

4. Do vocal warm-ups for five minutes or so, starting well within your range and then expanding higher and lower until you reach the edges of your range. Don't stretch yourself - you can strain your voice if you try and go outside your range. Explore your voice, but don't sing anything that feels uncomfortable. You can also warm up by singing a song you already know well.

5. Don't dedicate the entire practice session to learning a new song. Balance your time between learning new material and rehearsing what you already know - it is important both for your involved learning and your focus. You don't want to get bored from singing the same song over and over again.

6. Before you end your practice session, sing a song (either one you just learned or a well-known peice) as if you were performing in front of an audience, with emotion and feeling. This will help by letting you practice your theatrics and giving your practice session a conclusion.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep hydrated and have water with you in the practice room
• If you want, find someone to practice with. They can tell you how it sounds, help you with your posture, and you will gain confidence from singing in front of someone.
• Don't strain your voice - if at any time you feel discomfort, you are doing something wrong.
• Never sing with a sore throat, it can lead to major vocal damage. Take the day off!

[musicdeb]

on 4/30/2009 as a singer, I appreciate the reminders!5*