10 THINGS YOU NEED TO DO BEFORE YOU

START TO SING

Your free gift from NW Center for Vocal Arts

By Malya Muth, director

CHECK YOUR POSTURE

Stand straight. Your spine needs to be straight, no curving in your lower back from your pelvis being shifted forward or backwards.

Rib cage should be slightly lifted to give your lungs plenty of room to expand.

STRETCH YOUR MUSCLES.

Singing is a very physical activity. Your muscles need to be warmed up and stretched, especially the back, neck, shoulders, arms, legs and muscles around the torso.

BALANCE YOUR HEAD.

Check your neck. Can you move your head easily from side to side?

Check your chin. Is it raised or lowered? It should be in a center, neutral position – not lifted or lowered.

BALANCE YOUR FEET.

You need to be supported by your legs while you sing. Your feet help you feel balanced and support the position of your legs. Find the right position to stand in. Stand with feet apart, side by side. Stand with feet apart, but one foot in front

of the other. Stand with together, but the heel of one

foot touching the arch of the other.

Whatever feels best to you, the goal is to feel balanced and strong.

STRETCH YOUR FACE AND JAW MUSCLES.

This might sound funny, and look even funnier – but tension in the face and jaw has a real impact on singing because it prevents you from using the muscles correctly. The muscles in the jaw, cheeks, and lips should be free to move up, down and all around.

BE RESTED.

Again, singing is a very physical activity and requires correct muscle tension and strength. Try to get enough sleep each night, so your singing efforts will not be weakened by feeling fatigued.

MAKE SURE YOU EAT!

Do not try to sing on an empty stomach. You need energy to sing, plus you tend to get a lot of oxygen from inhaling. Singing on an empty stomach can make you dizzy and keep you from having the energy it requires to make a strong tone.

BE HYDRATED.

It is much better to drink before you sing than while you are singing. Why? We need liquid in our system to keep everything lubricated, like our vocal chords, our sinuses, our throats. But drinking while we sing actually washes away that lubrication. The best thing to do is to have a warm drink before you begin, and then leave it at that. If you are seriously dry, use a cough drop – but not while you sing!

GET YOUR MIND IN THE GAME.

Keep your thoughts quiet when you are preparing to sing and stay focused on the technique you need to use or on the song you are going to sing. The more mentally tuned in to your task, the more you’ll be able to pay attention to the details. This is one of the benefits of singing; it turns our minds away from the mundane problems of our day to day lives and lets us focus on the joy of just singing.

TUNE YOUR EARS.

Before you begin to sing a song, play a few chords from the key the song is written in. If you are not an instrumentalist, or have access to an instrument, hum through the song in your mind and hear the harmony that accompanies the melody. The better your sense of key and harmony, the more on pitch you will sing.

For more information about private coaching or to check out upcoming seminars visit www.nwvocalarts.com

Too busy or too far away for in-person coaching?

We can give you voice lessons over the internet! For more information write us at info@nwvocalarts.com