Hello beautiful singers :) Because we will not have the opportunity to begin our little live singing community at The Center for Vocal Study on Wednesday (due to our social distancing) I wanted to give you a little something to brighten your day with song. These are short videos for easy future reference. We’ll open with a little call and response Move to learning a short melody Learn harmony for this melody Practice each Hear what it sounds like together Have more fun with call and response Do what feels good for you. Call and Response and main melody are great. Harmony adds a new level of ..read more

I’ve been gone a while and I thrilled to say that my physical and vocal health are doing well.   I am so excited to announce that my new online course ‘Singing with Confidence’ is now available for you to start building more freedom and ease in your singing voice right from the comfort of your own home.   I’ve developed a passion over the past 10 years for helping others find and release their full vocal potential.  It feels so good to sing!   I hope you’ll join me. I’d love to offer my readers a 20% discount. Simply use the code MYVOCALJOURNEY at checkout. For more info, v ..read more

I love rhythm. In the past I’ve studied West African, Brazilian, and other latin rhythms through hand percussion and dance. More recently, I’ve been introduced to body percussion. It’s so much fun - and liberating. All you need is your body. I feel strongly that we must embody the music we hear, feel, and create. Making music requires a certain amount of cerebral activity. However, learning to listen to, use, and trust the body is essential to freedom of expression through music. Two women with whom I studied vocal improvisation last year had both attended a singing and body percussion worksho ..read more

I’ve been gone a while. This could be metaphorical and the time much longer. I began writing for this blog in 2015 after feeling inspired to share some of my personal experiences and journey with the relationship between mind, body, and voice. At the end of 2015, I also started to change my diet and lifestyle in hopes of balancing some physical discomfort that had been following me throughout my adult life.  By the beginning of 2016, I entered into what for me felt like ‘the great humbling’ - a health crisis that swept over me and brought in any peripheral psychological and emotional chal ..read more

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. - Author unknown Last year I began My Vocal Journey with a strong passion and motivation to start a conversation around the relationship between our minds, bodies, and singing voices.  I was excited to write about philosophical and technical concepts connecting the three. Then life happened. It has a funny way of doing that. I was sent on a detour with my health - one that I continue to follow through curves, peaks, and valleys. After 9 months and what seems like quite a distance from where I began, I am gaining per ..read more

If you've ever taken voice lessons, you know that it can feel quite different to be singing vocal exercises versus singing an actual song.   This video covers 4 quick tips to help with the next song you're working on.  #1 - Remove the lyrics #2 - Enunciate Consonants  - Uber diction, baby. #3 - Chunk and Isolate Challenging Sections #4 - Memorize Breath Choreography Do you have other tips that work for you?  Any questions or thoughts ..read more

There are a couple of things beginner singers can do to instantly improve their tone.   #1 - Exaggerate things that you may not do with your speaking voice like:  Mind Body Voice Motivation Personal Growth Resources Singing Lessons Vocal Technique Deepen the inhalation  Open the mouth more Use stronger diction #2 - Never think UP Direct your attention and energy DOWN and FORWARD I give some examples in this little video : ) Happy singing! - Madeline ..read more

  Vocal technique is about being more aware of things that. . . drum roll. . . your body already knows how to do comfortably.   A deep sigh-like inhale Smiling in the eyes or mouth Breathing in as though you were outside in the sweet, fresh air We’re just tweaking it a bit. Adding some intention and consciousness.  Perhaps opening more or giving direction to our sound.   Then we repeat the choreography until it is a part of our neuro-muscular wiring. Most of the time, when we are having trouble, we are getting in our own way mentally.  Instead of trusting the ..read more

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