Jeanie’s Blog

If someone is recovering from a vocal pathology or injury and is also a professional singer, they need a very special kind of help. The field as it now exists gives singers some support if they are in need of assistance but it is limited. A Speech Language Pathologist is a licensed professional who works with speech to ...

There are a lot of people in this world claiming to be master teachers. Some of them deserve that title by virtue of their life accomplishments but some of them are more like “master artists” rather than master teachers. Just because they have had successful careers as singers, doesn’t mean that they are great teachers. A ...

There are unlimited ways to be creative. When dealing with music and singing there are vast numbers of ways to approach both. The mind of each artist comes to the process in a unique manner. Each individual approaches singing and music from a specific point of view which may change, grow or solidify through exploration of ...

Anyone who has mastered either an art or a sport understands the meaning of the word “discipline”. This would apply also to medicine, law, and science. In fact, where one seeks to master something and become an expert, this is only possible after exerting a great deal of effort over time. The activities that ask for physical skill ...

If there are no standards and everyone is equally good at everything then where are we? If holding standards makes you a snob, and having an education makes you an elitist, and speaking up about standards makes you a boor, where are we? I recently heard a version of “O Holy Night” from 2013 by Patti ...

Every day there are more and more “methods” of training people to sing. There are brands and copyrights and merchandize and all sorts of claims put forth. Any method of teaching singing is limited. It is limited by the person teaching it, by their life experience, their training, their interests and their own ability to sing. ...

It is very easy in this materialistic society in which we have deliberately shortened the day of giving thanks so that we can shop, to forget how much most of have to be grateful for. We live in a culture that favors the very rich — one that likes violence, greed, and a very low common denominator ...

If you have ever wanted to study singing, do it! Singing is a very healthy thing to do. It makes you breathe more deeply and with more energy. It is aerobic when you learn to do a vigorous song and it has the same benefits to the body as any moderate exercise. It’s also very rewarding ...

Today, while I was doing some Christmas shopping at a well-known department store, the Christmas music was alternately in English and then Spanish. I do not know, for the most part, who was singing, but I certainly knew the songs. I had the very unfortunate experience, again (this happened last year, too) of listening to simple holiday songs ...

If you approach singing as a spiritual discipline, it is a lifelong challenge of the greatest depth. Spiritual “work” asks that qualities which are universal and unchanging in human character are developed over a long period of time. Things like patience, perseverance, determination, loyalty, honesty, diligence, purposefulness, commitment, courage, humility, and resilience can only be developed ...

It’s hard to sing with a broken heart. If you are really effected by an event in your life that overwhelms you it is possible to lose the ability to sing. Even if your vocal folds are completely normal, you can find it nearly impossible to sing in the normal manner. This can be from something ...

No, I’m not talking about your tummy (although it could be that the sentence also applies to that part of your anatomy), I am talking about the middle range of your voice. If you are a young professional singer and have been taught to “sound good” and aim for “resonance” and volume, you can, especially if ...

When was the last time you heard someone sing who made you cry? Was it on a recording? Was it live? Was it amplified? Voices filled with emotion are very potent. They should be able to move anyone who is open to that. (Of course, many people are not). Music is also supposed to be able ...

Did you know that the Beatles wrote “art songs”? Yep. Did you know that Bob Dylan wrote songs that don’t deserve a beautiful voice? Well, that’s the attitude I ran into tonight at a venue on the Upper West Side. The material presented was largely not classical, but it was certainly presented in a quasi-classical manner. ...

Occasionally I run into a person who chooses to sing in a way that forces the voice into a compromised place. This kind of choice is only possible if the compromised place is not one which impacts vocal health or musical expression. I have worked with someone who sings jazz in a low, deliberately “smokey”, breathy ...