Jeanie’s Blog

We all know that being “relaxed” when we sing is good. But what, exactly, is relaxed? Relaxed to a jazz singer is certainly not the same as relaxed to a classical singer. Relaxed is very relative. Generally, “poised” is a better term, because poised means ready for action is a comfortable and alert manner. ...

Did you ever stop to think how complicated singing is? Is it any wonder that it takes so long to do it and do it well? Here is a partial list of what one has to know in order to be a singer of the highest calibre: How to sing on pitch.How to shape a good ...

A lot of voice training is involved with generating a sense of vocal freedom. It is good to know that such freedom exists and that it is involved with the ability to move the vocal mechanism in a variety of ways and configurations. Freedom, however, can sometimes be antithetical to strength. In ...

What is vocal balance? How do you know if your voice is balanced or if anyone’s voice is balanced? What does it mean? Vocal balance happens when many factors co-exist. To me, vocal balance occurs when my breathing, my emotions and my voice all seem to operate as “friends”, with no one part struggling, ...

There are all kinds of ways to sing. Depending upon the voice, the artist and the style, there are an unlimited number of ways to make vocal sound. Not every sound that is pretty and musical would be “good” and not every sound that is ugly or unmusical would be “bad”. Unless you ...

Awareness is what you pay attention to or what you notice. It can be something you do deliberately or something that you discover spontaneously. In our society we spend a lot of time thinking. Some people think that thinking is all there is. (I think therefore I am). Those who ...

You can make yourself take a breath, but you cannot stop breathing volitionally. That’s because the Central Nervous System is hardwired to get oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. In fact, it is it’s overriding charge. You cannot decide to digest your food faster or slower, or to digest only some things and ...

In ancient cultures the power of the spoken word was taken very seriously. When people gave “their word” they were giving a very powerful bond, a commitment. “Keeping one’s word” was a contract and it meant that you had created a vow that was important and that you intended to do what you ...

It is important for professionals to be able to disagree with each other in a courteous but straightforward manner. Singing teachers sometimes seem unable to do just that. While in school, medical doctors are prodded to engage in vigorous debates so that diagnoses, surgery protocols, medication recommendations and treatment plans can be investigated from many angles. ...

“All You Really Need Is A Good Set Of Ears”. This is a common sentiment. If that were true, however, learning to sing would involve having your ears tested, listening to good singers, and away you go, getting jobs on Broadway or at the Met. No. In addition to a good set of ...

If you have a profile in the world, no matter who you are or why you have it, someone will dislike you for it. Someone will decide that you shouldn’t be there because. That stops a lot of people. Fear is a real factor in speaking up, speaking out and taking a stand. The ...

Before there was education, there was life. The way you learned anything was to do it. You didn’t go to school, you went to life. Now, if you want to be a farmer, you can get a degree in agriculture. If you want to be an artist, you can get a degree in applied fine art. ...

There is no definition of what makes a good teacher of singing. There are no singing organizations that have “rules” or “regulations”, no set of principles, no guidelines at all to help someone seeking a singing teacher to know what to look for or what is important. It really is a case of ...

Someone once said to me “you can’t really hear what’s beautiful, since everyone’s perception of beauty is so personal”. I think that could certainly be true, but I also think that the average person would say that a donkey bray is not as “pretty” as the sound of a songbird. I think that people ...

There is a lot of fake singing in the world. What is that? Fake singing is what happens when people who aren’t very talented connect to other people who can “put some spin” on what they do and market them successfully. That means that they rely on technology to make them sound “good” and ...