Singing can be healing, emotionally satisfying, cathartic and a mood uplifter. It is the most beautiful form of musical expression. So if you feel like singing your heart out, please do!
If you are keen on taking your singing to the next level and plan to take singing lessons to get there, there are five things you must keep in mind before you do so.
Things to Know Before Starting Singing Lessons
Breathing is Vital
An essential part of learning how to sing well is learning to breathe properly. Even your singing teacher will initially focus on helping you learn the right way to breathe. It is however not as simple as it sounds but with practice you will get there. Voice training ultimately is founded on proper breathing because it affects the quality of your singing.
Learning the breathing techniques is therefore vital as these not just improve the sound of your voice but also alter and improve your ability to hold a note. Your trainer will also train you in opening your mouth wide to project your voice, especially when singing words containing the ‘Ah’ vowel. Likewise doing yawning exercises is important for opening the space at the back of the throat.
Staying Hydrated is Essential
Your voice will reach its full capacity only if your vocal cords are well hydrated. The reason why vocalists on stage carry a bottle of water with them. Without adequate hydration, you might risk straining your vocal cords. It is a fact that singers need more water than non-singers. Singers must hydrate themselves with water at room temperature especially during practice sessions and at rehearsal times to keep their throats moist. Water which is at lower temperatures or cold drinks can restrict the vocal cords of a singer so one needs to be careful.
As a singer, you must avoid food, drinks, medications and anti-histamines that may cause dryness in your throat. And yes, caffeine, alcohol and smoking including vaping are not to be touched if you want your voice to be rich and smooth. In fact, even screaming and yelling can damage your throat so you need to be careful here as well.
Train Regularly on a Daily Basis
If you love singing then you will not find this a difficult thing to do. Before you start your singing lessons it is necessary to be prepared to practice your singing every day. Keeping your voice agile and practising your range on a daily basis will enable you to improve your singing. Know that this will take some amount of discipline and time management but if you stick to a schedule, you will see the rewards of your hard work coming soon.
Discover Your Range
Since every voice is unique and has certain scales and notes that suits them best, it is vital that you spend time on finding what your range is. Next, you must choose songs that fit in with your voice range. This way you will not be straining your voice and fighting against odds you cannot help and your confidence level will also grow. If you find your range to be limited, do not worry. The good news is that with greater practice and under professional guidance you will find that your range will grow too.
Listen to Yourself Singing
Listening to yourself as you sing is a fantastic way to gauge where your voice needs to improve. The strange thing is that we may at times sound different to ourselves from how we sound to others. So being able to listen to yourself while singing is helpful.
A good way to do this is to record yourself and when you listen back you will be better able to understand where you need to practice. The more you do so the better you will get at singing. Know that feeling the mechanics of your voice is actually what great singing is all about. Only when you become aware of your true sound can you bring alterations to it.
Make sure to focus on how you sound and how your body feels when vocalizing. Carefully listen to the tone, texture and control in each phrase. Doing this is vital when you first learn singing.
Ready to start your child’s musical journey? Get in touch with the teachers at Music Pandit to find out what works best for your child.
