Not so long ago I received an email from a singer by the name of Vanessa Murray. She was gathering information to help her with her MA dissertation on the topic of how touring affects the voice. I thought you might find this information of use too so have published the answers I gave her […]
No, it is a growth mindset and sheer grit. And science concurs. Whilst I haven’t got my own stats on this, I can certainly vouch for these predictors antidotally. When I look at the success of my students and clients over the years I’ve taught, whether related to developing their voices, overcoming poor singing habits, gaining […]
Have you ever found yourself in front of an audience with your knees shaking and sweat trickling down your temple? Maybe you want to throw up, or suddenly there’s not enough air in the room. You may feel like your mouth is as dry as a sandy desert and your voice, normally controlled and strong […]
Bobby McFerrin is without a doubt, one of the most accomplished vocalists of this century. He leads the way in 20th/21st Century solo vocal performance through his unique use of the voice and body, combined with highly skilled musicality and improvisation. His style transcends genres, being equally comfortable and accomplished in classical, popular, folk and […]
I can recall the first time I experienced stage fright, as clear as if it was yesterday. I went to an audition for a chorus part in a professional musical theatre production of The Student Prince. I step on stage feeling quietly confident and started to sing. About 4 or 5 bars in my knees […]
I was very sad to hear of Whitney Houston’s death last month. She possessed an extraordinary voice that appeared to have no limitations, her vocal style influenced thousands of singers of my generation and since. Unlike many chart singers of today, Whitney cut her teeth as a working singer before hitting the big time. She worked […]
I received this question to a post I made advertising The Performer’s Edge Course in LindedIn. I thought it was very relevant, so I am posting the question and my answer here too: “It sounds fabulous although I would love to know more about your experience as a performer. It seems contrary but I have […]
A group of performers and I have been working hard in The Performer’s Edge course. We were all so amazed this week to find we had come to the 10th and final class so soon. We all agreed it had been a great journey. We’ve all grown and everyone said they were walking away with […]
In The Performer’s Edge course we explore communication on stage. To start we discussed verbal and nonverbal forms of communication. A singer needs to be able to communicate using both forms. Body language is a vital form of communication between humans, along with vocal tone and the words especially on stage where distance becomes a […]
On The Performer’s Edge course we start off by exploring the question, “what is the meaning of success?” I start here because often when I ask singers what their ultimate goal is with their singing I get vague or unfocused answers such as “I just want to sing” or “I want to be famous”. These statements […]
