The “Concert Hall of One:” why do I sound different on a recording? Were you ever shocked when you heard a recording of yourself? Was your reaction, “I don’t sound like that”? I can bet that it was not the recording equipment. “The Concert Hall of One” was my teacher David Blair McClosky’s term for […]
Looking for Voice lessons? What to ask…. In the United States, there is no certification or licensure to teach singing. Anyone can hang out a shingle and promote themselves as a voice teacher. So the consumer has to wade through the many options and make a choice. Here are some guidelines. Teacher qualifications – Is […]
Things seemed to be coming back to pre-pandemic norms for singers, but here in the Boston area, this month has been disheartening. Unmasked singing: Recently there was a nightmare outbreak of COVID among members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the resident chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Over 30 people in the chorus and orchestra […]
These days I hear and see a lot of forced singing, in many genres. Perhaps it is a reflection of the stress in our time, but it’s not good for the voice and it’s not producing a great sound. I am presenting a series of videos and explanations of the McClosky Relaxation Exercises.These exercises are […]
These days I hear and see a lot of forced singing, in many genres. Perhaps it is a reflection of the stress in our time, but it’s not good for the voice and it’s not producing a great sound. I am presenting a series of videos and explanations of the McClosky Relaxation Exercises.These exercises are […]
Hi everyone! I decided it was important to write about these exercises as well as demonstrate them. For each of the 6 exercises, there is a post which contains: a short video demonstration; some reasons why I (as a McClosky Voice Technician and Master Teacher, and a soprano) think this exercise is important; and tips […]
Hi everyone! I decided it was important to write about these exercises as well as demonstrate them. For each of the 6 exercises, there are: a short video demonstration; some reasons why I (as a McClosky Voice Technician and Master Teacher, and a soprano) think this exercise is important; and tips how to do the […]
These days I hear and see a lot of forced singing in many genres. Perhaps it is a reflection of the stress in our time, but it’s not good for the voice and it’s not producing a great sound. I am presenting a series of videos and explanations of the McClosky Relaxation Exercises. These exercises […]
For those studying singing at the beginner and intermediate levels, studying old (17th and 18th century) Italian arias seems to be a nearly universal recommendation. Why is this so? What are the magical properties of this repertoire? What are these arias? Where are they from? These “Old Italian” arias are from operas of the 17th […]
Learning to Practice (Singing) [This was written by a student of mine. He has come a long way in his singing, but also in his thinking about singing, which he shares here.] To begin, I should explain that I’ve been studying voice for many years. With different teachers, in different schools; […]