Sound Advice from Monica
When it comes to the freedom, beauty and strength of the voice, I’m always panning for gold. I like to gather nuggets of wisdom from my beloved teachers, colleagues, students, books and my own vocal practice and experimentation. If someone teaches me something, I’m always judicious, trying it out, clarifying the instruction and checking its value before passing it on. All the lessons I’ve taken through the years have led to many “ah-ha” moments and ultimately have informed my vocal philosophy. Here is a sampling of my teaching philosophy as expressed in my lessons with my students.
Sound Advice #47 – Many Roads Intersect With Good Singing
Recently, I went for an astrological reading because I’m in my “second Saturn return” (Please Google it if you are not an astrology buff). I was wondering what the planets had to say about where [...]
Sound Advice #46 – The Voice: A Mirror to our Inner World
Recently one of my Marin County singing students was working on a song in her voice lessons that was very emotional for her. She loves the song and its message. And she sings it technically [...]
Sound Advice #45 – The Tongue is a Many-Splendored Thing
I admit it. I am a vocal technique nerd. Students who take voice lessons with me in my Marin County studio are often invited to explore some voice-related anatomical part, such as the ribs, the [...]
Sound Advice #44 – What Exactly is Vocal Technique?
Many aspiring singers take voice lessons to improve their vocal technique. We learn about breathing, resonance and how the vocal folds work for the style of singing we want to do. But what exactly is [...]
Sound Advice #43 – Out with the Old, In with the New. But First…Pause
It’s hard, on the last few days of the year, to avoid end-of-the-year self-assessments: How did I do musically this past year? What kind of projects did I work on? Did my singing improve? What [...]
Sound Advice #42 – When It Comes to the Breath, Start with Beginner’s Mind
It’s fun to hear kids sing – and I’ve heard quite a lot, both in my Marin County voice lessons studio and out in the schools. Most children have not taken singing lessons and they [...]