Improving

How would you know if you are getting better?

Good question, Gavin! See below:

The more specific your goals are, the easier it will be to track your progress. If your goal is just to “sound better”, how will you know when you’ve achieved it? “Better” is subjective!

It’s frustrating and disheartening to put time into practicing and not hear results. We know that. We also know that you will increase your vocal ability with dedicated practice. Each lesson has a specific focus, with exercises to help you improve on that skill. Knowing why you’re doing a certain exercise is key to your success, and it’ll help you track your progress as you go! If you ever have questions about which exercises to use for a specific goal, or what the purpose of a specific exercise is, please feel free to ask in our instructor-moderated forum!

 We also encourage you to record yourself and listen back. Very few people like the sound of their own voice at first (including professional singers!), but it’s really helpful to help refine your goals and hear the results you’re working for. 

Here are some elements and goals you can track as you go along:

·       Comfortable range: note your highest and lowest comfortable pitch at the start of the program, and see how you gradually increase that range

·       Tone: was your untrained tone overly nasal, or overly dark? How has it changed, as you’ve learned to adjust your jaw, soft palate, and amount of compression?

·       Vowels: have you achieved a more consistent tone when changing from one vowel to the next? Have you learned how to modify vowels for the best possible tone?

·       Registration: can you find (and comfortably sing in) your chest voice and head voice? Are you starting to identify mixed registration?

·       Posture: are you maintaining good posture when you sing?

·       Breath support: are you able to sustain pitches for longer than before?

Those are just a few ideas! If you every feel stuck, or you don’t know which exercises to use to train a specific skill, ask a question on our forum or book a live lesson with an instructor for individual feedback.