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How to set up Zoom for singing
Some simple tweeks to the audio settings can massively improve your experience in a Zoom singing lesson.
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Help! I’ve Lost My Voice!
As a singing teacher, the last way I wanted to kick off 2015 was with a bout of Laryngitis, but alas, I am finally recovering after nine days without being able to speak, let alone sing. So what should you do if you end up hoarse, or loose your voice Read more…
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Finding Traditional Songs
I’ll be honest. I don’t like trying to find traditional songs! Ever since I read the ABRSM advice and heard about the poor examiner who had ten renditions of ‘Ten Green Bottles’ on one day, I am super keen to find something different or unusual for my students to sing. Read more…
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To Enter, Or Not To Enter…?
It’s September. That means for all us music teachers, like the children we teach, it’s back to school and back to work. In the UK, as well as abroad, a new term means we once again face the question: do I enter my pupils for an exam this term? Sometimes, Read more…
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I Can’t sing! I’m Tone Deaf!
Too many people say to me “I’m tone deaf”, but I’ve yet to meet someone who acutally suffers with this disability. Yes, tone deafness is a real medical condition. Tone deafness is an inability to recognise relative pitch, which is a subsection of a condition called amusia. People who suffer Read more…
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Why I’d Rather Clean the Toilet Than Practice (Some Thoughts on Priorities)
After my cold-of-doom which inspired the post a few weeks ago, I have been slowly building back to my normal routine. Or, possibly, a new and improved normal routine. When you get a cold that results in taking steroids for your asthma, it makes you reconsider what is important in Read more…
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Oh No! I Have a Cold!
I’ve had a cold this last week. It always feels ironic to say I’ve had a cold in May, but there you are. Times can be tough for singers when viruses run rampant through our respiratory system, making it hard to breath and sing. Here are some tips to help Read more…
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How to Find the Right Choir
Finding the right choir for you can be tough, but as I’ve said before, joining a choir is a great way to improve your singing and musical skills. Here are five really important questions to ask yourself before you start looking at the myriad of options available. How Does the Read more…
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8 Tips on How to Behave at the Theatre
Ever wondered how you should behave at the theatre? Well, here’s a beginners’ guide based on my most recent trip to the Edinburgh Playhouse… 1. The overture is just background music. It’s just there so that you don’t have to talk to your friends in a silent room Read more…
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Should I Join a Music MOOC?
MOOC [mook] n. massive (or massively) open online course: a usually free online course open to anyone and potentially having a huge number of enrolled participants. Anyone here taken a MOOC? I have just completed my first two MOOC courses with Coursera, one of the major provide of free online courses. The Read more…