The CoMMUNITY SINGer

Hello and welcome to episode ten, our final episode of the Community Singer Course.

So we've debunked singing myths and hopefully taken away any negative preconceptions of your voice and singing. We've also looked at the three principles of singing, breath, connection and sound production.

So, hopefully, now you feel better equipped to use your breath, taking those low abdominal breaths, and connect the breath to the sound, remembering how to connect using those fricative sounds in order to create the best version of your sound as you possibly can. Remember, you can always go back to previous episodes if you need to relook at some of those things in more detail again. We've helped you discover the two core elements of music, rhythm, and pitch. Hopefully, by getting a clearer understanding of these two principles, you'll have the building blocks you need for your musical journey.

We've also worked through the classification of voice types, and they were Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. Hopefully, now you feel more comfortable in your understanding of what your voice type might be. And you can always go over that demonstration that we did again when you feel that your voice may have extended in range, perhaps. There's lots more work you can always do.

In episode eight, we put the three principles of singing together and created a daily warm up that you can refer back to at any time. And don't forget there's an audio only version. And you can always just use that as a warm up without having to go through the whole course again.

It's very normal to go through some difficulties with your voice. We talked about vocal health and the do's and don'ts looking after your voice. Hopefully, this has given you the tools to maintain a health healthy voice at all time and, should you ever come up with any vocal difficulties in the future, you'll be better equipped to know how to deal with this or to seek the right advice

Now you've got the fundamental knowledge, so where can you continue your singing journey beyond this course?

Well, we have some good ideas about that. Well, one of the best ways is to join a choir. We know from experience that this is a brilliant way for you to continue your journey and build on the stamina and the technique that you have learned through this course. Choirs give you a commitment to singing, and the routine of regular singing whether it's weekly or monthly is a great way of really building up your voice and doing all the things that this course has shown you how to do. Some other ideas are joining a theatre group. There's some great theatre groups out there, and you can use the techniques from this course using your speaking voice not just your singing voice.

Also, of course, there are karaoke nights and open mic nights, and these are great opportunities for you to just get up there and try out your singing. Don't worry about who's watching and who's listening. Just go and enjoy it and do it for you.

If you've got any more questions about your voice, or want to work more intensively, then we highly recommend finding a singing teacher or coach. They can help you develop your skills and help you generate an interest in other styles and genres because don't forget there are plenty more types of singing and types of music out there for you to explore.

We've talked today about classical music, and some more contemporary pop genres. But there's so many more ways you can use your voice. There's jazz, pop, musical theatre rock, soul -the list goes on and on. So, don't feel like you have any restrictions on your voice because all of these techniques will help no matter what you're singing.

We highly recommend you make singing a part of your routine in order to keep you growing and improving and, don't forget, singing is incredibly powerful for mental health and well-being.

The breathing exercises alone are remarkably transformative. So keep going on those as much as you can and see what a difference it might make for you.

I agree. Like most people, I've suffered from anxiety and I've found the routine of singing to be really helpful so keep enthusiastic and remain open to new things.

And remember singing is not about talent -it's about enthusiasm and a commitment to your personal journey.

Thank you for watching our course. We'd love to hear your stories on how this has been helpful to you.

If you found this course useful, we'd really appreciate you spreading the word so that we can help more people on their singing journey.

Thanks again for watching. I'm Abi Gilchrist and I'm Ross Power.

Good luck with your singing journey.

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