Vocal exercises
under construction, not meant for use without guidance
Vocal exercises may serve various purposes, depending upon how you use them. Some exercises "warm up" the voice for the athletic activity of performing one's chosen repertoire. Some exercises are meant to build vocal skills or features you may want - agility, stamina, vocal power, or range among them.
I like approaching voice training as expanding the range of choices I'm able to make with my voice, in service of the music I wish to make. We all have anatomically-defined "boundaries". Like any athlete, training can change and improve our ability to use our instrument to the best and broadest of its ability - but no amount of training can appreciably change the size or shape of your individual larynx/vocal tract. In this way, you cannot choose your instrument - but with training and time, you can choose what you wish to do with it!
This list of exercises is based on those vocalises I use in my own studio. When known, I will list their provenance. If you're curious how these exercises "work", I'm happy to speak with you about it - I prefer empowering my students with transparency in purpose!
Note: I use IPA to indicate vowels.
I like approaching voice training as expanding the range of choices I'm able to make with my voice, in service of the music I wish to make. We all have anatomically-defined "boundaries". Like any athlete, training can change and improve our ability to use our instrument to the best and broadest of its ability - but no amount of training can appreciably change the size or shape of your individual larynx/vocal tract. In this way, you cannot choose your instrument - but with training and time, you can choose what you wish to do with it!
This list of exercises is based on those vocalises I use in my own studio. When known, I will list their provenance. If you're curious how these exercises "work", I'm happy to speak with you about it - I prefer empowering my students with transparency in purpose!
Note: I use IPA to indicate vowels.
Lip buzzing ([ʙ]) and/or Raspberries
Fun fact: the "Blowing a raspberry" sound has its own IPA symbol: [r̼̊] - though technically, this does not indicate the voiced version of the sound...
Fun fact: the "Blowing a raspberry" sound has its own IPA symbol: [r̼̊] - though technically, this does not indicate the voiced version of the sound...
5 note descending scale
Agility interval exercises
In ascending order of difficulty
In ascending order of difficulty
Leap/passage exercises (derived from lessons with Patricia Stiles)
Performed on "raspberry" or lip-buzzing
Performed on "raspberry" or lip-buzzing
