If we’re talking about children’s theatre, children can play any role out there, from Miss Hannigan in Annie to Fantine in Les Miserables. But if we’re talking about adult musical theatre productions, that is, musicals that cast adults in adult roles and children in children’s roles, you have to search a little more to find […]
There’s a great Neil Gaiman quote: “Each person who ever was or is or will be has a song.” As a voice teacher who spends a lot of my life working with musicians, I think the quote is pretty on point. When I talk to my students, it’s clear that every one of them–from the […]
Echosmith 03/28/2015 #17, by Justin Higuchi, under CC by 2.0 We all feel like we don’t belong sometimes. Artists, in particular, tend to be a band of historical misfits. So it’s no wonder that there are so many songs about not belonging. If you’re ever having one of those days and need to remind yourself […]
Alanis Morissette – Zenith Paris = Juin 2012, by oouinouin, under CC BY 2.0 In the last few months, the news has been full of sweet, as well as heartbreaking stories of bucket lists and everyday people trying to make the most out of their lives. It may be a heavy topic for a music […]
Voice | Cool Music Finds @mollys_music Time after time, I get new vocal students claiming to be “tone deaf.” In all my years teaching, however, I’ve never encountered a single student—let me repeat that, not a single student—who’s actually been tone deaf. This isn’t to say that they all know how to match pitch when […]
Leona Lewis 2010, by David Skinner, licensed under CC BY 2.0When learning to sing, you’ll hear a lot of myths about what “good vocal technique” is. Voice teachers tend to have a lot of hang-ups about how you should sing: don’t be nasal, eliminate your voice break, draw out your vowels, and avoid breathiness. But […]
One fateful day, Riverside voice teacher Sarah Horn munched on cheese and crackers, quietly enjoying Kristin Chenoweth's concert near the front row of the Hollywood Bowl. She had ended up in the spot after a series of fortuitous seat changes and years of privately performing show tunes in her room. A few days later, Horn became an internet sensation.
Open mic nights are the perfect way for fledgling singers and performers to hone their craft. And even if you’re not performing, they’re an exciting way to spend a weeknight and support your local arts scene. Open mics bridge an important gap between the officiality of a ‘gig,’ and the ultra-casualness of a karaoke night. […]
Have you ever tried to sing a round or a harmony to a song, only to find you’ve flip flopped to someone else’s vocal line? Do you get distracted by the presence of harmonies in karaoke songs? Do you find yourself scooping up to a note, because you’re not sure where it’s supposed to be? […]
There’s no better gift you can give your children than a love and aptitude for music. Growing up, my mom was our school music teacher, and my dad was never without a guitar. Music emanated from every corner of the house, and by the time I was three, I was convinced I had invented the […]
Meet Tim Storms, a man with an earth-shakingly low voice. How low, you ask? So low, he can hit a note you can’t even come close to hearing. On March 30, 2012, he reclaimed a previous Guinness World Record for lowest vocal note produced by a male when he sang a G -7 (as if […]
There’s no magic to understanding how to match pitch. Learning takes patience, perseverance, and humor enough to listen to yourself, laugh, and keep on trying till you get it. I scoured the web for free pitch matching options, and the best tool I could find is a website called Theta Music Trainer. It is a […]