Primary Specialism Workshop

For our specialist techniques workshop, we split into groups of our primary specialism. As I play piano and sing primarily, I decided to choose to do vocals. First of all, we went with our groups to a rehearsal pod and discussed our techniques and exercises for warming up our vocal chords before singing and which methods worked for us. We then went outside into the garden, practised the techniques and methods we discussed, and then we put those skills into practice and did a cover of "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse with the main melody and a third harmony.

I have been doing professional vocal lessons since I was eleven, and I am now grade seven in voice, so I used the techniques that my vocal coach has taught me for years. Personally for me, I use two vocal warm ups before I sing. These are scales and sirens.

For 'Scales' I play an octave on piano, starting from the middle C and I sing higher and higher as I play the notes, whilst having controlled breathing through my diaphragm. Here is a video example of this:

For sirens, you firstly have to have good posture. This means you must stand up straight, with your feet, shoulder-width apart. Whilst breathing through your diaphragm, sing the lowest note you can, and like the sound of a siren, slowly make sing higher and higher. This particular vocal exercise works well, because it challenges and expands your vocal range and helps you to control your breathing better so that you can sing more soulfully/powerfully. Here is a video example:

We were demonstrated several vocal exercises in the garden too. One of these was singing a scale whilst using different sounds. For example singing an "ee" sound or an "mm" sound which trains your voice to sing different octaves and different sounds easily. Here is a video example of this:

I am definitely going to incorporate this technique into my vocal warm ups in the future, as I feel it would significantly help my soul and funk singing, being able to vocally arpeggiate and sing legato and staccato without struggling for breath.

Here is a video of my group covering "Valerie":