what you will learn at sing like a star studios...you will develop amazing high notes, power,...

WHATYOUWILLLEARNATSINGLIKEASTARSTUDIOSYouwilllearntosingstronger,singhigher,andsingwithcompleteconfidence,inanystyleyoupreferincludinggospel,blues,rock,pop,jazz,musicaltheatre,countryandR&B.Wetailoryourinstructiontomakeyouthebestsingerpossibleinthemusicstylesyoulove!Youwilldevelopamazinghighnotes,power,control,andflexibilitytosinglicks,runsandvocalriffs,justlikeyourfavoriteartist.Youwilldevelopyourownuniquestyle.AtSingLikeaStarStudiosyouwillbecomeaconfidentsingerbecauseyouknowyourvoicewillworkcorrectly-everytime!Youwill experience dramatically increased vocal range, power, and control. Your voicewill be healthy, strong, andbeautiful,andyouwillexperiencefreedomfromvocalstrain.Youwillbeabletosingthrougharangeofat leastthreeoctaves.Youwilleliminatevoicebreaksbylearninghowtobridge. Bridging is the art of transitioning through the passaggio, or passagewaybetween lower register andupperregister.Youwilllearntosingwithsoul,emotion,andflexibility.This isworld-class training for contemporaryandpopular stylesof singing,basedonscientific research.We train themusclesthatneedtobecoordinatedandefficientinsinging(thesearecalledintrinsicmuscles),andweteachyoutostopengagingthemusclesthatgetinyourway,(thesemusclesarecalledextrinsicinterferingmuscles).Webuildbrandnewneuromuscular responses that,with practice, become life-long good habits.Over time your voice begins to functioneffortlessly;thingsthatusedtobehardforyoutosingbecomeeasierandeasierwithSLaStraining!Yourvocaldevelopmentisplanned,logical,andorganized.Itisbasedonspecificobjectives.ItbeginswithyourinitialGTKY (Getting to Know You) introductory session with your Sing Like a Star instructor, where your voice will beprofessionallyevaluatedandyouwill receivea lessonplan tailored foryourvoicebasedonTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment.Eachweek,asyouworkthroughTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopmentwithyourteacher,youareincreasingskillswhileprogressing toward becoming the singer you always wanted to be - one skill at a time. The Eight Steps of VocalDevelopmentbeginswiththefoundationofgoodsinging-breathmanagement,otherwiseknownasappoggio.Thenwebuildanddevelopthelowerregisterofthevoice,followedbytheupperregister.Thenwebeginconnectingthoseregisterstogethersoyouhaveonesmoothandstrongunbrokensound.Thehigherstepsofdevelopmentemphasizethingslikevibrato,dynamics,andflexibility.Thesestepsbuildareliableandefficientvocaltechnique,soyoucanfocusonperformingandsingingfromtheheart!InStep8:Styleyouwillevenlearntosinggreatriffsandruns,becomingacreatorofyourownimprovisationsratherthanjustanimitator.Butevenmoreimportant-youwillveryquicklybeabletoapplyyournewskillstothesongsyouwouldliketosing!SpiralLearningConcept:SlaSinstructionisbasedontheSpiralLearningconcept-weconstantlyre-visitconcepts,butathigher skill levelswitheach repetition, if the studenthasdone the requiredpracticebetween sessions, consistentlyprogressingtohigherandhigherskilllevelsbycreatingautomatichabits.WhyWeAreDifferent

Youwillfollowaspecificpathofskilldevelopment,soyouknowhowyouaredoing.ThatpathisTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment,fromthemanualandcourseYouCanSingLikeaStar,byTriciaGrey,MM.

Aquestionforyou:Haveyouevertakenavoicelessonandleftthatteacher’sstudiowonderingwhatthepurposeofthelessonwas?Haveyoutakennumerouslessonswithoutseeingtheimprovementsyouwerelookingfor?Doestheprocessofimprovingyourvoiceseemmysterious?Hasyourteachereverexplainedexactlywhatisgoingonwithyourvocalfoldsandtherestofthevocalmechanismwhenyousing?Oftenvocaltrainingispresentedwithundefinedobjectives,vaguefeedback,andnoplanfordevelopingspecificmuscularcoordination.Theseineffectivelessonstypicallyconsistofarandom“warm-up”followedbynumerousrepetitionsofasong. They deliver little actual vocal improvement because they are not targeted at improving specific muscularcoordinationandefficiency.

ASSESSMENTFORM

When your teacher analyzes your voice during theGTKY (Getting to Know You session) you are placed in a “vocalcategory”basedonthefollowingcriteria:

LOWERREGISTER:1. Tooheavy/takeslowertoohigh:Unbalanced-PulledLower2. Tooweak/breathy:Unbalanced-LightLower,orUndeveloped3. Clear,strongprojected:Balanced

UPPERREGISTER:1. WeakerthanLowerRegister:Unbalanced-PulledLower2. StrongerthanLowerRegister:Unbalanced-LightLower3. Breathyandweaklikethelowerregister:Undeveloped4. Clear,strong,projected:Balanced

STUDENTTRANSITIONEDTHROUGHFIRSTBRIDGE:1. TooHigh:Unbalanced-PulledLower2. TooLow:Unbalanced-LightLowerorUndeveloped3. TransitionedatAb-Bbforfemales,Eb-Gbformales:Balanced

REGISTERCONNECTION/BALANCE1. Noconnection-permanentflipintofalsetto:Unbalanced-PulledLower2. Noperceivablebreak,butthevoiceisweakandbreathythroughout:Undeveloped3. BreathyLowerregister,noflip,strongerupperregister:Unbalanced-LightLower4. Smoothtransition,registersequalintone,quality,strength:Balanced

STUDENT’SVOICETYPEIS:1.Undeveloped:Breathy,weakthroughout2.Unbalanced-PulledLower:Strongerinthelowerregister,strainsinbridgethenflipstofalsetto3.Unbalanced-LightLower:Choralfemalewhobringsheadvoicetoolow

4.Balanced:Equallystronginbothregisters,transitionscorrectlythroughthebridge

SLaSOBJECTIVES:

1. Undeveloped: Better vocal fold adduction in the lower and upper registers, eliminate breathy vocalproduction,increaseenergyandconnectiontothebody,developaclear,strongtone.

2.Unbalanced-Pulled Lower: Eliminate strainat the firstbridge,begin transition throughbridge sooner,increasevocalfoldadductionintheupperregister.

3.Unbalanced-LightLower:Increasevocalfoldadductioninthelowerregister,changetonequalityfromclassicaltocontemporary.

4.Balanced:Increasepower,dynamics,flexibility,vibrato,style,riffsandruns,repertoire,performanceskills.The exercises your teacherwill be giving you are designed to address the challenges of your particular vocal

category.DailypracticewhilewatchingyourselfinthemirrorandsingingwiththerecordedexercisesontheYOUcanSingLikeaStarproductisabsolutelyessentialtodevelopandchangeyourvoice.

PAYMENTPOLICIES

1. Paymentswillbedebitedautomatically,fortheentiremonth,onthe1stofeachmonth.Weusethe

informationyouregisterwithinitiallytoprocessallpayments.(Creditcard,debitcard,orbankinfo).Youcanchangethatinformationatanytimebycontactingoursupportstaffat404-790-1830.Ifyourpaymentdoesnotprocess,foranyreason,(theusualonebeing“Iforgottoupdatemypaymentinfoaftermycardexpired”)youwillbeassesseda$40latefee.Somemonthshavefiveweeksandsomehavefour,soyourpaymentamountisadjustedaccordingly.Ifkeepingthecardupdatedisaproblem,youcanelecttouseyourbankinformationinstead.

2. Atwo-weekwritten,paidnoticeisrequiredtodiscontinuelessons.ThismeansyoumustpayfortwolessonsafterthedateyougivenoticebyreturningthecompletedDISCONTINUATIONFORM.YourteacherwillsendyoutheDISCONTINUATIONFORMbyemail,whichyouwillfilloutandreturntotheteacher.Aftertheteacherreceivestheemailyouarechargedfortwomorelessons.

3. Wedonottakechecksforpayment.Wedonottakepaymentsofanykindduringorafterthelesson.Alllessonsareprepaidthroughthesecureonlinemethod.Youcansupplyuswitheitheracredit/debitcard,oryourbankinformation.Wewouldliketobeabletofocusonyouandyourvoiceexclusivelyduringlessontimes!

4. Lessonsmissedforanyreasonareforfeited.SingLikeaStarisnotrequiredtomakeuplessonsmissedbystudents:however,eachteacheroffersaoncemonthlymakeupclass,availabletoanystudentwhohasmissedalesson.Youmaytaketheclassduringanymonth;youdonothavetotakeitinthesamemonthasthemissedlesson.YouwillreceivemonthlyemailnotificationsaboutthemakeupclassinthePAYMENTREMINDERemail.Ifyourpaymentisdeclined,foranyreason,anadditional$40willbedebitedfromyouraccountforeachadditionaldaythepaymentisdeclinedpastthe1stofthemonth.

5. YoucanchoosetokeepyourlessonappointmentonlinewithZoomorspeakerphonewhiletravelling,orwhenyouareill.(Youmustgiveyourinstructoratleast2hoursnoticebyemailsotheycansetitup).

6. Inordertoprogressyoumustcommitto20-30minutesofpracticeperdayThismeanspracticingtheexercisesandscalesfromthemostrecentlesson(preferablystandinginfrontofamirror)alongwiththerecordedlesson-notsingingsongs.

7. Asaparentyoumusthelpyourchildcreatethisgoodhabitofdailypractice,ratherthanleavingituptothem.Practicesessionsshouldbescheduledatthesametimeeverydaytocreateapracticehabit.

8. Musiclessonsofanykindrequiretimeinthedayreservedforpractice;youmayhavetoeliminateotheractivitiesinordertoleavetimeforregulardailypractice.Thisistheonlywaytoseeresults.

9. All-or-nothing,perfectionisticthinkingcanbecounter-productive.Whiledailypracticeof20-30minutesperdayandconsistentweeklylessonsarethebestroutetovocalsuccess,someweeksarebetterthanothers,sodon’tgiveuponyour(oryourchild’s)goalswhenlifegetsoutofcontrol.

WHENLIFEGETSBUSY-CONSIDERDISTANCELESSONS!

EvenstudentswhoplantobehereinpersoneveryweekshouldconsidersettinguptheirONLINEDISTANCELESSONSoptionsaheadoftime,justincase!Thisisagreatwaytoavoidmissingalesson-youcantakealessonfromanywhere!

AtSingLikeaStarweuseZOOMforalldistancelessons.(www.zoom.us).Itdoesnotdropcallslikeskypedoes,ANDitrecordsyourlesson(audioandvideo).It’sveryeasyforyou-nothingtopurchaseorjoin,justaquickdownloadthefirsttimeyouuseit.YouwillreceiveanemailnotificationfromyourteachercontainingaURL-youjustcopyandpastethatintoyourbrowser.With24-48hoursafterthelessonyouwillreceiveasecondemailfromyourteacherwithalinktostreamordownloadthelessonforpractice.

ABOUTOURMAKEUPPOLICY….

Wehavefoundthatthemostcommoncauseofmisunderstandingsbetweenourstudioandourstudentsisthemakeuppolicy.Eventhoughstudentssignanagreementthattheyunderstandthatmissedlessonsareforfeited,theissueoftencomesup,andweareexpecttosomehowmakeanexception.

Wehopeyouunderstandthatwearebookedback-to-backallday(becauseweareverygoodatwhatwedo)andthisisjustnotpossible.Wecannotcreatehourswheretheydon’texist!Sopleasedon’tbeupsetwithyourteacherwhenyourmissedlessoncannotbemadeup.Thetimewereserveforyou,isyourstodowithasyouwish-ifyoumakeachoicenottobehere,thatisok,butwecannotbeheldaccountableforeverystudent’spersonalchoicesandlifechallenges.Yourteacherwill

havereservedthatspotforyou,andtheywillbehere,sinceourlessonsarescheduledback-to-back.Weofferonlinelessonsmakeitconvenientandeasytotakeyourlessonwhentravelling,indisposedorpressedfortime.Ifyouarenotwellenoughtosing,youcandoadistancelessonwherewediscussvocaltechnique,workonsongwriting,stagecraft,etc.WesuggestyoubecomefamiliarwithZOOM,thesystemweusefordistancelessons.www.zoom.us

Ifyouhavetomiss,weofferafreemakeupclassonceamonth,duringthefirstweekofeachmonth,attheendofyourteacher’sworkday(thistimewillchangefrommonthtomonth).Youwillbenotifiedregardingthelocationandstarttimeofthecurrentmonth’sclassintheCOURTESYPAYMENTREMINDERemail.YoumustRSVPfortheclassbyemailingyourteacherdirectly.

Aregularweeklylessonanddailypracticeisthebestwaytoachievesuccessandseeconsistentvocaldevelopment.

PRACTICEFORSUCCESS!Youwill soonbeenjoying the vocal benefits of the information and training in your lessons.Most students say they seeimmediateimprovementinvocaltone,power,rangeandcontrolasaresultoftheirfirstmonth'slessonsandvocalpractice.Theyalsotellusthatthefirstmonthisthehardest,soifyoufeellikeyouarestrugglinginthebeginning,justhanginthere,itgetseasier!Pleaseknowthatyoucanemailusanytimeatsupport@singlikeastar.comifyouhavequestions,comments,orsuggestions.Letusknowwhatyouarethinkingsowecanhelpyoubetter!TheSLaStechniqueisthebestvocaltrainingyouwillfind.Itwillworkthefastest,andwillgiveyoutherange,power,andartistrythatyouwant-butonlyifyoudoyourpart!Yourpartisacommitmenttodailypractice(orascloseasyoucancometodaily)andconsistentweeklyvoicelessons.Ifyoucommitayeartothisprocess(whichreallyisnotthatlong)youwillseeamazingresults.Youwillactuallyseeamazingresultswithinthefirstsixmonthsifyoureallyworkatit.Forgoodresultsyouneedto:

1) Beconsistentanddailyaboutyourpracticeroutine.

2) Becomeadedicatedlearnerwhoschedulespracticetimeasapriority.

3) Beaccountable-learntofollowthrough.Keepyourcommitmenttoyourself,yourfuture,andyourtalent.PRACTICING-FOREVERYONE!Wewantyoutoknowthatwerequire20-30minutesperdayofpractice.That is theonlywaychangeand improvementoccurs.Thepracticinghabitmightbeabitofastruggleinthebeginning.Tocreateahabityouhavetorepeatanactionwithfocusedattentionmany,manytimes,creatinganeuropathwayinthebrain,akindofgroovethatmeansyoudon’thavetothinkabouttheactionanymore.Onceyougetthatgoing,theaction iseasy. It’s fun. Singingwillbethatwaysomeday,wepromise!But…tryingtochangeahabitorlearnanewhabittakesattentionandfocus.Mindlesslywarmingupdoesnothingtocreatenewhabits.Vocalizingalongwithyourmostcurrentlessonwithfocusedattentionwillcreatenewhabits.Whichmeansthat,someday,youwon’thavetothinkaboutit-becausebythenitissecondnature!Youhave,throughmanyrepetitions,createdanewneuro-pathwayinyourbrain.Habitispartiallyduetoaphysicalsubstance,calledmyelin,whichisbuiltupwithfocusedrepetition.Themoreyoureinforceagoodhabitthestrongeritgets.That’stheproblemwithskippingpracticedays-youweakentheconnection.Practiceis:standinginfrontofamirror,vocalizingalongwithyourmostrecentlesson,withattentionfocusedonthegoalorobjectiveofthatweek's lesson-whatskillyouaretryingto improve.Plugyourrecorded lesson intoaboomboxoraloudspeakersystem.Youneedtoproject!

Less-than-idealmightbevocalizinginthecaronthewaytoschool.Justfindawaytoincludeitintheday.Pleasedon’tover-scheduleyourselfwitheveryactivityavailable,leavingnotimeforpractice,thengetfrustratedwhenyouaren'tmakingtheprogressyoushould,andquit.Anynewhabittakesconsistency,repetition,andreinforcement-practicingisnoexception!Andyouhavetoleavetimeinthescheduleforthattohappen.Youshouldknowthat:1. Musiclessonsofanykindrequiredailypractice.Youaregoingtohavetoeliminatesomeactivitiestomaketimeforthis.Establishpriorities.

Magicalthinkingwillnotimproveyoursinging!Inmanypeople'smindssinginglessonsareallaboutsingingsongs.Theyindulgeinmagicalthinking-thatsinginglikeasuperstarismagicallygoingtohappenbecausetheyaretakingvoicelessons,andthatiftheycouldonlygetonatalentshowlikeTheVoicetheywouldsurelybediscoveredandbecomefamous.Noworkinvolved.Unfortunately,whilethatmightbeanenjoyableidea,therealityisthatNOONEwhoisasuccessfulsingergottherewithoutbeingreallydisciplinedandhavinganexceptionalworkethic.It'slikebeinganathlete!Ittakesthatkindofcommitment.Ifthegoalistoimprove,(andhavefuntoo!)thereneedstobeadailypracticeroutine,preferablyatthesametimeeachday,ofaminimumof20-30minutesperday,ontheexerciseswegiveyou,notsingingsongs.Thatiswhywerecordthelessons.Inthemagicalthinker'smind,voicelessonsarejustsingingsongs.BeyonceneverhadtoworkatitandCelineDionjustgetsuponstagebeingawesomewithnopracticeorhardworkatall.Inthemagicalthinker'smindjusttakingalessononceaweekwillmakethemgreat.Therealityis:Youhavetoworkspecificmusclesinaspecificwayconsistentlyanddailytoseeresults.Youbuildskills,sequentially,oneontheother.Tomoveforwardtoanewskillyouhavetoacquirethefirstskill.Invocaltechniqueforsingersofallageswearedevelopingmuscles,efficiencyandcoordination,oneskillatatime.ThatisthepremiseofTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment.Ifthosemusclesarenotexerciseddailywiththecorrectexercisesbysingingalongwiththerecordedlessonthosemusclesjustdonotchange.Youhavetodotheworktoseetheresults.HOWTOPRACTICE:Standinfrontofamirrorandwatchyourself,focusingonposture,correctbreathing,jawposition.Playthemostrecentlessonfrombeginningtoendandsingalongwiththelesson.Makesureyourrecordingispluggedintoaboom-boxorstereoorotherspeakers.Turnitup!Donottrytoplaythescalesonthepianoorguitar,orrememberwhatwedidandtryitonyourown.Everyexerciseisdesignedspecificallyforyou,toaddressthevocalissuethatwehearinyourvoicecurrently.Youwillprogressthemostquicklyifyousingtheexercisesintheordergiven,alongwiththerecording.Singingsongsisnotpracticing,vocalizingwiththescalesinyourlessonispracticing!Ifyouaretrulytime-challengedtransferthelessontoaCD,ipod,iphone,etc.Practiceintheshower,orinthecar.Notideal,andnotveryfocused,butwaybetterthanskippingpracticealtogether!Agoodwaytoencourageahabitistostartsmall-even10minutesadaywillresultinchangeandimprovement.Thekeytocreatinggoodhabitsisdailyconsistency,preferablyatthesametimeeveryday.Thenstartincreasingthetimeby5minutes.ThreebookstoreadaboutthisareTalentisOverrated,TheTalentCode,andOutliers.So-called“talent”actuallymeansverylittle.Howhardyouworkatsomething,andhowmanytimesyourepeataskillwithfocusedattention,determineyoursuccess-orfailure.

FORPARENTS:ForParents:theonlyrequirementforustoworkwithyourchildisthewillingnessandabilityofthechildtopracticetherecordedlessonsfor20-30minuteseachday.Thiswillrequireyou,theparent,tobeproactiveinschedulingandrequiring

regulardailypractice.Childrenarenotdevelopmentallycapableofsustainingongoingandconsistentself-discipline,nomatterhowmuchtheyliketosing.Thisisuptoparentstoschedule,toexpect,andtoenforce.Mostchildrenarenotgoingtobeabletoconsistentlyscheduleandexecutepracticesessionsontheirown,soparentswillhavetobevery“handson”aboutthis.Itissimplynottruethatifkidsreallywanttosing,theywilldisciplinethemselvestopractice.Parentshavetobeveryproactive,sometimesallthewaythroughhighschool.Thatisthenatureofthedevelopingbrain.But,ifyoucreategoodpracticehabitsyoung,theywillbesustainedforlife.Makepracticingthefirstthingyourchilddoeswhentheywalkthroughthedoorafterschool.Inthebeginning,practiceisabitlikeeatingvegetables.Theymaynotloveit,butthepayoffisworthit!

Quittinglessonsbecauseyouleftituptothechildtopractice,andtheydidn’t,sendsthemessagethatanythingthatischallenging-don’tworkatit-justgiveup!Notagreatmessage.Whenyourchildbeginstoseethepayoffofpractice-astrongervoice,betterhighnotes,andtheabilitytosingliketheirfavoriteartist,thepracticehabitgetsawholeloteasier!

Ifyouwanttobesuccessfulatmusicofanykind,roommustbeleftinyourschedulefordailypractice.Thatprobablymeansomittingsomethingelse.ThebiggestmistakeIseeparentsmakingisover-schedulingtheirchild.Theyrushmadlyfromoneactivitytothenext,withnotimeleftforpracticingathome.Makechoices.Establishpriorities.Thisisaverygoodlife-lesson.Doingplays,forexampleseemslikeareallyfunidea,buttheyrequireahugetimecommitment,leavinglittletimeforanythingelse.Thatmightbeagreatthingtodointhesummer,whenyoudon’thaveschoolobligationsaswell.Pleasedon’tover-scheduleyourchildwitheveryactivityavailable,leavingnotimeforpractice,andthengetfrustratedwhentheydon’tpractice,feellikeyouarewastingyourmoney,andquit.Instead,createaschedulethatallowstimefordailypractice,andapplaudthemwhentheydoit!Anynewhabittakesconsistency,repetition,andreinforcement-practicingisnoexception!Andyouhavetoleavetimeinthescheduleforthattohappenconsistently.

DevelopingthepracticinghabitisalittlelikeeatingvegetablesinsteadofMacDonald’s-yourchildmaynotloveit,atfirst,buttoseechangeandimprovementtheywillhavetogetintothehabitofdoingit.Thebestwaytoteachyourchildanythingistomodelthegoodbehavior.Theywillimitatewhatyoudo,notwhatyousay.So,ifyouhaveeverwantedtotakevoicelessons,thisisagreattimetodoit!It’ssomethingthatyouandyourchildwillreallybondoverandenjoydoingtogether.Wehavequiteafewparent/childstudents.Agoodwaytoencouragethisistostartsmall-even10minutesadaywillresultinchangeandimprovement.Thekeytocreatinggoodhabitsisdailyconsistency,preferablyatthesametimeeveryday.Ifyouwanttobesuccessfulatmusicofanykind,youmustmakeroominyourschedulefordailypractice.Thatprobablymeansomittingsomethingelse.Hereisourmostfrequentlyaskedquestion,foundontheFAQpageofthewebsite:WHATCANIDOTOREACHMYGOALSFASTER?Eachperson’sprogressisindividual,basedonhowmuchyoupracticeandhowfocusedyourpracticeis.Ifyouarefocusedandattentivetothegoalofeachlesson,andyoupracticedaily,youwillimprovequickly.Ifyoupracticewhenyougetaroundtoit,andyouarenotstandinginfrontofamirror,focusingonyourobjectiveforthelesson,yourprogresswillbepoor.Yourteacherandyouareinapartnership-yourteacherwillgiveyousomeamazingtoolsandsolutions-butyouhavetoconsistentlyusethem.Inthispartnershipwhatyouputiniswhatyouwillgetoutofit!Withthistechnique,changeandprogresswillhappenquicklyforyouifyoudoyourpart-atleast20-30minutesperdayofpractice.Consistencyisthekeytosuccessinvocaltraining.Aweeklylessonanddailypracticewillguaranteetheresultsyouwant.

Thebiggesthurdleforbusypeopleistime.Youneedtofindatleast30minutesadaytoworkatthis,andthatmeansdoingtheexercises,notjustsingingsongs.Itispreferablethatyoustandinfrontofamirrortopractice.Watchyourposture,yourbreathing,yourjawandlips.Focusonthegoalforthatlesson.SingalongwiththeexercisesontheonlineYOUcanSingLikeaStarproduct,throughyourcomputer,ipod,orCDplayer,withspeakersattachedandthevolumeup,andsingalong,energetically.YourteacherwillsendyouaLessonPlaneachweekthatshowsyouwhichexercisestopractice.Ifyoudothework,theresultsareguaranteed!Practicingfor30minutesdailywithfocusedattentionistheonlywayrealchangeandimprovementoccurs.Wewillgiveyouthetools-butyouhavetoputintheworktoseetheresults.It’sapartnership!Tounderstandwhyfocused,mindful,dailypracticeissoimportantpleasereadTheMythofTalent,TheTalentShowSyndrome,PracticeThatPaysOff,andBecomeaSuccessfulSingerbyEstablishingPrioritiesbyTriciaGrey,MM.

TheSLaStechniqueisbasedonsequentiallydevelopingcertainmusclesandskills.OneskillsetleadstothenextinaplannedandguidedprogramofvocaldevelopmentcalledTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopmentfromTriciaGrey'sbookYOUcanSinglikeaStar!Inordertomovefromonesteptothenext,youhavetoaccomplishtheskillimprovementsgiventoyouinthatweek'slesson.Whichmeansyouhavetoworkoniteveryday.Otherwiseyouwillcomeinweekafterweekandbedoingexactlythesamething.It'suptoyou!Moveaheadquicklyorveryslowly!

Practicing is likeanygoodhabit-notalwaysgreatfuntodo,buttheresultsareworth it.Unfortunately,unlessyoudotheexercisesyourvoicewillnotimprove.Theexercisesdevelopthemusclesthatenableyoutosoundgoodonthesongs!

Werecommendthatpracticeisthefirstthingyoudoaftertheschoolorworkday.Beforehomework,beforesocialmedia,beforeTV.

Or,getupahalfhourearlieranddoitbeforeyourdaystarts!

Practicingsomethingunfamiliar,becausewearefocusedonchangingabehaviororlearninganewbehavior,takesalotmoreconcentration.It’sfuntodothingsyouarealreadygoodat,butchallengingtodosomethingyouarenotgoodatyet.Whenyoubegintoseethepayoffofpractice-astrongervoice,betterhighnotes,andtheabilitytosinglikeyourfavoriteartist,practicebecomesmuchmoreenjoyable.TheEightStepsofVocalDevelopmentprogramatSLaSwillimproveeveryareaofyourvoicewithanorganized,sequentialskillbuildingprogram.Whenyouhaveworkedthroughalleightstepsyouwillhaveatotallynewvoice!

Wedon’tjustvocalizeinlessons-wesingsongstoo!Wetrytobalancehavingfunandsingingsongswithaclearvisionofvocalimprovement.Thebalanceoffunandworkineachlessonvarieswiththeageofthestudentandtheirpersonalgoals.Wetrytomeeteachstudentwheretheyare,whileencouragingthemtoreachhigher.ThesmartestinvestmentinyourvocalfutureisaweeklySingLikeAStarvoicelessonanddailypractice!Thesecondmostfrequentlyaskedquestionis"HOWLONGWILLITTAKE?"Theanswertothatisthateveryoneisuniqueandmovesaheadatdifferentspeeds,butingeneral,ifyouarediligentaboutpracticingtheexerciseseveryday(orasclosetothataspossible)withfocusedattentionandhavingalessonatleastonceperweek,youcanexpecttobesingingwellwithin6months,andyouwillhaveatotallydifferentvoice,withgreathighnotesandpower,inayear'stime.Ayearofdedicationisnotmuchtoask,whenyouthinkabouthowlongittakestobecomeapianistorviolinist!(Atleast10-15yearsofdailypracticeof1-2hours).Investayearinyourvoiceandyouwillbeamazedatthechanges.Ihaveasign inmystudio"Therearenoshortcutstoanyplaceworthgoing",attributedtoBeverlySills,America’smostpopularandsuccessfuloperasingerformanydecades.Believeit.Dothework,andyouwillseetheresults.Becomingavocalartistandlivingyourdreamistotallypossiblewiththecombinationofagreatvocaltechnique-andthebesttechniqueisrighthereatSingLikeaStar-plusyourcommitmenttoconsistentlessonsandpractice!

Thefollowingareafewoftheblogsthatcanbefoundunderthe“VocalTips”tabonthewebsite.Therearemanyotherblogsdealingwithvocalhealth,howtogetintothemusicbusiness,andhowtosuccessfullyaudition.SubscribetotheVocalTipsBlogsonthewebsiteatwww.singlikeastar.com.

HOWTOBECOMEASUCCESSFULSINGERBYESTABLISHINGPRIORITIESFact:thereareexactly24hoursineveryday.Fact:ashumanbeings,wedoneedtosleepandeatandworkorgotoschool(mostofus)forsomeofthosehours.So,sad-but-truefact:ifyouhavechosentobecomeasinger,andyouwanttobeareallygoodsingerandartist,youwillhavetolearnhowtoestablishyourprioritiesabouthowtouseyourremaininghours,inordertomakethechoicesthatwillleadyoutovocalsuccess.Oneofthosechoicesisprioritizingyourtimeinordertobeabletopracticedailyandtotakeaminimumofonelessonperweek.Onecase-in-point:school-whetherit'sHighSchool,College,MiddleSchool,etc.Withallthedistractions,requirements,andfunopportunities,pursuinganeducation,ANDdoingalltheafterschool“extras”thatthoseinstitutionsofferisahugetimedrain.Becomingareallygoodmusician,singer,orartistisalsoareallybigtimecommitment.Somewhere,youaregoingtohavetomakeachoiceifyouwanttobereallygood.Youhavetoputinthetime,ifyouexpecttobeaMasteratanything!Youmighthavetochoosewhichoftheseyoureallywantmore;toreachyourmusicalgoals,ortoparticipateinafterschoolactivitiesorsocialactivities.

Iget lotsofhighschoolagestudentswhosaytheywanttobeacceptedtoprestigiousuniversityprogramsasamusicaltheatremajor,buttheyfailtorecognizehowtoughthecompetitionistogetintothoseprograms.Theysaytheywanttobeprofessionalmusicaltheatresingers,but,inadditiontothislargegoal,theyalsotakeoneveryextra-curricularactivitytheycan;sports,cheerleading,debate,etc.Allthesethingsareterrific,butnow,becauseofbeingover-committed,voicepracticesometimesbecomesinconsistentandprogressevenmoreinconsistent.Andthevoiceistired!Ihatetobreakittoyougirls,but,it’seventoughertogetintocollegemusicaltheatreprogramsasafemalethanitisfortheguys,(lotsmorecompetition)soyouhavetobeeventhatmuchbetter.Andbecomingastarrequiresevenmoreselfdisciplineandtime.Thetruthandtherealityisthatyouaregoingtohavetoprioritize.Itissaidthatittakes10,000hoursofdoingaskillwithpracticedattentionbeforeyoubecomereallyproficientatit.ThatisaLOTofhours.Atsomepoint,youwillhavetochoosewhetherornottogivesingingandmusicyourall.Andgiving ityourall is justthebeginningofwhat ittakestobereallysuccessful.So,ifyouwanttobeagreatsinger,orartist,youmaywanttoconsidereliminatingsomeofthe“timedrains”,eveniftheyaregreatandwonderfulopportunities.Thisincludesvideogames,Facebook,texting,TV,etc,etc,etc.Theseareallmajortime-drains.Ifyouareanadultaimingforstardom,youwillhavetobeevenmorefocused.It’sanevenhardernuttocrack,thoughitcanbedone!Itjusttakestimededicateddailytothegoal.Ifyouwanttobeastar,youneedtoaddsongwritingtothelistofthingsthatshouldbeworkedatfaithfullyanddaily.Hardlyanyonegetsthroughthedoorthesedaysunlesstheyhavegreatsongwritingskills.Allthesethingstakedaily,focusedattention(singingintheshowerorwhiledrivingisnotreallyfocused attention). I’m not saying don’t have fun or do any school activities if you want to have a future in music.But….sometimestherearechoicestobemade.Toughchoicesthatwillcumulativelyaffectyourfuture.Ifyouareseriousaboutbeingsuccessful,youmighthavetobewillingtoeliminateatleastsomeofthefunbutreallytimeconsumingextracurricularstuffinordertofocusonyourtalentandyourfuture.Agoodquestiontoaskyourselfis:Howmuchdoyouwantit?Agood singerneeds tonotonlybegoodat singing,butalsoneeds toalsobeagreatmusician.Understandingmusicalrhythms,howtoreadmusic,andbasickeyboardorpianoisallpartofthepackage.Andyouneedtostartallthatmusicaltrainingfairlyyoung,alongwithyourvocaltraining.Ifyouareanadultwhowantstopursuethiskindofcareer,youcandoit,butyouwillhave somecatchingup todo in themusicianship skillsdepartment. Practicingall that, alongwithvoicepractice, takestime. Sodoesbecomingagoodsongwriter,whichyoualsoneedtodo, ifyourgoal is tobeasuccessfulrecordingartist.

It’snicetohavemanyvariedinterestsandabilities,andI’mallfor(kidsespecially)exploringthemtofindoutwhatyoureallylike.Andsomeofmystudentsarejusttakinglessonforfun,orexploring,andthatistotallyfine,ifthatiswhereyouarecomingfrom.(Eventhosestudentsneedtopracticeatleast30minutesaday).But itseemsthatthis isanerawhereeveryone is told“youcanbeanythingyouwanttobe”,butwithouttheotherimportantpart“ifyouarewillingtoworkveryhardforit”.Ithinkit’saninjusticetogiveanyonetheimpressionthattheir“dream”willsomehowjustmagicallyhappenwithnoworkoronlyminimalworkontheirpart.Alittlerealitycheck:lotsandlotsofpeoplehavethesamedream,andtheyworkREALLYhardatit.Hint:youhavetoworkharderthantheydo,ifyouwanttobemoresuccessful.Onceyoudecideyouwantafutureandacareerinmusic-thatis,Ifyoureallywanttobeastarorbeacceptedtoareallygoodcollegeprogram,youmighthavetoeliminatesomeoftheadmittedlyfunbuttimeconsumingextra-curricularactivitiesinfavorofaconsistentandfocusedpracticeandlessonschedule.Itrulyknowhowdifficultthatcanbesometimes!Ifeelyourpain!Youhavetoconsidershorttermversuslong-termgratification.IempathizeandunderstandthatdoingvocalexercisesisnotnearlyasfunasFacebook.Igetit.Iknowwearingthecutecheerleaderuniformthatyouwaitedforsincethesixthgradewouldbeterrific.Iknowyourfriendsareallmeetingafterworkforsomefuntime.But…youhavetodecidehowtospendyourverylimitedafterschoolorafterworkhours,inordertomaximizeyourpotentialfuturesuccess.Ifyoureallywanttobesuccessful,makeyourpracticingorsongwritingandconsistentweeklylessonsthemostimportantpriority.Everythingelselinesupbehindthat.WhatthismeansisthatyouwillhavetimeafterpracticingtodoSOMEofthethingsthatappealtoyou.Notall.Maybenotevenverymany.Butsome.

Write(andkeepto)aschedulethatincludespracticingasthefirstthingonyourlistafterworkorschool.Andifyouaretootiredafterschoolorwork,itmightworkbetterforyoutogetupearlyandgetitoutofthewayfirstthinginthemorning.Doiteveryday.Now,seehowmuchtimeisleftoverandTHENdosomeofthefunstuff.Thatway,youwillachieveyourdreamsANDhavesomefuntoo.Prioritizing-it’saboutmakingpositivechoiceswithyourlimitedtimeresourcesthatwillpayoffovertimeandwillhelpyouachievethosedreams.Andwhenyougetthere,youwillknowyoudeserveit,becauseyouworkedforit!VOCALTRAININGTIPS-THEALLORNOTHINGSYNDROMEIcan'tcountthenumberoftimesIhavegottenaphonecallaweekoramonthbeforethelocalauditionsforAmericanIdol,TheVoice,orTheX-Factorareheld.Ontheotherendoftheconversationissomeonewhowants"afewlessonstogetreadyforthebigaudition".This is likesayingyouaregoingtoworkoutforafewweeksandthenmaketheOlympicteam.It'sdelusional!Andlet'stalkabouttheparentwhosechildasksthemforvoicelessonsafterviewingtheglamorandfunoftheseshows,whopaysforafewlessonsandthenquitsbecausethechilddoesnotpracticeandtheyare"wastingtheirmoney”.Iamalwaysappalledatthemessagethatsendstoachild-"ifit'shard,don'tworkatit-justquit!"Allsingersshouldknowthatgoodvoicetrainingincludesexercisesandisnotjustsingingsongs.Singingsongsisundoubtedlymorefunthanpracticingexercises,butthatwillnotdevelop,improve,orchangeyourvoice.Vocaldevelopmentoccurswithascientificapproachthatemphasizesstrengtheningcertainmusclegroupsinthelowerandthentheupperregisterandthenblendingtheregisterstogetherusinganapproachcalledmix.Itseemstomethatthere isamisunderstandingabouthowgreatsinginghappens.ThemostfrequentmisquoteIhear is"eitheryouhavetalentforsingingorwritingsongs,oryoudon't".Ithinksomeartistspromotethisideabyclaimingtheyhaveneverstudiedvoice,wheninfact,theyhavestudiedwithateacherforyearstodevelopandhonetheircraft.Apparentlytheywouldliketopromotetheideathattheirgiftsarenaturalandyoushouldn'thavetoworkatit,ifyouarereallytalented.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Anyartistwhohassustainedacareerover timehasworkedhardatdevelopingandmaintaining theirvocal instrument(whether they admit it or not). In fact, the right vocal teacher and a good, disciplined practice routine is the primarydeterminantofwhetheranartist'svoicewillholdupundertherigorsofdailyperformingandtouring.Andthetimetostart

isBEFOREthecareerhappens.Bythetimeyouaretouringandhavingtosingdaily,it'sdifficulttocorrectvocalproductionbecausethevoiceisalwaystiredandstrained,andyouareexpectedtoperformanyway.Thatiswhymanycareersfizzlebeforetheytakeoff-untrainedsingersareboundtoexperiencevocalissuesduetolackofpreparationandvocaltrainingbeforethecareerhappens.Evensuper-talentslikeAdeleexperiencevocaltraumathatcouldhavebeenpreventedwithpropertraining.Goodvoicesandsolidvocal techniquearebuilt slowly,over time,usinga scientificapproach toexercises thatbuild,balance,andregistratethevoice,increasingpowerandcontrolwithsustainedandconsistentpracticeandwork.Classicalsingersunderstandthis-theideaoftakingonlyafewlessonsbeforeabigauditionwouldbelaughabletoanoperaticsinger.Dailydisciplineandpracticearepartofanyrealmusician'slifestyle.Iwonderwhypopsingersgettheideathattheirartformwouldrequireless?Iconsidersingingtobesimilartoathletics.Athletesunderstandthattrainingtheirbodiesandmusclesisofprimaryimportance.Andstaying inshape isvital.Athletesworkwithtrainersandcoacheswhodesignworkoutroutinesthatwillmaximizetheirperformanceability.Inthesameway,goodvocaltraining(andlet'sbeclear-noteveryonewhoclaimstobeavoiceteacheractuallyunderstandsthescienceofvocaldevelopment)willbuildthesmall intricatemuscles,sothatthesingerisfreetoemotepowerfullywhenperformingasong.Whensingersareconfidentthatthevoicewillalwayswork,theybecomemuchmorefreeandemotionalintheirsinging.Stagefrightisparalyzingtoasinger,andisaresultoffearthatthevoicemightcrackonhighnotes,ormightotherwisenotfunctioncorrectly.Thiscanbeavoidedwithgoodvocaltraining.Anothermisguidedapproach is thepersonwho is so "gung-ho"when they start their vocal study that theyover-do it,spendinghoursadayonsinging,usuallytryingtoaddtheirownincorrectversionoftheexercises,ormakinguptheirownexercises,orperhapssingingalltheirfavoritesongs,overandover.Thesepeopleeventuallyburnoutandgetfrustratedbecausetheyaretryingtoaccomplishtoomuchintooshortatime,whilefailingtofocusondoingwhattheyshoulddo-vocalizingalongwiththeirlesson.

Thesepeopleareusuallytryingtoemulatesomeonewhosevoicetheyadmire,butareincorporatingexcessivemusclewhentryingtodoso.Theythinktheywillspeedthingsalongifthey"domore"-morehours,moreloudly,makeuptheirownideasofvocaltraining,cruisetheinternetforeveryhalf-bakedideaoutthere.......etc.Wecannotpressureourvoicesintodoingwhatwewantthemtodo.Thevoiceisanintricatesystemthatcanonlyhandlesomuchairpressure.Wewanttobuildthestaminaandpowerofthissystembyexercisingthevoice,correctly.However,morethananhouradayofhardorreallyhighsingingwillprobablystarttotearyourvoicedowninstead.Ifyourvoicefeelshoarseandcontinuestobehoarseonthedayfollowingapracticesession, there isswelling,oredema in thevocal folds.Edema isan indicationofsingingtoo long,orsingingtooloud.Professionalsingerswhosevoicesarefullydevelopedcan,ofcoursesingformuchlongerperiodsoftime.Vocalstaminaisbuiltupovertime,justlikeeverythingelse.Thereisasigninmystudiothatsays"Therearenoshortcutstoanyplaceworthgoing".ThatisattributedtoBeverlySills,oneofAmerica’smostpopularandsuccessfuloperasingers.Daily,consistentpracticeoftechniqueexercises(aboutahalfhourperdaytostart)overaperiodofayear,willtotallytransformavoice. (Thisisonlytrueifyouarestudyingwithateacherwhounderstandshowtoteachmix,aswedoatSingLikeaStarStudios.).Whenyouhaveputinthedailywork,overa period of time, the payback is so incredible that you become inspired to continue on to greater heights of vocalachievement.Here'showtopractice:Recordyourvoicelesson.Standinfrontofamirrorandplaythelesson.Makesurethevolumelevelissufficient.Singalongwiththeexercisesonthelessons.Donotmakeupyourownexercises,trytoplayalongontheguitarorpiano,etc.Onceyouhavedoneatleastahalfhourofvocalexercises,youmaydoasong.SpendWAYmoretimeontheexercises(atleastinthebeginning)thanyoudoonsongs.Songstendtounbalancethevoiceandwillundoallthehardworkofthelesson;untilyouhavereallycreatedthosegoodvocalhabitsandtheyaresolid,it'sbettertodomorevocalizingthansinging.Onceyourtechniqueisestablishedyoucandomoreandmoresongs,graduallybuildingup.Aless-than-idealwaytopracticeforthetimechallengedistoputthelessononyouripodoraCDandsingalonginthecar,orevenintheshower.It'snotasgoodasstandinginfrontofamirrorwithfocusedattention(whichIwouldvastlyprefer,becauseyouimprovemuchfaster)butit'sbetterthannothing.Don'ttrytore-createtheexercisesonyourown-theyarealldoneinacertainordertoachieve

aspecificpurpose.Justsingalongwiththemostrecentrecordedlesson,energetically!IfbeingastarorgettingonAmericanIdol,TheX-Factor,orTheVoiceisyouronlyobjective,youarelikelytobedisappointed,particularlyifyouhavenotspentagreatdealoftimeonvocaldevelopmentandinvestedinprofessionaltrainingtoworktowardthesegoals.Therearealotofpeopleouttherewhohavethesamegoals,whoDOworkatitdaily.Remember,onceyou get on the show, or your band does get a record deal, now you as the vocalist are expected to deliver a flawlessperformance,everytime.Unlessyouhavetrainedandpreparedfor"TheOlympics"ofsinging,youwillnotbemuchofacompetitoroverthelongrun.Gettingontheshoworgettingarecordingcontractmeansnothingifyoucan'tconsistentlydeliverthevocalgoods,underpressure,everytime.Inordertotrainanddevelopyourvocalinstrumentyouneedtoworkitforabout30minuteseachday,standinginfrontofamirrortomonitoryourposture,breathing,andalignment,withfocusedattentiontowhatyouaretryingtoimprovewiththatlesson,singingalongwithvocalexercisesdesignedtoaddressyourspecificvoice.Youalsoneedtotakeaweeklyvoicelesson.Youcannotteachyourselftosing.PutyourselfinthehandsofyourSingLikea Star vocal teacher, who understands the mix. Be patient, daily, and consistent. With the right training, and somecommitmentonyourpart,youWILLseeresults. Andwhenthatbigopportunitycomesaround,youwillbeready,andsuccessful!WHYDOSINGERSNEEDAVOICETEACHER?Singerscannotteachthemselvestosingcorrectly,forthreereasons.Thefirstreasonisthatwedon’thearourselvesaccurately.Mostpeoplewhoheartheirrecordedspeakingvoicesforthefirsttimeareastounded-thesoundtheyhearintheirheadisnotatallthesoundthattherestoftheworldhears!

Secondly,thevocalapparatusisinsidethelarynx,sowecannotseeitworking.Therefore,theintelligentstudentorartistknows that keeping the voice aligned correctly requires consistently working with a specialist- a professional whounderstandsthescienceofthevoiceandtheartofvocaldevelopment.Mostpeoplewhotrytoteachthemselvestosinghabituallyengageincorrectmuscles-theextrinsicswallowingmuscles-acquiringincorrectvocalhabitsortendenciesthatpreventthemfromachievingtherange,coordination,andpowertheyneed.Youneedanexpertvocaltechniciantoproperlydevelopyourvoice.Youalsoneedthedisciplinetopracticeandvocalizedaily,withfocusedattention,singingalongwithyourrecordedlesson,inordertoovercomepreviousincorrecthabitsandtocoordinatethemuscles.

Thirdly,andmostimportantly-theteachingofsingingisascience.Wouldyoutakeyourexpensivecartosomeonewhoneverlookedatamanual?Whywouldyoutakeyoureasily-damagedvoicetosomeonewhoclaimstobeavocalcoachbuthasnounderstandingoftherealscienceofvocaldevelopment?Beawareofvocalcoacheswhomaybeabletosingfairlywellbuthavenotrainingandnobackgroundtoqualifythemtoactuallybuildanddevelopvoices.Workingwithunqualifiedindividualsortryingtoteachyourselftosingisaslipperyslopetovocalproblems.Attheveryleastyouwillnotenjoythebenefitsofpropervocaldevelopmentunlessyoustudywithateacherwhohasmadeittheirlife’smissiontounderstandthemechanism of the mix voice and balanced registration. Each student comes to vocal study with individual challenges,incorrect habits, and experiences; a one-size- fits-all vocal techniquewhere every student gets the same exercises isdoomedtofailureformostofthestudents.Lessonswithsomeonewhoknowsafewwarm-upexercisesandcanplayaninstrumentbutknowslittleaboutthescienceofvocaldevelopmentmaydomoreharmthangood.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A GREAT VOICE TEACHER? To be truly effective in teaching singing a teacher needs tounderstandhowthemixvoiceworksandhowtodevelopbalancedregistrationinvoicesthatarrivewithawidevarietyofchallengesduetopoorhabitsandtraining.Everyvoiceisdifferent;ifyourteacherusesexactlythesameroutineofexerciseswitheverystudenttheyarenotadaptingeducationtotheindividualneedsofstudents.Somestudentspullthechestvoicetoohigh.Othersarebreathy in the lower register.Othersmayuseanasalqualityoranoverlydark timbrecreatedbyimposingthelarynxtoomuch.Eachoftheseissueshasspecificcausesandrequiresdifferentremediation.Aone-size-fits-allapproachwillhavelittleeffectivenessformoststudents.

Thereisalottounderstandaboutthescienceofacousticsandresonanceinsingingandaboutthephysicalfunctioningofthevocalmechanism.Sciencecontinuestopushaheadwithnewdiscoveries;manyofthepedagogicalconceptsthatwereacceptedasabsolutelytrueandfactualuptoafewyearsagohavenowbeenprovenfalse.Nowwecanseewhatisactuallyoccurringduringvocalfoldvibrationalcycleswithstroboscopy.Butsomanyteachersseemtoignorescienceandcontinuetopromoteincorrectmethodstheylearnedlongago,muchofwhichhasbeenproventobeincorrect.Unfortunatelythereareveryfewvoiceteacherswhohaveresearchedandunderstandthescienceofvocalproduction;mostaresimplypassingalongoutdatedconcepts.

To be a great teacher you have to understand and be able to teach balanced registration.Many teachers focus ondevelopingandbuildingoneportionofthevoicebutignoretheother;theyeitherteachyouthatchestvoiceisbadandyoushouldneversingwithyourchestvoice(thetypicalclassicalteacher)ortheyhaveyoubeltingyourbrainsoutwaytoohigh(thetypicalmusicaltheatreteacher).Thesemethodsarearepromotinganapproachthatiseitherupperregister(CTmuscledominant) or lower register (TA muscle dominant), neither of which is the balanced registration essential for thecontemporaryvocalsound.Whenyousingwithbalancedregistrationandmixyourupperregisterandlowerregisterbegintosoundincreasinglysimilarastimegoeson-yousoundlikeyouhaveoneunifiedvoiceratherthantwoseparatevoices.Youtransitionfromthelowertotheupperregistersmoothlyandimperceptibly;vocalbreaksareeliminatedandyouhavethreetimestherangeofasingerthatonlybelts.Learningtoteachthismethodisaveryspecializedskill-askillthatisdefinitelyisnot taught in any university program! Unfortunately, most instructors in those environments are not in touch withcontemporarystylesanddon’tteachmix.

Alongwithascience-basedvocaltechniqueandeducationalcredentialsaqualifiedteachershouldalsohaveextensiveperformingexperienceintherealworld.Ifateacherhasneverbeenaprofessionalperformerthereisalargechancethatthetechniquetheyareteachingdoesn’treallyworkforthemeither.Thatdoesn’tmeantheyhavetobeperformingcurrently;most teachershave tomakea choiceat somepoint todevote theirenergy toeitheraperformingora teachingcareer.Howeveritreallymakesadifferencetobeworkingwithateacherwhohasbeenagoodenoughsingertoactuallyworkinthebusiness,aslongastheyalsodoresearchandunderstandthescienceandanatomyofgoodsinging.It’sunusualtofindanyonewhohasbothaneducationalbackgroundandaprofessionalperformingbackground,andwhoknowshowtoteachanddevelopsingersofalllevels.Singingwelldoesn’tautomaticallymeanyoucanteachwell.Sometimesgreatsingershavenocluehowtheydowhattheydo,sotheydon’tmakeverygoodteachers.Youneedsomeonewhocanbreakitdowntothebasics;particularlyifyouareabeginneryouneedamethodofdevelopmentthatissequential,logical,andthorough.

Agreatvoiceteacherisonewhoknowshowtoeffectimmediatechange,getslong-termlastingresults,andeffectivelyremediates incorrect muscular functioning and a variety of dysfunctional habits with sequential skill buildingdevelopmentalexercisessuchasTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopmentoffers.

WHAT ARE THE INCORRECTMETHODS OF SINGING?Most incorrect and vocally damaging teaching falls into the twofollowingcategories:

1.YellingandBelt-only:Thesemethodsofteachingencouragepushingthechestvoicetoohigh,creatingstrainandtrauma,vocalabuse,damage,andusuallyaveryshortcareer.ThisisthetypicalBroadwaybeltmethodandthewaymanygospelchurchchoirmemberssing.Youngsingerscansometimesgetawaywithbelt-onlysingingforashorttimebutmostsingerstrainedthiswayeventuallygethoarsenessleadingtonodules,polyps,hemorrhages,orothergruesomeevidenceofvocalabusethatrequiresurgeryandcompletevocalrestforseveralweeks.Assoonasthesingergoesbacktotheoldincorrectvocalhabitstheseproblemsinevitablyreturn.Thisisnotagoodpathtotake!

2.BreathySinging:Thisincorrectmethodisthenorminschoolandmanytraditionalchurchchoralsettings;itencouragesairy,breathyandweakvocalproductioninordertoblendanddiscouragestheuseofthechestvoice.Singerscannotusethistypeofvocalsoundforcommercialmusicsuchasrock,R&B,gospel,orBroadwaystylesbecauseitistooweak,especiallyinthelowerregister.Adevelopedandeasilyproducedchestvoiceisessential inallstylesofpopularsingingandmusicaltheatre.

AtSLaSweteachbalancedregistrationandmix,thehealthiestvocalproduction.Weteachvocalfoldadductiontoeliminatebreathiness,andweteachbridgingandmixratherthanyelling.

HOWISTHISTRAININGDIFFERENT?AtSingLikeAStarstudiosyouwilldevelopastrongandpowerfulchestvoice,ANDastrong,powerfulupperregister.Youwillbeabletoconnectyourlowerregistertoyourupperregistersmoothly;yourlowerandupperregisterswillbeequalinstrength,volume,timbreandquality.Yourvoicewillsoundconsistentfromtheverylowestnotestotheveryhighestnotesinsteadofsoundingliketwodifferentvoices.Youwillnolongerstrainasyousinghighnotes,yourlownoteswillbestrongandpowerful,andyouwillhavethecontroltosingriffs,runs,andlicksforR&Bandgospel styling. SLaSvocal trainingenablesyou tonegotiate the transitionalareasorbridgesof thevoiceknownaspassaggi,easilyandwithoutmusculartension.

Ratherthanconfiningyoutoateacher’sfavoritevocalstyle,thistrainingallowsyoutosingfreelyandexpressivelyinthestyleinwhichYOUliketosing!Professionalgospel,R&B,jazz,pop,rock,musicaltheatre,andcountrysingersaroundtheworldallrelyonSLaSvocaltrainingtomaintaintheirvoicesandtheircareers.Thisvocaltechniqueisthegoldstandardofthemusic industry and the vocal techniquemost valued by today’s recording artists because it develops a natural andcontemporarysound- thesoundyouhear inartists likeBeyonce,ArianaGrande,DemiLovato,KatiePerry,andChristina

Aguilera,andBrunoMars.Thisisthevocalqualitycalledmix.

HOWDOESMYVOICEWORK?ThevocalfoldsarelocatedinsidethelarynxorAdamʼsApple.Airpressurecausesthefoldstoopen and close very quickly, creating sound waves. Those sound waves contain a fundamental (pitch) plus harmonics(overtones)thattravelupwardfromthelarynxtobeenhancedordampedintheresonatingchambersofthepharynx(throat)andmouth. Wecontroloursoundby learninghowtocorrectlysingvowels,andbyadjustingthemoveablepartsoftheresonatingchambers,suchasthetongue,thelips,jawspace,etc.Thesesmallchangesaffectandchangeformant/harmonicrelationships,whichchangesthesoundweproduce.Whenthemusclesoutsidethelarynx,knownastheextrinsicswallowingmuscles,engageinanefforttocontrolpitchordynamics,unnecessarymusculartensioncausesthelarynxtorise,preventingthevocalfoldsfromvibratingfreely.SLaStrainingwillteachyoutousetherightmuscles(theintrinisicmuscles)andstopusingthewrongmuscles(theextrinsicmuscles),howtosupplyjusttherightamountofairflowbyunderstandingappoggioor breath management, and how to access the easiest and most powerful vocal sounds possible by controllingformant/harmonicrelationshipsthroughvoweltuning.Wedevelopcoordination,efficiency,andfreedominyoursinging.

Weneedtocoordinateandbalancefourinordertosingwell:1.TA/CTmuscleactivity.2.Vocalonset.3.Resonance,ormorepreciselyformant/harmonicactivity,whichwecancontrolbythewayweshapetheresonatorsofthepharynxandmouth.4.Thebalanceofairpressureandvocalfoldresistance,orairandmuscle.

TA/CTbalance:-theTAandCTmuscles-areresponsibleforshorteningandlengtheningthevocalfolds.Thesemusclegroupsneedtolearntoworktogethercooperativelysoyoucansingfromlowtohighwithoutcracking.InthechestvoiceorlowerregistertheTAmusclesaredominant,soyourvocalfoldsareshorterandthicker;theTAmusclescontract.Asyousinghigher,the CT muscles should become progressively more active, tipping the thyroid cartilage forward so the vocal folds arestretchedand lengthened.This coordination is something thatneeds tobe taught-hardlyanyone figures thisoutallbythemselves!Usuallysingersfindthechestvoiceandstaystuckthereortheytrytobringthelengthenedvocalfoldpostureofupperregistertoolow,causingthefoldstocomeapart.Thenyougetabreathy,weaktone.

VocalFoldAdduction:Thevocalfoldsmustbeadducted,orbroughttogether,attheonsetofsound.Ifthefoldsarenotproperlyadductedthesoundisbreathyorweak.Singersoftencomeintothestudiowiththeideathattheyneedtoworkonbreathingbecausetheycan’tgetthroughaphrasewithoutrunningoutofbreath.Theproblemoftenliesnotwiththeirbreathing,butwiththeirvocalfolds. Ifthefoldsarenotappropriatelyadductedtobeginsound,airescapesthroughthefolds.Thismeansthesingerwillrunoutofbreathandthatthesoundtheyareproducingwillbebreathyandinefficient.

ResonanceActivity:Resonanceismorepreciselyformant/harmonicactivity.Thisisprettycomplicatedstuff.Formantsareanacousticresonanceofthevocaltract,measuredasanamplitudepeakinfrequencywhenasingersingsintoasoftwareprogramsuchasVoceVista.Harmonicsareovertones.Whenthesoundwavestravelupwardfromthelarynx,someoftheseharmonics are enhanced and some are damped, depending on the size and shape of the pharynx (throat) andmouthresonators.Whenwesingfromlowtohigh,wemustallowashiftfromtheformant/harmonicrelationshipoflowerregister,knownasF1/H2toadifferentcombination,F2/H3orH4dependingonthevowel,associatedwithupperregister.Thisis“resonancetransfer”.

Airpressureandvocalfoldresistance:Wedothisbyacquiringgoodbreathmanagementorappoggio.Excessiveairpressureisdamagingtothevoice;ontheotherendofthespectrum,alackofphysicalenergyusuallycorrelateswithabreathy,weakvocalsound.Learningtouse“justenoughandnottoomuch”airpressureisessential.Weemphasizewhatishappeningattheglottis,orvocalfoldlevel,morethanweemphasizeendlessbreathingexercises-thevocalvoldsdeterminehowmuchairpressurecanandshouldbeused.Airpressureshouldneverexceedthecapacityofthevocalfoldstoresistit.Ourgoalisalwaysbalance- justenough,butnottoomuch-ofeverything!SingLikeAStarvoicelessonstrainsthesecomponentstoworkautomaticallybycreatingnewneuromuscularresponsesthroughtheuseofaseriesofsequentialexercisesthatcreateconfidenceinsingers.Knowingyoucanrelyonyourtechniqueallowsyoutofocusonlyonperformingandenjoyingsinging,becauseyouknowyourvoicewillworkefficientlyandautomatically-everytime!

WHATISBELTING?DOINEEDTOBEABLETOBELTTOBESUCCESSFULINPOPULARMUSIC?

Poorlytrainedsingersoftenyell,particularlyonthehighernotesofasongorwhenpushingforhighnotes.Directorsandproducersmaydemandthatasingerbeltoutasongforgreaterdramaticeffect.Whenasingersingsentirelyinchestvoice-pushing for thehighnoteswith increasedbreathpressure-theresultsareswollenvocal folds thatmaydevelopnodules,polyps,orhemorrhages,distortedpronunciation,adecreaseinvocalqualityandcontrol,andaninevitablyshortenedcareer.Thevocalfoldsaremeanttobeshorterandthickeronthelowerpitches,andtheyneedtobeallowedtolengthen,stretch,andthinforhigherpitches.Belting,orsingingintothehighestnotesofyourrangeusingonlyyourchestvoiceisunhealthy;becausethefoldsarenotallowedtolengthen,stretch,andthinforhigherpitchesthesingerresortstoever-increasingair

pressurewhileholdingthefoldsinastaticshortenedpositioninordertoraisepitch.Excessiveairpressureisverydamagingtothevocalfolds;excessiveairpressureandforcingthevocalfoldstofunctioninawayinwhichtheywerenotdesignedtobeusedresultsinhyperfunctionduetoeffortorforce.

Beltersusuallyflipintofalsettoatsomepoint.Thisbreakorflipisalsoduebothtomuscularimbalanceandwhatwehavetraditionallyreferredtoasresonance-theshiftingcombinationsofformantsandharmonicsthatcreatevocaltimbre.Verysimplystated,whenyousingfromlowtohighnotesyouneedtoallowatransferfromF1,thefirstformantassociatedwithchestvoice,toF2,thesecondformantassociatedwiththeupperregisteralongwithashiftintheharmonicsemphasizedinthevocaltract.Whenwesinginmix,weemphasizeH3orH4intheupperregister,dependingonthevowel.Allowingthisformant/harmonicshiftalongwiththecoordinationofTA/CTmusclesinallowingthefoldstolengthenandstretchforhigherpitchesdeterminesthesmoothtransferfromlownotestohighnotes.

Singerswhousethebelt-onlymethodcansqueezenotesthatareafewstepshigher,butthefewnotesthataregainedbypushing the chest voice upward come at quite a cost! The vocal folds experience trauma and hyperfunction leading tonodules,polyps,orcysts,thebreakbetweenthelowerandupperregistersishuge,andthehighernotesafterthe“flip”areweakandbreathy.

TheSLaSmethodisfardifferentfromeitherpurebeltorbreathysinging:weteachaverystrongmixthatsoundslikepurebelt but ismuchhealthier.Youcansinghigherandstronger for longer-andourmethodwon’tgiveyounodules!Webalancethelowerandupperregisterssoyousoundlikeyouaresingingwithoneunifiedvocalsoundfrombottomtotop-withoutstrainandpain!

MYCHORUSTEACHERSAYSISHOULDSINGWITHANAIRY,BREATHYSOUNDINORDERTOBLENDINWITHTHEGROUP.ISTHISCORRECT?

Choralsinging,especiallyinschoolsandmanytraditionalchurches,requiresabreathytoneinordertoblend.Theuseofthechestvoiceinfemalesisdiscouraged,sofemalesingersoftencannotbeheardonthelowernotes;theirvocalsoundisairy,breathy,andweak.Singingthiswaycreatesanunbalancedvoiceandinefficientvocalfoldadduction,sothesingerdoesnotsoundauthenticsingingcurrentmusic.Youneedastrongchestvoiceinordertosingcorrectlyinanypopularormusicaltheatrestyle!Forthemalesingers,mostchorusteachershavenoclueabouthowtogettheboystomixabovetheirfirstbridge,sotheboysjusthikethelarynxandpushthechestvoiceupwardtosqueezethosenotesout,creatingunbelievabletensionthatusuallyleadstovocaldamage.Thisisnotagreatbeginningtoyoursinginglife!

Bothmalesandfemalesshouldsingwithaclearvocaltonethroughouttherange,withaneasyandunforcedqualityinthelowerregister,andshouldtransitionattheappropriateplace-theprimopassaggio.Boysshouldnotpushthechestvoiceupandgirlsshouldnotbringtheheadvoicedown.Thisistheconceptofbalancedregistration.

Itellmysingerstheyneedtobeadaptabletoanychallengingsituation.Chorusisvaluableinmanyways;itdevelopsgoodrelativepitchbecauseyou learntosingnotesotherthanthemelody,developsmusicianshipandsight-readingskills,andespritdecorps-afeelingofpride,fellowship,andcommonloyaltysharedbythemembersofaperformingchoir.Youlearntobeagoodteamplayer.YouareexposedtomusicofallerasandfromaroundtheworldthatyouwouldneverhearonlimitedTop-40radio.Thosearereallyvaluablebenefits.

Thedrawbackisthebreathysoundrequiredinordertoblend.So,thewaytodealwiththatistoknowthatwhatyouaredoinginchorusisnotgoingtobethewayyousingallthetime.It’snotaveryhealthywaytosingbecauseoftheexcessivebreathinessrequired.Youdefinitelyneedtovocalizecorrectlywhenyougethometooffsetthebreathysingingyoudidinchoirrehearsal.Fortheboys,don’tsuccumbtothetemptationtoyellonthenotesabovethebridge;workwithamixteachertostartstrengtheningthosenotesinthemixcoordination,anddon’tpushwhenyousinginthegroup-letthesoundbelighter,butmorecorrectlyproduced.Themoreyouuseit,thestrongeritgets!Ifyouwanttosingtenor,andyouthinkyoucanbedisciplinedenoughtousethecorrectcoordinationandnotpush,goforit.Byusingyourmixaboveyourfirstbridgeyouwillbedevelopingitfurther.Butifyougetintotherehearsalandfindyouarepushingchestvoiceup,andyourlarynxfeelshighandtight,andyouarestrainingbecauseyouaretryingtohearyourselfovertheguynexttoyou,trysingingthefirstbaritonepart,atleastuntilyourmixbecomesstrongerthroughvocalstudyandvocalization.

Ifyouwanttobeapopormusicaltheatresingerandarecurrentlysinginginachorus;don’tsingsoprano.Singinghighandloudwithabreathyandstraighttone(novibrato)isavoice-killer.Singalto,singclearlybutnottooloudly,andyouwillblendin.Andaltosbecomebettermusiciansbecausetheyhavetohearharmonyinsteadofsingingthemelodyallthetime!

Whenyouareworkingwithadirectoryoualwaysdoyourbesttocomplywiththatdirectorsinstructions.Youcanadaptifyouhavetheskills,and ifyouspendasmuchtimevocalizingcorrectlyasyoudo“pushingtheenvelope”with lessthan

healthychoices.Justbesureyouareveryclearaboutthedifferencebetweenastylisticchoicethatyoumakeonceinawhileandsingingbreathyallthetimebecauseyoudon’tknowhowtosinganyotherway.

SHOULDIIMITATETHEBREATHYSOUNDSIHEARSOMEARTISTSUSING?

Thisisaquestionofmakingachoicetosinginaparticularstyle.Currentlythebreathyqualityisusedforeffect,oftenonthefirstverseofasong.Thenthesingercrescendosintoapowerfulsoundforthechorus.ThisisaveryadvancedtechniqueandoneIdonotrecommendforbeginners.Theproblemwithtryingtoimitatethisisthatmostyoungersingerswhostartbreathy,staybreathy.Theydon’thavethecontroltobringthefoldstogether,oradductthem,afterstartingwithamorerelaxedvocalfoldcoordination.Thequestionbecomes:isthisastylisticchoiceoristhisyouronlychoice?Ifsingingbreathyisallyoucando,youneedtoavoidituntilyouknowhowtoconsistentlymakeclearerandstrongersounds.Thenuseitoccasionally.

Ifyouarevocalizingeverydaywithgoodtechniqueyoucanchoosetosingbreathyforstylisticeffectonceinawhileandyouwillbefine.Thereisnothingwrongwithinterpretingaphrasehereandtherewithabreathyqualityifthatisyourartisticchoice.Justrealizethatachoicetosingbreathyisdifferentfromsingingbreathybecauseyouhavenootherchoice.Thesamepolicyappliestootherstylechoices,liketheoccasionalraspysoundorgrowl.Whenyouhavedevelopedagoodfoundationinvocaltechniqueyoucanexperimentwithstylisticchoicesthatmaynotbeconsideredperfecttechnique,butbecauseyouarevocalizingwelltooffsetthisyourvoiceisnotdamaged.Youhavetofindouthowmuchyoucan(orwouldwantto)“pushtheenvelope”anddepartfromperfecttechnique.Breathysinging,ifdoneatloudvolumesandforlongperiodsoftime,isverywearingonthevoice.Butifitisastylisticchoice-andnottheonlytoolinyourtoolbox-youcandoitforlimitedamountsoftimeifyouarealsovocalizingcorrectlytostaybalanced.IfyouareanadvancedsingerandhavebeenworkingwithanSLaSteacheronbalancedregistrationandmixforawhile,goaheadandexperiment!Youhavepermission...justbeveryawareofhowyourvoicefeelsafterward.Ifyougethoarseorfeelraspy,itprobablyisn’tworthit.Gobacktowhatyouknowiscorrect-aclear,well-balancedsound.

WHYDOESMYVOICECRACKWHENISINGHIGHNOTES?Almosteveryuntrainedsingerexperiencesvoicebreaks.Somesingersdealwiththebreakbyforcingthechestvoiceup;othersingersaretaughttosinginonlytheheadvoice,stayingawayfromchestvoicealtogether;otherssimplylowerthekeysofsongstoavoidhighnotes.Noneofthesesolutionsarecorrect;allcanresultinlimitedchoicesinsongmaterialandanultimatelydeterioratinginstrument.

Abreakoccurswhenexcessiveairbuildsupbecauseyourvocalfoldsarestayinginastaticpositionofshortandthick(orTAmuscle dominant)when you are singing pitches that require a longer,more stretched, thinner vocal fold position, lesscompression,andlessclosedquotient(CTmuscledominant).Inordertoraisepitchwithoutchangingthecoordinationofthevocalfoldsyoumustincreaseairpressure.Thisdoeshavetheeffectofraisingthepitch,forafewnotes-butatgreatcost to the delicate tissues of the folds. Excessive air pressure eventually forces the vocal folds open, creating anembarrassingcrackorbreak.Ifyouwanttosinghigherpitchesyouwillhavetodosoinfalsetto,averybreathyandweaksound.It’sobviousthatthisisthewrongwaytogoaboutit!

Welearntoavoidvoicebreaksbyunderstandinghowresonance-orformant/harmonicrelationshipsmustshiftaswegofromlowerregistertoupperregister.Wecontrolthisbyhowweshapetheresonators-themouthandpharynx,andthemoveableelementsofthetongue,lips,jawspace,andsoftpalate.Essentiallywearealteringvowelsandlearninghowtoformtheresonatorstoencourageasmoothtransitionbetweenthelowerandupperregisters.

AtSingLikeaStaryouwilllearntosinginaconnected,consistent,andpowerfulsoundfromyourchestvoicetoyourhighestnoteswith no strain because SLaS training coordinates the opposingmuscle groups – the TA andCTmuscles- toworktogethersmoothlyandefficiently.Ratherthanavocalcontestwhereonegroupwinsoutattheexpenseoftheother,asisthecaseinmuchteaching,weteachthemusclestoworkcooperativelytogether.Thatistheessenceoftheconceptofmix-coordinatingtheactivityandbalanceoftheTAandCTmusclesandtheformant/harmonicactivityofresonance,creatingatonequality(mix)thatisunlikeeitherpurechestorpureheadvoice.

WHATISABRIDGE?Throughouttheprogramyouwillheartermslike“registration”,“headvoice”,“middlevoice”,“chestvoice”,“mix”,“breaks”,“bridges”.Thesetermsrefertothecoordinatingofthemusclesandresonanceactivityofthevoiceasasingerascendsordescendsinpitch.Bridgesrevealthesechangesinvocalcoordinationandresonanceactivity.Theyoccurinrelativelypredictablepartsofthescale.Thefirstbridge(primopassaggio)isthemostdifficulttransition,involvingachangeinvocalfoldcoordinationfromashort,thickTAmuscledominantpositiontoalonger,thinnerCTmuscledominantpositionfortheupperregister.Atthesametimethereisashiftinthebalanceofformantsandharmonics,whichtraditionallywehavereferredtoas“resonance”.WemustallowtheF1/H2formant/harmonicrelationshipoflowerregistertoshifttotheF2/H3relationshipassociatedwithmixintheupperregister.Wedothisbyaprocessknownasvowelmodiification.

Howitworks:Thechestvoiceisyourlowerregister,whichmostpeopleuseforspeaking.Itfeelsasthoughthetonesarecomingstraightoutofyourmouthwhenyousing;ifyouifyouplaceyourhandonyourchestasyousinganoteyouwillfeelvibrationinyourchest.Thisisknownasasympatheticvibration;yourlowervoiceisnotcreatedinthechest;howeverthebonesandcartilagesurroundingthelargerchestcavityareresponding“sympathetically”tolowerpitches.Asyousingascalestarting fromyour lowestnoteascendingupwardyouwillnoticeata certainpoint thatyouwillbegin to feela senseofreachingforthenoteorperhapsafeelingofstrainingtomakethepitch.Youarenowinyourfirsttransitionalarea,orbridge.Thisiscalledapassaggioinclassicalvoiceterms;thinkofthisareaasthepassagewaytoyourhighnotes.Thefirstbridgeisacriticalareaofthevoicebecausethisiswhereyouroutermusclesaremostlikelytotrytoengageduetotheinterferenceoftheswallowingmuscles.Theextrinsicswallowingmuscles(particularlythedigastricstrapmuscles),whenengaged,pullthelarynxupwardpreventingfreevibrationandadjustmentsofthevocalfolds.

Yourfoldsareshorterandthickeronthelownotesandtheyarelongerandthinneronthehighnotes-ifyouaresingingcorrectly.Whensingingfromlowtohighyouhavetoallowyourvocalfoldstolengthen,thin,andstretchtosingthehighernotes.Ifyoutrytoholdontothefamiliarcoordinationofyourchestvoiceyoustarttoexperiencestrain.Youmayforceoutafewmorenotesthisway-butatgreatcosttoyourfolds.Thentheygiveupandletgocompletely.Thatistheprocessthatisgoingonwhenyouexperienceavoicebreakorflip.Ifyouwanttosinghigherpitchesafterthat,youareforcedtodoitinfalsetto-aweak,breathyandanemicsound.

Voicebreaks:Ifthebridgesarenotnegotiatedcorrectlytheremaybeanabruptdisconnectionandinterruptionofvocaltonewhichsingersexperienceasascracking,flipping,orbreaking.Thishappenswhenexcessiveairpressurebuildsupsub-glottally(underthelarynx)becausethevocalfoldsareheldstaticinsteadofbeingallowedtolengthen,stretch,andthin.Eventuallythe TAmuscle, responsible for contraction of the fold, lets go, and the folds abruptly lengthen and come apart as theformant/harmonicbalanceabruptly changes. Nowthere is less closedquotient, theamountof time thevocal folds staytogetherinthevibrationalcycle,andthecycleitselfbeginshigherupontheverticalportionofthefold.Thisisallpreventablebylearninghowtobridgeproperly.

Thechallengeforthesinger-andtheteacher-isinlearninghowtocoordinatethisconstantlyshiftingprocessofshorteningand lengthening as you sing low and high- in other words, the balance of TA/CT muscles, alont with the balance offormant/harmonicrelationships.It’skindoflikelearningtodriveastickshift;atfirstyourshiftsareprettyclunky,butyougetmorecoordinatedatitovertimeandthebumpssmoothout.Thatisbasicallywhatwearegoinginsinging;weconstantlyhavetoshiftgears,butwelearnhowtobecomemorecoordinateduntilwedoitsosmoothlynoonecantellweareshifting.

Thekeytogoodsingingisbridgingattherightplace,with“connectedrelease”-withoutlettinggotoomuch.Thefirstbridgeisthemostchallenging;itistheareaoftransitionwhereyoumighttypicallytendtopushyourchestvoicetoohigh.Thisiswhereyourvocalfoldshavetocontinuethelengthening,stretching,andthinningprocessinordertocreatehigherpitcheswithout comingapart; the foldsneed tomaintain appropriate adductionas they continue to lengthen.As you transitionthroughthebridgeyouarealsoshiftingresonance,ormorespecifically,formantsandharmonics.Ifyoudon’tallowthisshift,youremainstuckin“yell”mode.

Theupperregisterforbothmalesandfemalescanbeusedwithmanydifferenttimbresorqualities-aslongasyoubridgecorrectlyandattherighttimetotransitionintotheupperregister.Thethreeoptionsforsingingintheupperregisterarefalsetto(airy,breathy,disconnected,anemic),head(clear,strong,legitorclassicalsounding)andmix(moreedgy,ringing,forward,usedinbroadwayandpopandrocksinging).Thesevariationsarebasedonformant/harmonicrelationships,closedquotient,andvocalfoldcompression.Femaleswhosingmusicaltheatrecouldchoosetosingwithaeitheraclassicalorlegitquality,likeJulieAndrews,orwithamixedupperregister,likeSuttonFoster.Popandrocksingerschooseaheaviermix.It’syourchoicetosingwithaheavier,edgiermixorwithalighter,headiermix,dependingonthestyleofmusicyouaresinging,butitshouldalwaysbemix,notfalsetto.

Learningthetechniqueofbridgingandmixingmeansyouwillhavethreetimesyourformerrangebecausenowyoucanaccessanduseastrongupperregisterthatmatchesyourlowerregisterinvolumeandquality.Withasmoothandcoordinatedtransitionthroughthebridge(passaggio,ortransition)andastrongupperregistermixyouwillsingwithfreedom,powerandemotioninanystyleyouchoose,inanykeythatcomesalong!Highnotes?Noproblem!Lownotes?Ditto!

WithSingLikeAStartrainingyouwilllearnaboutthevalueofboththelowerandupperregistersandyouwilllearnaboutbridging-thebestmethodtoconnecttheregisters.SLaSvocaltrainingcreatesbalancedregistrationbecauseyourlowvoiceandyourhighvoicebecomeequallystrong,Itdevelopsgreatbridging-asmoothtransitionfromchestvoicetoheadvoice,andnovoicebreaksorabruptchangesinthevocalqualityasyouascendinpitch.Anditdevelopstheupperregistermix;youcanchoosetosinginyourupperregisterwithamore“heady”qualitymixforlegitsinging,oramore“edgy”qualityformusicaltheatre,pop,androcksinging.It’sallsomekindofmix!

YourSingLikeAStartrainingwillbuildastrongconnectionbetweenthelowerandupperregistersandasmoothtransitionfromthechestvoiceupward.Thisisknownasbridging.Yourlowerandupperregisterswillbeequallystrong.Thisisknownasbalancedregistration.Youpperregisterwillsoundpowerful,likeyouarestillinyourchestvoice,butwithoutthestrainofpushingthechestvoiceupward.Thisisknownasmix.Withgoodbridging,balancedregistration,andmixyouwillultimatelybeabletogoupanddowntheentirerangeofyourvoicewithnobreaks,nouncomfortableweakeningofvolumeorintensity,andbestofall-ahealthyflexiblevoicethatwillenableyoutosininanystyleyoulike-witharangeofatleastthreeoctaves!(Manyofoursingerseasilysingfiveoctaves).Youwillhaveanatural,powerful,flexible,contemporaryvocalsound-thevocalqualitymostwantedbytoday’smusicindustry!Whenyouwanttheworld’sbestvocaltechnique-onethatwillgiveyouamazinghighnotes,strength,power,flexibility,andahealthyvocalproduction,SLaSvocaltrainingistheanswer!ThesmartestinvestmentinyourvocalfutureisaweeklySLaSvoicelessonanddailypractice.Ourpromisetoyou:Ifyoupracticetherecordedlessonseverydayyouwilldevelopahealthy,strong,andpowerfulvoice.Youwilleliminatevocalstrain.Youwillbeabletosingwithpowerwhetheryouaresingingloworhigh.Youwill learntomixintothehigherregisterssoyourvoicewillsoundliketheartistsyouhearontheradio. Wedevelopacontemporaryandnaturalvocalsoundthat ismarketable-whetheryourpreference is theatre,R&B, rock,orcountry.Yourrangewillextenddramatically.Youwilllearntosingwithsoul,emotion,andflexibility.YourvoicewillremainhealthyforalifetimeofsingingifyoucontinuetopracticetheprinciplesofgoodvocalproductionwewillbeteachingyouatSingLikeaStarStudios!INFORMATIONANDFAQAtSingLikeaStarStudiosweoffer:VoiceLessons,Songwriting,PianoandGuitar,LessonsforChildren,StudioRecording,andPerformanceOpportunities.WeofferaLessonsforLessprogramwithourhighlyqualifiedandtrainedSingLikeaStarAssociateTeachersandaveryuniqueLittleStarsprogramforyoungersingersages3-8. QUESTIONS?PleaseemailourSingLikeaStarsupportteamatsupport@singlikeastar.com;calloursupportteamat404-790-1830.SingLikeAStarStudiosisthepremiersourceforvoiceandsongwritinginstructioninAtlanta-andthroughouttheworldwithonlinesinginglessons-whereyouwill:

• SinghigherandstrongerwithNOvocalstrain!• Eliminatevoicebreaks!• SingwellinthestyleofmusicYOUlike-R&B,gospel,musicaltheatre,rock,pop,country,

ContemporaryChristian,jazz!• Singriffs,runs,andlicks-withstyle!• Recordinthestudio!• Writeyourownsongs!• Developyourperformingskillsandartistrybyperforminginprofessionalshowcases!• Singwiththevocaltechniqueusedbytoday’stoprecordingartistsandBroadwaystars!• Developthepower,consistency,range,flexibility,andnaturalsoundmostsoughtafter

bythemusicindustry’smostsuccessfulproducers!FoundedbyrenownedvocalcoachTriciaGrey,MM,SLaSprovidesunparalleledtrainingtoaspiringandprofessionalsingersofeverymusicalgenre.SingLikeAStarbringsworld-classvocalinstructiontothegreaterAtlantaareawithin-personlessonsatourconvenientlylocatedstudio(600HouzeWay,Roswell,GA30076),andevenmoreconvenientvocaltrainingfromanywhereintheworldwithonlinevoicelessonsthatarerecorded(videoandaudio)soyoucanpractice!Youcanhavetheworld’sbestvocaltrainingdeliveredrighttoyourhome,car,office,orhotel!SLaSinspires,empowers,andeducatesawide-rangingclientelefromeverymusicalcategory.Rock,pop,country,jazz,R&B,gospel,contemporaryChristian,andmusicaltheatresingersdevelopthevocalskillsatSingLikeAStarStudiosthatallowthemtoshineintheirchosenmusicalstyle.Thisisworld-classtrainingforcontemporaryandpopularstylesofsinging,basedonscience.Wedevelopandcoordinatethemusclesthatshouldbeusedinsinging,knownasintrinsicmuscles,andweteachyoutostopengagingthemusclesthatgetinyourway,whichareknownasextrinsicinterferingmuscles.Webuildbrandnewneuromuscularresponsesthat,withpractice,becomelife-longgoodhabits.Overtimeyourvoicebeginstofunctioneffortlessly;thingsthatusedtobehardforyoutosingbecomeamazinglyeasierwiththisprocess.

SingLikeAStarsingersdelivereffortlesspower,amazingvocalcontrol,greathighnotes,authenticvocalstyling,andincredibleconsistency-nowonderSingLikeAStartrainedsingersareattheforefrontoftoday’smusicindustry.SingLikeAStarvocallessonswillhelpyoutosingstronger,singhigher,andsingwithtotalconfidence-inanyvocalstyle!Butsinginglessonsarenotjustforaspiringprofessionals;anyonewholovestosingshouldconsidervocaltrainingatSingLikeaStarStudios.“AtSingLikeaStarStudioswecanteachanyonetosing-iftheyarewillingtopractice”saysstudioownerTriciaGrey,MM.“Manypeoplethinkthatsingingabilityissomethingyoueitherhaveoryoudon’t-butnothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Ihaveworkedwithseveralstudentsthroughtheyearswhodidnotbeginwithagreatnaturalvocalabilitybuthadtremendousdrive,discipline,andworkethicwhonowhaveprofessionalcareers!”WeofferLessonsforChildrenandLITTLESTARSprograms(forages3-8).OuryoungersingersgetaverybasicexposuretotheSLaSvocaltechniquewhilegenerallyhavingfun!Ourlessonsforchildrenprogramcombinesthebestofproveneducationalprincipleswithvocalandmusicaldevelopment.Whetheryouareayoungsinger,aprofessional,orjusthaveabucketlist,SingLikeAStarvocaltrainingwillmakeyourdreamscometrue!Inadditiontoworld-classsinginglessonsandvocalinstructionweofferperformanceopportunitiesinabeautifulstate-of-the-artprofessionaltheater.OurSingLikeaStarSingers’Showcasesenablestudentstocombinetheirnewvocaltechniquewithperformanceskillsandtheyaregreatfuntoo!AtSingLikeAStarStudiosyouhavemanyoptionstolearntheworld’smostvaluablevocaltechnique:1. In-personlessons:Youcantakelessonsin-personateitherourstudio:600HouzeWay,Roswell,GA300762. Onlinelessons:Forbusyandover-bookedpeople,thisoptionissoconvenient!Youcantakeone-on-oneonlinevoice

lessonsthroughyourcomputer,smartphone,ori-podtouch.Thisapproachisveryeffective-almostlikebeingthereinperson, especiallywith theplatformweuse, ZOOM.This is a great stress and time saver! Technologynowmakes itpossibletohaveavoicelessonfromanywhereintheworld!Evenourbusylocalstudentsoftenusetheinternetdistancetrainingoption,combinedwithin-personlessonswhenevertheycangettothestudio.WeteachlessonsallaroundtheworldwithZOOM.TheclientreceivesanemailcontainingalinkandaURL.CopyandpastetheURLintoyourbrowser,aquickdownload,andyou'rein!Avideo/audiorecordingofyourlessonissenttoyouafterthelesson.Withtoday’stechnology,it’salmostlikebeingthereinperson!

3. Speakerphone:Youcaneventakelessonsthroughaspeakerphone!

4. LessonsforLess:Ifyoucan’taffordlessonswithMasterTeacherTriciaGrey,MM,youcanlearnthesamegreatvocaltechniquebystudyingwithoneofourhighlyqualified,trained,andeducatedSingLikeaStarAssociateTeachers.OurAssociateTeachershavecollegedegrees,manyyears’experienceteaching,yearsofprofessionalperformingassingers,andtheyhavebeentrainedpersonallybyTriciaGreytoteachtheSingLikeaStarvocalmethod.TheypassrigoroustestinginordertobecomeandremaincertifiedtoteachatSingLikeaStarStudios.

Inadditiontoworld-classvocaltrainingweofferpiano,guitar,andsongwritinginstructionaswellasartistdevelopment,studiorecording,performancecoaching,auditioncoachingandpageantcoaching.

Tellmeaboutyourinstructors?MASTERTEACHERTRICIAGREY,MM;AtSingLikeAStarStudiosyouwilllearnthevocaltechniqueofthestarsfromamusicindustry expert who has been there- Tricia Grey, MM is a professional singer and voice teacher with an unbeatablecombinationofmusicdegrees,researchinvocalscience,and40+yearsofprofessionalperformingandteaching.SethRiggs,teacherofMichaelJackson,StevieWonder,RayCharles,andhundredsofotherstars(andTriciaGrey’steacherforover20years)says“Icannotimagineateachermoreeminentlyqualifiedthanyou-youhaveitall!Agreatvoice,educationaldegrees,andanamazingabilitytoteachotherswhatyouknow-howtomix!”MostvoiceteachersdonotknowhowtoteachMix.ThemixtechniquedevelopedinLosAngeles,withSpeechLevelSinging,anorganizationthatTriciawasanintegralpartof.Infact,shewrotetheirteachertrainingmanual,usedallovertheworld.Shewascertifiedatthehighestlevel-aprocess

thattookmanyyearsofintensivestudybeyondTricia’sMaster’sDegreeinMusic.Shesingsandteachesinallvocalstyles-rock,R&B,gospel,blues, jazz,musicaltheatre,andcountry. She isamusic industryveteranknowswhat ittakestosucceedintoday’scompetitivemusicbusiness.AnativeofLosAngeleswhereshetaughtvoiceandsangprofessionallyformanyyearsbeforerelocatingtoLondon,NewYorkandthenAtlanta,TriciawasrecentlythevocalcoachfortheMTVseriesMade,andforBeforetheFame.Tricia’sperformingandteachingcareerinLosAngelesincludedsingingleadinmanytopLAbands,asasoloartistandastheopeningactformanytopnamerecordingartists.HerperformingcareerincludedtouringtheUnitedStatesandEuropeaswellasrecordingheroriginalmusicinsomeofLA’smostfamousrecordingstudios.ShehasperformedwithmanyofthetopnamesinthemusicindustryinLosAngeles,NewYork,andLondon.TriciaGrey,MMhasspentmanyyearsresearchingthescienceofvocalproductionandsheisanexpertinvocaltechniqueandpedagogy.Shecombinesherexperienceandknowledgeofthemusicindustrywithaformidableeducationalbackgroundforanunbeatablecombination.Herlife-longstudyofvocalscience,technique,andpedagogyhasresultedinasynthesized,uniqueandpowerfulapproachtovocaltrainingthatisunparalleled.TheSinglikeaStarvocalmethodincorporatesthelatestresearchinthefieldsofvocologyandvocalscience-appliedtocontemporarysinging!AllinstructionatSingLikeaStarStudiosisbasedontheprinciplesofthetextbookYoucanSingLikeaStar!byTriciaGrey,MM.TheSLaSmethodisthepreferredtrainingusedbymajorpopularrecordingartistsinR&B,gospel,country,androckgenres,aswellasBroadwayandmusicaltheatresingersthroughouttheworld. It isthemostsoughtaftersingingtechniqueinthemusicindustrytoday-thetechniqueknownasmixandbalancedregistration.Mixisthemostsought-aftervocalsoundinthemusicindustrytoday,andSingLikeaStaristheplacetolearnit!TeachingMixisahighlyspecializedskill-onethatrequiresmanyyearsofintensivetraining.ThisisnotaskilltaughtinUniversityprograms.Ifyouwantthebest-investinlessonswithMasterTeacherandSLaSStudioownerTriciaGrey,MM.OninstructionisbasedonthecourseYOUcanSingLikeaStar!byTriciaGrey,MM.Thisisanonlinesubscriptioncoursethatincludesa700-pagemanualwithamazinggraphicsthatwillteachyouallabouthowyourvoiceworks.Italsocontainsover600 exercises set to fun and inspiring music, in male and female keys. This exciting course is available atwww.slascourses.com/get-started.IfyouareacurrentSLaSstudent,youhaveaccesstothisamazingcourseforFREE!ASSOCIATETEACHERSWouldyouliketolearntoSingHigher,SingStronger,andSingLikeaStar-butyoucan’taffordthecostoflessonswithMasterTeacherTriciaGrey?NowyoucanlearnthesamegreatSingLikeaStarvocaltechniqueforless!Our Sing Like a Star Associate Teachers have university degrees along with extensive professional singing, teaching, andperformingexperience.SingLikeaStarAssociatesgothrougharigoroustrainingandcertificationprograminordertoteachtheSLaSmethod.Teachersareaccountable;theymustpassyearlytestingandmaintaintheirongoingprivatestudywithstudioownerTriciaGrey,MM,inordertoteachatSinglikeaStarStudios.WhyareourAssociateTeacherssosuccessfulatwhattheydo?ThedifferenceistheSLaSvocalmethod.Manyvoicelessonsarepresentedwithvague,undefinedobjectivesandlittlefeedback,resultinginverylittlerealimprovement.Theseineffectivelessonstypicallyconsistofarandom“warm-up”followedbyasongwithlittleornospecificskillbuilding.Wehaveabetterapproach: The Eight Steps of Vocal Development is a logical, goal-driven, objective based approach based on developingsequentialskillstoproducespecificoutcomes.YoucanaskyourAssociateTeacheratanytimeaboutyourprogressandyouwillgetan informedanswerrelatedtotheeducationalobjectivesofTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment.YouwillknowexactlyhowyouareprogressingandwhatthenextgoaliswiththeSingLikeaStarmethod,amethodthatisbasedontheeducationalmodelofdefinedandspecificobjectives,measurableoutcomes,andsequentialskill-building.Ourgoalsaretoeliminatethebreakinyourvoice,makeyourhighnotesstronger,andtodeveloppower,flexibility,andmusicalskillssuchasvibratoanddynamics.Youwilllearnhowtosinginthestylesyoulove-rock,blues,R&B,gospel,country,rock,jazzormusicaltheater.Andyouwillgetthechancetoperformandtryoutyournewvocalskillsinourtwice-yearlySingLikea

StarSingers’Showcases!Bystudyingwithoureducated,experienced,andhighlytrainedAssociateTeachersyouaregettingthefullbenefitoftheSingLikeaStarvocalmethodatafractionofthecost!UtilizinganAssociateTeacherfromSingLikeaStarStudiosisperfectforbeginningstudentsofallagesfrom3-over70!It’snevertoosoonortoolatetogetstartedwithgoodvocalhabits!Youcanalsolearnpiano,songwriting,musicproduction,studiorecording,andguitarfromourSLaSAssociateTeachers.Manystudentsbookhour-longlessonsonceaweek,dividingthetimebetweenvoice,pianoorguitar,andsongwriting.At$30perhalfhourforthesehighlyqualifiedandexperiencedteacherswhoarebringingyouaworld-classvocaltechnique,youwon’tfindabetterdealthanthisanywhere!*Singerswhoarepre-professionalorwhowouldliketobecomeprofessionalsingersshouldinvestinlessonswithstudioownerandMasterTeacherTriciaGrey,MM.FREQUENTLYASKEDQUESTIONWhereisyourstudiolocated?Thestudioislocatedat600HouzeWay,Roswell,GA30076.PleasevisitthelinkontheLOCATIONSANDCONTACTpageofthewebsiteforamaptothelocation.HowdoItakeonlinedistancelessonsatSLaS?ManystudentsfromallovertheworldaswellasthosewholiveinthelocalAtlantaareaarediscoveringthefunofONLINEVOICELESSONS.LocalAtlantastudentsutilizethisoptionacoupleoftimespermonthincombinationwithin-personlessonstosavedrivingtimeorwhentraveling.Byutilizinganonlinevocalcoachyouwillbeabletotakeprofessionalvoicelessonsfromthecomfortofyourownhome,fromyourhotelwhentraveling,orfromanywhereintheworld!SinglikeaStar’sonlinesinginglessonsbringourprofessionalexpertisetostudentsinanylocationaroundtheworld.Remotesinginglessonshaverecentlygainedpopularityduetoadvancesintechnology.Singersallovertheglobestudyfromhomeorwhentravelingusingacomputerorasmartphone,(i-phone,Blackberry,orAndroid)ani-pad,orani-podtouch.IMAGINE-theconvenienceoflearningthisworld-classvocaltechniquefromthecomfortofyourhome!Onlinevoicelessonsarefun,convenient,andeasy!AtSingLikeaStarwehaveupgradedfromSkypeandFacetime,whichdonotrecordthelesson,toamuchbetterplatformcalledZOOM,aprofessionalproductusedbymanyotherhigh-levelorganizations.You,theclient,don’thavetojoinanythingor purchase anything to takeonline lessons through your computer- youwill simply receive an email fromyour teachercontainingaURL.YoucopyandpastethatURLintoyourbrowserand“jointhemeeting”(orvoicelessoninourcase).Duringourfirstsessiontherewillbeaquicksetup,whichyouwillbeguidedthroughwhenyoujointhefirstmeeting.It’snothard.Youcouldalsochoosetogototheirwebsite(www.zoom.us)anddownloadthesoftwareaheadoftime.Duringthelessonyouwillseeyourteacheronthescreenaswellasyourself.Thisisavaluableteachingtool;whenreviewingthelesson,youwillhaveaudioandvideo.It’salmostlikebeingthereinperson-andthequalityoftheaudiorecordingisverygood.ANDyoudon’thavetoworryaboutrecordingyourlesson;yourteacherwillsendyoualinkafterthesessionbyemailthatwillallowyoutodownloadyourlessonsoyoucanpractice.Manylocalstudentsactuallyprefertheonlinevoicelessonsoption!Youcan’tbeattheconvenienceandtime-savingfactorofnothavingtodrive.AndthefactthatyoucanbothseeANDhearyourselfonthelessonrecordingisveryhelpfulforpracticing!LearnmoreaboutZoomatwww.zoom.usYoucanalsouseZOOMwithyoursmartphone(i-phone,Blackberry,Android),yourcomputer,youri-pad,ori-podtouch.Allmobiledevicesrequireanappthatyoumustpurchasefromeitheri-tunes,(i-pad,i-podtouch,i-phone)orAmazon(Android,Blackberry).ThemobileappiscalledZOOMCLOUDMEETINGS.Intoday’sfast-pacedandover-scheduledworld,youdon’teverhavetomissavoicelessonwiththeconvenienceofZOOM!Doyouteachchildren?

Getyourchildstartedtherightway,withthebestvocaltechniqueavailable!Kidsaregoingtobesinginganyway,soitmakessensetostartthemoffright,withhealthy,fun,andcorrectvocaldevelopmentatSingLikeaStarStudios!Startnowandavoidbadvocalhabits!ForanexampleofachildwhostudiedwithTriciaGreyfromtheageoffour,andrecentlywowedeveryoneonAmerica’sGotTalent,lookforAngelicaHaleonYouTube.*Ifyourchildispre-professionalorwantstobecomeaprofessionalsingertheyshouldstudywithstudioownerandMasterTeacherTriciaGrey,MM.Ifyourchildwantstoexploresingingforfun,ourAssociateTeachersloveteachingsinging,piano,andguitarlessonsforchildren!AtSLaSwegiveyourchildthehealthiestandmosteffectivevocaltrainingavailable-andwemakeitfuntoo!Eachchildisdifferent-somekidsarereadyformoreintensetraininganddevelopmentandothersaresimplyexploringmusicforfunandenrichment.Wetrytomeetthechildwheretheyareattheirlevelofinterestanddevelopmentandtoencouragegreaterinterestinmusicandsinging.Weliketoofferpianoorguitarlessonsaspartofthepackage-learninganinstrumentalongwithsingingcreatesamorewell-roundededucation.YourAssociateTeacherwillbeworkingcloselywithstudioownerTriciaGrey,MM,onanongoingbasistomakesureyourchild’svocalneedsaremet.AllcurriculumistaughtfromthetextbookYOUCanSingLikeaStar!byTriciaGrey,MMandisbasedonTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment,healthy,sequentialskill-buildingcoursebasedonspecificobjectivesandmeasurableoutcomes.Youcanaskyourteacheratanytimeaboutyourchild’sprogressandyouwillgetaspecificanswerrelatedtotheeducationalobjectivesofthesteps.Whilewedon’tbelieveintime-boundobjectivesinsinging,wedobelieveinhavingaplanandknowingwhereyoueventuallywanttobe.Somevoiceswillrespondmorequicklytoinstructionandothersrespondmoregradually,buteveryoneeventuallylearnsallthesingingskillsinTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment.Theseskillsinclude:correctbreathingandbreathmanagement,strengtheningthechestvoice,strengtheningtheheadvoice,connectingtheregisters,learninghowtosinginmix,singingwithvibrato,singingloud,medium,andsoft(dynamics),andevenlearninghowtosingriffsandrunsliketheirfavoritestar.Ourprogramisnotlikethetypicalvoicelessonthatconsistsofsingingacoupleofrandom“warm-up”exercisesandthensingingasongseveraltimeswithnoplanforaddressingvocalissues.Thatapproachisnotgoingtodomuchforyourchild’svocaldevelopment.Youmighthavenoticedthisalreadyifyourchildhasbeeninvolvedinthosekindsoflessonsinthepastandnotmademuchprogress.Ourprogrammeetsthechildwheretheyare,and,whilemakingsingingfun,isdesignedtospecificallydevelopthevoiceinahealthyyeteffectivewaybyprogressingthroughTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment.AllSingLikeaStarAssociatespassrigoroustestingandcourseworktoremaincertifiedtoteachatSingLikeaStar;thatcourseworkisbasedonthelatestresearchinvocalscience-thefoundationoftheSLaSEightStepsofDevelopmentapproach.Wedon’tjustvocalizeinlessons-wesingsongstoo!Wetrytobalancehavingfunandsingingsongswithaclearvisionofvocalimprovementforyourchild.Thebalanceoffunandworkineachlessonvarieswiththeageofthechildandtheirpersonality.Wemeetthechildwheretheyare.LITTLESTARS:CHILDREN3-8YEARSForouryoungerstudentsages3-8wecombinehavingfunwitheducationattheirlevel,teachingthemallkindsofmusicalskills aswell as singing. Rhythm instruments, percussion, clapping,moving, and singing fun songs are all part of the funexperienceforthelittleones!PRE-PROFESSIONALCHILDRENStudioownerTriciaGrey,MMworkswithpre-professional,highlymotivatedchildren.Shehashadgreatsuccesswithherkids;severaldirectorsoflocaltheatrecompaniescommentoftenthatherstudentsarealwaysrecognizableinauditionsasbeingthestrongestcontenders.ManySLaSchildrengoneontoprofessionalcareersandBroadwayasaresultoftheirstudywithTriciaGrey,MM.

Most recently, Tricia’s student, 9-year-old AngelicaHale,who started lessonswith Tricia at age 4, amazed audiences onAmerica’sGotTalent.CheckitoutonYouTubeandpreparetobeamazed.Thisisagreatexampleofwhatthistechniquecandoforadedicatedstudentwhopractices.Theonlyrequirementforustoworkwithyourchildisthewillingnessandabilityofthechildtopracticetherecordedlessonsfor20-30minuteseachday,ifthechildisolderthan8years.Andthewillingnessandabilityoftheparenttobeproactiveinschedulingandrequiringregulardailypractice.Doyouteachprofessionals?Yes.Wegetresults.Andwegetthemquickly.SingLikeAStarStudios,LLC,trainssingers ineverymusicalcategory.Rock,pop,country, jazz,R&B,gospel,andmusicaltheatresingersdevelopthevocalskillsatSLaSthatallowthemtoshineintheirchosenmusicalstyle.This is world-class training for contemporary and popular styles of singing.With this transformational training, changeshappenquickly.Webuildtherightmusclesandcreategoodhabits.Yourvoicebeginstofunctioneffortlessly;thingsthatusedtobeimpossibleforyoutosingbecomeeasierandeasierwiththeSLaSmethod!SingLikeAStarsingersdelivereffortlesspower,amazingvocalcontrol,greathighnotes,authenticvocalstyling,andincredibleconsistency-nowonderSLaStrainedsingersareattheforefrontoftoday’smusicindustry.SLaSvocallessonswillhelpyoutosingstronger,higher,andsingwithtotalconfidence-inanyvocalstyle!Weworkwithallabilityandexperiencelevelsfrombeginningtoadvancedsingers.Wespecializeinkeepingtheprofessionalsinger’svoicehealthyandstrongwithoutchangingyouruniquesoundandstyle!Seetestimonials from some of our professionals, including Tricia’s student Jennifer Geller, currently starring in Hamilton onBroadway,byvisitingwww.singlikeastar.com.Butsinginglessonsarenotjustforaspiringprofessionals;anyonewholovestosingshouldconsidervocaltrainingatSingLikeaStarStudios.“AtSingLikeaStarStudioswecanteachanyonetosing-iftheyarewillingtopractice”saysstudioownerTriciaGrey,MM.“Manypeoplethinkthatsingingabilityissomethingyoueitherhaveoryoudon’t;nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Singingisateachableskill.Butsingingislikeathletics-youhavetodotheworktogettheresults.Ifyoudotheworkoutswegiveyouinthelessons,youWILLachievethevoiceofyourdreams.Ihaveworkedwithmanystudentsthatdidnothavegreatvoiceswhentheystarted;howevertheydidpossessdrive,discipline,andworkethic.Asaresultofourworktogether,theyhavegreatvoicesnow-andprofessionalcareers!”Doyouprovideperformanceopportunities?Weprovideperformanceopportunitieswithourtwice-yearlyshowcasesatabeautiful250seatprofessionaltheaterinDunwoody.Wehavetwoshows;ayoungersingers’show,andamoreadvancedsingers’show.Theshowsarealwayssoldoutandtheyarereallyfun!Whenwearepreparingfortheshowswefocusextensivelyonperformingskillsandsongpresentation.Webringinchoreographerswhoteachmovementandstagepresence.Wevideoeachperformanceandweprovideaprofessionalphotographer.Witheachshow,yourchildwillbecomeamoreseasonedperformer!BecomeaProfessionalPerformer-inourSingLikeaStarSingers’Showcases!SingLikeaStarStudiosoffersregularperformanceopportunitiestocurrentlyenrolledstudentsatabeautifulstate-of-the-artprofessionaltheater.Thesefunandinspiringshowsgiveoursingersthechancetoputtheirnewskillstoworkinaprofessionalenvironment-completewithlights,sound,andprofessionalvideorecording.Wehaveaprofessionalphotographerateveryshowtakinglivephotosthatyoucanuseforpromotionalpurposes,andaprofessionalvideographerwhocreatesDVDsofyourperformance.YouwillreviewthoseDVDsaftereveryshowtoseewhatwentwell-andwhatmightbeimprovednexttime!Weworkonperformanceskillsaswellasvocalskillsinyourprivatelessonstopreparefortheliveshows.Letusshowyouhowtotakeyourperformingandsingingskillstothenextlevel! LearntobeaprofessionalperformeratSingLikeaStarStudios!

PURPOSEOFTHESHOWCASE:TogiveSingLikeaStarstudentsachancetoshowcasetheirnewvocalskillsinaprofessionaltheaterenvironmentandtobecomebetterperformersandsingers.Everytimeyouperformyouwillgetbetter!InSLaSlessonsweteachyoubothvocaltechniqueANDperformanceskills,blendingthemtogetherintheperformances.Yourskillsandconfidencewillimprovewitheachperformance!TheSingLikeaStarSingers’Showcasesareforperformersofallages.Frombeginnertoprofessional,weallimprovewitheachperformancewedo-especiallywithtoolssuchasthevideotoreviewandlearnfrom.Wedotwoshows-aSTARBRIGHTSshowforouryoungerperformers,andaRISINGSTARSshowforourmoreadvancedperformers.WhyisSLaSthebeststudioforme?Quickresults,aproven,science-basedmethod,andourcommitmenttohelpingyousingthestylesyoulovetosing!FindoutwhytheSingLikeaStarmethodisthebestvocalmethodonthemarkettoday.AtSingLikeAStarStudiosyouwilllearntosingstronger,singhigher,andsingwithcompleteconfidence,inallstylesincludinggospel,blues,rock,pop,jazz,musicaltheatre,countryandR&B.Youwilldevelopamazinghighnotes,greatpowerandcontrol,andtheabilitytosinglicks,runsandvocalriffs,justlikeyourfavoriteartist.Youwilldevelopyourownuniquestyletoo!Youwilllearntocreateyourownriffsandruns.Yourvoicewillbehealthy,strong,andbeautiful,andyouwillexperiencefreedomfromvocalstrain.Youwillbeabletosingwithpowerandflexibilityfromyourlowestnotestoyourhighestnotes,withanoctaveofatleastthreeoctaves.Youwilleliminatevoicebreaksbylearninghowtobridge.Bridgingistheartoftransitioningthroughthepassaggio,orpassagewaybetweenlowerregisterandupperregister.Youwilllearntosingwithsoul,emotion,andflexibility.And,bestofall,yourvoicewillremainhealthyforalifetimeofsingingifyoucontinuetopracticetheprinciplesofgoodvocalproductionthatyouwilllearnatSingLikeaStarstudios.AtSingLikeaStarstudiosyouwilllearntosinginanystyleyouprefer,includinggospel,blues,rock,pop,jazz,musicaltheatre,countryandR&B.Wetailoryourinstructiontomakeyouthebestsingerpossibleinthemusicstylesyoulove!Thisisworld-classtrainingforcontemporaryandpopularstylesofsinging,basedonscientificresearch.Wetrainthemusclesthatneedtobecoordinatedandefficientinsinging(calledintrinsicmuscles),andweteachyoutostopengagingthemusclesthatgetinyourway,knownasextrinsicinterferingmuscles.Webuildbrandnewneuromuscularresponsesthat,withpractice,becomelife-longgoodhabits.Overtimeyourvoicebeginstofunctioneffortlessly;thingsthatusedtobehardforyoutosingbecomeeasierandeasierwiththisprocess.SingLikeaStarVocaltrainingisunlikeanymethodinexistencetoday.Thisworld-renownedvocaltechniquewilldevelopamazinghighnotesandeliminatestrainingandvocalbreaks.Youwilllearntosingfromverylowtoveryhighwithaconsistentsound. Youwill develop power, effortless control and the contemporary vocal quality of today’s artists with SLaS vocaltraining!Yourvoicewillbestrong,connected,andbalanced,withdramaticallyincreasedvocalrange,power,andvocalcontrol.Youwillbeabletosinginanystyleofmusicyouchoose,withahealthy,flexible,andpowerfulsound.Youwilllearntosinglicks,runsandriffsforR&Borgospelstyling.AtSingLikeaStarStudiosyouwillbecomeaconfidentsingerbecauseyouknowyourvoicewillworkcorrectly-everytime!Youwilllearntobetheartistyoualwaysdreamedyoucouldbe.YouwillsingthestyleofmusicYOUlovetosingratherthanateacher’sfavoritestyleofmusic.Webelievesingersshouldbeempoweredtosinginthestylestheyprefer;weteachallstyles-rock,gospel,R&B,musicaltheatre,contemporaryChristian,pop,jazz,classical,andcountry.Most vocal training consists of vague or undefined objectives, little feedback, and very little if any real skill-building orimprovement; typical lessons consist of a random and ineffective “warm-up” followed by singing songs but no specificremediationofchallengespresentedinthesong.Ratherthanineffectiveandrandom“warm-ups”thathavenomeaningtothestudentandresultinlittlechange.TheSLaSmethodisaspecific,logical,andorganizedplanofdevelopmentwithdefinableandmeasurableobjectivesforeach

step of your skill-building. Each step has specific andmeasurable objectives; your teacher will be glad to discuss theseobjectiveswithyousoyouwillknowhowyouaredoing.Youwillalwaysknowwhereyouareinyourpathofvocaltrainingandwhatyournextgoalwillbe!TheEightStepsofVocalDevelopmentguidesyousequentiallyandlogicallythroughallphasesofyourvocaldevelopment,witheachnewskillbuildinguponthepreviousskill.TheEightStepsofVocalDevelopmentbeginswiththefoundationofgoodsinging-breathmanagement,otherwiseknownasappoggio.Thenwebuildanddevelopthelowerregisterofthevoice,followedbytheupperregister.Thenwebeginconnectingthoseregisterstogethersoyouhaveonesmoothandstrongunbrokensound.Thehigherstepsofdevelopmentemphasizemusicalskills,likevibrato,dynamics,power,andflexibility.InStepEightyouwilllearnhowtoriffandrunlikethepros-howtodevelopstyle!Thesestepsbuildareliableandefficientvocaltechnique,soyoucanfocusonperformingandsingingfromtheheart!Butevenmoreimportant;youwillbeabletoapplyyournewskillstothesongsyouwouldliketosing.Wehelpyoushineinthegenreandstylethatyouenjoy,ratherthanforcingyoutosinginateacher’spreferredstyle.AtSingLikeaStaryouwillseeimmediatechangesinyourvoiceandyouwillknowexactlywhyyouaredoingeachexercise.Wecanexplaineverythingthatishappeninginyourvoicefromavocalscienceperspective,ifyouareinterested.Becauseyouareonaspecificallydesignedpathofdevelopment-TheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment-youwillknowexactlyhowfaryouhavecome,andwhatliesahead.Yourvocaldevelopmentisbasedonspecificobjectivesanddefinableoutcomes.Itisnotjustrandomand inefficient“warmingup”,buta sequentialandplannedprogramof skillbuilding that isdesigned todevelopspecificmusclesinaspecificorderforaspecificresult.AsyouprogressthroughTheEightStepsofVocalDevelopmentyouarebuildingefficientmuscularcoordination,eliminatingyouroldbadhabitsandreplacingthemwithgoodones.Anythingyouwanttoachievewithyourvoicecanbedone-onestepatatime!Withthismethodyouwillsoonbeabletosinglikeyouneverdreamedyoucouldsing!Youwillsuddenlyfindyourvoicedoingthingsyouneverthoughtitcoulddo-thingsthatformerlyseemedimpossiblearenoweasyforyoubecauseyouhavetrainedthevocalmusclestofunctionefficiently.ANDweteachyouhowtosingwithstyle-howtosinggreatriffsandruns-andthescalesthoseriffsandrunscomefrom,soyoucanlearntocreateyourownimprovisationsratherthancopyinganotherartist’slicks.TheSingLikeaStar(SLaS)vocalmethodenablessingerstosingwithpowerandcontrolfromthelowestnotestothehighestnoteswithapowerful,consistent,andconnectedsound-thecommercialsoundingvocalqualitythatthemusicindustryislookingfor!Thisisknownasthebalancedregistrationandmixapproachtovoice.Thistechniquewilldevelopamazinghighnotes,atleastathreeoctaverange(ormore),power,controlforriffs,licksandruns,alongwiththedevelopmentofyourpersonalvocalstyle.SLaSandMIX:MixisthepreferredsingingmethodofmajorpopularrecordingartistsinR&B,gospel,country,pop,rock,Broadway, andmusical theatre singers throughout theworld. It is themost sought after singing technique in themusicindustry.Mixistheringing,brilliant,powerfulqualityacontemporarysingerhaswhensinginghighnotes;itsoundsliketheyaretakingtheir“chestvoice”allthewayuptothehighestpitches,buttheyarenot-theyaremixing!Mixispowerfulandprojected-itsoundsstrongbutitfeelseasyandunforced.Mixenablessingerstosingwithpowerandcontrolfromthelowestnotestothehighestnoteswithaconsistent,connected,naturalsound.Themixisthestrongupperregisterthatsoundslikeyouarebelting,butfeelseasy!Thisisanexcitingsound,andisthesoundthatallthestarsintoday’smusicbusinessuse-whethertheyarepoporMusicalTheatre,thisisthesoundtoget!Everysingerneedspowerfulhighnotesthataresimilarintonetothelownotes-highnotesthathavethesamepowerandbrillianceaschestvoicewithoutthestrainofpushingthechestvoiceupward.Everysinger is lookingforthevocalqualityknownasmix.Whetheryousingpopormusicaltheatre,thisisthesoundyouneed!SingerswhohavegreatmixvoicesincludeBeyonce,ArianaGrande,DemiLovato,JohnLegend,AdamLevine,KatyPerry,SuttonFoster,ShoshanaBean,andBrunoMars.Mixisthemostsought-aftervocalsoundinthemusicindustrytoday,andmixiswhatweteachatSLaS!Mixisthenatural,powerful,contemporaryvocalqualitythemusicindustryislookingfor-andSingLikeaStarStudiosistheplacetogetit!SingLikeAStarVocaltrainingisunlikeanymethodinexistencetoday.TheSLaSmethodisbasedonbalancedregistrationandmix- bel canto training for today's contemporary vocal styles! This world- renowned vocal development technique will

eliminatestrainingandvocalbreaks.Youwilllearntosingfromverylowtoveryhighwithaconsistentvocalquality.Youwilldeveloppowerfulhighnotes,effortlesscontrol,andthecontemporaryvocalqualityoftoday’sartistswithSLaSvocaltraining!Yourvoicewillbestrong,connected,andbalanced,withdramaticallyincreasedrange,power,andcontrol.Youwillbeabletosinganystyleofmusicyouchoose,withahealthy,flexible,andpowerfulsound.Youwilllearntosinglicks,runsandriffsforR&Borgospelstyling.AtSingLikeAStarStudiosyouwillbecomeaconfidentsingerbecauseyouknowyourvoicewillworkcorrectly-everytime!Youwilllearntobetheartistyoualwaysdreamedyoucouldbe.WhydoIneedSLaSvocaltraining?

1.Youneedthistrainingbecauseyoucan’tteachyourself.Veryfewpeoplecanteachthemselvestosingcorrectly.

Mostself-taughtsingersunknowinglyincorporateextrinsicmuscles,particularlythedigastricstrapmusclesusedforswallowing;thesemusclespullthelarynxupward.Whenyoumuscleup,youtendtostaystuckinyourchestvoice-straininglikecrazywhenyoutrytosinghighernotes-untilyoucrack,bigtime.Thatcanbesoembarrassing!Thenifyouwanttosingevenhigher,youhavetodoitabreathy,weaksoundcalledfalsetto.ThisvocaltendencyorhabitiscategorizedasUnbalanced-PulledLower.Thatmeansyourlowerandupperregistersarenotequallystrongandyoutendtotakethechestvoiceorlowerregisteruptoohigh.Oryoumaybetheoppositetype.Youmaybeatimidsingerthatsingseverythingwithabreathy,barelyaudiblesound.Thismightbeduetothefactthatyouhavenotsungmuch,orbecauseyouhavenotlearnedhowtoprojectyourvoicecorrectly.ThiscategoryiswhatwecallUndeveloped.Ifyouareafemalechoralsingerwhohassungclassicalorchoralmusic,chancesareyourhighernotesaremuchstrongerthanyourlowernotes.Youwereprobablytoldtoavoidthechestvoice,soyoubringyourheadvoiceall thewaydown.Wecall thatUnbalanced- Light Lower.Your lower register isweaker thanyourupperregister.Eachcategoryhasaveryspecificplantoaddressandremedythoseuniquechallenges.AtSingLikeaStarweteachbalancedregistration-whenyouhaveperfectedthetechnique,yourlowerregisterandupperregisterswillbeequallystrong,vibrantandringing,andtransitionsmoothlybetweentheregisterssoyourvoicesoundslikeonevoiceinsteadoftwototallydifferentvoiceswithabigbreakinthemiddle.

2.YouneedSLaSvocaltrainingbecausemostofthevocaltrainingthatisavailablewillnotgetyoutheresultsyouwant.Oftenvocaltrainingispresentedwithvagueorundefinedobjectives,littlefeedback,andverylittleifanyrealskillbuilding.Typicalvoicelessonsconsistofarandomandineffective“warm-up”followedbynumerousrepetitionsofasong,withlittlespecificskill-buildingorsolutionsforvocalchallenges.Thisisnotgoingtodomuchforyourdevelopment.Ifyouhavetakenlessonsanywhereelseyouprobablyalreadyrealizeisthatwiththesemethodsyouhaven’tbeengettingmuchbetter.AtSingLikeaStarwehaveabetterplan.YourvocaldevelopmentisbasedonspecificobjectivesforskillbuildingbyworkingthrougheachoftheEightStepsofVocalDevelopment.Teachersdolessonplansandwrittenreviewsofeachlessontaught,assessingwherethestudent’sskilllevelisandwritinglessonplansforongoingskilldevelopment.Thistakesalotoftime,butitisjustonewayweprovideconsistencyintraining.Thatkindofplanning,reflection,andsequentialskillbuildingiscertainlynotthenorminmostvoiceteaching.

3.YouneedSLaSvocaltrainingbecauseteachingmixisahighlyspecializedskill-onethatrequiresmanyyearsofintensivetraining.ThisisnotaskilltaughtinUniversityprograms.Mixsingingandbalancedregistrationisanintegralcomponentofbelcanto-amethodoriginallycreatedtodevelopastrongupperregisterandsmoothtransitionsbetweenregisters.ThemixedvoiceforcontemporarysingingmethodwasfurtherdevelopedinLosAngeleswithSpeechLevelSinging,anorganizationthatstudioownerTriciaGrey,MMwasanintegralpartof;infact,shewrotetheSpeechLevelSingingInternationalTeacherTrainingManual,usedtotrainSLSteachersallovertheworld.ShewascertifiedatthehighestlevelinSLS-aprocessthattookmanyyearsofintensivestudybeyondTricia’sMaster’sDegreeinMusic.ShebeganhercareerasateacherinLosAngeles,teachingforMaestroSethRiggshimself.

WeatSLaSarecontinuallyinvolvedinongoingeducationinordertostayabreastofrecentdevelopmentsandresearch;therearemanyfactsaboutvocalfunctionunknowntomostofthevocalcommunityonlyafewyearsagothathavechangedthewaywedevelopvoices.Manyteachersarenotinterestedinthescienceofvocalproductionandsimplypassalongoutdatedconcepts.AtSingLikeaStarweareonthecuttingedgeofvocalscienceandpedagogy:Triciahasmadeitherlife’smissiontoresearchandstudynewdevelopmentsinvocaltrainingandtomakethosenewdevelopmentsavailabletoherreadersandstudents.

Inadditiontovocallessons,whatotherclassesareavailable?Inaddition toworld-classvocal trainingweofferpiano,guitar,andsongwriting instructionaswellasartistdevelopment,studiorecording,performancecoaching,auditioncoachingandpageantcoaching.HowdoIaccessthesubscriptioncourse?You can access the courses YOU can Sing Like a Star! and YOU can be a Successful Voice Teacher athttp://www.slascourses.com/HowdoIcontactSLaS?Emailsupport@singlikeastar.comCall404-790-1830WherecanIgetfreevocaltipsandlearnmoreaboutthesingingvoice?

1.VisitTricia’sYouTubechannel:http://www.youtube.com/triciagrey 2.SubscribetotheVocalTipsblogonthewebsiteatwww.singlikeastar.com3.Visitthesetabsonthewebsiteatwww.singlikeastar.com

http://www.singlikeastar.com/the-slas-method/http://www.singlikeastar.com/how-your-voice-works/