The Inside Voice

02/28/2023

Voice teachers have plenty of clashing views on topics like the larynx and the soft palate, but the truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to singing. Learn some of the different vibes you can create by learning a little about vocal physiology. Do you want a low-larynx warmth like Amy Winehouse’s, or a strident angsty high-larynx sound, like Alanis Morrissette? There are so many possibilities!

02/24/2023

Don’t forget to register for the Musicians’ Showcase, for ages 15 and up! The theme is A Night at the Movies, and we encourage you to perform a song from film or television. Can’t wait to see you there!

02/21/2023

Featured Content: How to Sing Pop Music, Part 3: Fun Effects
Caption: Ever wonder how pop singers with perfectly clear voices get that world-weary sounding rasp in their voices? Learn that and more in this week’s Featured Content.

02/21/2023

Happy Presidents' Day!

02/17/2023

Michael is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who’s been teaching with us for close to a decade. He recently moved back to his hometown in Colorado but keeps a base of online students so attached to him they switched from in-person to online lessons in order to stay with him. If you’ve ever met Michael, you know what a wonderful, encouraging person he is. Highly creative himself, he fosters an atmosphere of self-expression and exploration. Michael plays guitar, bass piano, drums, violin and of course sings and writes music. He likes to see students connect with their favorite songs and express themselves by refining and expanding their abilities as a musician. If you want great online music lessons, Michael’s your guy.

02/14/2023

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Inside Voice!

02/14/2023

If you’ve taken voice lessons, you’ve probably extensively explored the idea of vocal registers. In this week’s featured content, we explore how vocal registers are used in pop singing. It’s not a simple answer, like that it’s all chest voice or all in mix. Pop singers use chest voice, middle voice, and head voice (or if we’re talking in physiological terms, a variety of body-covers), but they use them in specific ways to sound stylistically appropriate. For example, chest voice switching abruptly into a breathy head voice or falsetto tends to be more common than it would be in, say, legit musical theatre, and intentional voice cracks are nothing to shy away from.

02/10/2023

“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”
~Billy Joel

02/08/2023

02/07/2023

Check out this week’s featured content, the first video in our How to Sing Pop Music series. This week, we focus on articulation, including onsets, offsets, and how much to enunciate. Even though pop singing has a lot in common with other genres, like musical theater belt, it has its own nuances that make it sound stylistically appropriate. Just sign up for your free TIV account for access.

02/01/2023

This month, in honor of what’s (mostly) featured in the Grammy’s, it’s all about pop music. We’re revisiting our How to Sing Pop Music collection, with tips on articulation, vocal registers and how they’re used specifically in pop singing, fun effects, and how to use your larynx and soft palate for different pop vocal styles.

01/31/2023

“You just need to be relaxed” is a common mantra you hear from voice teachers. But how true is it? If you’re too relaxed, there’s a good shot you won’t hit the notes in the more challenging moments of your song. In this week’s featured content, we discuss the idea of effort in singing: What does it mean, how much should we use, and where should we focus that effort?