The famed Chinese philosopher Confucius said.....
"Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without”
The Human Voice
We are all born with a voice. Since the beginning of time Humans have been vocalizing their needs and thoughts.
Singing is without doubt the ultimate instrument. It has been around the longest, i† is used in every genre of music and is the only instrument that can play melody and tell a story.
The Human voice is powered by air. As we exhale, air flows passed our Vocal Chords.
Our Vocal Chords (or Vocal Folds) are open when we breathe and closed when we eat. To Sing we leave them open just enough that they start to vibrate really fast, 100-1000 times per second depending on the note. With practice, Singers develop the muscle strength and muscle memory to position their vocal chords to sing specific notes.
The whole head is involved with making the sound from the vocal chords resonate, the position of the head and the shape of the mouth have an effect on the voice. Combined with posture, good breathing and the inevitable dancing, singing is a whole body activity.
The emotion of the human voice together with the ability to tell a story make music with singing way more popular that instrumentals. While there have been notable instrumental hits in the Surf Rock and Big Band Genre, most instrumental hits come from Movie or TV soundtracks. Popular music is dominated by songs with singers, less then 5% of Americans purchase instrumental music. The last instrumental to hit number one was Jan Hammers “Miami Vice Theme” in 1985.
All Fine Tune Academy students are encouraged to Sing in addition to learning an instrument. It is common to combine basic Piano/Guitar instruction with Singing lessons to help understand Pitch and Melody.
EXERCISE
Sing is actually a good Cardiovascular exercise. You’ll work out your lungs, improve your circulation, and tone your abdominal and intercostal muscles.
Mature students can maintain Lung capacity that is often lost with age.
FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS
Singing can be learned at a very early age. Nursery rhymes, Yo Gabba Gabba and the car radio are the first singing lessons.
Students age 2 years and up can benefit from regular Singing lessons.
IMPROVED SPEECH
Singing lessons focus on Breathing, Tone, Rhythm, Posture, Confidence, Pronunciation and Projection. Students with Speech Impediments often find improvements in their speaking voice through Singing Lessons.
HISTORY
We have no recordings of prehistoric music, we can only imagine the melodies and the stories. Before sheet music and recording equipment songs were passed on from generation to generation by memory.
While the developed world consider singing to be mostly for entertainment, many cultures consider singing to be a vital part of social order and religion.
The European Renaissance lead by Italy from 1300-1680 had a tremendous effect on all music. This “Rebirth” of culture and logical thinking led to the standardization of written music and music instruction. Add to that the invention of the Printing Press by Johannes Gutenberg, around 1440 and the stage was set for musicians who had never met to share their music for generations. To this day we can see the Italian influence in written music by the use of Italian words like Tempo (Time), Crescendo (Swell Up) and Forte (Strong).
The Renaissance led to great advances in Science, Music, Painting and Sculpture. The finest Singers and the finest Musicians played for the elite of society, the entertainment of choice became known as Opera. The word “Opera” means “Work” in Italian. This work is referring to a composition in which poetry, dance, and music are combined. Operas where a big deal, there would be grand stages set with lavish decorations, amazing customs, the best musicians and of course the best Singers. Opera singers needed to be loud enough to be heard over an orchestra and where required to deliver mind blowing performances. Achieving this level of skill required singing teachers. Many of the terms and techniques used by modern singers come from Operatic Training, we still classify a Singers range using Italian words like Alto (High) and Soprano (Above).
WHAT TO EXPECT IN SINGING LESSONS
Unlike all other instruments, you cannot buy the voice of your choice.
The early stages of Singing lessons are spent establishing what your voice is now and how best to make use of what you have. There are standard skills that every singer should know relating to Breathing, Posture, Diction, Pitch and Music theory.
One of the very first tasks is to establish you current vocal range. With this information we figure out what songs, singers, genres, keys and bands are closest to what you were born with.
We then use these songs as a jumping off point to teach you about Breathing, Posture, Warmups, Diction, Scales, arrangements and Songwriting.
With training you will extend your vocal range, improve your tone, learn how to communicate with other musicians and express yourself through music.
We teach many practical skills related to Singing including Singing while playing an instrument, Studio Recording, and Live Performance.
Your voice is a part of your body, singers need to look after their voice with Good Technique, Hydration and Rest.
PURCHASE
Unlike Drums or Guitars or Pianos, Voices come free at birth!
Singers should expect to invest in Sheet Music, Music Stand, iTunes Gift Cards, Metronome, Small Casio Keyboard, Honey Tea, Throat Spray, Concert Tickets, a Vocal Mic and maybe a P.A. System.
FUN FACTS
When we sing, sound comes out of our mouths at about 75mph
There is no human culture, no matter how remote or isolated, that does not sing
While Elvis Presley recorded over 500 songs, its commonly believed he never wrote a song.
The world record for the longest non-stop Elvis impersonation is 55 hours.
The first Opera was performed 418 years ago. Opera is the oldest genre of music still popular today.
Singing releases endorphins, which make you feel instantly happier
When you sing you also release oxytocin, which is a natural stress reliever and is found to alleviate feelings of depression and loneliness
Less then 2% of the human population is actually tone deaf. If you cringe when a performer sings a horribly flat or sharp note, then you are not tone deaf.
Popular Singers
Ed Sheeran
Elvis Presley
Aretha Franklin
Lady Gaga
Rihanna
Jack Johnson
Axel Rose
Sam Smith
Michael Jackson
Katy Perry
Bing Crosby
James Brown
Robert Plant
Luciana Pavarotti
Paul McCartney
Johnny Cash
Maria Carey
Taylor Swift
Bruce Springsteen
Steve Perry
Frank Sinatra
Freddie Mercury
Bruno Mars
Adele
@finetuneacademy.com
Thanks for sharing, great post :)
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