Such a lot has happened in the last 6 months!! Well lets start with the cd first. We finished recording the cd end of 2011 and since then I have moved to New Zealand. So I'm hoping to release it over here sometime in 2012. Can't wait for that to happen!!
In the meantime, I've also started vocal coaching and giving singing lessons. This is thanks to experiencing my own vocal difficulties and what I went through to try and correct them.
All I can say is that I didn't have a possitive experience with a lot of vocal coaches/singing teachers out there. Which is disappointing and discouraging for young artists. It took me the better half of two years to get my voice sorted out by trial and error and by trying a range of different techniques.
The damaging techniques being taught in the contemporary singing "world" is something I wish to combat. Basically, if anything hurts - don't do it, its wrong. If you're straining - its wrong. The technique you are using is wrong! There is a way to do it correctly.
You need to know the mechanics of the voice, how it works. You need to know where all the physical parts are and what they do. You need to know how resonance works. You need to know what placement is, etc etc. It doesn't help just doing repetitive exercises if you're doing them with the wrong technique. The individual needs to be taught in a way that stimulates that specific person to improve their own vocal ability and also to keep their unique sound. This is what makes a great artist - uniqueness!
We must remember that the voice isn't just a physical instrument, it is also a spiritual one. A lot of teaching methods do not take that into account and are in fact very "clinical".
That is one of the things I try to avoid by keeping the lessons fun, interactive, up to date, progressive, analytical and exciting. I encourage the students to ask questions, to know what they are doing and to start relying on their own knowledge to master their own instrument. This knowledge is inherent in everyone and it is a fallacy that some people were born to sing and others weren't. It is merely a matter of knowledge. If you can talk, you can sing.
