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Articles & Books From Pamelia S. Phillips
Go from singing in the shower to taking your audience’s breath awayWhether you picture yourself as the next Ariana Grande or just feel like picking up a new hobby, Singing For Dummies walks you through the surprisingly straightforward steps you’ll need to take to develop your voice. It’s a practical guide to every important aspect of singing, from vocal techniques to performance tips.
Build your voice up—and bring the house down!Some people are born with naturally beautiful voices, but even the best can get better by applying training that can make a performance truly soar. Singing Exercises For Dummies shows you how to do just that. Following the drills and exercises found both in the book and online examples, you'll be able to refine your technique; develop consistency, power, and endurance; and increase your vocal range so you can achieve a voice that stands out from (and always wows) the crowd!
Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-24-2021
The craft of singing requires you to do several things at one time starting with aligning your body and breathing. Whether you’re preparing for an audition or a performance, the successful presentation of any song includes preparing yourself as well as your song. Posture checklist for better singingThe next time you watch a professional singer, observe their posture.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-02-2022
The best way to become a better singer is to work on singing exercises that help you improve your tone and technique. These exercises can range from simple vocal warm-ups to drills that help you build your skills and fine-tune your sound.After you warm up your voice, you’re ready to tackle the world of vocal exercises, starting with a drills for practicing breath control and working on your tone.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Students often ask about the correct pronunciation of words for singing and speaking. Knowing the difference between voiced and unvoiced consonants can help you figure it out.
Voiced consonant sounds are produced by adding vocal sound. An example is the letter M. If you say the word make, you have to add sound to the letter M before you even get the vowel.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Even if you don’t read music well, you can tap out the rhythms. Just look at the rhythms on the page and try to tap them out without worrying about words or speed. The first time you try, it may be difficult, but after some practice, you get accustomed to certain rhythm patterns and can quickly master them.
For more help on reading rhythms, pick up a copy of Piano For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by Blake Neely (Wiley).
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Projecting confidence while singing involves finding your correct posture and maintaining it throughout a performance. If you maintain that posture and a calm expression even if you forget the words to your song, many people probably won’t even notice.
It's been seen many times: The performer is onstage making up the words, but he looks as terrific as if he’d intended to sing those words.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Unlike the opera, the musical theater production is about the story first. Singing is high on the list of priorities, but it doesn’t rank first. Musical theater performers aren’t cast just because they sing well (although singing ability does count!); they’re cast because they look the part, can dance or move well, and can both act and sing.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Every well-written song takes the listener on a journey that uses text and music to tell a story. Well-written songs offer you an opportunity to create a partnership with the words and music. Working the text as a speech or monologue, you may find that the song doesn’t mean what you originally thought it did. Just as when reading a poem for the first time, you may not initially absorb all the meanings.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Music written on the page is the same for any style of music. The notation is the same, but how the music is performed isn’t the same. In opera and classical music, singers sing exactly what’s on the page. They memorize all the words, notes, musical directions, and markings.
That’s a lot to memorize and to get exactly right.