I really enjoy putting together these tips of strategies I use in my own singing career to enable others to find some ease and enjoyment in their own singing.

I was talking here of the need for the singer to really look into fitness. There is no need to become a gym junkie or to be taking daily yoga classes. But as singers we need to remember that our body is our instrument, that our body is our instrument case.

Increasing cardio-fitness will increase our stamina as singers, it will give us more energy. If you are already fit, that is fantastic and continue with this. If not, why not consider adding 5 minutes of walking every 2 hours into your daily routine – this could be plenty. Do of course check with your doctor before making any changes to your fitness routines.

Some strength work can be really useful. I like to take a pilates class and a yoga class once a week to work on strength. By working on glute / hip strength in particular, skills of balance and stability may improve, by building strength in these big muscles designed for stability, it can be easier to allow finer muscles designed for movement to let go and improve our feelings of space in the body and therefore help us as singers breathe freely and express the music with our whole being.

Some mindfulness can be really useful. There are many apps that will allow you to work on this, or you could attend some meditation classes. I like to do movements with my hands. The brain has so many connections to the hands so that we can make really fine movements. If we can occupy the brain in taking care of hand movements, it somehow allows us to perform more complicated operations in our singing with ease. In the video I used the example of the “lilly lally exercise”, but you might find this method helps for learning a tricky rhythm, that you know, but somehow can’t get right!

As ever in our warmup, we did some movement, we began with light humming, and picked one or two of the features of the song we were working on. I was drawing attention to the soft cushioning effect of support. I like to think of the support as the body fluffing up sofa cushions to create space in the sides  of the body. As we sing we relax into this cushion but it doesn”t collapse behind to the side or in front of us.

Ain’t Misbehavin’

No one to talk with
All by myself
No one to walk with
But I’m happy on the shelf
Ain’t misbehavin’
I’m savin’ my love for you

I know for certain
The one I love
I’m through with flirtin’
It’s just you I’m thinking of
Ain’t misbehavin’
I’m savin’ my love for you