FAQs

Most people would never participate in an athletic activity without taking some lessons to learn the basic skills to become successful. Singing is no different. The parts of the body primarily responsible for generating vocal sound are muscles capable of responding positively to physical training, and your voice will improve when they are strong, flexible, and working properly.

Vocal exercise is an athletic activity, since you are moving, stretching, conditioning, and strengthening muscles. The difference between singing and working out is that the muscles engaged for vocal production are much smaller than those larger groups you would train at the gym (e.g., quadriceps, biceps, or hamstrings). The focus is the same though, because we are also training for strength, stamina, endurance, and flexibility.

Well-trained muscles for singing easily produce clear tones throughout the range, improve the overall stamina of the voice, and bring the entire instrument into balance. However, like working out at the gym, you must regularly practice the exercises with the correct form and execution to realize these kinds of measurable results.

This book and course lays the foundation for solid singing technique in your low to medium high range.  All of the exercises are for male and female singers, and prepare the voice for further training.

Look for more Studio Lessons in the coming months that will build on the work done in this first book.  The second book of vocal training will evolve from these individual Studio Lesson units, but in the meantime they will be released individually so that singers may continue studying this technique.  Some of the subjects will include training the passagio, extending the high range, improving flexibility, strengthening the breath, healthy belting techniques, and strategies for learning songs.

No, it is not necessary to be able to read music, but music for the exercises is included.

The vocal exercises taught in this course are the same exercises I use in my daily practice.  The book and course is a way to deliver them to you so you can benefit from a structured and progressive program.  The order of the exercises builds on previous knowledge from week to week.

This book focuses on developing new muscle memory through vocal exercise primarily in the medium and low ranges to create a solid vocal technique.  As long you have a way to self-check your practicing by using a mirror and/or recording yourself, the exercises are pretty straightforward easy to learn and execute. Singers are ultimately responsible for teaching themselves even with a voice teacher, and deliberate, consistent practicing is where the real work and improvement occurs.

Almost every singer can benefit from some kind of vocal training that improves their vocal tone and breathing.  This course seeks to improve your vocal fitness so that you can have a better foundation on which to sing your own style.  Once you create a strong, reliable vocal sound, you can add your style of music to it.

On the other hand, heavy metal rock singers might find this course creates too pure of a tone for their style, but even they could gain some vocal fitness from following a course of vocal study to improve their overall vocal production.

Many singers turn to the Internet to learn more about how to improve their singing, and there are many videos offering quick answers to vocal challenges. But what is often missing is a long-term, progressive program to teach vocal technique methodically. Training a singing voice takes time, and there are no shortcuts to a great technique.

When a singer commits to practicing this vocal technique correctly, with thoughtfulness, discipline and patience, the time they invest will pay them back many times over. The process of singing (and speaking) is an ingrained habit, so consistent and deliberate practicing of the vocal exercises is required to allow the muscles to learn new form and position. You can expect measurable improvement as long as you take this approach and practice consistently.

The length of time it takes to improve a singing voice also depends on an individual’s vocal goals. A singer training for an operatic or musical theater career will spend far more time perfecting their technique and building their voice than one who sings in a less vocally demanding style.

Not at first.  This course is designed to create a foundation of vocal fitness, muscle positioning and memory that will assist you in improving the rest of your voice.  However, if you train carefully in this technique, you may experience some improvement in your upper range as your muscles gain more flexibility.

Yes.  You can find a link to the free book excerpt in the book descriptions in the store, or at Amazon.

The Kindle book is unique because it includes interactive access to online resources from within the e-book through embedded links in the text.

• 20 Studio Lesson units
• 12-month membership access to the Vocal Fitness Studio website
• Online access to over 70 audio tracks
• Online weekly Practice Plans
• 30 vocal exercise instructional videos
• 6, 9 and 12 month Training Level Plans

You will read the book on your Kindle or Kindle app, and access the audio tracks and practice plans through embedded links.

Open the e-book in your Kindle (or Kindle app), and when you want to access linked material such as an exercise audio track, tap the link and it will take you to the website page with that information. You may need to log in to the VocalFitnessStudio.com website, but as long as you keep your browser window open, you will stay logged in for that session.

Currently Kindle is the only format for the e-books.

Kindle ebooks can be read on a Kindle, or by downloading the Kindle app to other devices through the Amazon store.

For more information about using the Kindle reading app, go to Amazon.com.

For help with your Kindle app go to Amazon help.

Yes! It is available in the Amazon Bookstore here.

The Teacher’s Edition provides a specially designed 16-week curriculum for the voice teacher or vocal coach, with guidance in the implementation of the lessons.  Similar in design to piano methods, it introduces vocal exercises in a progressive manner with step-by-step instructions. Teaching concepts are supported by easy to understand vocal science explanations, and 12 worksheets to reinforce your student’s learning.

• 16 Lesson Plans
• Dozens of Teaching Tips
• Online access to over 70 vocal exercise audio tracks
• 40 online weekly Practice Plans
• 30 vocal exercise instructional videos
• 12 months of access to the Vocal Fitness Studio website
• Includes unique, interactive access to online resources from within the e-book.

You can, but if you are working on your own, it would be best to purchase the standard edition, as it has complete instructional material for self-teaching.

Yes! It is available in the Amazon Bookstore here.

The Student Edition is for those who are receiving in-person instruction of the Sing! 20 Singing Lessons to Improve Your Voice book from a voice teacher or vocal coach.  The format is different from the standard book, with the vocal resource and science materials located in a separate section of the book from the vocal exercises.  The Student Edition includes access to worksheets to reinforce the learning concepts in the course.

• Online access to over 100 audio tracks and 30 instructional videos
• 40 online weekly Practice Plans
• A  12-month membership with direct access to audio tracks and Practice Plans at Vocal Fitness Studio website

Your voice teacher or vocal coach have a curriculum from which they will teach you the material and exercises.  You may be assigned reading and worksheet assignments to do prior to each lesson.  After your lesson, your teacher will indicate the Practice Plan to use, which can be accessed at VocalFitnessStudio.com.  If you need to refer back to any exercise you have been taught, exercises and complete instructions are available there as well.

You can, but if you are working on your own, it would be best to purchase the standard edition, as it has complete instructional material for self-teaching.

This plan is for those singers who will dutifully practice but are not in a hurry and do not have a busy performing schedule. Most of their practicing will fall into the schedule of a minimum of fifteen to twenty minutes of practicing a day, four to five days a week. This plan contains forty-eight weeks (or about twelve months) of practice material. It is for the person who wants a slow but steady course of study.

Types of singers who might follow this plan – This is for the singer who wants to work on their voice but has a very busy schedule juggling work, personal life, and performing.  The key to this plan is to get in those 4-5 days a week of consistent practicing to develop the muscle memory over time.  It could be a church choir member, a school music educator, a barbershop quartet singer, a piano teacher with a singing background who wants to teach this curriculum to their students, or someone who hasn’t sung much and wants to work on their voice so they can sing with confidence at karaoke night!

This plan is for those who want to work a little harder and can commit to a longer practice time, starting at a minimum of fifteen to twenty minutes a day, five days a week, and increasing to a maximum of thirty minutes a day. This plan is thirty-six weeks (or about nine months) and is at an average pace of study.

Types of singers who might follow this plan – someone who needs to start working on their voice as they are presently performing and want to be in better shape.  This plan generally alternates between a lesson and a week of practicing only, so the pace is steady, giving time for the singer to solidify their understanding of the exercises.

High Intensity – You are very motivated to jump start your vocal training and willing to commit to practicing vocal technique a minimum of thirty minutes a day, seven days a week, with additional time spent learning and working on songs. This plan will cover twenty-four weeks (or about six months) and is primarily for experienced singers with mature adult voices who are regular performers or are professionals.

Types of singers who might follow this plan – someone who has had vocal training in the past, has a mature voice, is looking for a course of study to strengthen their voice after a hiatus away from singing or taking lessons, or a voice teacher who needs to learn this material in order to teach it to their students.

Some older high school students (sixteen to eighteen years old) might be able to follow the 6-month plan if they have pending auditions for college or are heavily involved in performing.  However, they should probably limit their vocal technique practicing, as young voices need to be careful if they take on any kind of intensive vocalization.

Many people do not realize how much muscle movement and positioning is required to produce a singing tone.  For that reason, retraining (or training) singing habits is the goal through vocal exercise.  One must be sure that the positions are done correctly, or success could be limited.  Any kind of vocal exercise can produce results, but when done properly with attention to detail, it creates an environment to create new muscle memory to improve your singing.