Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio
No matter what age you are, always remain a student. Never stop learning, learn to listen to others and hear what they have to say. Two people can experience the same incident and walk away with two different stories, because they have different perspectives. What they see and translate in their mind will be different than what you see and how you process the information. You must have grit with purpose to create a good mindset for your singing performance.…
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Why do you want to be a singer or pianist? Is this something you would like to do as a career? Or are you just having fun and want to learn? Or do you have deeper intentions? Are you trying to get a message out? Is there a desire to share your experiences and feeling to touch other lives? Whether it’s a career or you are just having fun, you need to dig deep and let yourself be vulnerable. This…
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As an artist and singer, you need to envision what your performance will look like. What is your look, are you going to play an instrument, will you dance or have dancers on the stage with you? What will your colors be (what colors do you love), will you stand still, what will your stage be like? Will you hold the mic, keep it on a stand, or use a head piece? What performances from other artists inspire you? Use…
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This blog is a continuation of “Different Ways To Make A Song Your Own” (Part 1). In the previous blog we discussed phrasing, articulation, bending notes and runs (or riffs). Today we will look at vibrato, dynamics, using different vocal onsets and inflections to create your own spin on a song. Vibrato can be used to add a little texture and emphasize certain places in a song. Vibrato is not a natural thing that happens for every singer. Some singers…
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Putting your own spin on a song is never easy, it takes work. You need to add your own personal touch and technical adjustments. You have different ways to put your own spin on it, such as phrasing, riffing, bending notes, dynamics, using different vocal onsets and inflections. Phrasing is a way for musicians and singers to personally put their own spin on a song, by shaping sections of the song. It’s very important to be aware of how you…
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In order to sing a song with your full potential, it’s not just about technic, you must connect to the song. What songs are you passionate about and love to sing or play? Have a journal to write down your thoughts on the songs. These are the things you want to look for when choosing your songs First, you must have that personal connection to the song. Does it move you and take you on an emotional journey with a…
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Early morning warm-ups should be less dramatic and gentle. If you a morning performance, take it easy with the warm-ups. Use a less aggressive approach with humming, the bubble (or lip trills) and the r-roll (or tongue trills). We will look at the best ways to start vocal warm-ups. If you are warming up in the afternoon or later in the day, you can be more aggressive with your warm-ups. After the less aggressive warm-up exercises, you can get a…
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This is part one of Christina Aguilera’s warm-ups. Warming up is quite different than performing. You want to keep everything relaxed without any tension. In a live performance you need to convey facial expressions and emotion which is not a relaxed facial expression. For these warm-ups keep your face, neck and body relaxed as you do these warm ups. Relax everything in your body, face, neck and anywhere you feel tension. Take in a deep breath and exhale slowly releasing…
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Singing softly can be as difficult as singing powerfully the correct way. Billie Eilish likes to sing in a softer tone in many of her songs. To create a light and airy sound involves the placement of sound and of course, diaphragm and breath control. Recently, one of my clients was trying to sing softer by (what sounded like) breathing in air into the back of her mouth. This is not the way to do. It sounded almost like she…
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What is clave, pronounced “Clah-vay?” Clave is actually a rhythm. There is an instrument called Clave, which is two wooden sticks. But we are talking about the rhythm today. Clave is a set of repeating rhythm accents. In most music the band plays their regular rhythmic backup throughout the song accenting the same continuous beats like one and three in every measure. The clave is asymmetrical or unbalanced, it does not accent the same beat or beats in every measure.…
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