Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio

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…

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.…

Singer will use runs to enhance the song they are singing. Vocal runs are one form of vocal enhancement. A vocal run is when a singer will use a melodic sequence of notes to enhance the melody of a song. Runs are a fast moving line of notes that takes skill to cleanly singing the arrangement of notes with precision and speed. A run is a long sequence of notes starting high and dropping quickly through the scale down to…

Music has the ability to resonate across cultural boundaries, language barriers, and social divide, uniting millions of people across the globe. If you are writing songs that resonates with yourself, it will resonate with others. The power of music creates community and power through unity. Music can reduce stress, reduce pain, and reduce symptoms of depressions. Music also improves cognitive function which is the way our brain makes connections to remember new things and our reasoning through logic. Music improves…

One of the most important qualities a singer or pianist can possess is confidence! The more you perform the more your confidence will grow. This is a key component for your development as a performing artist. Being confident is nothing more than believing in yourself; confidence comes from within. Stand tall, shoulders back and act confident even when you don’t feel it. We will look at some tips about being confident as a singer or pianist (musician). To build confidence…

To sing with power, you must produce a strong, resonant, and impactful sound. The vocal tones must be heard clearly and the sound must reach a wide audience without strain. There is a combination of vocal skills, which are proper breath and diaphragm support, good vocal technique, vocal exercises (warm-ups) and good vocal health. Proper breath and diaphragm support are first and foremost to have power in your voice. If you sing from your throat, your voice will give out…

The term “pitchy” refers to singing out of tune.  There are many reasons why singers go pitchy. If you are unable to hear yourself or if the song is not in the correct key can cause you to sing pitchy. If you are feeling tired, lack of confidence or even stressed, these reasons can also cause you to sing off key. Whether you are a singer or pianist, it is important to develop your musical ear. A good voice embodies…

Every artist, musician, singer, or just people in general have their strengths and weaknesses. You are no different than anyone else, everyone has natural gifts and areas that need to be worked on. It’s important to embrace it all and love who you are. You are unique and there is no one else like YOU! Celebrate what you do well, focus on what you do well and use those strengths whether it’s singing, playing piano, songwriting, or any other instrument…

Voices are as distinct as our faces, everyone is uniquely different; no voice is exactly alike. How the sound is transmitted when you sing is vocal acoustics. The vocal resonance can be described as the attributes and qualities of a voice. The sound, whether it be bright or darker is the resonance. The vocal qualities are affected by harmonic structure, frequency vibration of the vocal cords, timbre, power and flexibility. The word acoustics, in general, is the science of production,…

When you sing, you form vowel sounds adjusting the soft palate, tongue, jaw and lips. All of these elements (which are called articulators) impact the shape of the vocal tract. There are thousands of vowels sounds in the world’s languages. Paying attention to the vowel sound is something all singers should practice. Each method of singing requires a different approach in pronouncing the vowel sounds. For instance, in classical and choral music there is a pure vowel sound. Unlike pop,…