Explore the Michelle Ostrove Blog

How do you know if you are singing from the throat? Do you feel any strain when you are singing? Does your throat feel irritated after singing? Singing should never cause pain or strain. You cannot fix a problem unless you know it exists. Here are a few ways to determine if you’re singing from you throat and how to address it: To address singing from the throat and develop proper vocal technique: To be an excellent and strong singer…

Technique is a skillful way of executing a song, whether it is singing or playing the piano. Technique deals with the concept of tone, musicality and expression in your performance. While emotion is feeling the song and conveying those emotions to your audience. So, which is more important? Both are extremely important when singing a song. Without technique a singer can cause damage to their vocal cords. Good technique provides a strong solid foundation in which to sing. You can…

Stage presence is a combination of energy, charm and charisma. Your visual appearance, body language and charismatic presentation will fire up the audience. I’m sure you have heard the say “dress to impress” or “dress for the position you want,” but these are wise words. How you present yourself to others matters. First impressions leave lasting memories. How do you want the audience to perceive you as an artist? When you come out on the stage, bring your confidence, swagger…

What is music theory? Music theory is the study of music, examining all of the components that are used in writing a piece of music. Music theory studies the fundamental elements in the music language. It looks at goes in depth concerning notes, chords, rhythm, melody, form and harmonies. It is the compilation of methods and concepts musicians use in music composition. Theory is also a set of rules and guidelines that are used to create and analyze music. Music…

There are five different elements involved when singing or playing the melody. The pitch, dynamics, phrasing, emotion and textures are key factors. The last blog discussed the first two components pitch and dynamics. This blog will look at the last three, phrasing, emotion and textures. The third element is the phrasing of words being sung. The singer or musician will use phrasing to create amazing and intoxicating patterns in the melody. Phrasing is how you break down a song into…

The melody is an arrangement of musical notes which are sung by a vocalist or played by an instrument. It is what most people remember after listening to a song. Kenny G plays the melody of his songs with the saxophone. There are five different elements involved when singing or playing the melody. The pitch, dynamics, phrasing, emotion and textures are key factors when singing or playing the melody. Let’s discuss the pitch and dynamics in this blog. The first…

Every solo singer needs to be able to transition between the head and chest voice. Blending your voice from one register to another with ease and eliminate a shift in sound. Also, if multiple people are singing together, the voices need to blend together while harmonizing. Many singers experience a sudden change in tone moving from one register to another. This is caused by vocal tension and lack of good vocal technique. Using good vocal exercises like the Bubble (lip…

Vocal tone is the sound of your voice as you sing. Everyone has a unique and individual voice because of the natural shape of the vocal tract and sinus structure. That is why families that sing together blend well; their physical structure is similar. There are two ways a singer can work on changing their vocal tone. The first technique used to change your tone is by the way you shape your lips (mouth), tongue, and other articulators.  Manipulating the…

Every singer should know how to move from one register to another with ease. The ability to move from low to high notes without any vocal restriction is something that needs to be taught. It is not something that happens naturally. To sing through registers requires you to keep an open throat. As you move from the chest to middle register, or middle to head register, the throat muscles sometimes constrict. When the throat muscles constrict, the air way closes…

What is the difference between singing in a major key, verses singing in a minor key? When singing a song in a major key, the tone of the song will have a brighter, cheery sound. Whereas, the minor key will have a sad, mysterious or menacing sound. Every major key has a particular chord structure, and each chord has three or four notes in it. The chord consists of the first (root), third and fifth note. If it is a…