Explore the Michelle Ostrove Blog

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THE BEST VOCAL EXERCISE FOR SINGERS!

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | July 12, 2022

The most effective and result driven exercise a singer can do daily is the Lip Trill exercise. What is the Lip Trill exercise? What does the Lip Trill exercise do? This exercise is one of the most important exercises a singer can learn to really make an impact on the voice. The Lip Trill exercise is a fun and extremely effective vocal exercise. It is also called the Motor Boat, Prrr, Bubble, Lip Bubbles or Blowing Raspberries. You are basically…

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a meme of an elephant playing the piano

WHAT IS TONE?

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 31, 2022

Have you ever heard someone say to a singer “I like how you sound” which is his or her tone. Have you ever noticed how pianos sound differently, Steinway verses Baldwin; instruments sound different depending on type and brand.  What they are referring to is the specific tone of your voice or the way the instrument sounds. The specific qualities and colors (warm, dark, bright, harsh) of the sound differ from singer to singer, or one instrument to another instrument.…

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a meme of a band with a giraffe

4 WAYS TO HIT HIGH NOTES WITHOUT STRAIN

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 30, 2022

Have you ever experienced trouble as you are getting ready to sing that high note? All of a sudden it feels like you will not be able to hit it and your voice cracks or you are flat (under the note). It is embarrassing and frustrating. It is very common for singers to have vocal breaks, especially on the high notes. Here are some ways to practice hitting those notes without straining. The bubble exercise (lip trills) or the tongue…

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CLARITY IN YOUR SINGING!

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 27, 2022

Singing clearly is an art in itself! It’s one of the first things a singer should pay attention to beside pitch. A singer needs to enunciate clearly; make sure you are not mumbling or singing with your mouth barely open. Warm ups will help you get those articulators working. Your articulators are the soft palate, tongue, teeth and lips. Some singers like to practice sentences like “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” and continuously repeat the sentence quickly…

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THE FIRST STEP TO GREATNESS!

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 26, 2022

What’s really important for you as a singer, musician or life in general is having positive, supportive people around you. Learning how to surround yourself with people you trust is the best thing you can ever do.  Your support system should be people who will build you up and make you the best version of yourself. Whether it’s your family, personal, business or music life, surround yourself with individuals that are positive. Every singer, pianist and songwriter needs to have…

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a comic excerpt of a church pianist and a pastor talking about picking up tempo

DEVELOP VOCAL VARIETY WHEN YOU SING!

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 24, 2022

DEVELOP VOCAL VARIETY WHEN YOU SING! The singing voice needs to have a few areas working well to sound great! You never want to put your audience to sleep with a boring singing voice. As a singer, you want your voice to stand out and have people take notice. You are more likely to keep the audience’s attention with the use of natural vocal variety. Vocal variety happens naturally is you are really passionate and connect to a song. Singing…

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a meme of rock n’ roll souls

HOW TO DEVELOP VIBRATO

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 23, 2022

Vibrato is a musical effect from an instrument or a voice. It is a technique used to add expression to a piece of music. Vibrato is the rhythmic pulsation, vibration and/or bending a pitch (note). If you are not able to use vibrato when you sing, you can develop it. Vibrato can happen very naturally with a singer. If it doesn’t happen naturally, it can be a learned technique. There are two ways to hold a note, with vibrato or…

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a comic excerpt of a nurse talking to a rock star

RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU!

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 20, 2022

Listening to great music is something everyone loves to do! When you listen to a great song, try not to move your body. This is so unnatural your body wants to move to the beat. Keeping a certain posture when you sing is really counter-productive to what you want to accomplish as an artist. You need to be physically and emotionally invested to create a great performance. In order to really sing a song with soul, emotion and feelings, you…

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a comic excerpt of a doctor talking to a rock star

WHY CAN’T I HIT THAT NOTE?

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 19, 2022

When I’m working with a client, I will do a few vocal exercise warm ups. This tells me how high and low a person can sing. There have been many occasions where a client will tell me I cannot hit a certain note in a song. But I know they can because they hit the same note in their vocal exercises many times. Why do some notes seem higher than they really are in a song? Well, the artist in…

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a comic excerpt of a witness and a judge

3 STEPS TO MAKE A SONG YOUR OWN!

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 17, 2022

When a singer works on a cover song, it’s important to change it up, add your own spin on it and make it your own. I teach my clients how to put their own unique spin on a song. Putting your own spin on a song will take a little time and creativity. The more you do it the easier it becomes. Here are three steps to help you make a song your own. First, you can change the original…

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