Explore the Michelle Ostrove Blog

An artist creates his or her own musical style, a sound all their own, they found their voice! To be an artist you must start molding your own sound. To find your own voice, start with writing down five of your favorite singers (artists). Next to the name write down the qualities you like the most in the artist’s voice. For instance, Christina Aguilera is known for her impressive runs, riffs and range. The powerful mixed voice as well as…

Harmony is the sound of two or more notes being played simultaneously. You can play the harmonies on a piano, other instruments and sing harmonies. The notes used in harmony create a harmonious relationship in a pleasurable sounding way. It is a simultaneous combination of notes creating melodious music. Think of an orchestra, each instrumental section is playing different notes. The strings, brass, and woodwinds all play something different, but they compliment each other. When the individual instruments are heard…

Music is created with rhythm, tempo and timing. One of the first things you see in music notation is the time signature, which tells you how many beats are contained in each measure. Timing is everything for a singer, pianist and musician. To sing or play like a pro you must have the ability to “keep time” accurately and to synchronize with other instruments or singer. Always keep a steady tempo, it’s the easiest way to tell an amateur from…

There are many ways to write a song, it’s not just one format. Some artists like to write alone, while others collaborate. Sometimes it can start with a melody or a poem that you wrote. Today we are going to dive into writing a song that starts with a riff. If you are a musician this is a great way to write a song. You can build a song from just a riff. What is a riff? It is a…

Vocal control is impossible without proper breath control. It’s all in the exhale, your body already knows and automatically inhales without thinking it. You don’t have to ask yourself, should I take a big breath or a quick little breath? Your body instinctually inhales the air it needs without a though it. It’s all in the exhale and controlling the exhale in a slow steady stream! Breath, air pressure and diaphragm support which are the key for controlling your voice.…

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 moving a pitch (note) slightly. An instrument or voice will move on and off the note bending the pitch. String and wind instruments can mimic the vocal function. You can create vibrato with a string instrument (like the violin) with your finger rolling back and forth on the string.…

Every singer wants to be able to belt out those high notes. Belting is a term that refers to singing notes in the head register with the power of your chest register. It is a loud and commanding way to sing. Belting out the high notes is essentially singing the high notes with a strong and powerful sound. Belting is not the same thing as yelling, yelling comes from the throat. Healthy belting has an edge to it and gets…

Developing a coordinated and strong mixed voice is important for any great singer. A strong mixed voice helps eliminate the transition from chest to head voice. We will discuss what is a mixed voice and what does it feel like? It’s best described as maintaining a strong chest voice on higher pitches. What is a mixed voice? Aretha Franklin, Beyonce and Christina Aguilera all have full chest voice and they continue that vocal sound into the higher pitches. They all…

Most women naturally gravitate to the middle to head voice when they sing. For men, it’s a much more difficult process. The countertenor is a male singer that sings as high as a soprano. It is actually the rarest type of voice. When a singer is singing in their head voice it is described as vibration felt in the upper half of your face. Finding your head voice will take some exploration. Think of a siren (from an ambulance) making…

Everyone knows that speaking in a lower tone can be more commanding with an overall acceptance and likeability. A fundamental skill of singing is the ability to effectively sing with your chest voice. It’s more of a challenge for women to singing with their chest voice than men. Most women speak in their middle to head register, whereas men use their chest voice when they speak. The ability to sing with your chest voice is just as important as hitting…