Explore the Michelle Ostrove Blog

VOCAL HEALTH FOR THE WINTER

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | January 25, 2024

You can damage your vocal cords in many ways. During the winter months it’s important to keep your voice in tip top shape. The fluctuation in temperature and cold weather will bring about vocal challenges. Irritation or inflammation will prevent your vocal cords from closing properly. When this happens, you will not be able to hit those high notes and your voice will not sound its best. Here are three tips to keep your voice in shape during the winter…

A FEW WAYS TO ERASE THE VOICE BREAK

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | January 23, 2024

Every singer has experienced a shift or break in their voice while singing. Moving from one register to another can be challenging. As you move up and down your singing range, it is important to transition through these areas with ease. There are usually two natural transition points. There is the primo passaggio (chest to middle register) and secondo passaggio (middle to head register). Here are a few ways to erase your voice breaks. The first exercise is to make…

BENEFITS OF MEMORIZING SONG LYRICS

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | January 18, 2024

Always memorize your song lyrics if you are a singer or performing soloist in front of a large audience. It’s unprofessional for an artists get up in front an audience in a large auditorium and read off of a lyric sheet. If it’s a casual engagement that’s different. You would never see Lady Gaga or Ariana Grande get up on stage with lyric sheets. Memorizing the lyrics has some wonderful benefits. Singing is a learned skill and it the same…

SINGING HIGH NOTES IN FALSETTO 

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | January 16, 2024

Many people think that falsetto and singing in your head voice is the same thing, but that is not true. You may be resonating in the head voice, but the sound is quite different. Falsetto produces a breathy characteristic to the higher notes. The head voice produces a richer and balanced sound. When you sing in falsetto you produce a breathy lighter version of the high notes. Falsetto is a way of singing fluty, hollow and light. You can hear…

WRITING THE HOOK FOR A SONG

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | January 11, 2024

In a song each line of the lyric sung should point toward a conclusion. Most lines in a verse and pre-chorus should point toward the hook. The hook should summarize the meaning of the song. A good hook is the high point of a well-crafted song. It should be the capstone of the melody and lyric. The hook is normally the title of a song. A good song has tension in the verses. The hook should evoke a curiosity or…

ADDING EMOTION INTO THE MELODY

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | January 9, 2024

The emotion in lyrics need to be supported by the emotion in the melody. The melody of a song is made up of rhythm and pitch. There are different elements you can add to the melody to give it emotion. How do you do that? There are different rhythmic elements you can add. For instance, rest spaces, holding long note, short notes, staying on the beat or adding off the beat notes. You can combine these elements with wide or…

DEVELOPING RESONANCE, POWER & PROJECTION

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | January 4, 2024

Vocal resonance, power and projection can be developed. You want to develop these skills the correct way. This blog will give you some great tips and exercises to improve your vocal resonance, power and projection. Vocal resonance is sound and quality of your singing. It is the result of your vocal cords vibrating and the amplification of your sound through the different chest and head cavities. You can improve your resonance with your breath and articulation. Think of your breath…

LESSONS IN LIFE FOR 2024

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | January 2, 2024

HOW GREATNESS IS ACHIEVED!

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | December 28, 2023

It’s important to set aside daily practice sessions, whether it’s 15 minutes or 2 hours. Daily practice will build stamina just like an athlete. If you are an athlete, you will not make it the top unless you practice. It’s the same with a singer or musician. Beneath the success lies hard work and dedication. For instance, Lady Gaga writes music for an hour every morning, works out for one and a half hours and practices piano/voice for an hour…

WHAT IS YOUR TONE?

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | December 26, 2023

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, a Steinway verses a Baldwin piano, instruments sound differently depending on type and brand.  This is 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 differs from singer to singer, or one instrument to…