Explore the Michelle Ostrove Blog
Estill Voice Training is a vocal method designed by Josephine Estill in 1988. Josephine was a singer, voice specialist and conducted years of voice research. She also enjoyed a career as a singer on the radio and as a soloist. In 1972, Jo was hired as a voice teacher at the Upstate Medical Center, which had an Otolaryngology Department which studies the ears, nose and throat (ENT). Jo became fascinated with the science of the voice and began her own…
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It’s all about choosing a method of singing that works for you. Every singing is unique with different strengths and weaknesses. A great Vocal Coach will be able to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses. The instructor will be able to find the breaks in your vocal register and put together a plan to create a unique singing voice for the client. There are different methods that are taught. I’ve studied them all and find wonderful techniques in each method. In…
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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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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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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. JOKE FOR THE DAY: “If you wanted to…
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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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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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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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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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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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