Explore the Michelle Ostrove Blog

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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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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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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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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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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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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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3 STEPS TO CREATE AN AMAZING VOICE

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 16, 2022

There are three basic elements to produce a quality singing voice: air supply (breath support), phrasing and resonance. The amount of air-flow and pressure passing through the larynx will determine the strength, loudness and control of the voice. The first step is air pressure (breath support which is the controlled release of the air) and it is converted into vibration, which is called phonation. As the air passes through the vocal tract and the air pressure causes vibration. This breath…

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HOW TO MAGNIFY YOUR SINGING VOICE!

By Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio | May 13, 2022

Many singers struggle to make the distinction between speech sounds and correctly singing resonance, resulting in a lack of resonance and other issues such as strain, tension and a lack of range.  Resonance in singing is the true key to vocal health, along with allowing a powerful and sustained vocal tone. Resonance can be defined loosely as prolonged vibration and continuous resonant frequency. It is the intensity and quality of your tone when you sing. When your vocal cords vibrate,…

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DOUBLE SHARPS AND FLATS

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

Why are there double sharps and flats in music? Double sharps and flats are used in advanced music. The double sharp looks like an X and the double flat are two flat signs bb. Why can’t you just call it by the note you are playing. For instance, “F double sharp,” why not call it G instead of “F double sharp?” It has to do with the diatonic nature of the music that is in a specific key. This means…

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