Joan Barber Voice Studio

Learning great new things so far with my TVF Foundations Course. "The Integrated Singer" is the title of this beginning class. My mind is being blown each day. The concept that we are working with is SELT. Slow down. Experiment. Listen. Trust. This combines beautifully with my work with Wes in Performing Power. Looking forward to new enlightenment every afternoon.

Starting an exciting new class in Alexander Technique (and more) with the folks at Total Vocal Freedom on Monday. Every weekday until Jan 31. Can't wait to dive into this new adventure!

We've moved to Delaware! My new address is 32804 Dionis Drive in Lewes. But I do teach online via Zoom!

Top Ten Tips for Becoming a More Empowered Singer NOW!
By Pat Whiteman


1. Stop Singing In Someone Else's Voice
Every voice is different. That's the beautiful part. YOU are wonderfully unique. Unfortunately, students, even advanced ones, come into my studio mimicking, comparing, hiding, trying to be and sound like everyone and everything they are not. Trying to be anything but you is futile. When it stops, progress begins.

2. Set, Write, Reassess
There is true power in putting pen to paper. I don't care if it is trying out for the school choir, performing at an open mic, dusting off your audition book, getting your Equity card or winning a Grammy, set goals for your singing and write them down. Revisit your goals periodically and reassess to maintain momentum.

3. If You Don't Love It, Don't Sing It
Students often rely on me to suggest and recommend songs for them. Understandable. More often I ask them what types of music they like and encourage them to get digging and bring in songs they really want to sing. You need to be passionate about what you sing and say as a singer. If you don't care about what you're singing, neither will we.

4. Progress, Not Perfection
If I had a dime for every student who got discouraged or frustrated and stopped studying, I'd be a wealthy gal. As my former teacher said, "Wobble and be brave!" Be patient. Focus on the long-term. There will be bumps and lessons to learn along the way. Trust that they are part of the process. If you truly put the effort in, you will see results.

5. Stop Worrying, Excusing, Freaking Out, Controlling
Singing is possibly one of the most vulnerable things you can do. And truly freeing the voice is a complicated but gratifying journey. Fear – in any form – will pulverize a singer's progress. Those who excel are willing to explore themselves from the inside out. Avoidance is debilitating. There isn't anything a singer can tell me that I haven't been through myself or heard from other singers. Let's address it head on and work through it so you can move forward.

6. Show Up
This is a biggie. And I've seen it kill off more potential talent than I'd like to say. Do everything you need to do to show up – for yourself, your lesson, your class, a gig – NO EXCUSES. The more consistent, disciplined and dedicated you are to taking the steps needed to improve your voice, the more success you will have. You get what you put into it. Plain and simple.

7. Experiment
Voice lessons and classes are YOUR time. They are not meant to be spent trying to do every single vocalization perfectly or trying to impress your teacher. So, scribble. Color outside the lines. Try new things. Experiment. Play.

8. Sing It AT LEAST 30 Times
And as far as I'm concerned, you're just getting started. If you really want to make a song your own, you need to become intimate with it. Explore its structure. Dissect the scene. Analyze the phrasing. Live inside it for a while. And then, set it free and see what happens. Then, regroup, learn from your performance, explore some more and sing it again.

9. Let Go
Tension. I frequently refer to it as the "evil" of the singer. Holding on, holding back, thinking too much, worrying about note hitting – all of these will foil you. Trust your work. Trust your talent. Trust your material. Remember why you love to sing and why you love the song. Then, let it all go and just tell the story.

10. Cultivate Your Best Attribute
What's the best thing you can take with you into any audition or on stage? Confidence. How do you get it? By doing the work. Very few voices are born. Most are earned. Stay in the biggest dream of yourself as a singer. Do the work. Then – leap!

It's always good to get support out there from other musicians. Here's one from a piano teacher.

Let Your Voice Soar With Professional Vocal Lessons - Piano Movers, Refinishing & Rebuilding You might have the most unique singing voice on the face of the planet, but if no other audience, save for your immediate family, hears it, then you aren’t truly living up to your full potential.

Had a fabulous time working with kids aged 9-17 in the Triple Threat Workshop at Theatre Aspen. Norm Golden and Paige Price and I were wiped out by Sunday evening but we enjoyed every second of the maiden voyage of what should be an ongoing program.

I love that you are always searching, always learning and growing. Music theory is invaluable to a singer. Wish I retained more of what I learned in high school and wish I'd studied some in college. You are lucky because you have perfect pitch and are an excellent reader but having a deeper and broader understanding of theory is enormously helpful for any musician. So many other musicians look down on singers because so many of us are ignorant of keys, rhythms, harmonics, etc. One of the reasons I am loved by so many composers and musical directors that I have worked with is that I am a crackerjack musician. I can sing harmony even in complex modern music and can sight read and make changes on the spot. People remember this and hire me again. Also, the more you understand music theory the more you appreciate what you are listening to. It will open your ears to things going on you never noticed before and will enable you to talk with composers and arrangers like a professional.

I love this article. Yes, I am still an active singer/actor, but the love of teaching is something that has been with me since I was a kid. www.joanbarberstudio.com

Why do you teach? « Music Teacher's Helper Blog When was the last time you asked yourself, “Why do I teach?” If you ask yourself that question now, what kind of answers come to mind? Here are some of the answers I’ve come across over the years.

Take this for what it's worth. But take it.

Why You must use a Singing Teacher Or Oral Coach. | coach factory Being a singer without any elegant vocal training, you would possibly have wondered whether you ought to hire a vocal coach to learn your singing voice. Properly, your procrastination is abusing your singing career. Merely name me any well-known singer who never had any vocal training? Sure, some of...

My student Bebe Tabickman just got accepted to Emerson College's Summer Musical Theater Intensive. I'm so proud of this kid. I've known her since she was just a "wee little belter" and she's grown into a tremendous triple threat!

Working with a new student on her speaking voice. "The King's Speech" and "The Iron Lady" are inspiring me.

You don't have to play the piano to need stretching as part of your "warm up." I love that this post includes the idea of mind/body awareness. My students know this is a BIGGGY with me.

Stretching – a Mind/Body Awareness in Preparation for Mindful Practice « Music Teacher's Helper Blo Practicing an instrument is an act that combines both mental and physical energies. I know that is an obvious statement, but as music teachers, how many of our students use practice to “go through the motions” without engaging in what they are doing? Hopefully not many, of course, but I’m sure there...