Day 34: Putting It All Together
Over the past month, you’ve built skills step by step: breathing, support, sustained phonation, agility, resonance, mix, troubleshooting, and vocal health. Today is about integration—bringing these elements together into a complete approach. Singing rarely requires just one isolated skill. It’s the coordination of all of them that creates consistency and artistry.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about seeing the big picture of how the pieces connect, and beginning to explore your voice with freedom and curiosity.
Practical Integration
When you approach a song, think of it as a layered process. Instead of jumping straight into “singing it through,” take the time to scan each layer:
- Inhalation – Take only the amount of air the phrase needs. Too much air creates pressure just as too little leaves you unsupported.
- Support – Stabilize the thorax with external intercostals, pecs, and lats. Feel the chest stay buoyant as the ribs resist collapse.
- True Vocal Fold State – Check that the folds are in the right configuration: elongated for higher notes, short and thick for belt, balanced for mid-range.
- Brightness and Resonance – This is the area where our ears deceive us most. Use recordings to check balance. As a general rule, most styles benefit from a bit more brightness than you might think—except intentionally breathy singing, which requires less.
- Release Tension – Notice jaw and neck freedom. If clenching occurs, return to breath and support.
Run this checklist within the song itself. Pause after a tricky phrase and ask: where did the breakdown occur? Then adjust only that layer before singing again. Remember that artistry often involves intentional variation—brightness, resonance, and even support may shift from phrase to phrase depending on the style and emotion of the music.
And today—give yourself permission to experiment. Try things. Play with everything you’ve learned. Make beautiful sounds, make ugly sounds (extended techniques are almost always “ugly” sounds). See how different adjustments feel. Exploration is how coordination becomes artistry.
Revisit the Voice Range Profile
On Day 10 you completed a Mini-VRP. Today, we’ll repeat it—not just as a test, but as a checkpoint. Think of it as taking a snapshot of your voice at the end of this month of focused work.
The Mini-VRP Protocol:
- Choose Your Pitch Set
Pick 5–7 notes across your comfortable range. Examples:- Soprano: A3, C4, E4, G4, B4, D5
- Mezzo: G3, B3, D4, F4, A4, C5
- Tenor: C3, E3, G3, B3, D4, F#4
- Bass: A2, C3, E3, G3, B3, D4
Don’t stress about perfection—use your judgment.
- Sustain Each Note Softly
- Sing /ɑ/ (“ah”) as quietly as possible while keeping tone.
- Hold for ~2 seconds.
- Record the dB reading.
- Sustain the Same Note Loudly
- Same pitch, now strong and resonant.
- Stay supported, don’t push.
- Hold for ~2 seconds.
- Record the dB level.
- Repeat for Each Pitch
Record both soft and loud values for all notes in your set.
Note: If today’s results look weaker than Day 10, don’t be discouraged. The voice is variable—fatigue, hydration, and even time of day can influence results. What matters most is the consistent work you’ve done over the past few weeks. These efforts are laying the foundation for long-term growth.
Reflection
Tomorrow will be our final reflection day. For now, just focus on doing the work. Explore, integrate, and play. The reflection and “what’s next” comes tomorrow.
Looking Ahead: Day 35 will be our closing reflection—an opportunity to take stock of your growth and plan the next steps in your singing journey.
