VoSci Articles
Looking for practical insights, deep dives, and research-backed guidance? You’re in the right place.
This is where we explore the science and art of singing through written content—ranging from how-tos and myth-busting breakdowns to reflections on pedagogy and technique. Some articles expand on podcast episodes, others stand alone. All are here to help you think more clearly, teach more effectively, and sing with confidence.
Whether you’re here for a quick tip or a deep read, this space is designed to help you grow.
Read Before Using Singing Straws
Singing Straws have gained enormous popularity over the last few years. For those of you that have not come across the wonder of these straws. They can provide you a healthier, stronger, and more balanced voice instantly at least according to the companies that sell them. The general idea is that the straw provides resistance which helps balance the vocal mechanism. You can even customize your experience by using different…Read More
How ChatGPT Thinks You Teach Singing
I found myself curious how well AI would be able to cover the main ideas behind teaching a student to sing, so I asked it. For this article I am using the most well-known generative AI platform ChatGPT by OpenAi. To prompt the system, I set my expectations with the system using a few questions and answers before asking the AI to write an article on “How to teach singing”.…Read More
Vocal Health 101: The Path to a Healthy Voice
The human voice is a remarkable instrument that requires meticulous care to stay in tune and ready for performance. Vocal health is essential not only for singers and actors but for anyone who relies on their voice for work or daily interaction. This guide will journey through the essentials of vocal care, touching on lifestyle, diet, hydration, common vocal pathologies, and the influence of medications on vocal performance.Read More
The Lifelong Symphony: How Learning an Instrument Enriches Every Age
The journey of learning a musical instrument is a lifelong odyssey that offers rich rewards at every stage of life. From the blossoming imagination of a child to the evolving passions of a teenager and the reflective ambitions of an adult, the pursuit of musical mastery is more than an artistic endeavor—it’s a pathway to personal growth, cognitive development, and emotional well-being.Read More
The Importance of Ear Training in Singing
Ear training, also called aural skills, are often overlooked in the pursuit of vocal excellence, and is a cornerstone of a well-rounded singer's education. To sing with precision and emotion, one must have an acute awareness of pitch, harmony, and rhythm. Ear training hones these auditory skills, enabling vocalists to accurately reproduce the music they hear, improvise with confidence, and harmonize effortlessly with other musicians.Read More
The Craft of Singing Preparation: Expanding the Warm-Up Repertoire
Singing warm-ups are an integral aspect of a singer's routine, pivotal for maintaining vocal health and warding off injury. These exercises are not merely about "heating up" the muscles but also about refining and aligning the singer with optimal vocal technique. It's important to demystify a common misconception about vocal warm-ups. The term itself can be misleading. The principal muscles involved in phonation, such as the thyroarytenoid, cricothyroid, lateral and…Read More
Decoding Vocal Jargon: A Comprehensive Resource for Vocalists and Educators
The realm of vocalists and voice teachers is a tapestry woven with a multitude of teaching philosophies and methodologies, a fact that is as enriching as it is complex. This richness has, however, given rise to a considerable challenge: a lack of standardized terminology across disciplines, including singing teachers, speech-language pathologists, vocologists, and voice researchers. The history of singing is ancient, with the earliest formal singing techniques documented in the…Read More
Why We Should Do Interval Training
Here at VoSci we have our Singing 101: Interval Training which combines both of these concepts, played for the student so that progress can be quick, effective, and on demand. We have 3,456 exercises spanning four octaves with ascending & descending intervals up to two octaves and my favorite Up / Down / Up and Down / Up / Down exercises that will challenge even the most skilled singers. I…Read More
How to Breathe While Singing
Everyone knows that the proper way to breathe while singing is diaphragmatic, belly breathing. Except is it really? If you are a classical singer singing opera or art songs, yeah, it really probably is. If you are singing modern musical theatre, rock, pop, folk, or anything else, the answer gets much more vague. To understand this, we need to look at the costs and benefits of how we can breathe.…Read More
Opinion: Modes, Mix Voice, Head Voice… What?
The world of singing is fraught with overlapping and misleading terms thrown about, typically with little or no explication. This can create a lot of confusion for beginning students and even for professional teachers. I am fortunate to have weekly chats with a mentor and colleague of mine to discuss our teaching and various pedagogical queries we might have. Most of the time, questions come up because of an article…Read More
