Finding Your Singing Voice

Have you ever wanted to learn to sing? Choir member Sharon from Garristown Library writes about her passion for singing and reviews the vocal lessons provided through the ArtistWorks online library service.

I started singing in school and then many years later I joined a north Dublin based choir with whom I have been with for almost fifteen years now.  I have always found singing to be a fulfilling and uplifting experience. But aside from being a great hobby there are other advantages to singing individually or in a choir.   It can help your physical and mental health whilst also having social benefits.

A 2017 report “Sing Yourself Better” published by the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in partnership with Sing Ireland, explored the health and wellbeing benefits of singing with a choir.  It found that choir members had increased social connection, improved mental health and improved respiratory health.

After choir rehearsals came to an end early in March and the Covid 19 lockdown restrictions came into effect I felt the absence of singing in my life and missed the camaraderie of the other choir members.

So, I resolved to keep up singing by myself at home. I decided to try out the Vocal Lessons with Jeannie Deva, one of the online music lessons available with ArtistWorks, a digital service with Fingal Libraries.

This course is easy to use and Jeannie, the tutor, recommends it for both beginner and more advanced singers. It covers many of the fundamental singing skills needed by all singers and is divided into seven sections, focusing on areas of singing such as warm-up and cool down routines, quick fix exercises, breath management, phrasing and caring for the voice.  Jeannie helps the learner to develop vocal ease, range, power, stamina and confidence.

Overall, the course is quite extensive and goes into a lot of detail on some of the finer areas of voice coaching.  I found the section ‘Singing Songs Better’ particularly useful as its focuses on the areas of breath management, pitch, resonance, tone, range and phrasing.  The segment on breath management is one area in which Jeannie goes into a lot of detail and highlights the importance of it in singing.   

She also offers feedback to users who wish to record videos of themselves singing their chosen song after practicing some of her vocal and breath exercises. 

The final lesson ‘Working with Style’ gives the user the opportunity to experiment in classical, pop, and jazz voice styles to decide which one they are best suited to.

Whatever type of singer you are, or whether you aspire to sing solo or as part of a group, an online course like this one is a valuable learning resource and can suit your time needs.  I recommend it to all singers alike.

Other useful books and online lessons:

Books              The art of mindful singing: notes on finding your voice / by Jeremy Dion

Singing exercises for dummies / by Pamelia S. Phillips

eServices        ArtistWorks - Musical Theory lessons

Follow the link to our YouTube channel to hear Sharon sing ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ from My Fair Lady: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGIQQDfQXeo