Online Singing Lessons — Blog — Boulder Voice Lessons

Online Singing Lessons

Get thee back, breathiness!

Hello Friends,

Is breathiness plaguing your singing?

Do you find yourself running out of air before the end of the lyric?

If so, step right up, and check out the new video on YouTube.

It's all about Vocal Cord Closure. ​

Not the most exciting singing concept out there, but it might be the most important!

Cast away thy breathiness into the pit of Tartarus, and start singing more confidently.

Peace!

Josh

How A Shy Kid Can Shine

I've always been a shy "kid."

I don't really like public speaking or raising my hand in a class or group to speak.

My mom told me once, "The theatre is special because you can pretend to be someone else."

I never forgot that advice.

I even spent most of my life living it.

When those stage lights came up or when the choir started singing, I was part of the team, and our job was to get some toes tappin'!

I've studied the art of singing since about 1994 - about 28 years of private lessons, isolated practicing, and performing.

Singers (and dancers!) are unique because our bodies are our instruments.

We don't push down piano keys or play the fretboard to make sounds.

Our sounds come from our souls.

That's why everybody loves listening to singers.

When Michael Jackson sings Man in the Mirror, we imagine ourselves needing to make a change.

When Dolly Parton sings "9 to 5," we hear her singing the soundtrack to our lives - our situation.

The power of the human voice calls us all into action!

The power of the human voice rises from deep-seated instinct.

Everyone has that instinct.

The Sing with Josh Vocal Academy provides clear and comprehensive lessons, offers opportunities for practice and personal feedback, and is tailored to the needs and goals of the students.

Some benefits include the following:

  • Learning World-Class vocal technique

  • Expanding your range

  • Improving your pitch

  • Increased tone control and flexibility

  • Building confidence

  • Lifetime access!

Learn more about it here: https://www.singwithjosh.com/

Josh

Shy Singer Solutions!

'Ello loves,

Does any of this shy talk sound familiar?

"I have been singing quietly and never confident enough to use my singing voice in public."

"I just want to be confident enough to sing in my bedroom."

"When I went to college, I was very shy and didn't want other people to hear me play, which was difficult living in a dorm. "

I understand you, my fellow shy peeps!

Sometimes, singing allows shy people to step out of their shells - that's how it was for me.

I've always been shy, but singing and the theatre allowed me to express myself.

However, shyness can prevent you from doing what makes you happy.

That's where I come in!

Many of my students take lessons with me to overcome their fears of singing in public.

Check out this review:

"I've evolved from being afraid to sing in front of anyone to performing live in a theater of 70+ people and I'm now thoroughly convinced that anyone can learn to sing with the right teacher; Josh is that right teacher."

☝️ That is why I teach!

I love love love helping a shy singer triumph!

The Sing with Josh Course is perfect for the shy singer.

It's a self-paced online course with world-class vocal technique.

Together we'll help you get to your singing goals - whatever they may be!

Learn more here:

Hit me up with any questions!

Best,

Josh

Karaoke Bonfire on the Beach

We have had an unBelizeable family vacation. We snorkeled with the fishes, swam with the Manta Rays, and Karaoke'd with the locals on the beach. 

It was all a blast. 

Meeting locals is my favorite part of any voyage, and singing Karaoke might be the best way to break the ice! 

...One love, one heart, let's get together and feel all right.

On our final night, I warbled songs on the beach and was greeted with the locals' high fives and fist bumps.

The owner of the place came out and asked if I would sing The Gambler, and I happily obliged. 

I do love a low karaoke tune! 

Yes, I'm a trained singer. I've spent tons of money and time on two college degrees, countless extra voice lessons, and on-stage time. 

I can slip onto a karaoke stage like I can slip on a pair of greased-up fins (I finally stopped calling them flippers). 

But, you don't have to be a pro to sing Karaoke. 

You just have to train a little! 

How do I train for Karaoke, Jedi Josh??

  • Know the song

  • Make sure it's in your range

  • Practice the song

  • Go through the singing lessons at https://www.singwithjosh.com/

  • Work on the tune with me at the group lesson.

  • Find the karaoke track on Youtube and practice in front of your friends.

  • Work on it with me again during your private lesson

  • Head to the beach, find a bonfire karaoke location, and sing out!

Make friends, find love or sing to your lover, smile, and have a blast. 

That's what singing can do. 

Learn more here: https://www.singwithjosh.com/

Josh

Don’t listen to yourself while you sing.

That comes straight out of the Voice Teacher “Guru” handbook.

Mmmmm, OK, but how in the world are you supposed to change your sound if you don’t listen to yourself?

“Stop listening to yourself,” I always used to hear. I guess in hindsight, I can understand what a teacher would mean by that. If you are overdoing the technique, and by changing the structure of your sound, I suppose you could “listen” to yourself in a bad way.

However, we need to be able to help ourselves when we sing. That’s the only way we can more effectively go for that wider, deeper, Boulder Voice Lessons Technique sound!

Still others say that a microphone is the best teacher, and instead of going whole hog and not agreeing with anyone, how about we take a little bit of advice from everybody.

Here at Boulder Voice Lessons, we record a song or aria during the last part of the lesson. I’m wearing headphones, you’re wearing headphones, and you are listening to your voice. Want to sing like Norah Jones? Well, Norah Jones always sings into a microphone, and so does Adele, and so does every pop-star.

They also sing with great microphones, just like the one that we use here at Boulder Voice Lessons.

So step right on up, and work with some professional equipment while we on your professional vocal technique.

Yet another perk, and yet another reason to trust Boulder Voice Lessons for all your Vocal Technique Lessons!

Start listening to yourself here:

Peace!
Josh
Boulder Voice Lessons

21st Century Voice Lessons

The 21st-century Voice Teacher

Back in my day…

I’m not really that old, but I still went to college before things like smart phones, YouTube and Wikipedia.

I had one Voice Lesson per week, recorded the lesson on a tape player, and went to the library to listen to operas on CD and record player. (Hah Gawwwwwd I’m so old!)

Nowadays, if you want to learn how to do something like change headlight on the car, clean out your kitchen disposal, or flip on the light switch (seriously, that’s a thing), just check out YouTube.

The best thing about being a 21st-century Voice Teacher in Boulder, CO is that I can have my own YouTube channel that highlights my specific ideas of the technique, the actual warm-ups that we work on, and my rambling thoughts about how to learn a song.

For instance, if you want to take an Online Voice Lesson with me, all you really need to do is log on to my YouTube page and pick one of 20 lessons that you like to work on for the day and go to town!

The progression and advancement of the vocal technique is really up to the student, and the teacher is only as good as the student that’s willing to work for it.

So, step right up to https://www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule and sign up for an Online Voice Lesson. This vocal technique change my life, and I’m pretty sure it’ll open new doors for you.

Peace,
Josh
Boulder Voice Lessons

How to Sing Better - A Voice Lesson involving Fergie

Poor Fergie... The National Anthem is one of the hardest songs to sing, with truly little reward for the performer. Generally, you volunteer your time to sing the National Anthem in front of a large crowd, everyone judges you, and apart from the emotional fulfillment that you get while singing it, there isn’t much that the performer gets back.

But, God help you if you mess it up. If you forget a word, if you sing out of tune, if you start too high and can’t sing the the last phrase... you know the drill. People love a controversy. You will get roasted.

Then somebody this week posted a clip of Whitney Houston singing the national anthem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lCmBvYMRs) . Her beaming face, beautiful smile, and seemingly effortless, yet virtuosic rendition of the national anthem is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.

We talk a lot about vocabulary here at Boulder Voice Lessons.

Chest voice
Falsetto
Coordination
Chest Pull
Function tone
Ah Breath
Pharynx
Larynx

The list goes on and on...

Whitney knew how to use her chest voice and falsetto, and expertly coordinated them to provide the listener with goosebumps and tears for days, years, and even a lifetime.

This is the technique we are teaching here at Boulder Voice Lessons.

Sign up for a lesson and get after it…

Sign up here: https://www.bouldervoicelessons.com/schedule/

Josh
Boulder Voice Lessons