Solo or Choir?

When people hear me sing, the first thing they always say is, “I wanna hear you sing!” But I always end up saying, “I’m too shy....” How can I be a singer and be shy about it? Weird right? To me, I prefer just singing in a choir rather than doing a solo. Don’t get me wrong! I love to do solos too, but there’s just something about being in choir that makes me enjoy it more. Singing in a choir and singing solo are two different things to me. 

Photo  by: Susan Brizick

Singing in a choir isn’t as easy as it seems. There’s more work to it than just singing. The more important thing when singing in a choir is to listen to the rest of the members. You have to make sure that you stay in tune and not off pitch. If someone is off tune or singing something wrong, it can throw someone off which causes everyone to be confused. When everyone is confused, the sound of the voices will not blend together. Choir singing also consists of blending, where you make sure all voices work together. One person can’t be louder than everyone else and another person can’t be quieter. Everyone has to be at the same voice level unless there is someone singing a solo. When singing in a choir, you have to make sure that everyone knows the notes of the song because if someone doesn’t, then it will mess up the song. Knowing your notes is important because if you are singing a wrong note, it will make the group sound flat or sharper.

Singing a solo is easier than a choir. With a solo, you don’t have to rely on anyone but yourself. The only voice you have to worry about is yours. With solos, you are letting your own voice be heard instead of others. Many people will be able to hear YOU sing. You are giving yourself bigger opportunities by putting yourself out there.With a solo, you have more freedom to do what you want with the song. You are able to improvise with the notes and make it your own style. Sometimes a solo performance can be very nerve wrecking for many people, which help you build self confidence. Because you are performing by yourself, you learn how to perform in front of others and build courage and confidence.

Choral Singing

Why do I prefer choral singing rather than solo singing? Singing with a choir is more of a challenge. It benefits me more than solo performances because I am able to learn more from it. Because choir singing consists of many strategies, it gives me more opportunities to not only improve on my singing, but on working together as a group. Choir singing also helps you improve on your social skills because it allows you to interact with others and create more friends. 

If you have to perform somewhere, would you rather do a solo performance or sing with a choir? 

"Stand Up Straight!"

The correct singing posture
By: Bettina Sheppard

Posture has always been an issue to me while singing. I would always slouch and not stand straight and my teacher would always get mad at me for it. He would always tell me to stand up straight and have my chest out because that is the proper way to stand. People always think that singing is just about the voice, but many of them don’t know that it also has a lot to do with your posture. With proper posture, you will be able to control your breathing, making it easier to sing. 

The first thing you should always do while singing is making sure your body is relaxed. According to The Secrets of Singing: Posture by Janak Ramachandran, we want our muscles and chest to be relaxed and loose, relax the muscles around the jaw, forehead,and cheeks because that will help you create a beautiful and powerful voice. Having your body relaxed will make it easier for us to reach the high notes and sustain our notes longer. 

While performing you want to make sure you never have a slouched back because it will be harder for the air to come out, making it harder for you to breathe. The chin should be parallel to the floor, shoulders held back and down, hands relaxed, knees should never be locked, and your feet should be shoulder width apart.You always want to stand up straight because it gives the diaphragm enough air for you to breathe properly.  Standing up straight is important because it will make your body feel more relaxed and lets the air for the vocal chords enter and exit properly.

It takes time and practice to get the perfect posture. According to Suzanne Brittania in Correct Singing Posture, you can do these exercise on a weekly basis and it will help you improve your posture, which can help improve your singing. 

• Standing up against a wall: Stand up straight with your back against the wall, keeping your shoulders back and not allowing them to rise up. Stand against the wall with your head against the wall, chin parallel to the floor, and your feet shoulder width apart. Inhale deeply to see how much air you can get and you should feel not only your abdomen moving, but you should feel your back rising against the wall. With this exercise, you should be able to breathe the correct way with the correct posture. 

• Lie flat on your back: Lie flat on the floor and try to press your lower back into the floor to straighten your spine, then breathe in expanding your rib rage. You can also place a book on your abdomen while you lay down. As you breathe in and out, watch the book as it rises and how it falls back into original position. You should feel that you are able to receive more air into the lungs.

• Balance a book on top of your head: This exercise will help you stand in the correct posture without getting too tired or too stiff. Balance a hard covered book on top of your head with your head straight up and feet shoulder length a part. If you are slouching and not standing up straight, you will notice that it is harder to balance the book. With a straight posture, you will notice that it is easier to balance the book.

Having the correct posture is essential in singing. With a correct posture, you will be able to have better breathing techniques. With better breathing techniques, you will become a better singer.

Try out these exercises and see you can feel the difference in the amount of air you are able to take in with a correct posture.

Wait...What Voice Am I?

Photograph of Mindy King

When people first start out to sing, they normally don’t know what type of voice they are. They usually just sing in the range their voices can reach and where they are most comfortable with. A voice type/range is where your voice reaches the highest or lowest capabilities. Many people are able to sing really high or low notes, while other people are only able to reach the middle notes. According to Voice Parts and Ranges by Yori Broze, there are four different types of voices - soprano, alto, tenor, bass - where your voice will fall into.

For ladies, the highest type of voice is called soprano. Their vocal ranges are usually from middle C to a high A. There are two type of soprano’s - Soprano I and Soprano II. Soprano I’s are the ones that are the most comfortable singing in the highest notes possible without having any trouble. Soprano II’s are the ones who are more comfortable singing in the middle notes, but are comfortable singing with a few high notes every here and there.

Vocal Range Chart

The lowest type of voice for females is called altos. There are also two types of alto’s - Alto I and Alto II. Alto I’s have the ability to reach higher notes, while alto II’s have the ability to reach the lowest note. These alto’s usually have a range from typically between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C.

A mezzo-soprano is another type of voice between a soprano and an alto.

For male’s the terms for their voices are different and more striking in the differences.  The highest voice type for males is called the tenor. It is most common to find tenor’s in choirs. Tenors are usually more comfortable singing high notes using their full voices. The tenor's vocal range is between the C one octave below the middle C and, the A above middle C.

Vocal Ranges
Photograph of Karyn O' Connor

Lastly, a bass is the type of voice where you can sing the lowest note possible. Basses are usually hard to find in choirs because there are not many males that can reach low notes. Basses are usually ranged from the second E below middle C to the E above middle C, the outer most lines of the bass clef. 

A baritone is a type of voice between a bass and a tenor. 

Many of our favorite artists today are either sopranos or tenors. They are able to reach the highest notes at their vocal range. An example of a famous artist today who is a soprano are Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. A famous tenor artist are Justin Timberlake, Usher, and Bruno Mars. 

 When I first started to sing, I was first placed as an alto because all I was able to sing was the low notes. As I kept practicing and practicing, my vocal range became bigger, which made me change my voice to soprano. 

Everyone can always change their vocal type by practicing. You can either raise your range, so that you can be a soprano/tenor or you can practice singing the low notes to be either an alto/tenor.