So Long, Farewell, To You My Friends

Sadly, this semester is slowly coming to end. As the semester closes, it is time for me to take a break from everything. It is time for everyone to relax and start enjoying the holidays, singing Christmas carols. 

But before we all go our separate ways, let me remind you of what singing consists of. I’m sure all of you will be singing during this holiday season! 

• Singing consists of four different voice types: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Sopranos usually sing from middle C to a high A, while alto usually have a range from typically between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C. The tenors vocal range is between the C one octave below the middle C and, the A above middle C while basses are ranged from the second E below middle C to the E above middle C, the outer most lines of the bass clef. These ranges will help you find where you are comfortable singing and determine what type of voice you are.

• One of the most important things to remember while singing is your posture! You want to make sure you are standing up straight with a relaxed body! Your 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.Having a correct posture will highly improve your singing by letting you sustain your notes and making it easier to breathe.

• I also encourage everyone to learn foreign language songs. Although it may be hard to learn at first, it benefits you in many ways, according to Benny Lewis. Learning different languages will not give you a variety in music, but it will help you learn more about the different cultures.

It’s crazy to think how fast this past semester has been and how much we have covered. There are plenty of other things I would love to tell you about, but unfortunately we have ran out of time. With that being said, unfortunately this blog will also be coming to an end. But if I feel like there is something important I need to share, I would gladly share it with you all here. 

Although some of you will only be singing in the shower or just in your rooms, I highly recommend that you all at least try and perform outside of your house. You will gain more experience by performing outside. At the end of the day, you will feel good about yourself because you learn how to build courage and confidence. 

But before we go and start off our Christmas break, let me share with you some music from our school’s choirs. 

A La Nanita Nana: SFSU's Women's Chorus 

Swing Low: SFSU's University Chorus 

During this long Christmas break of ours, will you consider singing outside of your home? 

P.S. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! 

Some member's of SFSU's Chamber Choir: Carol of the Bells 

Let Me Try And Get You to Sing

Do you guys sing in the showers? I’m pretty sure everyone does! You sing at the top of your lungs and pretend no one can hear you. Do you pretend to have a little concert in your room? Where you close your door, turn up the music, and just go crazy? Well stop hiding your talent and get yourself out there. Show the world your talent! Even if you think you can’t sing, you should go out and sing! 

One main reason that I think everyone should try singing is that it lets you express yourself. When I am in doubt of words to help me express myself, I always turn to singing. A main component of singing has to do with expression. With singing, you are able to express yourself in ways you can’t do with words. Music is something everyone can relate to. There are plenty of songs to choose from to express how you feel. They vary from happy songs to love songs and to sad songs. 

Another reason why I think people should sing is because you not only benefit yourself, but you benefit those around you. When you sing, you make others happy. For example, after performing for concerts with my choirs, people would always come up to us and tell us that we just made their day even better. You can tell that that were really moved with the performances by their faces. You can see the audience smile at you while you perform. Making someone smile and happy after performing is the best feeling you can get after performing.

According to Chris Rowbury, singing can be good for your health because: 

• warm-ups improve the body’s flexibility, sense of rhythm, balance, self-awareness, etc.
• breathing techniques help to reduce stress and relax the body
• expressing yourself through sound helps to release emotional blockages
• being part of a group working together creates a sense of belonging, community and shared endeavour
• singing is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the blood stream and exercises major muscle groups in the upper body
• singing has a positive effect in reducing stress levels through the action of the endocrine system which is linked to our sense of emotional well-being
• singing can increase lung capacity, improve posture, clear respiratory tubes and sinuses, and can increase mental alertness through greater oxygenation
• singing promotes both a healthy heart and an enhanced mental state as well as improving your immune system — so you will live longer!
• recent Swedish research has shown that choral singing has strong effects on well-being, in that positive emotions increase significantly, and, in turn, negative emotions radically subside. Choral singers, particularly women, are happier, more alert, and relaxed after a rehearsal.

As a singer, I encourage people to go out and sing! Don’t keep your talent hidden, go out and spread music with the world, sing anywhere and everywhere you go. Singing is a fun activity where many people can take part of. It brings people together as they share their love for music. 

English or Foreign Language Songs?

Foreign Music from Sincerity Girls Ensemble

When I first started singing, I would always prefer singing English songs because it was easier for me to learn the song since it was easier to read. As I continued to take singing lessons, my teacher started teaching song in different languages such as Spanish, Italian, French, etc. At first I was scared to learn them because I wasn’t able to read the lyrics since I didn’t know the language. But as the years went on, I found that learning more international songs helped me in my singing career. When I learn a new song, I would prefer to learn an English song rather than a foreign song. 

Learning a song in a different language can be really complicating, especially if you know nothing about that language. When you first learn a new foreign song, you have to make sure you know the words and how to correctly pronounce them. Not only do you need to know how to pronounce them, but you also have to know what they mean. If you don’t know what it means, then it will be harder to sing because you don’t know how to express the song. According to Benny Lewis, there are 7 reasons on why you should sing in foreign languages: 

• Music connects across cultures and can break down barriers.
• Getting to know the music is getting to know the culture and language.
• Learning the lyrics of a song helps you expand your vocabulary and teach you some slang/typical phrases.
• Singing can actually help you reduce your foreign-sounding accent.
• You can use music and singing to help you learn to speak simple basic essential phrases to get by in a language much quicker.
• You can take music with you anywhere and learn and practice it on the move thanks to your MP3 player / mobile phone, making sure you listen carefully to the words
• You can really enjoy yourself by singing and it helps to improve your mood.

When people first start to sing, they would prefer to sing English songs since they already know the language. Because many of us already speak English, they would think singing in English would be just as easy because it is easier to understand. When you sing English songs, it is easier to relate to the song because it is easier to find a connection with the song.

When I learn a new song, I would rather learn in English because it is easier for me to understand. Because singing is all about expressing yourself, I find it easier to express myself with an English song rather than a foreign song. I love to learn foreign songs in order to learn more about other cultures, but if I had to choose what song I would learn next, I would choose an English song. 

If you were to perform a song, would you rather sing in English or any foreign language?