Hi,

After going to uni, a change of teacher etc, I really feel like my voice is deteriorating a little (not because the teacher is bad, but because I haven't got used to the change yet), and even for quite a while before this, my progress seemed to be so slow as to be almost non-existent. I practise a lot, I do know how to practise effectively, I focus on the little bits I find difficult, I follow the advice of my teachers and do all the typical warm-up exercises - but I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on anything I could do, any sort of exercise that has helped them or their students a lot... I feel like I've hit a bit of a plateau, and I don't want to think that this is the best I'll ever be!

So... any ideas?
Other than just 'practise more', that is.

Thanks,

Lucy

Hi Lucy

I'm not going to say "practise more" - I don't even say that to my own students!

What I am going to say, you probably won't like any better. And that's give it time.

Lots of people have a plateau in their progress. Sometimes that plateau even has a bit of a dip in the middle of it - mine certainly did. But it will end eventually, and you may be surprised when it does at how fast your improvement takes off again.

Just keep singing. Sing stuff you like, as well as stuff that's "good for you." Even singing easy stuff will improve your voice over time, so don't only go for the absurdly difficult.

That's it really. Just keep singing.

Sound advice of katyjay here. Sometimes, we can even practise TOO MUCH. Maybe you should take it easier for a while.
I know, this is probably not what you want to hear, but the human mind is a very strange (and sometimes very unhelpful ) thing. So taking the gear out and just relaxing can sometimes work wonders.

This doesn't mean "don't practise at all", but maybe in a different way and off the well-trodden path you use in your daily routine ...

Good advice so far - you can over practise and over think. If you're worrying about your lack of progress, it may be that which is stopping you.

On the teacher front, though, don't be so quick to blame yourself totally. If you're not feeling a huge difference after each session, then you're probably not with the right person.

I think vocal techniques need to have an instantaneous or quasi-instantaneous effect on your voice - when you're shown something new, you ought to feel it work and notice the difference immediately. If that's not happening, I'd change teacher.

If it is happening in class, but you're unable to reproduce the process at home, chill out a little and perhaps chat to your teacher about practise strategies. Do you get a recording of your lesson to work on? If not, perhaps buying a small recording device and listening to your lesson as daily practise would help a lot - you'd hear your teacher's advice alongside the exercises and you'd also hear yourself doing it right, which would probably be a great big boost for you.

Thanks - I was worried the answer might just be time, but I suppose I can be patient.
By less practise, should I stop all the exercises and just sing the pieces I like? Or the other way around?
I suppose I could just do less generally.

I take your point Rosfrog, but I do feel a difference in lessons after doing exercises with my teacher - just not by myself, outside of lessons. Maybe after Christmas I'll be able to invest in a voice recorder.

I'll try to calm and not stress about my lack of progress then, and maybe I'll get better without realising it.

In that case, definitely record your lessons (or ask your teacher if they can record it to MP3 for you maybe and put it on a memory stick?) then you'll hear the difference that is being made in class and it will boost you - you probably won't feel you need to try so hard out of lessons then.

You may also find, as your teacher's techniques are so efficient in making a change, that when you're working, you'll hear a little comment or piece of advice that you've been given, which will help it all click back into place outside of class - sometimes it's these little bits that we forget that made the 'magic' work in the first place, so a recording will help loads.

Good luck.

I agree with David about the plateaux. My progress has always been like this and I believe it is something to do with practising regularly and when the voice/body is ready you get the results.

Do you exercise regularly? I found that taking up Pilates helped me and if you can find some sort of physical exercise that you like it may help.

Val

Exercise? Not my favourite thing in the world... No chocolate either, I've been told. Maybe I should take up that offer of yoga with my flatmate then.