Singing is a physical skill that needs to be developed, like riding a bike, dancing or running.
To become a good singer you must be able to breathe properly, sing with power (resonance) and sing on pitch.
When we sing without any instrumental sound we are permorming A cappella music.

Singing is a lot of fun and you and your friends will be admire if you are a good singer.
 
Here there are some steps for becoming the best singer!!
- Take care your vocal instrument
Find your vocal range
- Breathe properly and relax
- Know your singing tools
- Develope and show your confidence
- Warm up your voice
- Enjoy singing

TAKE CARE YOUR VOCAL INSTRUMENT

Everybody who uses their voice as a tool (singers, actors, teachers...) desires to keep it safe and
want to know how to avoid damaging it.
 If you want to be a singer you need to keep your voice in top shape and healthy.
Here are some guidelines on how to protect your best instrument:        

1. Drink water to keep your body and your vocal cords well hydrated, and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
2. Don't smoke. Smoking raises the risk of throat cancer, and inhaling smoke
(even secondhand smoke) can irritate the vocal cords.
 3. Don't abuse your voice. Avoid or screaming, and try not to talk loudly in noisy areas.
4. Keep your throat and neck muscles relaxed even when singing high notes and low notes.
5. Don't clear your throat too often. When you clear your throat, it's like slamming your vocal cords together.
                            


FIND YOUR VOCAL RANGE
 First of all you need to know your voice possibilities to find the rigth section in the choir
 (soprano, mezzosoprano, contralto, tenor, baritone or bass).
This is the easiest way to find your vocal range:
   1. Sing down the scale until you can not go any longer.
(write down the last note you can sing comfortably)
This is the lowest note you can sing.

   2. Sing up the scale until you can not go any higher and write down the last note.
This is the highest note you can sing.

Now you know where your vocal range starts and ends.  
3. Compare your results with the vocal ranges to find which type is your voice.
 women: soprano, mezzosoprano or contralto
men: tenor, baritone or bass
 If you practise singing your vocal range may increase in a few weeks.

BREATHE PROPERLY AND RELAX

The voice is as a wind instrument, because breathing is 80% of singing,
and proper singing begins and ends with proper breathing.

Correct breathing can help you to be the best singer you can be.
Not only will it help you sing or play a wind instrument, but breathing correctly will help you relax too.

Try to follow these steps for improving you breathe technique:

1. Have a good posture.

Get your shoulders back (not way back, but not way forward), back straight, feet on the floor, shoulders relaxed.

               

2. Breathe in so that your torso expands in all directions (be sure not to raise your shoulders).
Allow your breath to touch the very bottom of your torso, breathe as deeply as possible as you can.

3. Place your finger in front of your mouth, your breath should feel warm and sensuous.
It should also be silent. The more noise made while breathing, the more tension there is.

4. Practice noticing the breath singing (or playing any other instrument),
talking, exercising, or doing nothing in particular.
Notice what happens to the breath while doing different activities.

5. Do breathing exercises to increase the amount of control you have with your diaphragm.
- Start with simple exercises such as hissing.
Inhale deeply and then make a hissing sound, continuing until as much air as possible has been expelled.
Repeat several times, but be sure to breathe using the diaphragm,
not by moving the shoulders up and down, which is a common sign of an untrained breather.

- Breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, then breathe out for four seconds.
After you have mastered this, move to 6-6-6, then 8-8-8, all the way to 20-20-20, but do not go past 20 seconds.

6. When singing, you should feel like there is a band around your diaphragm (not when you breathe in).

KNOW YOUR SINGING TOOLS

Touch your body and find you vocal instrument: respiratory system, vibratory system and resonating system.
When you breath in, your ribs move upward and make your chest expand,
when you breath out, they move downward and your chest decreases.
If you breath deeply your diaphragm is pushing down on everything below your rib cage.

DEVELOPE AND SHOW YOUR CONFIDENCE

 Do not care what people think, just keep practicing and you will gain confidence.

WARM UP YOUR VOICE

The vocal warm up is a series of exercises that prepare the voice for singing. Here are some exercises:

1. Massage your face, lips, and throat to relax tension.

2. Take a deep breath and sing an "m" sound gently up and down your voice range.
You can sing your "m" following this piano exercise:

3. Sing a series of round open vowels such as "Mmmeee (mi)-Mmmay (me)-Mmmah (ma)-Mmmoe (mo)-Mmmoo (mu)" on one note and then repeating moving up and down the scale:

These exercises will insure properly warmed-up you voice.
You will be amazed how these simple exercises will make your voice sound alive and free.

ENJOY SINGING!!
Enjoy singing alone or with your mates in a choir or band. It is fantastic!!
You can start with this African song: