Setting Goals

In an earlier article I talk about setting benchmarks so that you can see how much you’ve improved. Goals are incredibly important because while technique will generally help you grow as a singer, specific goals can yield specific results.

Here are a sample of some of my students’ diverse goals:

1. Improve diction so that he can be easily understood in a song

2. Sing and talk in a way that doesn’t injure her voice (safe singing)

3. Develop warmups that she can replicate with ease and make sure these warmups are effective every time

4. Choose the perfect song for a character role in a musical

5. Increase breath support so as to sing on one breath for 16 seconds

6. Smooth out the transition from chest voice into falsetto

7. Sing in the higher part of his range without becoming breathy

8. Act in a song

9. Create more dynamics in a song

10. Read rhythms in sheet music

11. Practice self-acceptance and be less judgemental of her own voice

12. Improve posture and release tension in her neck and shoulders

13. Increase his range

14. Learn basic italian vowels for Bel Canto Opera

15. Sing in his head voice for a sustained period of time without tension

As you can see, this small sample is extremely diverse. So setting goals is crucial to success. While the goals may be different, achieving them is often from the same practices:

1. Ask questions: I am here for you, ask if you don’t understand or are just curious about something.

2. Journal: make sure you are routinely noting your questions and findings in a consistent place

3. Practice: make a healthy habit of practicing. This can be as little as 5-10 minutes every other day. I am not a stickler for homework. I won’t ask if you’ve done it, but you’ll be able to tell the difference. Generally I assign 1-3 exercises which take 5-10 minutes to do. You can often do them while doing the dishes, sun bathing, whatever you feel like. Make this a habit and add it as a nice and relaxing and enjoyable practice.

If you set goals and document the results, you are sure to have a holistic understanding of your progress. It is so satisfying to check off a goal and then get ready for the next one!