 Arindam, Pexels.com This is part of a series of blog posts derived from my book, The Five-Minute Singer. You can view video versions of most of this information in the free introductory series to the Five-Minute Singer vocal program. First, if you haven’t yet read the other articles in this series—"What I Wish Singing Classes Near Me Taught About How Singing Works,” “My Best Tips on How to Become a Better Singer when Teaching Voice Lessons Near Me,” and “How to Sing Better by Changing Vocal Habits in Singing Classes for Adults”—please turn back for now and read those first. These articles are supposed to go sequentially, so you need the information in those for this article to help you learn how to become a singer. Once you’ve picked a body part to focus on, it’s time to start practicing! Most singing teachers near me will say you can’t make any real progress in five minutes of practice a day, but I’ve seen (and experienced) plenty of evidence to the contrary. Once you’ve chosen your habit, here’s how to practice so that your new habit starts to form.  Marcella Al Essandra, Pexels.com Singing Teachers Near Me Don’t Advocate Daily but Limited Practice Are you busy? Welcome to the club! Very few people have tons of time to devote to vocal practice. Singing teachers near me typically assign hours and hours of practice each week. The good news, as you’ve already learned, I don’t advocate this. To learn how to become a singer, you just have to practice every day, and you have to really focus when you practice. Just like those physical therapy exercises, you HAVE to do this daily. Training your muscles to learn a new skill is about physical conditioning. Muscle memory won’t take hold without repetitive, focused work. If you can find a consistent time to practice, you’ll automatically practice during that time sans mental struggle. I often suggest that my students split up their concentrated practice time into two: a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes in the evening in front of the mirror. I’ve created a thirty-day practice log for member of my online vocal training program to keep t hem on a daily practice schedule to help you learn how to become a singer with my online vocal training program. If it helps, print it out and stick it in a place you’ll see it every day. Make a point of filling out a row each day to mark your progress. If you’ve signed up for a version of this course with personal feedback, stick to a digital practice log in our shared folder so I can review your notes and provide suggestions.  Cottonbro Studio, Pexels.com Singing Teachers Near Me Don’t Insist on Constant Vigilance Have you ever tried to break a bad habit, such as biting your nails? Could you accomplish that by thinking about not biting your nails for five minutes a day? No, unfortunately. You had to think about it all the time. Yes, here’s where the truth emerges. To learn how to become a singer, I believe you only have to practice in a focused way for five minutes a day if you’re using my method, unlike what other singing teachers near me advocate. But you need to think about your habit CONSTANTLY. That being said, if you truly notice and obsess over your habit during focused practice time, you can’t help but think about it at other times. Why? Because it will get on your nerves! So, as you go about the following quotidian activities, try incorporating your habit.  Andrea Piquadio, Pexels.com How to Become a Better Singer by...Singing Think about your habit every time you sing, not just during your dedicated practice time. Don’t let thinking about your habit ruin your fun; just keep it in the back of your mind, focusing on noticing and getting annoyed so you want to take action. Band practice? Choir practice? Singing in the car? Out with your friends at karaoke? Try to implement your new habit. If you’re not in front of a mirror, put a hand on the problem spot or use your senses of hearing and kinesthetic awareness. By consistently keeping your habit in mind even when you’re singing outside of concentrated practice time, you turn every little jam session into a technical practice session. The only exception to this is performance. Focus on having fun and communicating with your audience when you’re onstage. The habits you’ve already implemented will be there for you, and the rest will follow eventually. This is something other singing teachers near me would doubtless agree on—no one likes obsessing over singing technique while onstage.  Matheus Bertelli, Pexels.com How to Become a Better Singer by Talking As I’ve mentioned already, many vocal habits appear during speech. You use your voice to speak as well as to sing, and the two activities are much more similar than most folks realize. Since you talk a lot more than you sing, experiment with using that time to focus on your vocal habit. This is easier than you may think. Working on engaging your diaphragm for better breath support? Consciously take good breaths and support your sound as you speak. Trying to stop your larynx from shoving down on low notes? Purposefully speak in a slightly lower voice than usual, placing a hand on your larynx if possible (phone calls are great for this). Working on registration? Practice isolating or blending registers as you talk. There’s so much you can accomplish if you seize opportunities to act on your habit through speech rather than the traditional vocal exercises many singing teachers near me use.  Juan Pablo Serrano, Pexels.com How to Become a Better Singer by Existing As I’ve also mentioned, many vocal habits don’t involve making any sound at all. Take advantage of that! Focus on intercostal engagement during breathing while sitting in a boring work meeting. Unlock your knees while standing in line at the grocery store. If you’re a generally tense person, relax your jaw, neck, or tongue by stretching or rubbing them whenever you please to lower your threshold tension level. This type of incognito “practice” can reap rapid rewards in the form of easier, healthier singing.  Eric Smart, Pexels.com How to Become a Singer with The Five-Minute Practice Method Singing Teachers Near Me Aren’t Using Singing teachers near me might think I’m nuts, but I really think this method works. At least, it’s worked for me and countless students over the years. If you’re interested in using this nontraditional habit-based practice method to learn how to become a singer, I’d be delighted to help. My online vocal training program is by far the most cost-effective option, but I also offer hybrid programs as well as online voice lessons and in-person Fort Wayne voice lessons. Whatever method you choose, happy singing, and good luck!
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