Women of my generation are at an interesting and challenging point in our evolution. We find ourselves in a phase of our lives historically referred to as “middle-aged.” Yet for many of us our brains, attitudes and mental energies feel much too young for this distinction. We don’t care too much what society has to say about middle-age, because it doesn’t feel like it applies to us. However, we DO care about making sure our bodies feel as energetic and young as our minds, since we plan to continue to grown, learn and experience life for several more decades.
For myself, I want to follow in the footsteps of my voice teacher – master coach Lois Hartzell – who led a full and interesting career as a singer then turned to teaching, writing, producing and directing until she was 92 years old. She was definitely never a ‘normal’ woman of her generation. She never married, never drove a car, and never took on the burden of running household and managing children – definitely things that can wear a woman down over time. Instead, she lived her passion to sing and perform and finally to teach. Yet although she lived a singular life, there are many things to be learned from the manner in which she lived her life. more
Over the many years that I studied with Lois, one of the critical lessons she taught me was the health benefits of “real singing.” I’ve added the emphasis because real singing is not singing in the shower or in the car. Real Singing is the art of singing developed and used by professionals over the last two centuries – and available to anyone who has a passion for music and for expressing themselves through song. Now, as I find myself “of a certain age,” I look back on her life and realize that real singing offers real health benefits to help us – me and my sister boomers – age well.
Here are the 10 health and anti-aging benefits from learning to sing:
Breathing/circulation
Singing, like nothing else, requires opening your throat and lungs and breathing deeply. Breathing for singing goes beyond taking a simple breath. Singers learn to drop their stomach muscles, expand the muscles around their ribs and fill their lungs to capacity. Then they vigorously hold the breath in as they sing because holding these muscles in tension helps to sing longer and higher. The physical act of holding your breath while you sing causes more oxygen to be absorbed into your blood cells to energize the body and increase circulation. Increased blood circulation, of course, brings nutrients to your cells and removes waste byproducts. And I can attest to feeling more energized and light on my feet after a good healthy singing session!
Recover from colds more quickly
Here’s another benefit – you can recover from colds more quickly. Many people think they can’t sing with a cold, But in fact you can. The problematic phase of a cold is when the mucus settles down onto your vocal chords and keeps you from being able to bring the chords together strongly – something that is required for singing a strong tone. If you continue to sing through the head cold phase of your illness, the vibration of singing helps prevent mucus build-up on your chords. And singing helps the body recover faster. Increased blood circulation helps your body fight off the virus more quickly! So really the cure for the common cold seems to be – sing!
Gently strengthens muscles – legs/torso/back/face
Nothing beats singing for a subtle total body work out. Correct singing requires a balance of tensions in the body including the muscles in your legs, bottoms, ribs, back, and even the muscles around your lips and jaws. Your core is strengthened through the gentle, non-jarring holding tension we use to sing and adds to overall health of the body without jeopardizing the joints because there is no aerobic activity.
Brain activity from learning new things
Learning music sets up new pathways in the brain that keeps the brain alert, active and utilized. Creative musical learning also requires activity on both sides of the brain. Your left brain reads the music, keeps track of the tempo and dynamic markings while your right brain enjoys the intuitive and creative process of interpreting the printed page in a musical way. Thus your mind is really engaged in a healthy holistic fashion.
Improves memory
I always recommend memorizing your song, because only when we have learned the song completely can we really work on the finer details of shaping the musical phrases and exploring the poetic meaning of the lyrics. The practice of putting music and words to memory stimulates the pathways in your brain that use memory – making them more accessible in your daily life. I see this as a huge benefit as we seem to be in an age where memory is harder to hold on to because we are over stimulated by technology.
Focuses and quiets your mind
Another benefit to both the mind and the body is a reduction of stress. If you approach singing by setting aside time to practice each day, it has a meditational aspect. Singing is a single-minded, focused activity and needs to be done in a private environment where you spend time looking at your music, thinking about singing, and creating sound. No cell phones, no computers, no electronic devices to distract you or raise your blood pressure! The body and mind is focused on a single activity without distraction and interruption and engaged in a pursuit that gives you joy. The body is flooded with oxygen and the mind is quiet. Yes – I think you can reach a state of bliss from singing!
Emotional release
There is nothing like music to reach you on an emotional level. The emotions can be joy, regret, fear, excitement, love, anger, and more. Singing is very cathartic and helps you connect with emotions from experiences you may have buried or forgotten, or help you relate to an emotion from someone else’s experience. In any case, music gives you an emotional release and is also a gift to others because it provides the same for those who listen to your songs.
Positive activity – lifts depression
Regardless of whether you sing a happy or sad song, the act of singing is positive because it is proactive and if pursued long enough, offers satisfying personal growth. When you endeavor to acquire a skill and put the time and effort into achieving that goal, you gain the self confidence and personal gratification from your accomplishment. Regardless of struggles in other areas of your life, you have something very positive to refer back to.
Gets you out of the house
Here is a benefit that might not be apparent at first. We aren’t usually drawn to singing because we want to get out of the house, but singing is very often a community experience. We sing in choirs, bands, on stage, with our family and friends, in karaoke bars, in religious ceremonies. When you learn to sing it may propel you into some kind of performing, either in a group or as a soloist. In any case, singing will connect you to others and help you avoid feeling isolated and lonely.
Avenue for new relationships
If you do find yourself joining some type of group for community singing, then new opportunities for friendships open up. Friendship and community, especially as you get older, is critical for staying healthy and having a healthy attitude towards your life. Regardless of other stresses, aches and pains or challenges in your life, all of these are better handled when you feel supported by your community.
Now you see why everyone in the world should be inspired to study singing! On top of these health benefits, women who have reached “that certain age” will be shocked and delighted to discover that due to hormonal and chemical changes in your body, you are more prone to having a voluptuous, dark, and warm tone – rich in expression and depth! And I must also add that life experience and wisdom make learning to sing in your middle years more satisfying. You have more patience than your younger sisters and understand that learning a new skill is a process which takes time and persistence. Yet once gained it is very enjoyable and satisfying.
Finally, some say that the harmonic vibrations of singing and music have anti-aging benefits. While I can’t site any scientific evidence to back this belief I did see through my teacher, Lois, who always looked and acted about 20 years younger than her real age, that singing and living your passion can have a real impact on how you age. I intend to follow her footsteps by singing, teaching and living my passion to help me age well and have a full and adventurous life in the process. I hope you will too.
If you love to sing I encourage you to seek out a qualified teacher and join a group of other women to sing with. For your health and your pleasure!

Singing in front of an audience is more than just creating a successful rendition of a song. If they want to only hear your music they can go buy your CD. When you play live you must perform!
An audience is not only there to hear you, they are there to watch you. It’s an often neglected topic of discussion in a band – what are we supposed to do while we are playing our music?
There is a very simple answer to this question – COMMUNICATE!
As an art form in the modern setting all music has two forms – the recorded songs you write or cover (like a CD) and the performance of that material in front of an audience. The best way to look at performing is to consider it to be a unique ,one-off snapshot of you at a particular moment in time. Every performance is different. The essential point here is that performing is all about you and your ability to make a connection. When performing you get to establish a connection with the listener that is impossible any other way.more
The most important thing to do when singing in front of a band is to consider how your audience sees you. Try to think about what they see from where they are sitting or standing. No matter if you are singing in a bar ,nightclub or concert stage the same situation applies. Every little thing you do and say is under the microscope from everyone in the room.
Do you find that thought disconcerting? Many performers do and it often leads to some bizarre habits by some lead singers. Sometimes they are caused by nerves and it’s normal to experience some anxiety, especially for a beginner. One of the most annoying habits for an audience is when a lead singer seems to pay more attention to the band than they do to their audience. You see this a lot where a lead singer will spend a considerable amount of time on stage with their back to the audience singing to band members. Whatever the motivation is for this behavior it comes across as indifference and amounts to a kind of broken contract.
Your audience is your client, your customer if you like. They make a form of unspoken agreement with you that they will attend your performance in return for something. What you give them depends on what you are prepared to give and, to some extent, it will depend on how you FEEL at the time. What they really want from you is a little story. Each time you open your mouth they want to be taken somewhere,away from their troubles (or perhaps through their troubles), they want to be taken on a journey to someplace in your world.
How do you do this as a singer? How do you take them on a trip through your world? Actually, it’s quite easy when you think about what I said earlier about trying to understand what your audience sees when you are onstage.
Every person I have ever met has a bunch of favorite songs that they always love to hear. They never seem to tire of them. These are usually accumulated over the years but most often are associated with their youth. This is essential information you must use when developing your performing skills. Each person in the room when they are watching you play has a series of subconcious images running through their mind. These are generated continually whilst you perform and mix with what they are actually seeing of you.
If you don’t believe me watch how your audience reacts when they hear you start to sing something very popular and familiar. That positive reaction is created by association. People have favorite songs because they associate those songs with something very positive in their lives. Perhaps the first time they fell in love, when they passed their school exams, when they bought their first car. It can be anything. These memories are associated with songs they heard at the time and it makes them feel good. The funny thing is, you can be very popular with an audience even if your versions of their favorite songs are nothing like the originals. This is due to the fact that audiences tend to hear what they WANT to hear, they seem almost to hear a mix of the original artist and your version at the same time in their heads. This is a different rave which I will cover in later articles.
When you perform you must remember that every song you sing can have this nostalgic effect on your audience. If you are singing covers then make sure you have the correct lyric and that you understand it. Nothing will come back to bite you in the ass faster than if you sing the wrong lyric to a famous song!
If you don’t know what the song lyric is really about how do expect to communicate that story to your audience? It can be very useful sometimes to discuss a lyric with other people to gain an insight into the writer’s intentions.
Here we come to Performing rule number 2.
Get rid of all lyric sheets onstage !
It’s your job as the singer to know your lyrics. Don’t think for one second that your audience doesn’t see those lyric books or sheets of paper on a music stand. This is one of the most common amateur mistakes and it has a subtle effect on your performance. It will become a crutch you can never throw away. Make a rule with yourself to always learn your lyrics properly and not to rely on pieces of paper onstage. This way you will understand what you are singing and be able to concentrate on telling the story with confidence.
There are many other things I will discuss in later articles on how you can dramatically improve your lead singer skills with your band. Your confidence onstage is everything. Each new technique you add will take some time to perfect and feel comfortable with so persevere. Your audience will love you for it.

Oh to be able to sing like a bird, or any animal for that matter. Some people would sell their soul for the ability to charm the world with their vocal chords. Well, fear not. This article is going to share some super tips for learning to sing. After you are done reading it, your voice should improve by leaps and bounds.
Probably one of the biggest mistakes singers make is that they don’t open up their mouths wide enough. Think about it. If you keep your lips together, how much sound can you really get out? Not much, right? So what makes you think that when you sing you can only open up your mouth a little bit? Take a look at some opera singers and look at how exaggerated their mouths look. You need to open yours up a lot. Don’t be self conscious about looking stupid, okay?
Another big problem singers have is timing. Now, unless you’re singing A cappella, you really should have no problem keeping your timing. What you can do is lightly tap your foot in time to the music, assuming that somebody is playing for you. Nobody is going to hear it and it WILL keep you in beat. Also, make sure you follow your accompanist. Don’t rush them.more
Finally, and this may be the most important tip of all, not every song in the world is going to be right for your voice. Aside from vocal range, there is style as well. You’ll never hear Judy Collins trying to belt out something like “Born To Run”. You have to find songs that fit YOUR voice. This is very easy to do. Pick out something and try singing it. If it doesn’t feel comfortable at all, it’s probably not for you.
There are many facets to singing and it’s impossible to cover them all in this article. However, I have recently run across a great resource for learning how to sing that I’ve reviewed below. I think you’ll find it most helpful.
There is nothing more wonderful than sharing your voice with the world. I think singing is the one thing that each of us, no matter how talented we think we are or aren’t, wants to be able to do. Rooms literally stop and light up when somebody with a golden voice begins to sing.
Wouldn’t you like to be one of those people?

Are you one out of a million? Were you given such an exceptional singing voice that you’re guaranteed a place in the singing hall of fame? If you are one in a million you probably don’t need to read this article. If your one of the countless millions that are not in that category…and you love to sing…PLEASE, PLEASE read on. It will help you to change your viewpoint about the importance of your creative contribution to the world. It will help you to change your mind about bringing your desire to sing into a reality.
Most of us are passive when it comes to singing. We sit back and listen to CDs And MP3s of other singers. Listening to a great singer’s music is akin to experiencing heaven on earth. We love to listen… but… unfortunately that is all we do. We listen. Few of us actually “make” music because we don’t believe we’re worthy to do so.
We listen to music every day that is the result of the recording industries very high standards. We subconsciously “agree” to standards that only a few out of a million people can actually live up to. more
For those of us, whose talents pale in comparison to the pro’s there are no outlets for our desire to sing. We live in a “concert” society where one persons sings and thousands sit back and listen.
Some of us muster every ounce of courage in order to give ourselves permission to sing. When the day finally comes that we open our mouths in song, we discover that we are not capable of sounding like the singers we so much admire. It is a bit of a blow to the ego, our motivation slackens and before you know it we stop singing.
It seems like people have a subconscious rule in their heads when it comes to singing, unless they sound great they have no right to sing. That is why most people do not sing. The act itself has become so important to us as a society that it’s almost sacrilegious to sing just for the fun of it not caring how it sounds. We’ve been conditioned into silence.
Because of a radically different viewpoint at Healing Singing we are able to offer an extraordinarily safe environment for people to face the demons that would stop them from singing. It gives them the opportunity to stop judging and to start celebrating themselves as they are.
At Healing Singing we sing because we like to sing and that is enough reason to do it. We do it because we have the desire to do it.
We sing in our own way….with or without technical skills, standing right where we are now, with our own voice, with our own nuances, with our own strengths and weaknesses, for better or for worse… we sing! Sound radical? Sound scary? Try it.
The result of this sky like, open minded viewpoint is nothing short of miraculous. It’s a “real world” and honest approach…to see the truth exactly as it is without the need to fix it, judge it or change it.
Over the years it has been my experience that some of the most profoundly spiritual moments at Healing Singing were gifts from those who had the greatest vocal challenges. Surprising? Not really. We’re all made of the same “stardust” and that stardust is the product of soul… not the vocal chords.
Do you want to witness a miracle? Witness yourself giving what only you can give through song.
The requirement is not necessarily having a great instrument but rather having an “inner connection” to what is being communicated. That connection is something everyone can find if they want to find it. That connection is the focus of Healing Singing and when you find it you will never feel unworthy to sing again.
The purpose of Healing Singing is to foster and nurture creativity by re-connecting it to our innate spirituality. It is a venue in which individuals can see the profound effect their creativity can have on the lives of others. It offers the opportunity to experience our own creative process rather than experiencing creativity through the lives of others.
It is all about being alive. Being truly alive. Doing what it is that your heart is prompting you to do. And I assure you that if you give someone a gift that comes directly from your heart they will accept it with gratitude. So forget the rules, and the standards. Break out of the prison of silence. And then exclaim…I am alive. I am really alive. Because I sing!

Let’s face it, whether you’ve wanted to learn how to become a singer or not, you’ve probably dreamt of being the lead singer of a band. Touring, connecting with fans, playing music you love – sounds like fun doesn’t it? It absolutely is, however people always overlook the amount of work and effort that is involved in order to be a successful singer. As a band you need to have a cohesive look and have good stage presence, but as the singer you are usually looked at as the face of the band, and therefore usually have to put more effort into performances. One advantage to singing in a band over other types of singers though is that your voice doesn’t necessarily have to be perfect. Let’s go into a bit more detail on these topics.

If you want to become a singer in a band, a couple things to consider would be your image and stage presence. As the singer in the band, usually people will think of you as the face of the band, so just in terms of going that extra mile your image should be on par or bit better than the band. This does not mean that image is more important than the skill of the band, it just means making sure there is a cohesive look going on. In terms of stage presence, the singer must put in a bit more effort than the rest of the band. Think about it this way; it’s easier for the rest of the band to “hide” behind their instrument temporarily and get away with it, but as the singer all you’ve got is your mic in front of you so you have to compensate by moving around, feeling the music, connecting with the crowd, etc. Standing still won’t cut it, however with practice this comes easier. Just have fun with it. more

One of the advantages to singing in a band is that your voice doesn’t have to be perfect. For example, the Idol competition is for people with amazing voices. You may have noticed though that a lot of lead singers in bands aren’t actually the greatest singers. The reason why they can get away with it is because of the type of music the band is playing. If you’re in a rock band, you can usually get away with having a raspier voice (kurt cobain anyone?). Nowadays there are a lot of bands using auto tune, which corrects your pitch and gives it a futuristic sound. This is not to be a replacement for not being able to sing though as auto tune is generally frowned upon unless it is being used for the effect. There are also a lot of singers who scream for their band as well, though this really requires impeccable care for your voice. For the most part, you’ll have to work on being a good singer, but as said earlier it all depends on the type of music, and the effect you are going for.

Those are just some simple things to consider if you’re deciding to go down the path of becoming a singer in a band. It can be fun and rewarding, but takes practice and effort as well. If you’re passionate and want it bad enough, it can be achieved.