Social singing is the act of singing in an informal setting with others. It can be one person performing karaoke at a local bar or it can be a large group of people singing the national anthem at a ball game. In either case, singing can be a very enjoyable pastime.
Social Singing is a creative outlet that allows us to join together with others and engage in camaraderie with our fellow peers. It can relieve tension from a hard day and remind us that we are part of a harmonious group. more
Harmony
Harmony is the key to social singing. I believe it is this harmony that we find while engaging in social singing that is the strong draw for many people to engage in the act of social singing. Through harmonious singing we can all join together regardless of age, sex, religion, nationality, or preferences. The pure joy of social singing is universal.
In this time where we find ourselves becoming more and more alienated from our fellow man, it is the joy and fulfillment that we find in creating a bond with others through the act of social singing that is so appealing.
Where can you join in social singing?
Finding social singing opportunities are not hard to find. Just look around, the opportunities are everywhere that are both formal and informal in nature. There are community choruses, church choirs, barbershop singing groups and musical theatre groups. For informal social singing, there are karaoke nights, ball games, private parties, and of course, birthday parties.
Not sure if you’re ready to sing in public?
Although we all have the necessary equipment for social singing, some people are more comfortable singing that others. Sometimes it has to do with your background. Were you exposed to music as a child and did you engage in social singing in your younger years? If you do not feel comfortable, there are tools to help you gain confidence in social singing. There are books, software, and private lessons available to assist you in gaining confidence in social singing.
Whatever you choose, I strongly recommend that you engage in social singing. It is great fun and a good way to socialize with others. They do call it ’social’ singing for a reason.

First I need to say that when an artist puts becoming a big star ahead of other factors, they are headed for failure. Read the bios of your favorite performers and you will read over and over again that they were actually surprised when they hit stardom. Most of them will tell us that they just wanted to sing the music they loved, and everything else seemed to fall in place.

Well, it’s not THAT easy, but you get the idea. They sang their music, tossed it out there, and listeners bought it. and went to their concerts. But…..

1. They worked hard to get better and better at their singing and performance. Studying with teachers, practice, physical development, mental sharpness, hours and hours of listening and analyzing recordings of other singers. watching countless videos, going to concerts, learning from all genres of music rather than just their own…these are just a few of the things required of someone who really wants to “make it big”.

2. They surrounded themselves with intelligent, trustworthy friends, managers, business advisors and producers who’s primary interest was supporting them.

3. They understood that taking their performance to the national stage required smart choices: contracts, business decisions, choice of managers, producers and marketing-distribution experts.

4. They never gave up, even though major failures were plentiful.

Having talent is only one very small part of the equation. Too many hopefuls fool themselves into believing that since their singing, looks and performance are amazing, they are certain to become stars.

If you are aiming yourself toward that big star in the sky, come back to earth and read the bios of the ones who have made it. Learn from their problems and successes, from their failures, and how they overcame them, from their experiences with the crooks who run so much of the music business.

If you just think you can sing your way into national acclaim, you are going to fail. Much much more is involved. Start your research today. Go on the web and enter the names of some of your favorite groups, singles or bands. Read their bio material, and you will begin to understand what it really takes to “make it” in the music business.

We too often forget that today’s famous singers were yesterday’s struggling youngsters who were probably no where near the talent level they are today.

While touring with some of my groups I met two upcoming singing groups who were actually opening for my students. Both of these groups or 4 or more singers traveled with their parents in unreliable older vans. They were eating fast food to save money. They were worn and tired from such a life style, yet they held on, and moved into international fame.

If you want to be a professional singer, the most critical ingredient you need is to be able to hold a note and stay in tune. Singing can be taught to anyone at almost any age. If you are currently in singing lessons, you’re already headed in the right direction. Singing classes can be beneficial for those who wish to sing, because trained vocalists can show you the proper techniques, help you find your own sound and tips on how to improve your voice. The talent agency John Robert Powers is a great example of a company that teaches singing classes to students.
If you’re practicing singing at home, here are some tips on how to elevate your voice and exercise the vocal chords. Keep in mind that breath control, proper posture and vocal techniques are some of the most important factors when singing.
1. Hum.Humming can help you sing because it’s a great exercise for practicing note placement. When you’re humming a note, be sure to gently hum so that your lips subtlety vibrates. If you want to project your voice, try visualizing that you’re on a stage and sing a note at your normal level. Try and bounce the note all the way to the back wall without raising your voice.
2. Relax.Make sure you are standing in a relaxed position with your abdominal muscles and diaphragm in the proper position. Try not to exhale too much air when releasing a sound. This can place pressure on the vocal chords and strain them, minimizing their capacity. There should be no muscle strain in the throat, jaw, shoulders, etc.
3. Practice.The only way to improve your singing voice is by practicing. Even though you may want to spend a few hours every day singing, be careful not to over-sing. Over singing can strain the vocal chords and can deter your progress.

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.