Q. How am I supposed to connect my chest voice to my head voice? I try and all I get is falsetto.

A. Well, when you say “try”, we don’t know you are doing or what the muscles are doing. The reason you can’t do it because the muscles that make it happen aren’t developed.  The bummer is that most people spend years and years singing scales, frustrated over this so-called “break”, but never discover the awareness of the muscles that make it happen - thus never develop theses muscles.  Sorry for the pitch, but in the Sing With Freedom program you develop greater awareness in the first 40 minutes, which we build on the create significant results in a couple of weeks.

Q What does the term "passagio" mean?

A “Passagio” is one of those classic terms that I find unnecessary to use in my teaching (unless as fun trivia). It’s a term from the operatic school and refers to the “passage” – the bridge – between different registers, especially between chest voice and head voice. (The human voice actually has several areas of “register changes”.) What many seem to have forgotten is that the classic operatic “passagio” training strategies are about maintaining an operatic quality of sound while you pass through the “passagio”. Those strategies may not at all be helpful for contemporary singers.

Q I’m a pop/rock singer, but I’m wary about taking voice lessons if it’s going to change my sound and style.

A This is perhaps the most common concern of contemporary singers and an understandable one. It’s also a concern that will hold you back from tapping your true potential. The reason you want a coach on your team is to help you do what you want to do, but do it better. You want to be able to do it night after night. You want to be able to do it on a bad day. You want to feel free to express the way YOU want to express. If the coach helps you do that in a session or two you will feel it. If the coach is into promoting the “right” and “correct” way to sing, you are correctly concerned that he/she is teaching from the book and wanting to change your sound, rather than bringing out the best in you.

Q: I’ve been told to open my mouth more in order to sing high notes. Should I do this?

A: “Open your mouth” is a common instruction. “Darken the vowel”, “push from your stomach” , etc are other common "tricks". All these “tricks” do work in the same limiting way as if you were to do a biceps curl using your back and shoulders. You can actually lift more when doing so. But how much does it develop your biceps? When we discover how to sing high notes without this kind of external help, we also become freer as artists. Now we can express truthfully and freely.

Q: I'm not sure how to use the diaphram to sing. How can I get it working? I know it may sound dumb but I want to learn!

A: It's not dumb at all. It is a very common question - unfortunately. See, your diaphragm has been working since they day you were born. It is working when you sleep, and with every breath. It is so amazing that so many people have been led to believe that they have to learn how to use the diaphragm in order to sing. And many think they are doing something wrong with their diaphragm because they don't sound as good as they would like to. If you can breathe, your diaphragm is working fine (I'm not saying their isn't room for improvement of all bodily functions). I hope you have read "The New Era of Singing Training"