People say "I can't sing." But EVERYBODY can sing. We were born singing. We sang in our cribs. When we are too embarrassed to open our mouths at the birthday party because we think we sound terrible, it is only because we have no vocal technique to make the most out of our own sound.

Everybody was born with a voice -- the right voice. If the sound of your voice is different than that of the guy next to you, that is because it is supposed to be that way. You are born with an instrument. That instrument belongs to you. Your instrument does not belong to the guy next door. Once we accept the voice we were born with, the sound, the range, the timbre, we can then begin to use it. And we should be using it because singing is a good thing. You don't have to sing at Carnegie Hall to sing. Just sing. You don't even have to learn vocal technique. If you are so moved . . . please . . . SING!

Now, if you WANT a vocal technique, here's what it can do for you. It can protect your throat. People without technique sometimes sing in their throats. This can hurt your throat and your vocal chords in the long run. A vocal technique can build the voice you already have. Your tone can get fatter and richer. You can stay on pitch more easily. And I also believe that working on vocal technique can increase your vocal range. I do not believe that someone with an octave and one half range will suddenly have 3 octaves at their disposal, but it can add a few notes at the bottom and at the top of what you already have. It has for me.

Proper vocal "production" (just another way of saying "technique") takes using your muscles. Singing is physical. Physical. Ever watch an opera singer sing? They plant themselves on the ground, they take a stance and they use their muscles to help support their tone.

Here's the long and the short of it as I see it -- vocal technique is learning proper BREATHING (quite important or people tend to faint), SUPPORTING your tone by engaging the muscles in the approximate area of your middrift, and ENUNCIATING your words. Believe it or not, proper enunciation can put a flat or sharp note back on pitch. Mouth those words or vowels . . . it makes a difference.

I teach a very simple form of technique. I do not get into long-winded speeches about your palate. I focus on BREATHING, SUPPORTING your tone and ENUNCIATING. I tend to keep it simple. This is the way I was taught and so this is what I am passing along. And I believe, in this way, people can build their best possible sound in a healthy way. Remember, singing is PHYSICAL so be prepared to use your body.

I currently teach an Introduction to Vocal Technique Workshop for the City of Ventura through their Community Services Department. I also teach privately out of my home in Ventura. I am available for workshops and seminars. Please e-mail me if you are interested in either private lessons or workshops, in California or workshop/seminars & concerts abroad.