COMPOSER SABRINA PENA YOUNG | MUSIC TECHNOLOGY | FILM | CLASSICAL | OPERA

Singing and Science: Busting Myths with Allan Hubert-Wright Today we’re joined by Allan Hubert-Wright, the founder of Le Chanteur Moderne, one of the most respected voice training institutes in France, and one which is remarkable for using modern voice science to help singers and singing teachers be more effective by leveraging what we actually know about the human voice. http://musicalitypodcast.com/86 He is also the director of the voice department at the prestigious IFPRO performing arts school in Paris and conducts ongoing research into vocal function. We recently had the chance to see Allan give a presentation, and we came away determined to have him on the show, because he shares the kinds of thing that can save years of frustration, confusion and wasted effort. So whether you don’t sing at all yet, you’re at the beginning of learning to sing, or you’ve been singing for years, you’re going to want to pay attention! In this conversation we talk about: - Why being tol...

Have you ever worried that you’re “tone deaf” or can’t sing? Or do you have a friend or family member who just can’t seem to sing in tune or in key? In today’s podcast episode we’re joined by a true expert who’s had some phenomenal results helping those who “can’t sing” to start singing in tune. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/learn... George was someone we reached out to when doing research a few years back for our Tone Deaf Test and SingTrue projects at Musical U. Throughout his teacher career, George repeatedly found himself faced with students who just couldn’t seem to hold a tune and were reluctant to get involved in choir. He started “experimenting” with how to help them, and now with his “Music at Monkton” blog he regularly shares insights, techniques and triumphs as he goes about his work teaching music and leading choirs at a secondary school in the United Kingdom. In this episode George shares: - The most important lessons he learned from entering music contests as...

“Fake news” may be a term that’s only recently made its way into the zeitgeist, but the vocal world has been full of half-truths and straight-up myths for quite a while. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/5-myt... Founder of the nonprofit music school Molly’s Music, music blogger, and vocal teacher Molly Webb debunks five myths that have been propagated in the vocal world and shares why they’re false, giving you practice advice that is backed by vocal research and will help you achieve your singing goals. Because vocal instruction was going on long before researchers had the ability to look at what was going on anatomically, not everything passed down from teacher to teacher over the years has been accurate. As a result, vocalists have been particularly susceptible to misconceptions and fear mongering about vocal health.

Adele - Interview about songwriting From the Artists Den (February 25, 2011)

10 Tips mentioned in the video: 1. Drink a lot of water! 2. Rest and Relax your voice (sleep, less talking) 3. No shouting (do not abuse your voice and no whispering) 4. Exercise (cardio and breathing exercises) 5. Eat Healthy (your body is your instrument!) 6. Avoid irritants (alcohol, smoking, caffeine, etc.) 7. Vocal warm-ups  8. Drink tea and honey 9. Throat lozenges 10. Sing within your vocal range

5 Easy Tips for Writing Great Music Lyrics Whether you are a topnotch music professional, an indie songwriter , or a student musician, learning how to write great lyrics is key to songwriting success. Below are five easy tips on writing great music lyrics. Learn some basic ways that you can develop your lyrical skills. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE at Music Gateway:  https://www.musicgateway.net/blog/635/5-Easy-Tips-for-Writing-Great-Music-Lyrics Related articles Nano Opera: The Rise, Triumph, and Fiery Demise of Robotika Female:Pressure Rojava Solidarity Campaign and the Question of the Role of the Artist in the World What is MIDI? - History of Electronic Music - Sabrina Pena Young Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Pirate My Music: What Every Indie Musician Needs to Know. Adele Helps Producers & Songwriters Make Millions ACMs Announce Nominees for Song and Songwriter of the Year NEW Songwriter Series: Killer Arrangements ACMs Announce Nominees for Song and Songwr...

Music Secrets: How to Write an Opera, Part 2 After the incredibly positive feedback that I had from Music Secrets: How to Write an Opera, Part 1 , I thought I would talk a little bit about the composition angle of writing, at least how I do it in regards to vocal music . Here's a quick primer for anyone learning some of the basics of writing vocal music for opera, musicals, classical music , etc.  1. The Sketch I have had several great teachers in my life - Dr. Clare Shore , Hilton Jones, Dr. Kristine Burns, Paul Reller , Dr. Frederick Kaufman, Dr. Orlando Garcia, Chuck Owen, etc. My composition prof (and USF SYCOM guru) Paul Reller helped me develop the composition technique that I have had for years.  Download the Libertaria: The Virtual Opera Soundtrack at iTunes When I have the time to go through the entire composition process (because sometimes I have to skip a step or two for deadlines), I will start out with pencil, paper, and a piano (or keyboard, in my c...

Pro Tools 9 running on Windows (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Hello Everyone, I'm working on Libertaria: The Virtual Opera right now with Lucinda McNary, Kera Hildebrandt and Patricia Johnston. One of the challenges we have had is syncing audio to singing vocals, especially since a few of our singers have a lot of vibrato. MS Lip Sync is not too bad, but the program sometimes misinterprets vibrato, reverb, and sustained tones as a single word, leaving you with a puppet sitting there with his mouth gaping open while several words fly by. One workaround involved Kera rerecording her own version of the audio over the singer's version and then lip syncing to that. It worked great, but was a lot of extra work. So here are some ways to prep your audio prior to lip sync. You can use a free program like Audacity or an easy program like Garageband for Mac, Cubase, and other audio software. I use Logic, and high end software like Pro Tools and Digital Performer will give y...