Agility Exercises for Singers |
| Follow-along vocal warmups and exercises to help with vocal agility, flexibility and accuracy! Focusing on this vocal skill will add invaluable tools to your vocal toolbox! |  |
| | Exercises for vocal agility and coordination! If you want to work on singing passages with ease, it's important to work on exercises that will allow you to build those skills. Enjoy! |
| One of my early videos that has stood the test of time! Check out these vocal exercises and warmups to build and strengthen your vocals! | |
| | More VOCAL AGILITY exercises! Want to sing accurate runs, riffs? Maybe just be able to navigate harmony parts with ease? Try these vocal agility exercises for singers! |
| Work on your smoothing out your vocal line with these vocal warmups and exercises for smooth and accurate intervals! | |
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FUN AND SILLY VOCAL WARMUPS
for all ages
 | Want to add a bit of fun to your vocal warmups? Here are three sing along warmup videos sure to put a smile on your face AND prepare your voice for singing! These fun and challenging warmups include a range of vocal warmups like warmups with fun orchestration, tongue twisters, and silly animal themed warmups. |
Orchestrated Warmups
| This set of very effective and efficient vocal warmups has unique and fun accompaniment. The orchestrations present different styles like polka, march, jazz, and classical orchestrations. They are a fun and challenging set of sing along vocal warmups. | |
Fun and Silly Vocal Warmups
| | These fun and silly vocal warmups are great for kids as well as adults who love to be playful. Lots of tongue twisters and challenges in this one! And, as you can see by the thumbnail, excellent cameos by the OG Studio Cat, Celeste the Cat |
Ridiculously Fun Vocal Warmups
| Silliness upon silliness! These ANIMAL THEMED warmups will have you laughing and singing along with animated animals: a cow, giraffe, cat, and even a dragon. Not only are these vocal warmups fun, they are very effective! | |
Fun Vocal Warmups for ALL AGES
| | Lastly, and a bit easier on the cheese, these fun vocal warmups allow you to explore the lighthearted side of your voice while making excellent progress as a singer! |
Got "Morning Voice"?
 | Your alarm goes off, you feet hit the floor, and you open your mouth to sing or speak. The low voice of your morning alter-ego comes out in a low, croaky-smoky drone. Why does your voice sound deeper in the morning? Is it normal? What should we do about it? First of all, this is very normal: you've been asleep for hours, there is often a bit of fluid accumulation in the tissues. Sometimes the dry air makes tissues less pliable and responsive. Ideally, we should be breathing through our noses while we sleep. If you have hoarseness in the morning, consider seeing a doctor to look into the possibility of acid reflux, which can be quite damaging! |
Morning Vocal Warm Ups
Please enjoy some of these warmups and exercises that I recommend for getting your voice warmed up first thing in the morning, whether you are getting ready for singing or speaking.
Full Length Morning Vocal Warm Up & Stretch
| Ok, folks - this was in the early part of distancing in 2020. It's silly BUT it will bring you through some great wakeup stretches AND some gentle progressive vocalizations. Stay in your favorite PJs and join me! | |
Gentle Morning Vocal Warm Ups
| | This gentle set of vocal warmups is great for getting your voice going in the morning. Easy does it! Move slowly, and feel free to repeat any exercises more than once if you feel like you should spend a bit longer on it before moving on. |
SOVT Exercises: Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises
SOVTs are a great way to start the day. Here are two videos of guided SOVT vocal warm ups and exercises.
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Gentle Vocal Warmups
| These gentle vocal warmups are great for any time of day, but starting off your day with gentle warmups (and easing in to speaking and singing) is key! | |
Stemple Vocal Function Exercises
| | Often used in Speech Language Pathology work, the Stemple Vocal Function Exercises allow you to get right to work on efficient and effective phonation. |
Happy Halloween! Let's Sing!
 | While we can ABSOLUTELY sing minor vocal warm ups any time of the year, I've compiled this collection of Halloween Vocal Warm Ups that are all in minor. Want spooky vocal warm ups? Minor Vocal Warm Ups? Even some rounds. Check out my Halloween Warm Up videos from 2022, 2021, and 2020. Enjoy! |
Minor Warm Ups and Rounds
My first Halloween Vocal Warm Up video from 2020 - it also features two rounds: The Ghost of Tom (aka The Ghost of John) and The Birch Tree.
Vocal Exercises and Warm Ups in Minor Keys
If you're lucky, you just might see my former studio cat, Celeste the Cat. Minor Key Vocal Warmups and Exercises, 2021.
Spooky Halloween Vocal Warm Up
Grab your costume and join in! More minor warm ups and exercises from 2022.
Strengthening Aging VoicesI recently started working on my Doctorate of Musical Arts degree with Boston University. This semester, I focused on the impact and benefits of community music ensembles as well as the reasons that people join or leave those ensembles. |  |
In the process, I reviewed over 60 scholarly articles and came across quite a few that I think are valuable, and I imagine I'll be sharing many of these studies with you over the next few years. Today, I’d like to share a study I found entitled, “The Effect of Vocal Function Exercises on the Voices of Aging Community Choral Singers” (linked – full citation below)
In short, community singers with aging voices either did 5 weeks of Stemple Vocal Function Exercises or were part of the control group. The results summary reads:
Results
After VFE training, significant improvements in perceived roughness, maximum phonation time, jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio were found for participants in the VFE group. However, evaluations of perceived breathiness and strain and phonational frequency range did not reveal significant changes. The VFE program was also generally perceived by the participants to have a positive effect on their voices.
What are the Stemple Vocal Function Exercises?
These exercises, often used by speech language pathologists, are designed to strengthen and balance speaking and singing muscles, improve vocal fold efficiency (adduction), and coordinate systems used in speaking and singing.
In short, community singers with aging voices either did 5 weeks of Stemple Vocal Function Exercises or were part of the control group. The results summary reads:
Results
After VFE training, significant improvements in perceived roughness, maximum phonation time, jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio were found for participants in the VFE group. However, evaluations of perceived breathiness and strain and phonational frequency range did not reveal significant changes. The VFE program was also generally perceived by the participants to have a positive effect on their voices.
What are the Stemple Vocal Function Exercises?
These exercises, often used by speech language pathologists, are designed to strengthen and balance speaking and singing muscles, improve vocal fold efficiency (adduction), and coordinate systems used in speaking and singing.
Stemple Vocal Function Exercises Video
How else can I strengthen my voice as I age?
Use it! And use it wisely. Full body health is important, as is speaking and singing with the right tension/relaxation balance. While the Stemple Vocal Function Exercises are great, it is important to note that we crave variety and are more likely to stick with a program we like and can have fun with. I encourage you to use the Stemple Vocal Function Exercises, but also mix things up with some other vocal exercises and warmups! Here are some additional videos I would recommend.
Use it! And use it wisely. Full body health is important, as is speaking and singing with the right tension/relaxation balance. While the Stemple Vocal Function Exercises are great, it is important to note that we crave variety and are more likely to stick with a program we like and can have fun with. I encourage you to use the Stemple Vocal Function Exercises, but also mix things up with some other vocal exercises and warmups! Here are some additional videos I would recommend.
Gentle and Rehabilitative Warmups
Strengthening the Aging Voice Through Menopause*
*note: these exercises are great for singers of all genders!
Vocal Warmup for Efficient Singing
“Mixed Voice” Exercises and Warmups for Singers
Daily practice will help keep your vocal mechanism
healthy and strong!
Article Citation:
Ya Lian Tay, E., Phyland, D. J., Oates, J. (2012). The effect of vocal function exercises on the voices of aging community
choral singers. Journal of Voice, 26(5), 672.e19-672.e27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2011.12.014
Ya Lian Tay, E., Phyland, D. J., Oates, J. (2012). The effect of vocal function exercises on the voices of aging community
choral singers. Journal of Voice, 26(5), 672.e19-672.e27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2011.12.014
Vocal Warm Ups are important for singers - ideally, we want to be singing every day.
Before we get into all of the reasons that singers should warm up the voice, it is important to briefly answer the question, “what are vocal warmups?” - my approach to vocalizing combines the idea of physically making sure the voice is ready to sing with the idea of using warm ups as vocal training and vocal exercises. So, for our purposes, “vocal warm ups” includes the idea of warm ups AND exercises. Once you’ve been using your voice each day, whether it is singing or talking, there generally isn’t too much need to “warm up” the muscles as you might as an athlete, but the vocal warm up period can be used to physically and mentally put ourselves into the best possible singing space - remembering how to stand, how to breathe, working out any registration issues, and ensuring efficient vocal fold vibration. The “why” of how to warm up your voice is closely related to the “how” of how to warm up your voice
Before we get into all of the reasons that singers should warm up the voice, it is important to briefly answer the question, “what are vocal warmups?” - my approach to vocalizing combines the idea of physically making sure the voice is ready to sing with the idea of using warm ups as vocal training and vocal exercises. So, for our purposes, “vocal warm ups” includes the idea of warm ups AND exercises. Once you’ve been using your voice each day, whether it is singing or talking, there generally isn’t too much need to “warm up” the muscles as you might as an athlete, but the vocal warm up period can be used to physically and mentally put ourselves into the best possible singing space - remembering how to stand, how to breathe, working out any registration issues, and ensuring efficient vocal fold vibration. The “why” of how to warm up your voice is closely related to the “how” of how to warm up your voice
Why To Warm Up Your Voice
Reasons to warm up your voice as a singer.
1 - Mental focus: Ensure you are connecting with your best techniques.
2 - Release tension: Tension is the enemy of freely produced singing.
3 - Improve your vocal skills: Vocal warmups and exercises can be used for regular, focused skill building.
4 - Focus on breathing and alignment: Working on short exercises allows us to focus on the basics.
Understanding that vocal warm ups are important, we can discus how to warm up the voice.
1 - Mental focus: Ensure you are connecting with your best techniques.
2 - Release tension: Tension is the enemy of freely produced singing.
3 - Improve your vocal skills: Vocal warmups and exercises can be used for regular, focused skill building.
4 - Focus on breathing and alignment: Working on short exercises allows us to focus on the basics.
Understanding that vocal warm ups are important, we can discus how to warm up the voice.
How To Warm Up Your Voice
- Looking for more vocal warmups? Check out my YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/khansenmusic
Vocal warm up app coming soon! Learn more here: www.warmupswithkathleen.com
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