The Sound Singer

Musicianship for Singers, How to be a Versatile Musician

My guest is the inspiring Brenda Earle Stokes who is a singer, musician and music educator specializing in creative and practical training for the 21st Century musician. 
Based in New York City, Brenda’s performance career has taken her to international stages and she has released 6 critically-acclaimed albums.
You can find Brenda on Youtube as well as Instagram  Her content empowers singers and music teachers with the piano and musicianship skills needed to book more gigs and attract more students and be a versatile musician.  
This episode covers: the importance of musicianship for singers, how to come back to the piano as an adult, how to prepare for performance, how to practice effectively.  Get ready to be inspired! 

Breathing for the Vocal Athlete

Our guest is Barbara Tanze who has a made it her mission in life to help vocal athletes and olympic athletes breathe more efficiently.  She believes each individual deserves a personalized approach and uses different methods to help improve vocal restraints and dysfunctional breathing patterns.
This episode covers:  
Myths around breathing for singers; why we have dysfunctional breathing patterns; how Barbara uses balloons to teach breathing; why a 'one size fits all' approach to training a vocal athlete doesn't always work; and how using a treadmill can help us with vocal stamina
IG: btbreathing
 

Music Therapy and Mental Health in Performing Arts

Our guest is Psychotherapist and Music Therapist, Aksana Kavaliova.  Originally from Belarus, Aksana lived and worked in the Kingdom of Bahrain before returning to Canada and settling in Niagara. She grew up in a musical family and studied performing arts and then went on to specialize in the field of mental health for nearly 20 years. 
This episode covers:  What is trauma and the impact trauma can have on vocal performers.  What tools can we use to help us with performance anxiety?  What is EMDR and what happens in a session? What is music therapy?  
Aksana shares her experience and expertise and reminds us that, no matter what, we can overcome our challenges and restore a sense of hope. 
IG: aksana_musictherapy 

Shifting Our Mindset

Our guest in this episode Jenn Linsi.  Jenn is a mindset coach who specializes in helping young adults overcome insecurities and improve their confidence so that they can achieve their goals.  In this episode, Jenn openly shares her helpful strategies that we can use to overcome the challenges we face not just in performing arts but in life!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JennLinsi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennlinsi
Website: https://www.jennlinsi.com 

Solo Episode on Mix Voice

Let's get some clarity on Mix Voice! This mini episode is just me chatting about what obstacles singer's have to deal with when it comes to technique, and how mixing can help.  What exactly is mix voice and how can we get started on developing it?  Got questions?  Let me know!   
@alidavocalstudio

Voice Physio for Singers

Our guest in this episode is Selina Tannenberg from @voice_physio Selina is a physiotherapist who works primarily with singers and performers helping them to improve their vocal health, mobility, and performance.  Selina highlights the importance of having a team and gives us her secrets to better performances through musculoskeletal health. 

Fitness and the Vocal Athlete

Fitness and nutrition coach Claudia Hodgson joins us to talk about how fitness can help those in the performing arts lead healthier lifestyles and increase their energy by building a sustainable routine.
In this episode we chat about: What should singers/professional voice users/performers do to live a healthy lifestyle?  The undeniable benefits of strength training and why singers shouldn’t be afraid of it! How does nutrition affect our performance?  How the industry can be so demanding on singers physique and thankfully this is changing. Why we should prioritize health over physique or aesthetics. 
Follow Claudia on Instagram:  @coachedby_claudia
 
 

Vocal Health with Dr. Inna Husain

In this episode I interview Dr. Inna Husain who is a voice and throat surgeon based in Chicago.  Dr. Husain gives us some clarity on:  mucus (a singer's worst nightmare, or is it?), hydration, Muscle Tension Dysphonia, the two most common pathologies singers' face, what we can do to look after our instrument better and her viral video on throat clearing. This episode is intended for educational purposes only and is not direct medical advice.
 

Managing Stage Fright

In this episode, I chat with Laura Dumbleton the Stage Fright Coach, who has devoted the last decade to working with performers to help them overcome their stage fright. We discuss: 
- tools to help overcome music performance anxiety
- should singers take beta blockers to help with stage fright?
-how are singers more affected by stage fright than any other musicians
 
 

Words of Wisdom from a Vocal Athlete

In this episode, I chat with my friend and colleague singer and fellow voice teacher Monique Thomas.  Monique talks about her journey as an artist and teacher and how she is able to juggle both careers.  What it takes to be a resilient vocal athlete and embracing the "woo woo" part of life!  How to deal with tour life and how to get back into performing after a pandemic...You don't want to miss her sense of humour and words of wisdom!
@alidavocalstudio  @moniquebthomaas