Singing Tips #1: The Deep Breath

Day to day, most of us breathe as deep as our chest. As long as our lungs get their fill we're content with this. However, to sing properly and with ease, there is a proper way to breathe that will not only help you develop more control the breathhing itself, but help you support the voice that is inside of you. It will also affect how you sing, project, sound, and will ultimately enable you todo those melismas and other singing techniches that you so badly want to emulate.

Another benefit of this deep breathing, is relaxation. Which helps with stage fright, anxiety, stress, and over all confidence!

That said, the first things you need to know about breathing:

1. Stand up straight, arms by your side. Exhale all of the air in your belly.
2. While counting to ten in your head, take a slow, deep breath in to your belly. Fill it up with air. Think of it as being pregnant with air. This is what you want to see. What can help you achieve this, and help you see whether you're doing it properly is standing in front of the mirror and placing both hands on the sides of your belly [without force] while doing the breathing. If you're doing it properly you should see your hands expand with your belly. You really need to see your belly expand, and almost feel it pulling on the inside. This is telling you that you are, in fact, filling up the right area.
3. Hold the breath for another ten seconds.
4. Release the air as you count to ten again.
5. Repeat another three times, but don't go overboard. You might get dizzy or light headed, so take it slow. If counting to ten is too much for you, start with five and work your way up! Remember, there's no rush, and certainly no standard speed at which people learn to sing, breathe, or anything for that matter. Take your time and do what is right for you! Everything will work out in time!

Control over your breathing is very important, and this will help you a lot later one. Think of it as the foundation on which your skill will be relying on.

And as everything else, practice, practice, practice! It doesn't matter how good you think you are, or how much you're fed up of doing silly elementary exercises! I can't stress enough how important it is to keep the basics a priority if you really want to develop your skill.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns...anything at all, please don't hesitate to send me a message or a comment! I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!

-Sarah :)

Because finding a place to live isn't easy!

Finding an apartment is never an easy task- let alone trying to find an apartment outside of my locality. Luckily, I've come across a useful tool that not only lets me narrow down my state and city preferences, but also enables me to compare all of the apartment candidates I am willing to consider side by side. Not only this, but it lets me compare several states altogether, which makes it easier for me to see what my options are, where, and what is most convenient for my lifestyle and goals.

Amongst numerous candidates, I've found one particular apartment that suits me and what I am looking for.

This beautiful apartment in Denver, CO is not only within fair distance from school, but it offers a variety of amenities that make student life easier (and more bearable, really). Amongst all the stress and chaos that takes place in a semester, it's nice to have everything you need in one place. This apartment, called the Axis At Nine Mile Station is walking distance from public transportation, which makes it easier to, you know, actually get to class, let alone on time. When I need some me-time, I can walk on over to the sports court, or have some friends over and make use of the grilling barbecues in order to celebrate passing that exam by a hairline (We all have our close calls!). Another benefit, I have to say, is the ample closet space. Being a girl, I have a lot of clothing and shoes, and this makes it easier for me to keep them organized. Additionally, It gives me room to hide those passed-by-a-hairline exams!

My favourite part, however, is the beautiful view I have of the mountains. Nothing is more grounding than seeing such natural beauties right in front of you, it's magical, it's breathtaking and that, my friends, is about 80% of the reason I would like to relocate to Denver, CO. The city will always be a a part of me and I don't want to leave that behind. Having access to these mountains and other pieces of nature that encompass the city at such an accessible and convenient distance is absolutely amazing. Denver is the perfect mix; the wine and cheese, the hydrogen and oxygen that is both necessary and delicious.

The big city is where I grew up, thus will always remain a part of me. Lately I've been getting an itch to move away to study; broaden my horizons and experiences to elsewhere than where I've been my entire life without leaving the big city feel behind. At the same time, I would love to be in a place laden with natural splendour, somewhere with less city smells, less concrete and more grass to lay on and watch the clouds go by. Don't get me wrong, I love the city, love the thrill of crossing a busy boulevard and as fond as I am about the smell of gasoline at 8:00AM, I wouldn't mind an afternoon hike or a beautiful view to satisfy my hankering for a natural encounter.

This is why I have chosen the Axis Nine Mile apartment; it's got everything I could want. The only thing that could make it better would be it having a library. It would be awfully convenient to have such easy access to books those nights where I need to get away from homework or have some time to kill. Additionally, I would love for it to have a rock climbing wall, seeing as it is a sport I regularly practice, but with those wonderful mountains and raw climbing destinations so close by it's not so bad. Overall, however, it is a wonderful find I am quite fond of.

You can check out my pad by clicking HERE!

New Beginnings

Well, it's been a while since my last post. A lot of changes have taken place, such as new living location and arrangements, new job, a bit of a paradigm shift in many areas of life in general.

Life throws curve-balls at you; sometimes full of opportunity and sometimes they're laced with concrete and run into your face. It's up to you to do what you need to do to make the most of them, and see the good they have to offer. For me, it was about marking the end of a long standing relationship, put my big-girl pants on and move on with life. Since, I've learned a lot about myself and what my aspirations and goals are, and am generally happier than I was. That's not to say that I wasn't happy, just that I felt trapped in a cycle I didn't want to be in and was too afraid to make the changes necessary to move ahead.

Anyways, I'm back, and I will do my best to post regularly and keep up with the copious amounts of talent that the internet holds.

Hopefully I haven't lost too much of a following, but, alas, I guess I deserve it.

Here's to new beginnings and wonderful times :)

-The Music

PS. I've recently decided to start working on my music more seriously, so you may be hearing from myself every now and then! ;)

Return from short hiatus!

Hey guys & gals!

So it's been over a month since our last post- for that I am very sorry. Finals and, you know, life were happening and some things needed to be sorted out. But, we're back and going to go through some minor changes, but for the most part things will remain mostly what we are right now- a blog to keep you in the know about upcoming/underrated talent.

Hope you haven't been turned off by our short hiatus, and we look forward to hearing any questions/comments you have for us!

Again, very sorry for the hiatus! Thanks again for your ongoing support, we appreciate it!

-The Music