Technical and Physical Preparations

Technical and physical preparations must be done for a number of reasons, some of them being...
so you protect your voice from damage
to maintain and develop the standard of your voice and pieces
to build confidence
One technical preparation I use quite regularly and would recommend is an arpeggio exercise going
up and down the scale. An example of how to use this exercise would be to start on middle c and to
the sound 'air' sing up to the next octave and back down again passing through every single note in
the scale. This exercise is to be sung very legato as this helps a singer to create a smooth texture in
their voice. This exercise also helps improve range by gently stretching the voice up and down the
scale, articulation and pronunciation also is affected because of the sound you choose to sing to this
exercise. For example I use the Italian vowel sounds which are 'Ar, Air, Ee, Oo, Ooh.' It creates a good
accent and a warmer tone. Apart from doing the actual exercise a good way to integrate this
exercise into your practise regime would be to learn an Italian song. Not only will it challenge you by
travelling up and down the scale profusely, but you learn how these Italian vowels are supposed to
sound in practise.
Another exercise I use is sirening. I was taught this exercise in class at college and I find that it really
helps warm the voice as it focuses on producing sound from the back of your mouth which most
vocal technique exercises don't do. It also teaches you to always sing through your mouth rather
than your nose which is a bad habit some singers can pick up. You start by opening your mouth
slightly and producing an 'Uengg' sound. You will feel that the sound is coming from the back of your
mouth, now hold this sound for as long as you can while constantly changing the pitch. I personally
find that this exercise is great for creating an open sound in a singer's voice and creates vast
improvements in the tone. The peculiar sound created allows you to develop your tone by working
directly on it rather than the quality of singing. I completely acknowledge that you shouldn't siren in
a performance because it isn't an attractive sound but this exercise is going to massively strengthen
the tone and projection. I particularly like this exercise because it sort of disconnects the tone of
your voice from the quality of sound, which means you can work on the more technical side of your
voice without trying to make it sound good.
A useful exercise I use to help myself focus on articulation and finishing the ends of my words is a
very staccato style exercise. I suffer from this problem and I know it seems like something that can
be easily corrected but the reason its so easy to forget to fully finish the endings of your words is
because everyone speaks their own language fluently, which means you don't think about how
you're saying the words because it comes so naturally, and also while singing you have so much to
think about including breath control, lyric, emotion, rhythm and the melody that it distracts
you something as small as finishing your words and how well they are pronounced. To perform this
exercise choose a one syllable word such as (hip, pip, ha, la) and sing that word repetitively up a
scale of five and back down. Remember to keep each word very staccato and articulated. This
exercise is very useful for warming up the lips and breath control by working your lower body
muscles, it also develops your diction massively.
Like I said previously I struggle with my articulation at times so I like to do tongue twister exercises
as well. A tongue twister is a difficult phrase you recite very fast. It is difficult because of verbal
challenges, alliteration and similar sounds it contains. When you manage to say each word in the
exercise correctly your articulation and diction is improving. Some good examples off tongue
twisters are...
bumble bee bumble bee bumble bee bum bumble bee bumble bee bumble bee bum
peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
she sells sea shells by the sea shore
six Sicilian seamen sailed the seven seas southward
This type of exercise is very useful because it forces you to think about what your upcoming words
are which is a habit you want to get into as a singer. It also forces you to improve your pronunciation
immediately because the concentration level on what you are doing is high. I find this exercise very
useful for me because sometimes I struggle with my articulation.
My next technical exercise is one I have used for years and I still find it really useful. The exercise is
set to the word 'olay.' This exercise contains jumps which are intervals of five and travels up and
down the scale. This exercise dramatically improves the flexibility of the voice because of the
interval jumps, it also allows you to increase your range because you are travelling up and down the
piano very quickly but gently. The last thing this exercise will improve is your breath control because
you will take a breath at the beginning of a phrase and use that energy only. This teaches you how to
channel a limited amount of energy into one phrase and how to manage the energy. This exercise
for me is very useful because I particularly like vocal exercises that just flow and also this exercise is
similar to a song so it is easy to relate it back to songs you may be currently working on.
The majority of these exercises are technical rather than physical and this is because the majority of
singing is technical and it is only really with breathing where singing becomes physical.
Describe the processes
implemented in preparation
for the performance of an
extended programme of
music
(what did I do to prepare for
recital)
Explain the processes
implemented in preparation
for the performance of an
extended programme of
music
(reasons why I prepared the
way I did)
Evaluate the processes
implemented in preparation
for the performance of an
extended programme of
music
(was it useful in when it
came to the performance and
why?)
I started by organising what
the emotional story of my
recital would be and organising
the order of the songs.
I did this because I didnt feel I
would be able to order the songs
if there wasnt a story for them
to follow yet. I knew I was using
the theme of love but eventually
I decided to follow the story of
using happiness in love and then
by the time we get to the middle
song we realise that it is all a
flashback and that the
This was very useful when it
came to my performance
because I felt like I could really
connect with what I was
performing as there was an
actual story there that I could
follow. It felt much more
genuine because instead of
being a selection of songs, it was
a characters experience.
characters happiness is all in the
past and that she is reminiscing
it rather than living it. Doing this
was my first step because I felt I
could add better character to
each song when I know more
about what stage the character
is feeling and what situation she
is in.
I acquired the accompaniment
for my performance onto a cd.
Two of the tracks came from
YouTube and three of them
were recorded.
I did this really early on in the
rehearsal process because I
wanted to be able to rehearse
with the same accompaniment I
will have when I perform my
recital for real. This is important
so that I get used to it and so
that I can balance the volume
levels.
This was very beneficial because
it gave me time to practice with
the cd before the performance.
It gave me time to get used to
the accompaniment, learn how
to work with it and also work out
where I struggled with the
accompaniment. By the time I
performed I knew the backing
inside out.
I spoke to David and Alison
about the availability of a
music room when I need it.
I did this because it is important
to make sure you arrange your
venue and be able to practice in
your performance space as early
on as possible.
This was really useful because
sorting this room out and
knowing I would be performing
in here allowed me time to
perform in my venue, get used
to the room and balance the
recording volume and my own.
Worked on getting timing with
accompaniment right by
focusing on parts of the songs
where I find the rhythms
trickier. This sometimes meant
looking at the score while
listening to the accompaniment
and counting where exactly
where Im supposed to be
singing.

I did this because sometimes I
have moments where I fall out
of timing with the
accompaniment and its
important that I avoid this not
only because the audience might
notice and be slightly dissatisfied
by the performance, but if I
make this mistake it will only
demonstrate that I might not be
very well skilled in rhythm.
This was very beneficial when it
came to my performance
because it meant I wasnt
making mistakes I had been in
rehearsal. It also improved my
confidence because I knew I
wasnt going to make these
errors. It meant that altogether I
gave a better performance and I
was better prepared for
something that had previously
been a weakness.
I worked on getting an
audience together by using
word of mouth. I asked a group
of my friends if they would
mind watching me perform.

I did this because to make my
recital feel more formal I need
an audience that has never seen
me sing before and none of
these people have seen me sing
before. It is also a course
requirement that I perform to an
audience.
This was useful because the fact
I had an audience made my
performance feel more nerve
racking and made me feel more
persistent to do well. I really
hate performing in front of
people I know which is why I
wanted to challenge myself and I
feel this paid off because my
nerves helped me to give a
better performance.
I decided to start building the
stamina levels I will need for 5
This is really important firstly
because I dont want my
This helped my performance
massively, I was full of energy
songs in a row. I did this by
using arpeggio exercises too
powerfully, but controlled and
practiced singing the songs one
after another without a break.

performance to start to
deteriorate halfway through my
recital, but also because I
wouldnt want my audience to
notice that I am starting to tire. I
want to be able to deliver the
same level of commitment to
character and technical ability as
I would if I was singing all the
songs separately. However, as I
started to develop this target I
noticed diaphragm pains
because of the high level of
usage in one go which lead to
my next element I worked on.
and instead of my performance
declining; I actually managed to
build on the energy and in my
opinion I felt that with the last
few songs I actually built up the
emotion displayed. It also
helped increase my confidence
because I felt comfortable with
my performance and I didnt feel
like at any point I would have to
manage my energy more
carefully, because I knew I had
enough.
I ensured my muscles used for
diaphragm support are fit for
that level of usage by doing
more breathing exercises and
gradually increasing how much
diaphragm support I use in the
recital over the rehearsal
process.

I did this because when I was
working on my stamina I noticed
that my diaphragm support
wasnt at the standard it should
be for a singing recital because
my lower body muscles would
develop pains. It is important
that in my performance I
maintain a good level of breath
control otherwise I will be
unable to finish longer phrases
and my voice will start to sound
breathy.
This was really useful because it
helped me prepare the energy I
would need for diaphragm
support in my recital. It also
helped me avoid an injury that
could have occurred during
performance which would have
caused a lot of problems as my
recital is assessed.
I then started working out
what I was going to do in the
30 second instrumental part of
memory. I didnt want to
stand there doing nothing but I
also didnt want to do any
extravagant movements.
Therefore I decided to look
upset and then look down to
the floor and pretend I am
singing the song to myself
again.

I did this because when I worked
out that the instrumental of the
song was 30 seconds long I
decided it would look bad and
the audience may disconnect
from my performance if I didnt
fill the gap with something.
This was very useful because in
the performance not only did
this decision stop the audience
from disconnecting from my
performance, but it also stopped
me from disconnecting from my
character. It helped the
emotional story I was telling to
flow and carry through.
I then worked on finishing the
ends of the words on songs and
singing throughout the full
beats. I did this my looking at
the sheet music and singing
with the accompaniment. In
rehearsal I also over
exaggerated the words in the
songs.
This was very useful for me
because it helped me to
associate with parts of the
accompaniment how long the
beats will be. The over
exaggerating of words was really
helpful because it gave me
better articulation in the songs.
This was very useful because
going over these two elements
helped me feel more secure in
my performance and feel surer
that I was doing it right. It
helped me learn to pronounce
the words better and therefore
increased my ability to
communicate with an audience.
The last specific area I wanted
to work on was developing
This is important because I dont
want to run out of breath
These exercises were very useful
in my performance because I felt
core control for the longer
phrases. I did this by doing
breath control exercises and
doing arpeggio exercises
except I would take deep
breath before I started and
slow the arpeggio right down
and teach myself to manage my
breath.

nearing the end of a phrase. It
wouldnt only impact my
technical performance
negatively but it will make me
worry about making that error
again.
better prepared for my recital. I
felt that my core muscles were
stronger and could support me
more. I felt that my core control
was now more stable and strong
so it could see me across the
longer phrases.