As singers, we want to give our audiences those powerful musical moments that sweep them off their feet. We can spend hours drilling into our songs, trying to make these moments happen, often overlooking the need to build our vocal skills. Singdaptive instructor Mark Baxter rarely ever uses the word “technique,” despite being a highly respected voice teacher to both big stars and amateurs alike. Instead, he has a pragmatic way of looking at vocal skill development:
“We have to demonstrate that we have comfort, and that we have control – that we’re making musical, artistic choices with our voice.”
Mark Baxter
Ask yourself, “Does this feel comfortable to me when I sing it?” Then, “Does my delivery reflect the meaning I want to convey?” If you answer “No” to either of these, then Mark’s clear tone exercise may just give you the breakthrough you’ve been looking for. Whether you sing with aggressive sounds, or soft sounds, this exercise is essential for an expressive voice.
Lesson Excerpt
Mark Baxter‘s clear tone exercise and the rest of this video will be available on Singdaptive.com in fall 2019.
Kathy Alexander is VP of Curriculum for Singdaptive. She was a staff writer for 6 years at VoiceCouncil Magazine and works for the University of Victoria as a practicum supervisor. Kathy is also a singer, vocal coach and choir director. Career highlights include guest appearances in Europe with Quannah Parker jazz fusion band in Norway, and back on the West Coast with Vision TV’s Let’s Sing Again, The Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra and the Victoria International Jazz Festival.
