The Intelligent Vocalist

Mindfulness is becoming extremely popular, and for good reason. The scientific consensus is that meditation has concrete benefits, including increased focus, awareness, and brain function. The ability to direct your focus is one of the cornerstones of mindful meditation, and the practical applications for singers are immense. In this episode, John discusses how to begin the practice of mindfulness and how it can positively impact your practicing and performance.  EPISODE LINKS Waking Up App

Singing is such a mind intensive endeavor that it is easy to ignore the richness of information around us. The music we are singing over is full of clues and instructions to help us deliver fantastically musical performances - but we need to listen. In this episode, John discusses the cues embedded in the music and how to listen to bring your vocal performance to a higher level. SHOW LINKS: The Boldly Belting course.

There endless debates about what makes a great voice teacher - celebrity clients, excellent singing voice, scientific expertise, the list goes on. In this episode, John draws on his years of experience training hundreds of voice teachers to discuss the traits he finds in exceptional teachers.

No one enjoys giving a bad vocal performance - but it happens to us all. The aftermath of failing onstage can be devastating, but there are great lessons to be learned from a less than perfect performance. In this episode, John discusses how to recover and improve from your vocal disasters.

We all have 24 hours in a day, and the time we can take out of this limited resource for practicing is precious. Inspired by James Schramko's bestselling book, Work Less, Make More, John applies this concept to practice sessions. Learn John's best tips for getting real results from your practice sessions so you can get out there and really sing!

He (or she) who hesitates is lost. This should be the mantra of every singer. Plunging into scary, risky situations is what propels us and helps create musical breakthroughs. In this episode, John discusses why you should push hesitation aside and embrace the fear of the unknown.   EPISODE LINKS Penn's Sunday School Podcast

The eyes are indeed the window to the soul, and the secret to emotionally capturing and moving an audience. In this episode, John discusses how to use your eyes to impact an audience and to help raise your vocal performances to new heights. EPISODE LINKS Carole D'Andrea Singing Performance Classes

High, intense belting requires finely-tuned resonance, otherwise, the results can be disastrous. In this episode, John discusses the concept of BELTinese - the language adjustments necessary to sing thrilling high notes with balance and ease.  

The voice is an incredibly tricky instrument, and there are periods when our improvement can seem to stall or even go in the opposite direction. In this episode, John discusses how to create a routine that can help propel your voice to the next levels.

Voice science is advancing our understanding of singing by leaps and bounds - but it's also becoming a bit overwhelming. In this episode, John looks at the role of knowledge in singing and why an overreliance on science can be a problem.