The Art of Singing

I love to sing. Besides eating, singing is my most favorite activity. As I am learning the art, I
conclude that there are three levels of singing. I strive to reach each level and succeed.
I was four years old when I discovered that I really liked to sing. I remember punching my
older brother because he didnt want to give me the microphone connected to our old VHS player. I
didnt stop until I finally had the chance to seize it from him. I sang To Love You More with
overflowing confidence. My moment of happiness ended when my mom stopped me and told me
how awful I sang.
That incident made me realize that I really loved singing but the songs didnt love me back.
I tried to talk my parents into enrolling me in voice training classes but they saw it as a waste of
time. They thought it was just like puppy love that would pass in no time. Well, it didnt. So, when
the spirits of technology finally possessed our home, I was presented with a window of hope the
internet. It gave me the chance to have access on articles about singing properly and effectively proper in a way that I would sound good while feeling good.
According to Christy, any person who can talk and can carry a tune can also learn how to
sing well with confidence and pleasure. Singing well doesnt require much talent. A good example
is the K-Pop star, Sandara Park. When she was still living her younger days in Korea, people
ridiculed her singing. However, she really wanted to learn, so she took lessons and persevered. Who
would think that Sandara, who was often laughed at, would be a part of a group famous in Asia?
Learning how to sing may take a lot of time and effort; however, it is not impossible. If some birds
can sing, how much more is it possible for humans?

That was why I didnt lose hope. I had in mind the idea that singing was more of a skill than
talent. For an instance, a person born with a voice as beautiful as Mariah Careys would not
necessarily be a better singer than someone who was not born with a not so good voice but strives to
learn how to use it well.
In learning how to sing, we must have confidence, perseverance, patience, and passion for it.
I endured much scorn, humiliation, and frustration brought about my singing during my childhood.
However, no matter how many people tried to discourage me, they couldnt stop me from
persevering to improve. I was confident of my capabilities because I knew that as long as I had
passion for something, I would achieve it.
At first, I was just into imitating the voices of divas because that was the trend. Then, I
realized I was hurting my vocal chords so I decided to read about singing. As I was on the run to
learn how to sing without hurting my vocal folds, which is the first level of singing, the first thing I
learned was about proper breathing.
When I was a trainee for the UP Singing Ambassadors, Head Conductor Edguardo Manguiat
often told us that breathing constituted 70% of proper voice production. Breathing in singing is a lot
different from breathing in speaking. When we are on our normal breathing mode, it is more likely
for us to breathe shallowly and evenly; however, during singing, it is necessary to inhale rapidly but
deeply and exhale slowly and evenly. To do this, we must understand diaphragmatic breathing.
Diaphragmatic breathing does not mean that the air goes to the diaphragm. Air still goes into the
lungs but it is the diaphragm that supports the lungs in holding the air inside. When connection
between the lower muscles and the tone produced is established, we have breath support
(OConner).
Diaphragmatic breathing is actually the type of breathing our body is designed to. We can
observe that when we breathe subconsciously while we are lying down on the bed, the upper portion
of the torso rises up and down. The technique I often do is not to think that the air I breathe fills up

the lungs; rather, I concentrate on the portion above my navel and imagine the air flowing into my
diaphragm. In that way, I let the diaphragm do its job (Christy 13).
After I learned how to breathe properly, I was frustrated because I still didnt get the sound I
wanted. Then, I learned that the problem was my posture. Posture directs the air from the lungs to
the voice box. Poor posture can result to poor breathing and eventually to poor singing. To allow air
to freely flow, we must remove obstructions which are usually brought by tension due to improper
posture. When I was a beginner, I found out that the best posture was to stand straight with our
shoulders relaxed and the head level.
The last basic vocal principle is practice. There is no way the body can learn these
techniques without practice. When we sing, we cannot concentrate on our breathing and posture all
the time. The only solution to this is making these techniques a habit for our body to get used to. It
will not only protect the vocal folds from damage but also improve its sound quality (Evangelos).
When I was practicing these basic vocal techniques, I knew that I was on the first level of
singing. I concentrated on hitting the right notes and doing things right. I often did this for fun and
recreational purposes; for an instance, singing in the shower. Also, singing in karaoke with my
friends or simply singing along with the radio was a good practice for me to improve my voice and
technique. For this reason, my parents bought Magic Sing for me to practice with. I didnt have to
spend half of my allowance for just a few sessions of basic vocal training. With more confidence, I
joined our high school chorale.
Many times I had heard our chorale conductress say that in order to sing beautifully, we
should have these three things in mind: posture, articulation, and expression. I thought mastering the
notes and producing an excellent tone were enough to sing beautifully, but expression was also part
of executing the song. With these in mind, I reached the second level - singing beautifully to an
audience in which a song is sung with good interpretation and style.
I believe that I can only have the right expression when I fully understand and interpret a
song. Interpretation affects how we sing a song. It is as important as the technicalities in singing

because it directs the message of the song. For example, singers often misinterprets Every Breath
You Take by The Police as a love song; however, the frontman and song writer, Sting, wrote the
song in an evil way that showed a man of control and sinister to his ex-girlfriend (Bayer). We dont
want our boyfriends or girlfriends to think that we want them tied down by singing them this song,
do we?
Muller says that there are tactics to interpret the message of a song. First, we must know
why the song is made. It gives us a clear understanding of what is on the mind of the writer while
the song is being written. Second, we must know the meaning of the words we dont understand in
the song. Also, same as writing a piece, we should put it aside for some time to think about it
subconsciously. Lastly, ask other peoples interpretation of the song. I often go to forums and blogs
that have something to do with the song Im working with to have a better understanding and
perspective. It really helps.
Another element of expression is style. Style is the personality of a performer on stage as
seen by how the song is sung. There are various styles in the music industry but we can still create
our own unique style by stressing on our strengths in singing (Christy, 62). For an instance, Katy
Perrys Pop style differs from Charlotte Churchs classical approach by how they perform and sing
their songs. As for me, my style is very flexible because I sing theatrical songs as well as pop songs
because those are the type of music that Im interested to. Our unique style in singing a song
depends on our interpretation and adds beauty to the performance. Like what our conductress used
to say, A song is useless unless it is interpreted and expressed.
In the second level, we master the basic vocal principles and are on the way in building our
own style. I often hear this level of singing in amateur singing contests and teen pop stars. This is

achieved when we produce exceptional music but with not much impact on the audience like a
decent yet forgettable intermission number.
I achieved this level when I finally became an active member of our high school chorale
group. Despite the hindrances to my search for vocal enrichment, I still felt fortunate that I had
finally found a way to let my thirst for music be quenched. No matter how stressful it was for me
having to be pulled out of class for choral contests, I didnt feel the pressure for it seemed that I had
one of the best experiences that changed my life. For the first time, I had the chance to sing on a
stage with my friends; all dressed up and beautiful in the theatre full of people. This had a huge
effect on me. After I stepped out of that stage, I felt like I was a new person. I wasnt scared of
facing people anymore. I could participate actively on school groupings, class presentations or even
intermission numbers on birthday parties!
I thought that what I had learned was enough. I knew how to sing well and how to have my
own style. Besides, I didnt plan to become the next pop superstar or the next Lea Salonga. All I
wanted was to feel the pleasure of singing. Well, it wasnt long before I realized I was wrong.
As I was watching the musical play Namaste, I couldnt help but notice goosebumps on my
skin when they sang. There was even a time when I was on the verge of crying. I was amazed by
how they made me feel through the songs they were singing. With that, I discovered the third level
of singing.
Singing amazingly is singing beautifully with passion and connectivity with the audience.
This is the stage where we finally connect our style to our songs. Nowadays, few singers achieve
this level of singing because most songs are made for shallow entertainment purposes only. We give
the song its sense by making it known by our audience. World renowned vocal coach, Jeannie Deva,
says that we must sing with our own style brought by passion and emotion that is not only felt

within us but also shared and delivered to the people around us - it results to an amazing
performance that the audience will surely remember.
We are on this level when the song makes an impact on the hearts and minds of the
audience. I always find this very difficult to achieve because I must first capture the attention of the
audience before I can deliver to them the message. Also, I must understand the song fully so that I
can relay the right emotions for my audience. I only remember one instance when I finally reached
this level and it happened when I was in second year high school.
When my Arts teacher required us to join a contest whose winner would perform on our
recognition day, our section didnt let the opportunity escape. In two weeks, we had to present an
excerpt of Miss Saigon. They trusted me more than I trusted myself, so they gave me the role of
Kim. The moment they chose me, I felt the weight of the responsibility they placed on my
shoulders. I knew I had to do my best because I didnt want to let them down, so I rehearsed day
and night, directed some of the scenes, and even taught my classmates some techniques in singing. I
nearly had sleepless nights but yet again, it was worth it.
Hours before the performance, I imagined that I was really Kim a young and innocent
victim of love. I rehearsed the songs as if I was face to face with my imaginary loved one. Then, it
was time. We were the first to perform and I could hear the thumping of my heart as if it was about
to explode. However, I struggled against it, and I managed to look straight at the judges. The first
two scenes were fine but when we were on the third scene, I forgot a line. I tried so hard not to
make it noticeable and moved on, but I was still so embarrassed. Just another lesson learned for me
never ever forget the lyrics.
I thought we were going to lose because of my stupid mistake, but thank God, we won! We
performed in front of all the parents of the awardees, the school staff, and the principal. That was a

one of a kind opportunity for me having to perform in front of a lot of people and most especially,
my parents. We did our best and I was sure I put my all in that performance.
When our presentation ended, I wasnt really expecting much appreciation from the
audience. As I descended the stage, I was surprised by the audience. People smiled at me and told
me how good our performance was. Some even shook my hand. I was so shocked at their reactions
that I thought I was dreaming. However, there was one who really made my heart leap - my father.
He told me how much I made him proud. No praises can equal what my father made me feel.
These experiences taught me that learning how to sing didnt require a good voice because
having a heart for singing is enough. Like in any other art, we must have passion for singing so that
we could grow in it. Passion drove me up from an ear-piercing whiner to a confident singer.
At night when I am recollecting these colorful memories of mine, I wonder if I had given up
on what I love to do; would I still be who I am now? Well, it doesnt matter anyway because I dont
regret striving for what I wanted. Now that I am the new me, when we sing on our karaoke, I dont
have to punch anyone to give me the microphone. I am now forced into it.
Work Cited

Bayer, Jonah. The Most Misunderstood Rock Songs of All Time. IGN Music. 28 February, 2009.
11 September 2010. < http://music.ign.com/articles/957/957991p1.html>
Christy, Van. Foundations in Singing: A Basic Textbook in Vocal Technique and Song
Interpretation. Dubuque: W.C. Brown, 1990.
Deva, Jeannie. Style What is Mine?. jeanniedeva.com. 14 July 2010. 22 July 2010.
<http://www.jeanniedeva.com/page/112933>.
Evangelos, Lisa. Three Basic Vocal Principles. chorusmagazine.com. 28 June, 2010. 22 July

2010. < http://www.chorusmagazine.com/2010/06/three-basic-vocal-principles/>.

Muller, Andrew, ed. How to Interpret Song Lyrics. therealmusician.com. 13 May 2009.
22 July 2010. < http://www.therealmusician.com/interpreting-song-lyrics.html>.
OConner, Karyn. Correct Breathing for Singers. singwise.com. 25 February, 2010.
11 September 2010. <http://www.singwise.com/cgibin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=
EffectiveAndProperBreathingForSinging>.
Schmidt, Jan. Basics of Singing. NY: Schirmer, 1984.