City Vocal Coach

Why “Use More Breath” Is Often the Wrong Advice

Sam Marlow — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:34:14 +0000

Why "Use More Breath" Is Often the Wrong Advice

By Sam Marlow, City Vocal Coach

If you’ve ever been told your voice sounds breathy and the advice you got back was “support with more breath” or “push from the diaphragm,” you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common things I hear from students who’ve had lessons elsewhere, and in most cases, more breath is exactly the wrong thing to reach for.

Here’s why.

The real reason voices sound breathy

Breathiness in the singing voice happens when the vocal cords aren’t closing properly. Sound is created when air comes up from the lungs and causes the vocal cords to vibrate, but for that vibration to be efficient, the cords need to close fully on each cycle. When they don’t, air escapes through the gap, and you get that breathy, airy quality in the tone.

That’s a cord closure problem. Not a breath problem.

The vocal cords need surprisingly little air to open and close efficiently, even on big, high, belty notes. They’re roughly the size and thickness of a thumbnail, and they’re doing extraordinarily precise work. Throwing more air at them when they’re not closing properly doesn’t fix the closure. It just increases the airflow through the gap, which makes the breathiness worse.

Why teachers reach for breath advice anyway

It’s not that breath support doesn’t matter, it does. But breath and cord closure are two separate things, and when a student sounds breathy, the instinct to address the breath first is understandable but often misses what’s actually happening at the cord level.

The tricky part is that you can’t feel your vocal cords directly. You can’t sense whether they’re closing fully or not from the inside, which makes it hard to address the problem with an internal instruction. What you can do is monitor it externally.

“You can’t feel your vocal cords from the inside. So stop trying to fix them from the inside. Monitor the result instead.”

Two things I use in lessons constantly: put your hand in front of your mouth while you sing. You might feel a little warmth, but you shouldn’t feel breath on your hand. If you do, the air is escaping rather than being converted into tone. Alternatively, record yourself. If you can hear the breathiness on playback, it’s there. If you can’t, you’re doing the right thing internally. The more you practise singing without that breathiness, the more those muscles learn what you’re asking of them.

The other end of the dial: constriction

It’s worth being clear that the answer isn’t to clamp down and squeeze either. Too much closure, too much pressure holding the cords together, causes constriction, which brings its own problems: strain, tension, and potential vocal damage over time. The balance point is much closer to “less air” than most breath-heavy teaching would suggest, but it’s still a balance. The goal is cord closure that’s efficient and relaxed, not gripped.

Breathiness isn't always wrong

This is important, because I don’t want anyone reading this to think breathiness is simply a flaw to eliminate. It isn’t. Some of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music use breathiness deliberately and brilliantly. Billie Eilish has built a huge part of her vocal identity on it. A lot of jazz and soul singing relies on it for intimacy and emotional texture.

The difference is control. When breathiness is a conscious choice, dialled in because the lyrical moment calls for it or because it’s part of a deliberate stylistic identity, it’s a valid and powerful tool. When it’s a default you can’t switch off, two things happen: you lose the contrast that makes it interesting, and your voice tires out faster than it should. Inefficient cord closure means more air is being used to produce each note, and that adds up over the course of a set or a long rehearsal.

What to actually work on

The fix for most singers isn’t more breath. It’s training the cords to close more efficiently, and doing it through repetition and monitoring rather than internal sensation. Practise without the breathiness. Use your hand, use a recording, use whatever external feedback tells you what’s actually happening. Over time the muscles get the message.

And if you want to add a touch of breathy tone back in once the closure is sorted, go for it. That’s the point: having the control to choose.

If you’d like help working out where your voice actually sits on that dial, I run a free discovery call where we can have a listen together. Book one at cityvocalcoach.com.

The Science Behind Why Singing Makes You Feel Better

Sam Marlow — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 14:43:23 +0000

The Science Behind Why Singing Makes You Feel Better

By Malin Andersson, City Vocal Coach

3 Things that makes singers the happiest people on the planet.

Here at City Vocal Coach we are all about having fun while learning! Music brings meaning and a lot of joy to our lives and that could be enough said about why we are a happy bunch at CVC. However, there is actually also an explanation to why in particular singing makes you feel better. If you take good care of your voice – your voice will also take care of you You might have heard about how singing can do wonders to your mood or you might even have experienced this yourself. How there can be a shift in emotions, a boost in energy levels or a sense of calm after a session of singing. This is not a coincidence – it is a fact; singing does have a positive and healing effect on our mind, body and wellbeing.

How can we actually use singing to boost our wellbeing? And do we have to use our voice in a specific way to feel better or simply just sing?

When singing, frequencies and resonance are moving through our body and are having both a physical and emotional effect on us. The resonance created by our voice is calming the nervous system and stimulating the vagus nerve.

Before we dig into each part of why singing can be so healthy for us, I’ll briefly explain how I personally got to be so passionate about knowing more on this subject.

I have since a child been singing and writing songs. Drawn to express my feelings through music, I early decided to pursue a career in music as an artist and a coach for other singers and songwriters. Music has for me always been a steady companion and a vital activity for my mental and physical health. I’ve been fortunate to follow a lot of my students’ journeys within music, not only the development of musical and artistic skills, but also how it has gained them confidence, feelings of self-worth and eased depression and difficult feelings.

I decided to dive into the more holistic part of singing. Studying wellbeing and mindfulness for singers through Vocal Health Courses and started learning Alexander Technique for musicians. On my own I was also exploring Yoga for singers and using chakra sounds for voice. It is a never ending wellspring of information, knowledge and insights to understand it all, but in this blog I will be sharing some of what I’ve found helpful to know so far.

One thing I know for sure is that everything is connected – you will benefit from looking at all parts; body, mind and soul/energy to make singing into your go-to-practice to feel good.
We’ll begin with what is physically happening in the body when we use our singing voice…

1. The Chemical Reaction

When we sing, there’s several good hormones and neurotransmitters released in our bodies, such as endorphins, oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. All of these belong within the group of happy hormones and chemical messengers that promote positive feelings, pleasure and love.

Endorphins
Creates a feeling of euphoria.
Reduces our stress levels.

Oxytocin
Reduces anxiety and stress.
Reduces feelings of depression and loneliness.

Dopamine
Gives a feeling of well-being.
Improves memory, movement and motivation.

Serotonin
Helps the feelings of satisfaction, happiness and optimism.
Reduces anxiety and depression.

According to this, singing could potentially be the perfect remedy (without medication!) for heightening your vibrations and getting you out of a place of low feelings.

2. Body Awareness & Alignment

One of the first things to look at for singers that wish to use their voice more freely, is how we can get more aware of our whole instrument by practicing the connection between mind and body. How amazing is it that the voice includes the whole body and not just our vocal cords!?

Our vocal cords are a small but of course very useful part of our body connected to muscles, bones and tissue. To be able to use the voice fully and freely we need to have an aligned, relaxed posture and be able to “tune in” with the body and allow muscles to relax that aren’t needed. It doesn’t mean standing super straight but rather to align each part of the body on top of each other from your feet and up, making sure we can be comfortable and not causing any unnecessary tension.

Singing posture is therefore a position that allows the body to save energy and not cause any stress to our joints or muscles. When in this position we also allow the energy within our bodies to flow freely. This can be compared to sitting in a straight position for example meditation or mindfulness exercises.

In singing we want to become aware of our so called “holding habits” to be able to sing with complete ease. Some holding habits can be clinching your jaw, overusing the tongue, excess use of neck and upper body muscles to name a few. When training ourselves to be more mindful of these changes in our body we can then practice how to break these habits and instead create new healthy habits for our body and voice. This is where a vocal coach comes in handy to spot where you might be holding tension and help you to release and let go of these habits.

Another thing that has a huge impact on our body when singing is the breathing…

3. Breathing

Singing engages one of our body’s greatest stress relievers – our breathing. In singing we learn to control our breathing, having a steady flow of air when we exhale and a relaxed inhale. Breathing while singing can have the same effect as yoga breathing as we keep a steady tempo and controlled air flow. Hence Yoga for singers is becoming increasingly popular!

The breath brings oxygen to all cells in our body for us to function and have enough energy. In singing we often get into a rhythm for the breath, inhaling to a lower part of our lungs instead of shallow breathing high up in our chest. This can increase the oxygen levels and also calm our nervous system.

Embrace the chemical reaction, connect mind to body and breeeeath to use your voice fully as often as you can and I promise that you will feel the change

Happy singing! Malin x

Stop Squeezing the Note: Why Singing Should Feel Like Speaking

Sam Marlow — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:20:50 +0000

Vocal Tips

Stop Squeezing the Note: Why Singing Should Feel Like Speaking

By Sam Marlow, City Vocal Coach

I get some version of this most weeks: “When I talk, my voice feels easy. The second I start singing, it all changes.” And it does change, every time, for almost every student. The good news is it’s one of the quickest things to fix, once you understand why it’s happening in the first place.

Nobody’s anxious about saying their own name out loud. But the second singing’s involved, there’s suddenly an idea of how it’s “supposed” to sound, and that’s where the trouble starts. You start pushing. Controlling it. Squeezing the note instead of just letting it out.

Squeezing isn't a technique problem. It's a tension problem

I had a student last week describe it exactly right: she could feel herself squeezing the notes, even though she knew her speaking voice was already the more resonant of the two. Knowing that and doing something about it are two different things, and that gap is completely normal. Singing brings out anxiety that speaking just doesn’t, and anxiety shows up in the body as tension. Tension is the last thing you want in an open, resonant sound.

Your singing voice doesn't have to sound like your speaking voice. But it has to feel as natural and resonant as the way you speak.

I want to be clear on that distinction, because I’m not telling anyone to sing in their flat, everyday talking voice. Plenty of great singers sound nothing like themselves when they sing. What has to carry over isn’t the sound. It’s the ease. No strain, no forcing it. The voice just happening, rather than being dragged into existence.

The quickest way back to it

Take the line you’re trying to sing and just say it. Same rhythm, rough pitch shape, no melody, no performance. Most of the time the resonance that vanished the second you started singing comes straight back. That’s the target. Not a different voice. The same one, with pitch and sustain added on top.

Commit to the note. Don't slide into it

Squeezing tends to come with a partner in crime: scooping, sliding up into a note instead of landing on it. I tell students to think of the dot that bounces along the words in karaoke. You don’t ease your way up to where it lands, you commit the second it gets there. This has nothing to do with the note itself, by the way. It’s about preparing during the breath beforehand, getting into position before you start, rather than changing gear while you’re already moving.

Stop comparing your raw voice to a finished record

If you’re trying to match the exact tone of a song you love, you’re chasing something that was never just a voice to begin with. Most vocal mixes cut the unwanted low end and boost the upper-mid range, usually somewhere around 2.5 to 4kHz, which is roughly where that bright, present “twang” sound lives. Some of what you’re hearing on the record came out of a mixing desk, not a throat. Try to recreate a fully produced vocal with your raw, unprocessed voice and you’ll lose every time, and the strain from trying is exactly what causes the squeezing in the first place.

It's not about trying harder

If there’s one thing to take from this, it’s that pushing more is almost never the answer. The students who get this fastest are the ones who stop treating singing as some separate skill from speaking, and start treating it as an extension of it. Same ease. Same resonance. Pitch and sustain just get added on top.

If you want a second pair of ears on where the tension’s actually creeping in, we offer a free discovery call where we can work through it together. Book one at cityvocalcoach.com.

Why So Many Singers Sound Nasal (And Don’t Know It)

Sam Marlow — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:56:53 +0000

Vocal Tips

Why So Many Singers Sound Nasal (And Don't Know It)

By Sam Marlow, City Vocal Coach

Nearly every singer I work with has some degree of nasality in their voice, and almost none of them know it’s there until I point it out. It’s one of the most common things I hear in lessons, and also one of the most fixable, once a student understands where it actually comes from.

Here’s the thing that tends to surprise people: nasality is very rarely a natural feature of someone’s voice. It’s a habit, usually picked up from years of unconsciously imitating singers with a nasal vocal style. I’ve had more than one student trace it back to listening to a particular artist on repeat as a teenager. It’s not a flaw baked into your instrument. It’s borrowed.

What nasality is actually doing to your voice

When sound gets directed into the nasal cavity instead of resonating properly in the vocal tract, you lose tone, you lose volume, and you lose fullness. The resonance that should be happening behind the tongue and in the pharynx never gets the chance to do its job, because the sound has already escaped out the wrong route.

In lessons I’ll often watch for a few tells: nostrils flaring as a student starts a phrase, sound being directed into the nose right from the first note, vowels that should sit in the mouth getting pushed up and back into nasal placement instead. Once you know what to listen for, it’s everywhere.

The pinch test: how to actually check

There’s a simple way to test this on yourself, and I use it constantly in lessons. Sing a note and hold it, then midway through, pinch your nose shut. If the tone noticeably changes the moment you do that, the sound was relying on your nasal cavity, which means you’re being nasal. If the tone stays exactly the same with your nose pinched, you’re resonating properly elsewhere and the nasality isn’t there. It’s a quick, honest way to find out what’s actually happening, rather than guessing based on how a note feels.

Your speaking voice already knows the answer

This is the bit I find most useful to point out to students, because it’s instantly reassuring. Most people’s singing voice is more nasal than their speaking voice. When I ask someone to just talk in the pitch and rhythm of the line they’re trying to sing, the nasality often drops away almost completely. They’re not putting on a different voice when they speak. They are when they sing.

Your singing voice shouldn't sound like a different person to your speaking voice. It should sound like you, just with pitch and sustain added.

That’s usually the moment a student gets their clearest, loudest, most resonant sound of the whole lesson. Not from trying harder. From doing less of the thing that was never theirs in the first place.

The fix, step by step

Lift the soft palate. This is the single most repeated instruction in my lessons, especially on vowels. A raised soft palate opens up space at the back of the mouth and gives the sound somewhere better to go than your nose.
Change where you’re aiming the sound. Rather than thinking about projecting forward and up, try visualising the voice running along the bottom of the mouth. It sounds like a small adjustment. The change in tone is usually immediate.
Use your speaking voice as the reference point. If a phrase sounds nasal when sung, say it instead, in the same rhythm and rough pitch shape, and notice how different it feels. That’s the target.
Don’t just dial it down. Remove it completely first. This is the bit students resist, because reducing nasality slightly feels safer than getting rid of it altogether. But a small reduction often just produces a quieter version of the same habit. Strip it out completely, find the new sound underneath, and only then decide if you want to bring any of the old character back deliberately.
Check yourself with the pinch test. Once you think you’ve found the new placement, run the test above. It’ll tell you straight away whether the change is real or just a feeling.

One thing worth flagging honestly: when nasality goes, tension can show up somewhere else, usually in the jaw. Keep everything underneath the chin soft and “squishy” rather than letting it lock up as you make this change. It’s all connected, and chasing one fix in isolation tends to just move the problem somewhere else.

It's a habit, which means it can be unlearned

If you’ve sung nasally for years, it can feel like part of your identity as a singer. It isn’t. It’s a pattern you picked up, usually before you even knew you were doing it, and patterns can be replaced with better ones. The students who make the fastest progress with this are the ones who treat it as genuinely learnable, not as a personality trait they’re stuck with.
If you’d like a second pair of ears on what’s actually happening in your own voice, I run a free discovery call where we can have a listen together and work out where to start. You can book one at cityvocalcoach.com.

By Sam Marlow, City Vocal Coach

How to Find Musicians in London for Your Band or Music

Polly — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 13:53:02 +0000

How to Find Musicians in London for Your Band or Music

By Polly Scattergood, City Vocal Coach

Looking for Band Members in London? Start With the Right Questions

Finding band members in London can feel overwhelming. With thousands of talented musicians across the capital, the challenge isn’t finding people to play with, it’s finding the right people to help bring your musical vision to life.

Whether you’re a beginner singer, or even professional solo artist looking to build a live band, a songwriter searching for collaborators, or a vocalist hoping to join an existing project, taking the time to define exactly what you’re looking for will save you a huge amount of time energy and frustration.

Before Looking for Band Members, Ask Yourself This

One of the most common mistakes musicians make is starting their search before they’ve worked out what they actually need.

Before posting adverts, joining musician forums or scrolling through bandmate websites, ask yourself: What am I hoping to gain by bringing another musician into my project?

Are you looking to:

Make your live sound bigger and more dynamic?
Add another instrument to recreate your recordings on stage?
Create a more engaging visual experience for audiences?
Find a songwriting partner?
Build a long-term band?
Meet like-minded musicians and become part of a creative community?

The clearer your goals are, the easier it becomes to identify the right musicians.

A technically brilliant guitarist or drummer isn’t always the best fit if they don’t share your musical influences, availability, commitment level or long-term ambitions.

Once you’ve identified what you’re looking for, there are several excellent platforms where London musicians regularly connect and collaborate.

Join My Band

www.joinmyband.co.uk

One of the UK’s largest musician networking websites, Join My Band allows you to post adverts and search for musicians by location, genre and instrument. It’s particularly popular among musicians looking to form new bands or recruit additional members.

BandMix UK

www.bandmix.co.uk
BandMix helps musicians create detailed profiles showcasing their experience, influences and musical goals. You can search specifically for musicians in London and connect directly with potential collaborators.

Vampr

www.vampr.me
Often described as “Tinder for musicians,” Vampr is a networking app that helps artists connect based on location, genre and musical interests. It’s become increasingly popular among London’s independent music community.

Also if you are reading this you may already be part of the City Vocal Coach community, so you will know that all of our teachers are working professional musicians, performers and industry professionals. Because we’re actively involved in the music industry ourselves, we understand the challenges artists face when trying to find the right collaborators, build a band and develop a sustainable music career.

We’ve experienced firsthand how important it is to find musicians who not only have the right skills, but who also share your vision, work ethic and creative goals. That’s why we’re always here to help musicians to connect, collaborate and grow together within a supportive musical community.

At City Vocal Coach in Hoxton, we've seen countless friendships, collaborations and musical projects emerge through our community

Our student showcases and courses regularly bring together singers, songwriters and performers from across London and beyond, creating opportunities to meet like-minded artists.

We also host an Open Mic on the last Sunday of every month, which is a wonderful place for London’s emerging artists to meet each other. It’s a chance to perform, gain experience, support other musicians and build relationships that can lead to future collaborations.

Many musicians spend months searching online for the perfect bandmate, only to discover that the best connections happen naturally when they become part of a thriving musical community.

When searching for musicians, talent should only be one part of the equation

In fact most successful bands and musical partnerships are usually built on:

Shared ambitions
Similar commitment levels
Reliability
Good communication
Mutual respect
Creative chemistry

The right collaborator will not only improve your music but will also make rehearsals, performances and the creative process more enjoyable. Great collaborations are born from shared ambition, trust and a willingness to support one another through the highs and lows of the creative process.

So before you start searching for your next guitarist, drummer, bassist, producer or vocalist, spend some time understanding exactly what you’re looking for. Then put yourself in the right environments both online and offline to meet the people who can help bring your music to life.

How to Use a Microphone When Singing

Sam Marlow — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:27:39 +0000

What Nobody Tells You About Singing With a Microphone

By Sam Marlow, City Vocal Coach

Most singing lessons don’t involve a microphone. You work on your voice, you develop your technique, you sing songs, and somewhere in the back of your mind you assume that when you eventually perform with a mic, you’ll just hold it and it’ll be fine.

Then you get on stage and everything feels wrong.

The mic is too close or too far. You don’t know what to do with your hands. You can hear yourself in a completely new way and it throws you off completely. What felt confident in the lesson sounds tentative through the PA.

This is completely normal. And it’s completely fixable. But it requires actually practising with a microphone, not just assuming the skills will transfer.

The microphone is an instrument

This is the first thing I say to students when we work with a mic, and it tends to shift how they think about the whole thing immediately. A microphone is not a passive object that just amplifies what you do. It’s an instrument with its own technique, its own relationship to your body, and its own effect on your sound.

The most important technical thing to understand is distance. The closer the mic is to your mouth, the more bass and warmth you get, and the more every breath and consonant gets picked up. The further away, the more natural and airy the sound but the less presence you have. Most beginners hold the mic either too far away, nervous, keeping it at arm’s length, or bury it into their face thinking closer is always better.

The sweet spot is about two to three centimetres from your lips for most situations. Close enough for warmth and presence, far enough that you’re not eating the thing.

The one technique that changes everything

When you go to a big note, move the mic very slightly away. Just an inch or two. Then bring it back.

This sounds almost too simple to bother with, and yet it’s the difference between a performance that sounds controlled and dynamic and one that sounds like a speaker struggling with a signal that’s too hot. Every professional singer does this instinctively. They’ve learned that the microphone doesn’t need to work as hard on big notes because the voice is already carrying, and pulling back slightly prevents the sound from distorting or overpowering the mix.

In lessons I’ll often watch a student hit their big moment and shove the mic closer as if it needs more help. The opposite is usually true. Trust the voice on the notes where it’s doing the most work, and let the mic do less.

The hand that nobody talks about

Here’s something practical I started doing with students a while ago that has made a noticeable difference. Your non-mic hand is not a passenger. It’s a conductor.

If you’re going higher, let that hand rise slightly. If you’re getting louder, let it open outward. If you’re coming down emotionally, let it settle. These aren’t choreographed moves for the audience’s benefit. They’re signals to your own brain about what the voice is meant to be doing.

It sounds strange until you try it, and then it immediately makes sense. Your body is already responding to emotion and intention when you sing. Giving your free hand permission to respond too creates a feedback loop that keeps you connected to the performance rather than getting stuck in your head thinking about technique.

The visualisation helps you feel pitch and dynamics in a physical way, which makes them easier to control. It also means you look like you mean it, which as a nice side effect turns out to matter quite a lot.

Hold the cable

This is the smallest tip in this whole piece and possibly the most immediately useful one. When you’re holding a wired microphone, hold the cable in your other hand too, loosely, a few inches below the mic. It prevents the cable from swinging, stops it tugging at the mic and creating noise, and gives you something purposeful to do with your other hand if you haven’t got the conductor thing down yet.

Professional singers do this so automatically that most people don’t even notice. But watch any live performance footage closely and you’ll see it.

Practising at home without a PA

You don’t need a stage and a sound system to practise microphone technique. A Shure SM58, the standard touring microphone that has been everywhere from Glastonbury to your local pub, costs around £80 to £100 new and will, without exaggeration, last you the rest of your life. Secondhand ones are perfectly good and even cheaper. It doesn’t need to be plugged into anything for you to practise holding it, moving it, getting used to the weight and the distance.

Practise the distance. Practise the pull-back on big notes. Practise the hand. Do it while you sing along to backing tracks through your phone speaker. Build the muscle memory before you’re on a stage with an audience wondering what to do with your hands.

In fifteen years I’ve watched students who have beautiful voices perform nervously and tentatively because the microphone felt unfamiliar and that unfamiliarity took their attention away from the song. And I’ve watched students with developing voices perform with real confidence and presence because they were completely comfortable with the tool in their hand.

The microphone shouldn’t be something you think about when you’re performing. It should be as natural as holding a glass of water. That only happens if you’ve practised with one enough that it stops being remarkable.

So get one. It’s an investment, not an expense.

Sam Marlow is the founder of City Vocal Coach, based in Hoxton, London. If you want to work on performance technique, mic craft, and everything else that makes the difference between singing well and performing well, book a free discovery call and we’d love to meet you.

How To Prepare For Your First Recording Studio Session

Lucy Wilson — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 05:29:05 +0000

How to Prepare for Your First Recording Studio Session

3 Essential Tips for City Vocal Coach Singers

You’ve booked your first studio session – how exciting! Whether it’s at a state-of-the-art London recording studio or a mate’s home setup, it’s a huge step in your journey as a singer.

At City Vocal Coach, one of the most common questions we hear from students who want to record, especially those starting out with singing lessons in London, is this:

“What should I do to get ready before I go into the recording studio?”

It’s a brilliant question. Recording can be equal parts exciting and nerve-racking. But a bit of preparation goes a long way. In fact, it can mean the difference between a stressful, rushed session… and one where you come away buzzing with good vibes, knowing you’ve created something really special.

So, if you’re heading into the studio for the first time (or simply want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your time and budget), here are three essential tips for you.

1. Pick the Right Producer, Not Just the Right Studio

Studios come in all shapes and sizes, from high-end setups in Soho to bedroom rigs in Hoxton. These days it’s not so much about having the most expensive gear (though it certainly helps!), but about who you’re working with- your producer.

You want someone who really gets your sound. Not just someone who can press record, but someone who understands where you’re coming from musically and can help shape your sound and ideas into something that feels authentically you.

When choosing a producer or studio, ask yourself:

Do they understand my vibe, genre, and influences?
Are they genuinely interested in my music- not just music in general?
Do I feel comfortable being creative around them?

The right producer will push you when needed, support your ideas, and help you shape your unique sound. Whether you’re after a raw acoustic feel, a soulful jazz or R&B vocal, or a fully produced pop or rock ballad, choose someone who understands your vision and is excited to work with you.

2. Don’t Rock Up Without a Finished Song

This is something we see all too often: a tune in your head, a few lyrics and a melody, and the thought, “I’ll just figure the rest out in the studio.”

Don’t.

Studios, whether they charge by the hour or the day, aren’t cheap. More importantly, that time adds up quickly. The last thing you want is to be sat there rewriting your second verse while the clock ticks and your budget disappears.

Here’s the plan: finish your song first.

That means:

Polished lyrics and melody
A clear structure (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.)
Even a rough demo- recorded by your City Vocal Coach teacher as a voice note in a singing lesson- can be incredibly helpful

Unless someone else is footing the bill, the studio isn’t the place to write from scratch. It’s where you add colour and sonics to an already finished song. Treat your session with the same energy you’d bring to a live performance. Come in ready.

(If you need help shaping your song beforehand, that’s something we often work on during lessons at City Vocal Coach, so speak to your London Singing Teacher about this.)

3. Send Your Producer a Creative Brief Ahead of Time

Once your song is finished, give your producer a head start. A short, clear creative brief can save loads of time and make the session more enjoyable right from the beginning. It also helps calm nerves, you can set things out over email instead of trying to explain everything in the room when you might feel overwhelmed.

What to send in advance:

The key and BPM
A chord chart or rough voice note demo
A short description of your vision for the track
A few reference songs that capture the sound or vibe you’re after

Don’t worry about sounding overly “professional.” You don’t need music production knowledge- just be clear about what you want. For example:

“This reverb gives me the exact spacey mood I’m after.”
“The bassline here has the bounce I’d love in my chorus.”
“The drum sound 15 seconds in is what I’d like going into my chorus.”

Most producers work across a wide range of projects, so the more context you give them, the better they can tailor the session to you.

Bonus Tip: Have Fun!

We say this to a lot of our singing students when they come into our Hoxton studio, especially if it’s their first lesson: this is a moment. It takes courage, so enjoy it. Recording your own music is exciting. Years ago, opportunities like this were rare, but technology has made recording accessible to musicians at every level, and that’s wonderful.

So, when you step into the studio, take a breath. Be present. Whether your track ends up on Spotify, in a record shop, or just on your phone as a gift for someone you love, you’ve created something. That’s special.

If you’ve finished your song, found the right producer, and communicated your vision, you’re already doing brilliantly. Trust your voice. Lean into your authenticity. At City Vocal Coach, we celebrate every singer’s unique voice. Remember: the studio isn’t about perfection; it’s about capturing a moment. Some of the most powerful moments in music history are those where the voice cracks a little and the singer’s true emotion shines through.

So, if you need help getting studio-ready, whether it’s vocal technique, songwriting feedback, or just some guidance- City Vocal Coach is here to help. We offer singing lessons in London for beginners, professionals, and everyone in between. Whether you want to learn to sing for fun or turn your passion into a career, we’ll help you walk into your first studio session feeling confident, focused, and inspired.

Want to chat about how to prepare for your session?

Book a lesson with City Vocal Coach today!

Notes on Stage Presence

Lucy Wilson — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 05:03:46 +0000

As a singing teacher in London one of the most common questions I get asked is about stage presence—how to engage with an audience and create a performance that is both unique and unforgettable. This question is consistent across all styles and genres, from singer-songwriters performing their own material to artists working with our singing teachers in London, specialising in jazz singing lessons, musical theatre singing lessons, pop singing lessons, and even opera singing lessons. Everyone wants to know how to give the best possible performance as ultimately Stage presence is what separates a good performance from a truly electric and engaging one.

It’s not always just about singing well; it’s about creating a moment that resonates with the audience.

So, how do you develop a strong stage presence? Let’s explore some key ways to elevate your performances and make it engaging and memorable.

Let’s Start at the Beginning: Reading the Room and Engaging the Audience

Every performance setting is different, and how you connect with your audience should reflect the space you are in. A small, intimate venue with an audience sitting at tables will require a very different approach to a large stage with a standing crowd. In a more intimate setting, you might use softer gestures, make direct eye contact, and speak to the audience as though you’re having a conversation. On a bigger stage, you’ll need to project more energy, use larger movements, and find ways to engage the crowd as a whole using the entirety of the space.

Beyond the songs themselves, your interactions between songs help shape the audience’s experience. Some artists introduce each song with a short story or insight, giving the audience a glimpse into their world, while others prefer to let the music do the talking. If the song allows for it, you can encourage participation—singing along, clapping, a dance move, or simply responding to a question can make the audience feel included.

Connecting With the Song and Its Message

It’s not just about what you sing but how you sing it. Every song carries a message, a story, or an emotion that you want to communicate to your audience. If you don’t connect with the song, how can you expect your audience to?

Rather than simply going through the motions, take the time to truly feel what you are singing about and how you want to make your audience feel. Think about the lyrics—what are you trying to say? What emotions should come through? If a song is deeply personal or has a strong message, allow yourself to be vulnerable. If it’s a high-energy, feel-good song, lean into that joy and let it radiate. Your audience wants to feel something when they watch you perform, and that only happens when you are emotionally invested in the music yourself.

Owning the Stage

Your physical presence on stage plays a huge role in how your performance is received. Many artists make the mistake of standing in one spot for the entire show, but the stage is your space—use it, move within it, don’t be afraid to use the floor, walk, crawl, stretch, dance—whatever you feel comfortable with. You are the art, and the stage is your frame.

Something as simple as placing a chair in one corner can create contrast, allowing you to sit for an emotional ballad before standing and moving for a high-energy song. Microphone stands can be used creatively—moving them, lifting them, or taking the mic off at key moments can add impact.

Lighting can also be a powerful tool. Even in smaller venues, most stages have at least a basic lighting rig. Consider how different colours and intensities can shape the mood—do you want a cool ocean blue or a warm, inviting red? Perhaps your performances are raw and earthy, and a vibrant green would represent that. Playing with shadows and movement can add subtle but powerful layers to your stage presence.

Stage Clothes: More Than Just an Outfit

What you wear on stage is part of your performance. Your outfit should reflect your artistic persona, enhance your confidence, and work with the energy of your set. But one thing performers sometimes forget is to consider how their clothes or costumes will look under stage lighting.

Some materials reflect light beautifully, creating flickers and shimmers that can add a dynamic visual element to your performance. However, certain fabrics can unexpectedly turn see-through under bright stage lights (speaking from experience—always check this before you go on stage!). If possible, test your outfit under similar lighting conditions beforehand to avoid any surprises. Comfort is also key; make sure you can move freely without worrying about wardrobe malfunctions or restrictions. You will never deliver your best performance in a pair of heels that hurt or jeans that make it hard to breathe, so begin with what makes you feel comfortable and like the best version of yourself.

Body Language, Expression, and Connection

How you hold yourself on stage directly affects how the audience perceives you. Confidence, even if it’s just an illusion at first, can draw people in and make them feel at ease watching you perform.

Eye contact is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to connect with an audience. Looking out into the crowd—even if you can’t see individual faces—creates a sense of intimacy and involvement. Similarly, facial expressions help tell the story of a song. If the lyrics are emotional, your face should reflect that—get deeply in touch with the lyrics and really feel each word. Conversely, if it’s a fun, upbeat song, let the audience see that energy in your expressions, movement, and vibrance.

Whether your performance is animated, using every inch of the stage, or you choose to captivate the audience by standing completely still and drawing focus to your voice and expressions, the key is finding what feels natural for you.

Handling the Unexpected

Live performances don’t always go smoothly—sound issues, audience distractions, or even forgetting lyrics can happen. Rather than letting a mistake throw you off, remember that they are a natural part of live performance. Try to turn it into part of the experience. Laugh it off, interact with the audience, or smoothly improvise your way through it. There’s a saying: “If you make a mistake, do it twice, and it’s no longer a mistake!”

If a technical issue arises, staying calm and collected reassures the audience that you’re in control, so they get behind you rather than feeling concerned for you.

Some of the most memorable performances happen when an artist turns an unexpected moment into something special. I’ve been to shows where lyrics were forgotten, and the artist got the entire audience to sing them back—it’s those live performance moments that truly stick with me.

Finding Your Stage Persona

Your stage presence should be an extension of who you are as an artist, reflecting your personality both on and off stage. Audiences connect most with performers who feel authentic, so it’s important to consider what feels right for you. What’s your message? What do you stand for?

Are you an artist who shares openly on social media and loves chatting with fans? If so, your stage presence should reflect that warmth and approachability. Speaking between songs, sharing anecdotes, and making the audience feel included will help strengthen that connection. A good example of this is Adele.

On the other hand, if your persona is more mysterious or ethereal, you might choose a different approach. You could keep talking to a minimum, using carefully chosen words to enhance the atmosphere rather than breaking it. In this case, the way you move, the lighting, and the tone of your interactions become even more important in drawing the audience into your world. A good example of this approach is PJ Harvey.

Whatever your artistic identity, make sure your stage presence aligns with it. The goal is not to become someone else but to bring out the most compelling version of your artistic self.

Practising Performance (Not Just Singing)

Stage presence is a skill, and like learning to sing or any other skill, it takes practice. The best way to improve is to watch yourself perform—set up a camera and record yourself singing as if you were in stage either at home or in your next city vocal Coach singing lesson

By reviewing and refining, you can adjust your performance to be more impactful.

So, in Summary…

Stage presence isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection. The more experience you gain, the more confident and natural you will feel on stage.

Developing your stage presence will take time, so keep learning, and keep experimenting. Not all Vocal teachers in London are able to help with this aspect of performance but at City Vocal Coach we are highly experienced in this area so ask your City Vocal coach teacher to help you with this at your next singing lesson, all our teachers have years of experience working in live performance across all genres so will be more than happy to help you with this elemement if your singing journey.

The more experience you gain, the more confident and natural you will feel on stage. Most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy the moment—because ultimately its not about perfection its about energy and connection, and its those moments where the real magic happens!

So what are you waiting for? Book your singing lesson now and take your Stage Presence to the next level

Learn To Sing: 5 Steps To Finding The Right Singing Teacher For You

Sam Marlow — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:49:45 +0000

Finding the right singing teacher for you is tricky, especially as it will likely be a significant investment of time and money as you learn to sing, so of course, you want to get this right from the get-go. So, we have put together 5 steps to help you find the right teacher for you.

Step 1: How do you learn best?

Learn to sing visually: If you are someone who learns best by viewing charts and diagrams, then you might benefit from having a teacher whose explanations of singing concepts are aided by models of the larynx, laryngoscopy videos where we can see the larynx and vocal folds move and spectrograms which record frequencies of the voice, giving the student and teacher a visual insight into pitch and voice quality.

Learn to sing aurally: The do as I do approach. Miles Davis, the legendary trumpet player, said, “first you imitate, then you innovate”, why should learning to sing be any different from learning the trumpet? This is probably how most of us learn best because we are hard-wired to learn through imitation. Knowing how to speak is not written in our DNA; we learn to talk by imitating the people around us, so it makes sense to do the same for singing.

Learn to sing verbally: When a student comes in for their class and says, “I was watching this vocal coach on Instagram, and they said this… can you unpack that for me”, to which I’m like, “great, let’s discuss” Here, both teacher and student are learning together. When a student goes beyond the class and brings evidence of doing their own research, learning becomes exciting.

Learn to sing physically: Singing’s worst enemy is tension, and sometimes pressure can only be tackled by physical release, body alignment and reducing those habitual tensions in the body. For actors who are used to being physical with the voice, this could be the way for you.

Learn to sing psychologically: There is a saying that all roads lead to the larynx, meaning that emotions, experiences, memories, physical pain, people’s opinions of you and your views of yourself can all have an involuntary impact on the performance of the larynx in some way or another, hindering you from producing the sound you want. Cue the holistic vocal coach and their wax on wax off approach to vocal coaching. Suppose you are someone who holds onto a lot of fears around singing and performance or who has noticed a drop in vocal quality after a traumatic experience. In that case, the holistic vocal coach could be an excellent choice for you.

Step 2: Where to look

Vocal coaches have taken to social media in droves, and there is no better place for you to gauge personalities and teaching style to find one you feel you would connect with. Another option you have is doing a bit of research into teachers who teach at music schools and colleges in your area as often visiting tutors have their own studios. At City Vocal Coach, we regularly teach at The BRIT School for Performing Arts, where we get to teach so many great up and coming artists.

Step 3: Online or not online?

After being thrown into communicating only online for the best part of last year, one thing is clear; online singing teaching is entirely possible, incredibly focused and highly effective. So much so that many of our students have decided that they will continue online lessons even after the studio is open. Online singing lessons used to be just for international students; however, now that we have the technology to be able to hear the intricacies of the voice, it’s become a great way to fit a lesson into our busy lives, making lessons cost-effective due to not having to travel to and from your teacher’s studio.

Online lessons are also great if you’re a little nervous about singing face-to-face; even though there is someone on the screen, it’s not quite as daunting.

At City Vocal Coach, we offer a free online 15-minute discovery session; this is an excellent option for you to test out whether you feel online lessons might work for you. It will also mean we can iron out some of those online lesson bugs before you have your first complete session.

Step 4: Prepare

Don’t come to your first singing lesson empty-handed; make sure you have a good think about what you love about your voice and which areas you feel need work. Your singing teacher will never tell you that your sound/style is wrong, but that it is what makes you unique. Learning to sing does not mean changing your sound; it means enhancing it, giving you the tools to develop it if you want and making sure you create it healthily.

Step 5: Embrace the techniques

Coming in for the first lesson, you’ll be expected to sing in front of someone new, so we understand that it’s going to be a nerve-wracking experience, at least at first. And there may be moments in the session you question why you’re putting yourself through it, but the more you embrace it, the more you’ll enjoy the experience. At City Vocal Coach, we believe it’s essential to take our students through the mechanics of the voice and isolate specific mechanical movements through the use of play sounds like ay, gee, ng, sobbing, crying, and our favourite, the silent laugh. When it’s your first lesson, and we’re asking you to silently laugh, we know how silly it sounds; however, bear with us, and you’ll soon hear and feel the benefits of doing this by the end of the lesson.

It’s a big step, deciding you’re going to learn to sing, and by following these 5 steps to finding the right singing teacher for you’ll have a great head start.

Top 10 Songwriting Tips To Take You From Imitator To Innovator

Sam Marlow — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:26:46 +0000

At City Vocal Coach, we have put together our top ten songwriting tips, which will help you move from imitator to innovator.

Songwriting is often seen as this magical dark art, bestowed by the gods of creativity to those they deem worthy, where right from the first song, the songwriter’s creativity should flow onto the page fully formed, original and authentic. This approach goes against all other art forms in which learning, practise and failure are embraced, and a step-by-step learning process is usual. No master painter ever started their career with a masterpiece; they likely began in the same way most art students do, in the classroom drawing flowers, landscapes, portraits, and self-portraits, studying the masters, and receiving feedback from their teachers. All the above would have been part of the learning process towards finding their style, as well as understanding that they will fail, and that feedback, study, and practise will lead them to where they want to be.

In stark contrast to this, the songwriter expects their first song to be gifted to them without study, purposefully avoiding any advice or outside influence which could contaminate their authentic style. Would Picasso be more authentic and original if he hadn’t gone to the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts? Would Claude Monet have led French Impressionism any better if he hadn’t gone to Le Havre School of the Arts, where he first learnt how to mix colour? Is songwriting a higher art form? No, it is no more or less creative than painting, sculpture, acting, architecture, or dance, all of which take years of study to master.

The beginner’s first few songs will undoubtedly have a sense of uniqueness as, after all, we are all unique, and our identity will always shine through when we create. However, these songs will often be an imitation of the music they like and there will come a time when the beginner songwriter wants to switch from imitation to innovation. At this point study, practise, experience, and failure becomes a necessity.

Songwriting tips: No. 1.

Imitate better –

Yes, we are trying to move on from imitation to innovation; however, we should never give up imitating the songs we think work, as it’s a great tool for developing our writing style. But we can imitate better by going beyond what we might typically listen to. For example, try listening to the guitar riffs of death metal to find inspiration for a vocal riff or translate an Italian opera for lyrical inspiration. One of our favourite things at City Vocal Coach is to do song re-imaginings; think of this as practise, take a song from another artist and re-imagine it in your style as if you were writing the song, how would you do it differently?

Songwriting tips: No. 2.

Title first –

The most challenging part about writing is starting; many beginner songwriters grab their guitars, open their notebooks, and wait for inspiration, often coming up with the same ideas again and again. Instead, only approach your guitar when you have a title in mind. Having a title will limit the creative routes you can go down, which might sound a bit restricting; however, you’ll be amazed how freeing it is. By having your possible routes laid out before you, you can choose the one you’ve never been down before, one which may lead to innovation.

Songwriting tips: No. 3.

Daydream –

Have you ever been in a confrontation with someone, and it’s not until the moment is over that you think of the perfect retort? When you are not consciously thinking about the problem, your unconscious is working on the solution, so during a writing session, take a coffee break now and again; creativity takes time.

Songwriting tips: No. 4.

Write to a meter –

Counting stressed and unstressed syllables is one thing that beginner songwriters’ rebel against. Granted, it’s not the most romantic part about songwriting; however, like with the title first technique, giving yourself a blueprint of how your meter will flow will narrow down the possibilities, inspiring you to craft rather than relying on guesswork.

Songwriting tips: No. 5.

Aleatoric music –

Also known as chance music, some popular methods involve using dice to decide your chord choices and the cut-up technique, often used by David Bowie. Bowie would cut up journal entries and jumble them up, creating interesting collisions of words and phrases to use as lyrics. It’s a fantastic way to come up with a unique figurative language. Listen to Bowie talk about the cut-up technique here.

Songwriting tips: No. 6.

Collaboration –

Hands up if you’ve ever collaborated before? A surprising amount of beginner to semi-professional songwriters have never collaborated before, yet most professional writers will do so regularly. Creating in front of other people can be daunting. Imposter syndrome is something that all songwriters experience; however, the professionals have learned that failure is ok. When these moments happen, they rely on technique to take them through. Sure, your collaborators will probably see your weaknesses, but so will you, which will give you a great insight into the aspects of your writing you could improve upon.

Songwriting tips: No. 7.

Cause and effect –

Every aspect of songwriting affects the listener; the songwriter must connect the intended effect to the right cause. For example, a rhyming couplet has the effect of stopping the flow, like a full-stop in grammar. If the songwriter wants to continue the thought in the following lines, then a rhyming couplet won’t necessarily support that idea. A more obvious example is how a minor chord projects instability, a major chord projects stability. Linking the right effect with the right cause will enhance the listener’s experience; not linking cause and effect leaves the listener confused about how to feel. Once you embrace this idea, you can then rebel against it, of course; something The Smiths did a lot in their songs, playing with the listener’s emotions where sad lyrics were accompanied by happy, upbeat music.

Songwriting tips: No. 8.

Embrace failure –

We have said it a few times already, but it’s a message that deserves repeating. Try asking yourself, what did I fail at today? Change your relationship with failure as it is not a negative but a positive.

Songwriting tips: No. 9.

Mindfulness –

As human beings, we constantly dwell on the past and fret about the future. Fretting and dwelling do have their places in the creative process; however, being in the present will allow you to notice things in the world that collide with one another, and if you look close enough, you’ll see ideas emerge from the chaos. The beeping of horns, the screeching of brakes, the slamming of doors, the busker and road rager might sound like a wall of sound, but take a closer listen, can you hear melody, harmony, and metaphor?

Songwriting tips: No. 10.

Edit –

There is nothing wrong with serving your song to the public raw, but only if this is your intention. Take time to understand your song and how it was written; not only will this allow you to edit things that could be better, but it will also help you know your strengths and weaknesses as a songwriter. By analysing the outcomes via the process, we will know ourselves better and gradually develop from imitator to innovator.

Remember, songwriting is an artform like all others, not gifted but learnt. If you’re looking for more guidance with your songwriting, all our vocal coaches here at City Vocal Coach teach songwriting techniques, and you can enquire about songwriting lessons here.