✧ SOMETHING FOR YOU ✧
Resources for Singers
Freebies・Tools・Recommendations
A question I get asked a lot…
“There is so much information out there. What resources do you recommend for my singing career?”
With more than 30 years of experience, I have collected a wealth of information, links, and recommendations for singers. I’ve compiled them on this Vocal Resources Page, where you’ll find free downloads and lots of helpful links for your inner singer and your music career, personally recommended voice teachers, books, and more.
Vocal Notes
The Newsletter for Singers
About once or twice a month, you’ll find a dose of inspiration in your inbox:
Practical tools
Inspirational links and articles
Recommendations for books and movies
And much more
Never overwhelming. No sales pitches. Just a few things worth sharing with people who, like me, find the human voice fascinating and magical. If you’re a forever learner or a creative explorer and love curling up on a couch with a cuppa as you dive into all things vocal, sign up below!
Free Downloads
No Sign-Up Required
-
Practice Planner for Singers
In this practice planner, you’ll find calendars, a daily journaling page, a master song list, and song sheets. Plus, 9 strategies to help you find time to practice and discover the joy of making music every day.
-
Practice Planner Video Walkthrough
Did you download the Vocal Practice Planner but not sure where to start or how to get the best use out of it? Watch this short video to learn how to use the planner and start practicing with joy every day!
-
How to talk to save your voice
Did you know that talking is harder on your voice than singing? It's true. Watch this short video to learn why talking is harder on your voice and the three things you can do that will keep you from trashing your voice.
-
Find your North Star and Inner Compass
Why are you pursuing a career in music? What do you value? What gives you energy — and infuses your life with meaning? Discover your inner compass and how it can help your singing career.
-
Your Song List in the Cloud
As a singer, you wear a lot of different hats. One of the least expected? Librarian! Keep your song lists organized with this Google spreadsheet. I have a blog post about this, too!
-
How to use the Elements of Style
Knowing how to use these stylistic tools in singing will help you to sound more authentic within a genre, give you more ways to experiment, and expand your artistic possibilities.
For the Singer & Entrepreneur
For the Artist & Singer
Vocal Health
The Voice Academy at The University of Iowa: Check Your Meds
Medications can have a negative effect on your voice. Before taking a prescription, over-the-counter medication, or supplement, check to see what the side effects are. This website page has lists of medications, supplements, and herbs and their effects on your voice. Be sure and bookmark it!
How To Make It Through The Cold & Flu Season When You’re A Singer
In this blog post I share many more voice resources and tips for keeping your vocal health in good shape.
Tools & Apps For Practicing
iReal Pro offers an easy-to-use tool to help musicians of all levels master their art. Their app simulates a real-sounding band that can accompany you as you practice, and also lets you collect chord charts from your favorite songs for reference.
I’ve not used Band In A Box myself, but some of my students and singer friends have. It sounds amazing — much better than iReal because the sounds in it are created by professional musicians. Some people even use it to create backing tracks for professional recordings. It sounds that good.
OOVO vocal straws are rooted in real vocal science. Leading voice researchers have shown that straw exercises can help singers expand range, smooth out vocal breaks, build a stronger sound, relieve vocal strain, and use breath more efficiently. Many singers also notice benefits right away, with results that grow over time as the exercises become a regular part of practice.
For the Entrepreneur
Tools For Organizing
Evernote is one of my favorite tools for organizing, well, just about everything. It’s a cloud based system you can use to capture ideas and inspiration in notes, voice, and pictures. Perfect for singers!
Digital Sheet Music Systems
Your Inner Librarian: How To Keep Your Gig Books, Charts, and Sheetmusic Organized
In this blog post, I offer tips on how to organize your sheet music, lyric sheets, and charts.
A great digital sheet music app will do more than store your charts or sheet music in the cloud. It will expand the ways that you can use it. Here are some great apps:
Android
Apple
Apps For Creating Sheet Music & Charts
For the Sustainable Singer
We are Nature and Nature is Us.
Is it possible to protect the Earth's resources through mindful traveling, buying and consuming?
While our sustainable choices alone won't save the planet, small acts add up — and together, we can create positive change. Which is why I created a separate resources page with a curated collection featuring eco-conscious products for performers, from stage wear and gear to makeup and personal care items.
While my search began many years ago as a way to protect my health after a breast cancer diagnosis, it's grown into something more: a guide to help fellow artists make choices that benefit both their bodies and our environment.
Private Voice Teachers
Are you looking for a voice teacher or coach that really knows their stuff?
You're in luck! The teachers below teach all styles of music and are also well-versed in vocal pedagogy. They each have their own areas of focus and expertise. I highly recommend them. All teach via Zoom as well.
Deanna Maio: Confident Voice Studio
Helping performers of all ages to perform with their most healthy, consistent, and confident sound. Specializing in Jazz, Musical Theatre, Pop, R&B, and Rock. Certified Blaylock Method Instructor
Website・Location: Naples, FL
Liz Johnson Voice
Liz has over 20 years of experience helping singers learn about themselves and their voices. She works with all styles to build healthy vocal function so they can sing the music they love with abandon.
Website・Location: Nashville, TN
Center Stage Voice: Mark Bosnian
I help singers look, sound, and feel confident when they perform. Transform your Core Mechanics, Dynamics/Emotion, and Stage Presence. Sing what you love, love what you sing.
Email・Location: Hawaii
Elizabeth LaVenue Vocal Studio
Elizabeth inspires students to find their voices with compassion and humor; all styles, ages 8 to 88, LGBTQ+, vocal rehabilitation, 25 years experience.
Website・Location: Portland, OR
Path of Authentic Voice: Beth Noelle
Creator of PATH of Authentic Voice. Certified Blaylock Method Instructor. Supporting singers to activate empowered self-expression.
Website・Location: Knoxville, TN
Courses & Workshops
✧ MY SIGNATURE COURSE ✧
Becoming a Singer
I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the last 30 years and created this course for singers who want to create a life in music. Lessons include…
Creative Exercises
Performance Psychology
Neuroscience
… and more. Becoming A Singer prepares you to step out on stage with confidence and a new sense of purpose, ready to share your authentic voice with the world.
Keep Learning!
Here is a list of further learning experiences from trusted sources.
Jazzvoice.com
This online educational community offers private lessons, master classes, videos, professional development, and educational books. There are some excellent resources on this site — including access to lessons with accomplished jazz vocalists like Jane Monheit, Catherine Russell, Kate McGarry, Karrin Allyson, and Tierney Sutton.
Piano Skills for Singers
Brenda Earle-Stokes offers a membership program for singers who want to level up their skills as a musician. Learn how to play piano, accompany yourself while singing, solfege, and more. Membership benefits include video lessons, print material, and live support.
Greta Matassa Jazz Workshops
Greta's teaching menu is wide-ranging, with everything from private lessons to clinics and mentorships. But my favorite thing on the menu is hard to find unless you have a gig — learning how to work with other musicians. If you’re in the Seattle area, you can take part in her rhythm section performance workshop series in person. Lessons and workshops also take place on Zoom.
True Colors Creativity & Artist Coaching
Jessica Baldwin’s journey as an artist ran alongside her expansion from a voice and piano teacher into a creativity and productivity coach with trauma and neurodivergence training. Her coaching path was inspired not only by her own journey but the many singers and voice teachers she’s met over 15 summers at the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute.
Her business became True Colors Creativity Coaching, which provides creativity, voice, and executive function coaching to singers and creatives who want to finish projects that let them shine brighter.
You can find out more about Jessica in this episode of the Living A Vocal Life podcast. She’s also written a fantastic book for singers that I recommend below!
Books & Articles
Singing & Practice
The Jazz Singer’s Handbook: The Artistry & Mastery of Singing Jazz
by Michelle Weir
One of my favorite books in the “how to” section of my bookshelf. It doesn’t matter what style you sing, this book will give you the tools to make a song your own.
The Talent Code
by Daniel Coyle
Talent. You've either got it or you haven't.' Not true, actually. In The Talent Code, award-winning journalist Daniel Coyle draws on cutting-edge research to reveal that, far from being some abstract mystical power fixed at birth, ability really can be created and nurtured.
Writing
Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing & Life
by Ann Lamott
Writing Down The Bones
by Natalie Goldberg
These two books aren’t about songwriting, but it doesn’t matter. Whether it’s for your website, a press release, or your social media posts, you still need to write — and write like you. These two women will give you the courage to just begin.
Being a Singer
The Inner Voice: The Making of A Singer
by Renee Fleming
Renee is one of my favorite voices in opera. In The Inner Voice, she tells the story of her own artistic development and the “autobiography” of her voice.
Unmasking What Matters: 10 Life Lessons from 10 Years On Broadway
by Sandra Joseph
“After ten years on Broadway, Sandra Joseph―the longest-running leading lady in Broadway’s longest-running show, The Phantom of the Opera―knows one thing for sure: the only way to have a truly fulfilling life and achieve success that satisfies is to recognize that the journey up is no substitute for the journey in.”
The Business of Music
How To Make It In The New Music Business: Practical Tips on Building A Loyal Following & Making A Living As A Musician
by Ari Herstand
“…a must- have for anyone hoping to navigate the increasingly complex yet advantageous landscape that is the modern music industry.”
Beyond Talent: Creating A Successful Career In Music
by Angela Myles Beeching
“Whether you're an emerging artist or a mid-career professional, this edition offers the inspiration to transform your music career journey so you can get more of your best work out into the world and finally become the artist you are meant to be.”
Becoming an Artist
A Singer's Guide to Finding Your Style & Artistic Voice
by Jess Baldwin
This is a book I wish I’d written! Jess is an outstanding vocalist, educator, and creativity coach I interviewed for my podcast. (Listen here!) She’s written a workbook/guide bursting with thoughtful questions that will give you insight into your life as a singer.
“This insightful guide offers practical tools and wisdom for singers at all levels. Jess’s compassionate and systematic approach covers every aspect of the whole person—balancing self-acceptance, exploring personal stories, understanding musical influences, and embracing visual and embodied expressions. Perfect for novice and seasoned artists alike, this book is your essential companion on the journey to authentic artistry.”
Songwriting
The Craft of Lyric Writing
by Sheila Davis
A book from the 80s that teaches you everything you need to know about the craft of lyric writing. (Just ignore the music examples!)
Inspiration
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
This book is on repeat in my library. I’ve read it at least three times (and I almost never repeat a book.)
“Through uplifting stories, parables, and personal anecdotes, the Zanders invite us to become passionate communicators, leaders, and performers whose lives radiate possibility into the world.”
Being an Artist
THESE books by Austin Kleon!
Steal Like An Artist
Show Your Work!
Keep Going
An essential trilogy of books on creativity and living the artist’s life by artist/writer Austin Kleon.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
by Elizabeth Gilbert
"A must read for anyone hoping to live a creative life... I dare you not to be inspired to be brave, to be free, and to be curious.”
—PopSugar
On Music
How Music Works
by David Byrne (Talking Heads)
“Touching on the joy, the physics, and even the business of making music, How Music Works is a brainy, irresistible adventure and an impassioned argument about music’s liberating, life-affirming power.”
Music & The Brain
This Is Your Brain On Music
by Daniel Levitin
In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music—its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it—and the human brain.
Every Brain Needs Music: The Neuroscience of Making and Listening to Music
by Larry Sherman and Dennis Plies
Every Brain Needs Music draws on leading behavioral, cellular, and molecular neuroscience research as well as surveys of more than a hundred musical people. (Including me!) It provides new perspectives on learning to play, teaching, how to practice and perform, the ways we react to music, and why the brain benefits from musical experiences.