The Intelligent Vocalist

Mindy Pack is a leading celebrity voice teacher who is steeped in the latest voice science. In this episode, Mindy gives her best advice for staying healthy on the road, as well as her approach to straw-based phonation. EPISODE LINKS: Mindy's Website Voice Straw

2019 was a year of explosive growth for The Intelligent Vocalist. The monthly downloads have tripled in just the past 12 months alone. John looks back at this past year and recaps the ten most popular episodes.

Singing in tune is an essential skill for singers (autotune aside).  If you struggle with pitch, you may think you are tone deaf (don't worry, it's very rare), but you may be a bit tone shy. In this episode, John discusses effective ways to build your ear and the ability to match pitch and sing in tune.

We all want pure emotion in singing, but we also need to control and analyze our instrument to effectively deliver this emotion. How do we find a balance? In this episode, John once again welcomes Laurel Irene and David Harris of Voice Science Works to discuss how they fuse the mind and heart, as well as their upcoming NEO Voice Festival, which brilliantly combines the two with singers from all ov...

Mix singing is a key way to move smoothly through your vocal range. However, this skill is often misunderstood and tricky to develop. In this episode, John discusses some of the common problems singers have when developing their mix and ways you can break through to a seamless voice.

Resonance is the essential "polish" of your voice. Balanced resonance will make your voice shine and sparkle. Resonance is also crucial in balancing and blending through your vocal registers.  In this episode, John discusses how to find and enhance your awareness and control of essential resonance, helping you to find your best voice. EPISODE LINKS: Chadley Ballantyne

Without a clear vision of why we sing and where we want to go, it can be all too easy to wander off the path of daily vocal improvement. In this episode, John discusses how clarity can help you find a laser focus to take you to your vocal goals.

Singing is a mental game, and we need to keep our minds as positive and focused as possible. Yet there are common traps singers often find themselves falling into - traps that can sap our confidence and growth. In this episode, John covers five of the most common traps he sees in singers and how to reframe and regain a positive mental outlook.  

The vocal break is what keeps voice teachers in business, and you can find plenty of advice on how to smooth out the break. But what do you do when nothing seems to work? In this episode, John discusses how to approach this problematic vocal area and gives some tips on how to patiently eliminate cracking and straining.

As we approach a new year (and decade), we tend to have a period of new beginnings, with resolutions and promises of doing and being better. But rather than wait for a new year, we can begin again, moment to moment, continually renewing our promise and purpose. This works particularly well for singers, as it is all too easy to drag baggage from the past into each practice session and performance....

Nikki Loney is a well-regarded vocal educator who specializes in teaching young children. In this episode, John and Nikki discuss the debate around children and voice lessons and how to best help your child discover the joy of singing. EPISODE LINKS: The Full Voice Website

Singers often want to sing in a breathy style - but it is usually done in a way that weakens their vocal performance. What singers often miss is the variety of texture and intensity great singers use when sounding breathy. In this episode, John discusses how and when to sing breathy for maximum musical effect.

Being a working musical theatre actor is not just the bright lights of Broadway. There is opportunity working in touring and regional companies in the US and all over the world. Alexander Mendoza has a flourishing career touring the world in musical theatre. In this episode, John and Alex discuss his vocal journey and the demands of singing at a very high level.

Learning to sing is an evolving process, and you will need to change your approach as you improve. Exercises to help with common beginner problems can get you "stuck" if you continue with them too long. In this episode, John discusses two of the most common "helpful" exercises that can become a hindrance for singers.

Putting yourself out there is an essential step for a singer. Getting your music heard by other than friends or family can give you invaluable feedback from which to improve. But the troll culture is out there, waiting to derail you. And it's only getting worse. In this episode, John discusses his recent experiences with online trolls, and why you need to prepare to handle this often vicious criti...

We are often encouraged to stay positive - think positive thoughts! But can negative thoughts help us with our singing? Negative reframing is a powerful psychological tool that can help break us out of complacency and setbacks. In this episode, John discusses how to use negative reframing to give yourself a mental boost and to stay energetically moving forward on your vocal path.  

We all love comparisons - top ten best and worst lists are consistently reliable clickbait. We also love to categorize and compare singers - including ourselves. But the comparison game often leads to frustration loss of motivation. In this episode, John discusses why comparing ourselves to others is often a losing proposition and why you need to compete with only one person - yourself.

A great voice is the product of great thoughts. The delicate balances of singing require precise thoughts to control the many muscles involved in the process. In this episode, John discusses the importance of a clear, focused mind, and how to approach thought in your practice and performance.  

It takes work and dedication to learn to mix and blend through the vocal break. It also requires a period of being very careful to establish the new balanced in the voice. The problem is when the singer gets stuck in this particular place, afraid to sing more openly and robustly. In this episode, John discusses this issue and why you need to get out of this overly careful approach once it has done...

" Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own ." - Bruce Lee Bruce Lee's quest to fuse the martial arts in his way still inspires. His philosophies are also applicable to the art of singing. In this episode, John discusses how to adapt and apply Lee's approach to find your technique and artistry. EPISODE LINKS: Voice Teacher Influen...

The tongue is a critical part of good, balanced singing, but our awareness can often be lacking. In this episode, John discusses why tongue placement helps with registration and balance, and how to control the tongue when belting high, strong notes.   EPISODE LINKS Boldly Belting

The repetition of practice can often lead to unfocused and "mindless" sessions. The question "why?" is a great way to filter and focus your efforts and awareness and to get better results from your efforts. In this episode, John explores the power of knowing why you are practicing.

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...

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 Bo...

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.