Blog | Meredith Colby | Chicago Voice Teacher & Vocal Coach

THE MISSING PIECE IN VOICE TEACHING (Spoiler: It's Your Brain)

3 min

THE MISSING PIECE IN VOICE TEACHING (Spoiler: It's Your Brain)

The following is an excerpt from Money Notes: How to Sing High, Loud, Healthy, and Forever by Meredith Colby Chapter 4: This is Your Body, Singing This isn’t a biology book; it’s a singing method book. But I need to explain the basics of the way Neuro-Vocal Method works in your body. You have to understand it at least a little bit, or you won’t apply it effectively. I’m going to describe the biology and physiology with as much Regular Person language as possible. I promise I’

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What Am I? A Microphone Singer's Definition of Voice Types

4 min

What Am I? A Microphone Singer's Definition of Voice Types

New students sometimes ask me to label their voices. They want me to tell them if they’re an alto or soprano, for instance. Being a dedicated CCM/Popular teacher, I’m reluctant to do that, for reasons I’ll explain. But sometimes somebody wants a singer to write down “what [they] are,” so it’s good to have a safe answer. The terms alto, soprano, bass, and tenor are choral designations, and even in the setting of your choir or acapella group you may become a different voice

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What is Muscle Tension Dysphonia, and Can it be Treated?
A Crib Sheet.

Should Anyone Pursue a Degree in Music Theater?

3 min

Should Anyone Pursue a Degree in Music Theater?

A fellow voice teacher and I were talking about a quandary that all teachers of the arts face: whether or not to encourage students to pursue their art. It’s a tough one. A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about the Dunning-Kruger Effect, an effect whereby we are very confident that we’re very good at things we know little about. The arts depend on the Dunning-Kruger Effect. If newbie artists really knew: how really hard it is to be successful in the arts how little they really

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The Answer to the Question, "Can Anybody Sing"? Vol. 1

2 min

The Answer to the Question, "Can Anybody Sing"? Vol. 1

“Can anybody sing”? is a question I’ve been asked many times. I now know there’s always a question behind that question and it can have any number of meanings. So far I’ve figured out a four of them. Here’s the first. Can-Anybody-Sing Question #1: When “can anybody sing” really means “could I (or my loved one) sing better than I (they) currently do”? Answer: Yes Singing may seem like a single action, but really there’s a lot going on when you sing. Your brain is perceiving, d

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Getting Over Yourself

3 min

Getting Over Yourself

I’ve written a book. It will be printed next week. It’s called Money Notes: How to Sing High, Loud, Healthy, and Forever. It introduces Neuro-Vocal, a voice method that uses brain science to deliver fast and healthy results to people who sing popular styles. That's my elevator speech. This post isn’t about the books contents. This post is about how the writing of a book made me get over myself. A hundred times. On this subject. For now. Read on if you’re an author, a creator,

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