Warm Ups!

Here are the 2 sheets of warm-ups for you to print. Only practice what we have reviewed so far. I will be adding new warm-ups throughout the semester. Happy practicing!

Instructions For A Healthy Voice

It’s that time of year when it seems like everyone you know is sick, so here are some tips for keeping your voice healthy while you have a cold:

Limit your talking
Your larynx is swollen and needs time to rest so it can be healthy again.

Drink tons of water
Drinking water should be a regular practice even when you’re not sick! But when you have a cold drinking lots of water will help keep everything lubricated and healthy and potentially keep the cold from reaching your lungs.

Try not to cough or clear your throat
Coughing and clearing your throat causes damage because it’s a rough and abrasive action.

Gargle
Gargling with warm salt water will kill any bacteria that may be associated with your cold.

Drink hot mint, lemon or ginger tea with honey
Not only are these naturally soothing and have anti-inflammatory properties, but the hot liquid feels good too.

Drink pineapple juice
Really, any juice high in Vitamin C will help, but pineapple juice will actually clear away the phlegm.

Sleep
Help your body recover faster by getting a good night sleep each night.

Avoid antihistamines and decongestants
If you will be performing soon, try to avoid using an antihistamine or decongestant since that not only dries out mucus but also your vocal chords... so much so that you may even loose your voice! I suggest looking into breathing in steam and/or using a neti pot if you want to relieve sinus pressure and congestion.

Ready to sing again?
Once you are ready to sing again, start slow - warm up with humming and take your time with simple exercises. Don’t push your range and know that it may take a few days to be back to your regular practice routine.

Before the semester starts...

Here is some information to review before our semester starts...

Dates and Tuition:
The Spring Semester runs from January 6th - May 26th (20 weeks) with one break on March 17th (spring break week for LISD).
Our Spring Recital will be at 7pm on Friday, May 27th.
If you know of any other days you will be unable to attend, please let me know as soon as possible so we can schedule a make-up time.
Tuition is $80 due at the first lesson of each month (Jan 6, Feb 3, Mar 3, Apr 7 and May 5).

Before your first lesson:
Please email me with a list of songs you are interested in singing and your goals for our semester together. We will discuss and finalize our selections for your repertoire at our first lesson along with accompaniment options. If you are unsure of which songs you'd like to work on, let me know what style you are interested in and I can make suggestions. If you will be providing sheet music (something you are working on in school, your own compositions, etc.) please provide a copy of the sheet music and an accompaniment track. My hope is to have every student have a repertoire book of songs we will be working from along with the accompaniment tracks for each before we even begin the semester. Of course, if we decide mid-semester to try something different, we can be flexible. I'm just hoping to avoid any down time between when we finish working on one song and are starting the next.

For every lesson:
Please bring your repertoire book: a 3-ring binder with lined paper and your sheet music, a pencil, and a recording device (many smart phones have one built in, but a classic taper recorder does the trick too).

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me: jen@dave-and-jen.com.

Spring Semester!

Hello students & prospective students! I hope you are all as excited for the joy of Christmas as I am, although I can't believe it's just days away! Since I haven't seen many of you in several weeks, I thought I would give you a quick update... Zoe is a happy and beautiful addition to our family and besides a few sleepless nights, she couldn't be more perfect! Kylie and Emi love having her around and are excited for Christmas with their new baby sister.

Since things are going well, my spring semester for voice lessons will be starting on January 6th, as expected. I am excited for this new semester and have high hopes for some beautiful music!!!

I will be teaching again on Thursdays in 45 minute increments. Lessons are $20 per week, payable on a monthly basis at the first lesson of each month. Here are the lesson times:
1:30-2:15
2:15-3:00
3:00-3:45
4:00-4:45
4:45-5:30
5:30-6:15

Please email me at jen@dave-and-jen.com with your first and second choice of lesson times and any dates you know that you will not be able to attend your lesson.

If you know anyone else who is interested in taking voice lessons, please feel free to email a link to this blog for more details. If I have enough students, I will also teach one other afternoon, but not until my Thursday fill up first.

Fall Vocal Recital

Fall Semester

Thursday, August 26th will start our new fall semester.

I will be teaching on Thursdays at the following times:

• 1:30
• 2:15
• 3:00
• 3:45
• 4:30
• 5:15
• 6:00

Please email me back with your first and second choice as soon as possible.

Also, here are some other important dates:

• October 21st: Our last lesson of the fall semester.
• October 22nd: 7pm vocal recital at Jen's home. More details to come.
• January 7th: First day of the spring semester (provided all goes well with baby Zoe)

Lessons Resume This Week!

This is just a reminder that we do have lessons this week! Here are your lesson times:

10:00 Holli

10:45 Lola

11:30 Justice & Celestial

1:30 Katie

2:15 Karen

3:00 Eternity