Speech Level Singing:
The Method I Teach

When I first started researching avenues to become trained to teach voice I went into it with the assumption that the industry was pretty standardized. Boy was I wrong! There are a lot of voice teachers out there, and just as many different techniques.

But even going into this with no knowledge of what was available there was a couple of things I knew I wanted out of the training method I would ultimately choose. The most important of which was simply not being forced to "specialize" in one style of music or singing.

This what I found to be the case while looking into the collegiate route of study. You had to choose a style and study to teach only that. I didn't want to teach a style, I wanted to teach voice, period.

Finally I discovered a technique that had everything I was looking to get out of the course of study I would ultimately choose:

A Technique that my students could use with any style of music
~ A technique that doesn't change the personality or style of the singer
~ An organization that is respected nationally so that my certification actually means something

I found all of that in in the Speech Level Singing Technique. The Speech Level Technique was created by Seth Riggs, one of the most successful voice instructors ever. Seth's client list reads like a who's who in the recording industry with over 100 Grammy winning artists who swear by the technique.

Speech Level Singing is based on the premise that you should be able to sing anywhere in your range as comfortably as when you're speaking. Some of the things you can expect to happen with this technique are reduced strain, improved endurance, increased range and a stronger, more even singing voice. This method is very effective and produces very quick results. I've had students see dramatic results in one or two lessons.

These results are achieved through a series of vocal exercises designed to stabilize the larynx and strengthen the vocal chords, teaching them to work independently of all of those "extra" muscles we use when we sing. In other words much like the way things work naturally when we're speaking in our normal voice.

There is a great deal more to understanding Speech Level Singing technique than what I've mentioned here. However, rather than get into a lot of dry technical information I thought you might enjoy viewing some of the videos I've posted in my My Space Blog and on You Tube. Enjoy!