5 Keys to Mastering Opera Singing Technique

5 Keys to Mastering Opera Singing Technique Jessica Dais Opera singers are known as the true “vocal athletes” in the music world. They must rely entirely on their body to be heard: no microphones allowed. (Unless they’re performing in a stadium, of course)! Operatic singing requires voices that can easily be heard over a full orchestra in very large houses. Although pop music dominates today’s televised talent shows and the radio, opera is still a celebrated art form that is more accessible than ever. Every year, many young singers begin their studies of opera singing technique in the hopes that they will have a successful career singing the music of composers like Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi. Have you always wondered what it takes to become an opera singer? Let’s take a look at the five keys to mastering opera singing technique so you can find out how to get started! How to Master Opera Singing Technique   1. Find the Right Teacher An opera voice teacher must have a strong knowledge of the “bel canto” technique, which means “beautiful singing” in Italian. Renowned opera singers such as Maria Callas and Jussi Bjorling knew the importance of bel canto and made it a point to study with such teachers often. When looking for an opera instructor on TakeLessons, you can easily find someone with experience who specializes in bel canto. See if the instructor lists who their teachers were, and what master classes or other programs they have attended. If you’re really serious about opera, you should study with someone who has learned from the experts. 2. Practice Opera Singing Technique Daily Yes, daily. Opera singing requires more than other genres, and to succeed you must have stamina. There are several helpful resources you can purchase that opera singers use, including the vocal exercise books by Vaccai, Concone, and Sieber. These books are inexpensive and can be used daily to improve your opera singing technique! It’s important that you spend time perfecting your arias. However, keep in mind that there is such a thing as practicing too much! While there isn’t a magic number of minutes that every singer should practice, listen to your body. If you feel any sort of fatigue, it’s best to stop for the day so you don’t strain or damage your voice. Check out the video below for more helpful tips, including some good opera songs for beginners that you can try. 3. Study the Greats The best opera singers were considered great because there was consistency in their voices, and they knew how to treat them! Watch them closely and youll start to notice things, like how they never “push” or put forth way too much effort when they sing. They also knew what roles were appropriate for them, as they were fully aware of what their voices could and couldn’t do. Dame Joan Sutherland was often approached to sing heavy Wagner repertoire, but she declined knowing it would ruin her voice. She instead stuck with the bel canto repertoire, which showcased her incomparable coloratura skills. There is a reason why people still talk about artists such as Sutherland and tenor Luciano Pavarotti to this day. Both were absolutely committed to the art of bel canto.  They both enjoyed long careers on the opera stage because of their reliable technique. Here is a YouTube video of them describing some of the basics of bel canto, along with revered mezzo-soprano  Marilyn Horne. 4. Take Care of Your Instrument You are the instrument! Unlike a pianist or guitarist, you can’t put your instrument away it is with you at all times and you must care for it almost obsessively. Opera singers should be sure to have an exercise regimen and a healthy diet.   Many famous opera singers practice yoga as it helps them breathe more effectively. It’s also critical that opera singers get plenty of sleep and stay hydrated at all times. As for your diet, it’s best that singers avoid caffeine and too much dairy, as it can cause acid reflux and excess mucus. Operas are not known for being short performances. As mentioned previously, you will need lots of physical and mental stamina to sing your role well! Keeping your body and voice in tip top shape is necessary to improve your opera singing technique. 5. Study a Few New Languages Americanized vowels, such as the diphthongs you hear in country music, are frowned upon when singing opera. This can be one of the biggest challenges singers face when learning opera singing technique, but a good voice teacher will help you master “pretty vowels” (which bel canto is all about)! The main languages to focus on for opera singing are Italian, French, and German. The more you gain basic knowledge of each language, the more beautiful your vocal lines will be in your arias. Beginning singers should consider taking classes in as many of these languages as possible. Depending on what happens with your opera career, you might be visiting these European countries and you’ll need to know how to communicate with the locals, too! So there you have it. If you can master opera singing technique, you can sing anything! Are you ready to get serious? The best place to start is TakeLessons. Find the right classically trained vocal coach for you today! Post Author:  Molly M. Molly M. teaches online and in-person singing lessons in Schaumburg, IL. Her specialties include teaching Opera and Classical Voice to beginners, shy singers, children, and older beginners. Molly started teaching in 2002.  Learn more about Molly  here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Opt for Online Tutoring to Help Your Child Excel in Studies

Opt for Online Tutoring to Help Your Child Excel in Studies 0SHARESShare Online tutoring has been creating very compelling and engaging courses attracting more and more children opting for it. However, it is very difficult to realize people who believe in traditional face-to-face tutoring about why they should opt for online tutoring to help children excel in studies. How online tutoring work to help your child excel in studies? Get Attention It gets learners intellectually and emotionally prepared to learn and become engaged in the learning activities. Give Direction It gives student clear direction of purpose and content before starting tutoring session. It answers crucial questions like how each session will target the better knowledge and learning for each student. The tutor clearly states what the student is going to cover and how it will grow confidence while learning the subject. Content Presentation It conveys key concepts, processes, theory and practice in a way that it long since the last. Tutor online apply variety of interactive approaches. Math online tutoring make use of innovative tools and techniques that explains the Math concepts in very simple and interesting way. Exemplify and practice The primary benefit of online tutoring is to put learning into practice. The tutors give best practices through examples, problem solving, case study, etc. to make student learn how the process or knowledge is being used. Math and science tutoring take care that students should apply their learning in problem solving and lab work. Summarize A recap or summarization of tutoring session works fantastic for effective tutoring. At the end of every tutoring session, the tutors summarize the session to reinforce learning. Call for action, provide support Once the student digests any concept or topic, it is very necessary to ensure that learning moves to the application. It helps students to become self-learners. These are the basic principles of any reputed online are tutoring that proves the definite academic growth of students. Opt for online learning and check out your academic performance. [starbox id=admin]

Online Physics Tutor- Breaks the Ice between You and Physics

Online Physics Tutor- Breaks the Ice between You and Physics 0SHARESShare Does Physics evade you? Need to open Sesame the doors of Physics? Who would open to make you learn the high ideals of Physics but for Tutor Pace? Online Physics Tutor- puts you at the top of the class Tutor Pace has proficient online Physics tutor who knows your difficulties in Vectors and Projectiles and explains them through live tools to facilitate your understanding.  The online tutors in Tutor Pace, with their certified knowledge, reveal the unknown concepts to you with clarity in a powerful mode which is self expressive. Physics Help Online- need it for excellent grades Physics Help online is instrumental in making clear all areas of Physics learning with ease. Be it a law like Newton’s Law of Motion or intricate concepts like Kinematic concepts, you get an idea about doing your homework or assignment with the help of the proficient tutors of Tutor Pace. Physics tutoring- available in all measures Physics tutoring from Tutor Pace covers all areas of Physics study for regular, honors and AP Physics B and C. The tutors help you revise an old concept or explore an advanced theory. They make you do the sums and one word problems with ease through their interactive methods in the virtual classroom. You do not feel the absence of face to face communication and feel elevated with a personal touch in the unlimited tutoring sessions offered by the tutors for Physics. Online Physics tutor of Tutor Pace brings a connection between you and Physics through his innovative methods. [starbox id=admin]

A Day in the Life at Vassar College

A Day in the Life at Vassar College Sarah earned her bachelors degree in English from Vassar College. She specializes in English tutoring, test prep tutoring, and a number of other subjects. Below, she shares her experience at Vassar College: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Sarah: Situated in the middle of the city of Poughkeepsie, Vassar College has an incredibly beautiful and bucolic campus. It is technically an arboretum, so the campus is full of trees of all different varieties. Campus is easily walkable, and there is no real need for a car or bike. There is a bike sharing program that my graduating class started for students who like the convenience of biking across campus. The college provides shuttle buses to the nearby train station that allows access to New York Citya service that students frequently make use of on the weekends. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Sarah: Professors are incredibly available, and all classes are taught by full professors (not TAs). Class sizes are small (I only had one lecture in my four years at Vassar), so it is easy to cultivate close relationships with professors. They really go out of their way to make themselves available to students in class, during office hours, and even outside of formal class settings. The dorm buildings contain faculty housing, so professors (and often their families) live in the same buildings as students, acting as faculty residential fellows. It is very common for professors to attend campus shows/events and have students over for dinner. How would you describe the dorm liferooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Sarah: Dorm identity is huge at Vassar. Most students live on campus all four years, and the office of residential life does a great job of organizing events all year long. There are no RAs or Prefects, but students are organized in Student Fellow groups with the other new students in their hall. Each group is assigned to a sophomore Student Fellow who does things like celebrate birthdays, organize dinners, and act as a resource for anything students might need. They really foster a sense of community from the moment students arrive on campus. Students often stay friends with the people they met in their Fellow group for all four years at Vassar. In addition to dorm life, there is always some kind of event, show, concert, party, club meeting, or lecture going ontons of opportunities to meet people interested in a variety of different things. The dining centers are pretty great and have some great healthy options, including a ton a vegan food. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Sarah: The liberal arts are most well-represented, but in recent years, the college has been attracting more students interested in the sciences as well. I have always loved reading and writing, so I became an English major with a French minor and went on to chair the English Majors Committee. The English department is absolutely stellar, and the professors are tremendously impressive. One of the many ways that I thought Vassar was great for my field of study was the number of cross-listed classes it offers. I was able to take classes that counted toward my major but were also housed in different departments, bringing students in various disciplines into conversation with one another. It is not the place for a student who wants to sit in the back of a lecture hall and never utter a word all semester. But, if youre like me and really want to engage with the coursework, the professors, and your fellow students, there is no better place. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Sarah: There is no Greek life on campus. The dorms and Student Fellow groups function in a similar way, providing a social and residential foundation for students. Students also tend to be involved in a ton of activities outside of class (sports teams, theatre collectives, a cappella groups, dance companies, etc.), which is another way students tend to meet one another. How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services? Sarah: The Career Center is a very valuable resource for students looking for internships, help with graduate school applications, and assistance in drafting a resume. They are really great at putting students in touch with alumni in their desired field as well. How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Sarah: Study areas are everywhere (lounges in every dorm), and the library is gorgeous and spacious. There are also computers accessible to students, if they happen to find (as I did) that their laptop dies during finals week. Study areas only get a bit full during finals, but never overcrowded. Describe the surrounding town. Sarah: Poughkeepsie is a small city in the Hudson valley. Students dont spend a ton of time off campus in Poughkeepsie (theres so much going on on campus!), but I can attest that there are some great restaurants in the area, lots of hiking trails a short drive away, and orchards for apple picking in the fall. Plus, the college is only a two-hour train ride to New York, and students often visit the city to catch a show or concert. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Sarah: The student body is around 2,500. Classes are smallI once had a class with four students total. I specifically chose a small school because I didnt want to get lost in giant lecture halls, and I loved being in intimate class settings that provided lots of opportunity for discussion. Youll get to know the students and professors in your department very well during your time at Vassar. For a student with a passionate interest in her/his field of study, its perfect. Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Sarah: I loved the process of writing my senior thesis. I worked with Peter Antelyes, a truly fantastic professor who was the chair of the English department at the time. Each week, I had a one-on-one meeting with him where we went over the pages I had written and the research I was working on. In addition to being a really engaging and often hilarious professor, he was remarkably encouraging of my work. It was wonderful to get such individualized attention and mentorship from a professor I so respected, and I wound up creating a piece of writing I was really proud of. After I submitted my thesis, Peter had me and another student over for dinner at his home to congratulate us on our work. I dont think I could have had that same kind of relationship with an academic advisor at any other college. Check out Sarahs tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Critical Reasoning Question Types-Strengthen Or Weaken Questions Pt 2 - Private Tutoring

Critical Reasoning Question Types-Strengthen Or Weaken Questions Pt 2 BobbiM Feb 6, 2014 Kaplan Strategy For a Strengthen or Weaken Question, keep the following in mind: Weakening an argument is not the same as disproving a conclusion-and strengthening is not the same as proving.  A weakener tips the scale toward doubting the conclusion, while a strengthener tips the scale toward believing in the validity of the conclusion; The wording will always take the form of, Which one of the following, if true, would most [weaken or strengthen] the argument?  The if true part means that you have to accept the validity of the choice right off the bat, no matter how unlikely is may sound. Wrong answer choices in these questions often have the opposite of the desired effect.  So if youre asked to strengthen a stimulus argument, a wrong choice will likely contain information that actually weakens the argument.  And when asked to weaken a stimulus, one answer choice is sure to strengthen the argument.  Pay attention to what the question stem is asking. Sample Stems The stems associated with these two question types are usually self-explanatory.  Heres a list of what you can expect to see on Test Day: Weaken: Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above? Which one of the following, if true, would most seriously damage the argument above? Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the argument above? Which one of the following, if true, is the most serious criticism of the argument above? Strengthen: Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument? Which of the following, if true, would provide the most support for the conclusion in the argument above? The argument above would be more persuasive if which one of the following were found to be true? Its also common that the question stem explicitly refers to part of the argument.  You might, for example, see the following: Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the authors conclusion that the Brookdale Public Library does not meet the requirements of the new building code? This example illustrates another advantage of Basic Principle 2: Reading the question stem first.  Here we would be told outright what the authors conclusion is, making the reading of the stimulus much easier to manage.

International School of Laos

International School of Laos International School of Laos International School of Laos (Previously known as Eastern Star Schools) established as Eastern Star Bilingual School in 2006 in Vientiane Capital-Laos. Currently, Eastern Star Schools serve over 900 students in International School campuses and one English Language School. The Main Campus commenced its operation in 2006 with only 273 students. The Main Campus is serving from age 2 to 18.The second campus commenced its operation in 2007 as a kindergarten and moved into its current location at Thongkan village in the summer of 2016. At the new International School of Laos -Thongkan primary department established and at the end of the extension project, this campus will serve from Toddlers to Primary 5 and will be kept as a boutique school with small class sizes. The third campus, International School of Laos -Pakse opened its doors in the summer of 2015 with 40 students serving from toddlers to Primary 3. Currently, a new campus project is undergoing and Pakse campus will have a new location in the fall of 2018. In the new campus, Pakse campus will serve to K-12 students with a fully equipped campus. In all three campuses, K-12 classrooms equipped with Promethean ActiveBoards, computers and projectors. Also, the main campus has two science labs, library, computer lab, music room, football-basketball and tennis courts. International School of Laos offers Cambridge International Examinations for its students at Primary, Secondary and Highschool. The main campus offers different athletic team opportunities to compete, also it hosts a math competition and a streetball competition to the general public.

Esol Education - A Teach Away success story

Esol Education - A Teach Away success story Esol Education Group selected Teach Away as a recruitment partner in 2014 to fill a minimum of 20 teaching vacancies in their private schools located in Egypt and the UAE. Using pre-screen interviews and a document and qualifications review process, Teach Away sourced highly qualified candidates throughout the US with a diverse mix of skillsets and experience, and arranged over 100 interviews sessions over four days in two US cities. To attract these candidates, Teach Away employed a range of innovative digital marketing techniques, including targeted email campaigns, social outreach and promotion, and an Esol Education-specific landing page with a variety of multimedia on our website. Through Teach Away’s recruitment efforts, all vacancies were filled and Esol Education has committed to continuing the recruitment partnership for 2015. We asked Esol Education for their thoughts on Teach Away’s services. Read below to see the Advisor to the Chairman, Tammam Abushakra's answers to the questions that we asked. Who is Esol Education? Esol Education is an education organization specialized in managing high-quality international schools, both American and British, and we are currently responsible for a total of nine schools in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. How were Teach Away’s recruitment campaigns successful for you? They were quite successful, we were able to attract a significant number of qualified and experienced teachers for our schools, and these were all from the United States for our American schools in the UAE and Egypt. What aspect of Teach Away’s services did you find most valuable? I think the aspect that was most valuable to us is simply bringing in a significant number of qualified candidates who are interested specifically in our schools. How did your principals find the quality of teachers? Our principals found the quality of the candidates at Teach Away events to be very good, and we could see that Teach Away had done a lot of prescreening that saved us a lot of work ahead of time. What did school directors think of our services? Our school directors found the entire process to be very well organized. Our experience with Teach Away has been that they are highly professional, highly organized, and quite savvy. How does Teach Away’s approach differ from the career fair approach? The exclusive approach to recruitment has been highly beneficial to us, when you set up an exclusive event, all the teachers you see are specifically interested in your schools, and you’re not competing with a number of schools for the same teachers as you would be at the traditional recruiting fairs. What do international schools have to gain from working with Teach Away? I think Teach Away provides international schools to a pool of candidates that they probably wouldn’t otherwise have access to, and of course, our teachers are the backbone of our schools and the most valuable resource that we have.