Instructions

• Step 1: Use familiar rhymes Start simple, don’t get crazy; Who cares if others think you’re lazy? Rhyme cat, hat like you’re 5 years old, But you’ll still flow hot lava while their rhymes go cold.
• Step 2: Make references Come on, get a clue. Look at everything that you’ve got around you. Think something’s funny, that it merits your time? Let it ride like Cronkite; give a piece of your mind.
• TIP: Maintain a solid knowledge of current events. Stars, sports, polls — they’re all ripe for comment.
• Step 3: Plan ahead Now you know what to do, Then figure out what you can rhyme to. Be a chess master – 10 moves ahead, If you’re not always planning, your flow will stop dead.
• Step 4: Freestyle freely Free up rhyme and meter of flow; You’re writing real time, not Dante’s Inferno. Hack your way through verbal thorns and thistles. Forget that guy Webster — think “fo’ shizzle my nizzle.”
• TIP: Throw in similes to be at your best –They can get a crowd buzzing like you kicked a wasp’s nest.
• Step 5: Have some fallbacks Store a few lines in back Of your mind for when you think you’ve gotten off track. You can find some solace when the rapping is on By having go-to’s like, “Whatcha think a that, son?”
• Step 6: Practice Don’t rely on tricks,don’t do it just for kicks; To be a freestyler, sit down and practice.
• FACT: DJ Kool Herc, in 1973, Broke beats and fathered hip-hop in New York City.

You Will Need

• Rhymes
• Beats
• Confidence

Instructions

• Step 1: Pick a recognizable song Pick a popular, recognizable song that can be adapted for a show choir — one that will galvanize the audience to clap hands, tap their feet, or sing along.
• Step 2: Choose a concept Choose a concept. Don’t limit yourself to the most obvious style or genre; you can mix and match between the concept and the song. Aim for the unexpected.
• Step 3: Choreograph it Choreograph it. Focus on group dynamics and big gestures. Keep everyone in constant motion. Consider having some of the action take place in the aisles and making some of the moves a little risque.
• TIP: Don’t go overboard with dirty dancing. Remember: you’re in high school.
• Step 4: Select costumes Select costumes, bearing in mind that everyone has to be able to dance in them. Decide whether uniformity works best for the number, or if the song would be better served with a variety of looks.
• Step 5: Rehearse Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse some more. Don’t be afraid to make last-minute changes if that’s what it takes to get all the kinks out.
• Step 6: Knock ’em dead! Now go out there and knock ’em dead!
• FACT: A 2007 survey found that 10 percent of Americans are involved in some kind of organized singing, more than are involved in organized sports.

You Will Need

• Song
• Concept
• Choreography
• Costumes
• Practice

Instructions

• Step 1: Check your wardrobe Check your wardrobe. Certain outfits may indicate you’re a Gleek — and that high school isn’t an age, it’s a state of mind.
• Step 2: Consider your fears Analyze your deepest, darkest fears. There are certain phobias specific to the Gleek species regarding slushees, yearbooks, coaches, and rival show choirs. If any of these apply to you, you may be a serious Gleek.
• Step 3: Examine your vocabulary Examine your vocabulary. Do you call meetings “sectionals?” Upcoming events “regionals?” When everything you do turns into a competition, that’s a sure sign of Gleekitude.
• Step 4: Imagine perfection Scrutinize just how sacred Glee night is in your home. Obsessive behavior in preparation for the greatest show ever made is a true sign of Gleekdom.
• TIP: Watching an episode a second time within 24 hours is another data point.
• Step 5: Make musical moments If you’re a real Gleek, life’s mundane moments are anything but; no matter what you’re doing or where you are, every minute of every day is a glorious opportunity to burst into song and dance!
• FACT: The oldest glee club in the U.S. is the Harvard Glee Club, founded in 1858.

You Will Need

• Wardrobe
• Fears
• Competition
• Television
• Song and dance

Instructions

• Step 1: Drink water Drink lots of water. Singers need more water than the average person in order to keep the vocal cords and the mucous membranes surrounding them moist. Aim for eight to 10 glasses every day.
• TIP: Always drink water at room temperature; cold water can damage vocal cords.
• Step 2: Warm up Warm up your vocal cords frequently. Just as a pitcher needs to warm up his arm before taking the mound, a singer needs to loosen up his vocal cords to keep them in optimal shape. Just don’t overdo it.
• Step 3: Limit dairy Limit dairy products, which can cause mucus to build up in the throat, leading to irritation.
• TIP: Resist the urge to clear your throat; doing so causes the folds of the throat to slam together, causing irritation.
• Step 4: Take slippery elm Take the herb slippery elm, which singers discovered more than a century ago was a good way to coat the throat and soothe tired vocal cords after a performance. Slippery-elm lozenges are available in health-food stores.
• TIP: Whispering to save your voice? Don’t! Studies show whispering actually makes your vocal cords work thirty percent harder.
• Step 5: Turn off the AC Turn off the AC. It can dry out the air–and your vocal cords!
• Step 6: Use a humidifier Sleep with a humidifier by your bed, especially before an audition or performance: vocal cords work best when moist. In fact, you need to keep the surface of the cords slippery enough to vibrate up to 1700 times per second!
• TIP: Steam your throat regularly by holding your head over a pot of hot water, covering your head with a towel, and inhaling deeply.
• Step 7: Sip hot tea Sip hot tea, especially marshmallow-root or licorice tea. Both contain mucilage, which has been proven to coat the throat and soothe vocal cords. Drink it preventively and for relief when you get a sore throat.
• TIP: Don’t add lemon to hot tea. It can be drying.
• Step 8: Gargle Gargle with a mixture of warm salt water and a quarter-teaspoon of baking soda to help keep the vocal cords moist.
• TIP: Gargle in a high pitch; it forces your cords to contract, making gargling more effective.
• Step 9: Limit alcohol and caffeine Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can be drying to vocal cords. And if you have a cough or cold, avoid antihistamines and menthol cough drops, which dry out and irritate vocal cords.
• FACT: Like a fingerprint, every person has a unique ‘vocal print’ that belongs only to him.

You Will Need

• Water
• Slippery-elm lozenges
• A humidifier
• Marshmallow-root or licorice tea
• Salt
• Baking soda

Transcript

Woman: Want to hit the high notes?

Man: Quick tips!

Woman: Hold something heavy to your chest while you sing. It works by making you tense your vocal cords. Tada!

Instructions

• Step 1: Breathe deep Breathe deeply and with your diaphragm. This will take practice, patience, and stomach muscles.
• TIP: Strengthen your stomach with exercises such as sit-ups.
• Step 2: Stand straight Stand up straight when warming up for a song. Practice in front of a mirror.
• Step 3: Warm up Warm up your voice by putting your lips together and vibrating them like a horse. While making that noise, sing scales.
• TIP: Avoid dairy products or thick beverages before performances, and drink a lot of water.
• Step 4: Listen to others sing Listen to other vocal performances, and try to mimic the performer. This will help train your voice and your ear.
• Step 5: Hire a vocal coach Hire a professional vocal coach if you feel you need additional instruction. This person can offer your valuable tips and set you on your way to becoming a soaring songbird.
• FACT: Most people are capable of three octaves. Exceptional talents are known to reach four or five octaves, but that is very rare.

You Will Need

• A voice
• Ears
• A vocal coach
• Water (optional)

Instructions

• Step 1: Choose a yodeling phrase Start with a combination of consonant and vowel sounds. Choose a phrase that you can vocalize in one breath. For example, combinations of sounds like hodl-oh-ooh-dee-hodl-ay-ee-dee.
• Step 2: Switch vocal registers Insert jumps in your voice from your speaking register to falsetto as you repeat the phrase. For example, vocalize OOH-DEE and EE-DEE in falsetto, while using your speaking voice for the rest of the phrase.
• TIP: The human voice has at least two distinct vocal registers. The falsetto or head voice is the higher of the two registers. The chest voice is similar to the speaking voice.
• Step 3: Practice Vocalize the selected phrase in one breath until you are comfortable with the register shifts. The sample phrase would behodl–oh-OOH-DEE-hodl-ay–EE-DEE.
• Step 4: Practice with recordings Practice yodeling to the accompaniment of professional recordings.
• Step 5: Expand your repertoire Practice yodeling with increasingly complicated patterns. Remember; yodeling requires you to be able to switch registers several times quickly at high volume.
• FACT: Did you know? Yodeling began as a way of communicating over large distances in the Alps.

You Will Need

• A combination of consonant and vowel sounds
• An ability to switch vocal registers
• Professional yodeling recordings
• Practice

Instructions

• Step 1: Practice “mixed voice” Practice singing scales in a “mixed voice,” which is a balance between the chest voice – the normal speaking voice, and the head voice – a much higher register.
• TIP: Singing high notes using only the chest voice can cause nodules and cysts to develop on the vocal chords.
• Step 2: Visualize Visualize the note you are trying to reach in your head. Don’t listen to the music or your voice. Instead, go by feel to reach a desired pitch.
• Step 3: Use correct muscles Use the correct muscles for hitting high notes, which are the larynx and surrounding muscles, not the throat muscles used for swallowing.
• TIP: Your larynx should be still while singing high notes. If you are using the wrong muscles, it will move and cut off your air.
• Step 4: Practice Practice often, at different times of the day, and practice yodeling. Start with a note at the top of your middle range and go up in half steps until you max out.
• Step 5: Lie down Lie down and practice singing with books on your abdomen to show air going in and out, or stand with your back against a wall to emphasize correct use of your diaphragm.
• Step 6: Consider a vocal coach Consider training with a vocal coach, who will not only train you to sing high notes safely but also help you reach your singing goals.
• FACT: Did you know? Soprano Maria Callas renounced her American citizenship in 1966 in order to nullify her marriage to Giovanni Meneghini.

You Will Need

• “Mixed voice” techniques
• Visualization
• Correct muscle use
• Practice
• Yodel practice
• Back support
• Books
• Vocal coach

Instructions

• Step 1: Reduce stress Reduce stress in your life, which tightens muscles, including the ones that influence your voice. Deep resonance derives from loose vocal cords.
• Step 2: Hum and raise head Hum in low registers with your head down and your chin just above your chest. Then raise your head, still humming, to face the ceiling. This will stretch your vocal cords.
• TIP: Your voice is lower when you wake up because your larynx has been relaxed and reverberating at its proper, deeper register. Apply mentholated ointment to your chest before going to sleep to further relax your throat muscles.
• Step 3: Speak slowly Speak slowly and project from the back of your throat, allowing sound to vibrate from your chest. Keep your head up when you speak.
• TIP: Don’t force yourself to be what you are not. If you are a tenor, be that, instead of hurting your voice trying to change.
• Step 4: Exercise neck muscles Exercise your neck and strengthen it, because weak neck muscles force muscles around the vocal cords to strain to help out, tightening and thinning sound.
• Step 5: Breathe deeply Breathe deeply into your diaphragm without flexing your abs. Exhale making the hissing sound of a snake. Taking in a lot of air makes outflow gentler and richer.
• TIP: Scream-singing like a rocker can condition and deepen vocal sound, but is a dangerous way to do it.
• Step 6: Drink water Drink lots of room temperature water to hydrate. Cold water tightens the muscles and makes them inflexible.
• FACT: Did you know? A study of 100 adults in Tanzania found a link between men with deeper voices and the number of children they had.

You Will Need

• Less stress
• Exercise
• Water
• Mentholated ointment (optional)

Instructions

• Step 1: Discipline your voice Discipline yourself with a good diet and regular exercise. The poor blood flow from self-abuse can compromise vocal quality.
• Step 2: Relax the body Relax your whole body and do a series of breathing exercises, slowly, to exercise your diaphragm.
• Step 3: Warm up incrementally Warm up incrementally, never forcing your voice. Thicker and deeper voices will take longer to prepare.
• TIP: Trying too hard, going too fast, or attempting to vocalize too soon can do great damage. Be patient and cautious.
• Step 4: Drink water Drink lots of room temperature water throughout the day. Give your body time to absorb the water before working your voice.
• Step 5: Do scales Do your scales, starting from middle C and going low, and then high. Be comfortable and don’t push it. If it hurts, stop.
• Step 6: Build the voice Build volume, speed, and range as you go. Vocalize a siren sound, using “Ee” as you move up and down your range, and repeat until you feel limber.
• Step 7: Work and shape the mouth Over-enunciate different sounds and phrases to work out your mouth, tongue, and face. Open your mouth for vowels, and make consonants crisp.
• TIP: Singing is done with vowels. Consonants are pitch-less.
• Step 8: Avoid using the voice Avoid using your voice throughout the day you have to sing. Don’t raise your voice or whisper, which can also fatigue your voice.
• FACT: Did you know? A Chinese music teacher, Li Wenxing, is said to sing across six octaves.

You Will Need

• Discipline
• A healthy diet
• Breathing exercises
• Lots of water

Instructions

• Step 1: Create a kick drum Make the kick drum sound by expelling pressurized air through your mouth. At the same time, pronounce the letter b without using your voice box. The effect should be punchy while you mouth the “b” sound and expel air simultaneously. Use only the air in your mouth.
• TIP: Vary the b sound by mouthing the letters “bf,” “bs” and “bsh” intermittently; combine for an interesting rhythm.
• Step 2: Create the hi-hat Clench your teeth and expel short bursts of air while making the “t” sound. This is called hi-hat. Keep your tongue against the roof of your mouth and the back of your teeth, maintaining the pressure inside your mouth. Use your tongue to regulate air flow.
• TIP: Experiment with variations like “ts,” or by drawing the air for longer periods of time to create a “tssss” sound.
• Step 3: Be a snare drum Build on the kick drum sound to mimic a snare drum. Expel pressurized air using the same technique, only mouth the letter “p” instead of the kick drum’s “b.”
• TIP: Vary the snare drum with “ps,” “psh,” or “pf” sounds. Emphasize the variations by elongating the sounds: for example, “psssshh” or “pssssffff.”
• Step 4: Crash like a cymbal Use the word ”chish” to replicate the crash cymbal. Repeat through clenched teeth, without the vowel sound, for a duller crash. Keep your teeth clenched.
• Step 5: Make a reverse cymbal sound Keep your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth where your upper teeth meet your palate. Clench your teeth and inhale quickly to create a reverse cymbal. Close your mouth to stop the sound.
• Step 6: Get hip-hop inspiration Listen to old school hip-hop and try to replicate those beats.
• Step 7: Develop your sound Develop your own unique sounds by putting all the elements together. Timing and breathing techniques are the secret to impressive beat boxing. Have fun!
• FACT: Standard Beatbox Notation (SBN) is a special set of musical notations created specifically for writing beat box songs.

You Will Need

• Rhythm
• A mouth

Instructions

• Step 1: Get partners Get a talented person or two to sing with you, so you can mostly just mouth the words. Or find someone loud enough to drown you out entirely.
• Step 2: Keep it simple If you’re on your own, begin by narrowing down potential songs by complexity. Look for a simple verse-chorus-verse structure and a reasonable tempo.
• TIP: Down a shot before you take the stage—alcohol is a time-honored inhibition-reducer.
• Step 3: Stick to the middle Stick to songs that are sung mostly in the middle of the standard vocal range, with as little variation as possible. In other words, stay away from tunes by Mariah ‘I Can Shatter Glass with My Vocal Cords’ Carey.
• Step 4: Rap it up For an easy way out, pick a rap song, or anything that is more spoken than sung, like ‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.’ It’s kind of cheating, but what do you care?
• TIP: Favor songs whose lyrics you know. Yes, karaoke machines show you the words as you go along, but this way you can concentrate on your pitch and tone.
• Step 5: Consider weird songs Consider weird songs. If no one really knows how a song should go, they won’t know you’re massacring it.
• Step 6: Keep it short Keep it short and sweet—three minutes of bad singing is less likely to get you pelted with lime garnishes and maraschino cherries than six.
• Step 7: Have fun Most important, have fun. And don’t worry about the audience—if people wanted real music, they would have gone to a jazz club.
• FACT: Karaoke was popularized in Japan in the 1970s, and spread to the rest of the world in the 1980s.

You Will Need

• A talented or loud singing partner or two
• Bravery
• Booze