Practise routine

Vocal technique	Progress to date	Target	Date
Range	I improved my range by practicing singing on interval scales, starting at the lowest note I could go and easing up to the highest note I could reach until I hit my break. I repeated this and slightly pushed my voice further each time.	My target for the next few weeks is to learn how to smoothly transition over my break, switching from my chest voice to my head voice.	6.1.2015
Diction	I improved my pronunciation of words using an exercise saying different consonants with each vowel e.g “Ti, Tu, To, Ta…” to help with clearer pronunciation of words.	My target is to continue using this exercise and practise with songs such as ‘Castle on a Cloud’’	6.1.2015
Articulation	I improved my articulation going up and down the scale changing from staccato (punchy) to legato (slurred, elongated.	My target is to apply this exercise to different songs that are of the opposing articulation (staccato on legato song)	6.1.2015
Flexibility	I improved my flexibility by singing ‘aahhs…oos’, jumping to notes in the scale using octaves. I also practised with my song ‘Castle on a Cloud’ where there is a drop in key for one verse which then returns to the original key.	My target is to be able to extend the higher scale to my range to be able to sing more versatile	14.1.2015
Breath control	I improved my breath control by timing how long I could hold notes when gradually exhaling and making sure my shoulders were relaxed and I had an upright posture	My target is to practice holding notes controlled, using parts of songs such as ‘Castle on a Cloud’, and choosing where I need to take deep inhales to achieve this.	14.1.2014
projection	I improved my projection by using lip trills and simply practising the control in the volume and capacity of my sound. I also used an exercise where I held a note ‘ah’ and gradually got louder and softer.	My target is to strengthen my chest voice to be able to powerfully project, as well as a lighter head voice that is able to carry through the room	14.1.2015
Intonation	I improved my intonation by going up and down the scale slowly so I could listen to how well my tuning is	My target is to improve the tuning by thinking in a way that I need to land on top of the pitch. I will do this by mentally singing slightly higher/lower than the actual note.	23.1.2015

Vocal technique	Progress to date	Target	Date
Range	I can now sing 2 notes strongly above my original highest range in mixed voice.	My target is to gently be able to go into head voice from mixed voice, (C# mixed voice to D head voice)	23.1.2015
Diction	I improved by practising with the song ‘castle on a cloud’ and really exaggerating the words. This helped me understand how clearly pronouncing the lyrics engages the audience to understand the song.	My target is to start using a selection of tongue twisters that can also help enhance my articulation	23.1.2015
Articulation	I improved by picking a staccato song and singing it with legato to see the difference in articulation. I then did vice versa.	My target is to practise a song and alternate between staccato and legato throughout it to further divide the two	5.1.2015
Flexibility	I improved by being able to jump through octaves back and forth	My target is to continue using this method and increasing randomness of the note switches	27.1.2015
Breath control	I improved holding a comfortable note (low B) from 15 seconds to 23 seconds using the previous exercise	My target is to increase the duration I hold my notes in a higher scale (high A) from currently about 11 seconds	27.1.2015
projection	I managed to project stronger and louder using the previous techniques. My head voice has improved where I can gradually get louder	My target is to be able to gradually get softer with my head voice which I find more difficult than increasing the volume	27.1.2015
Intonation	I have improved by using the previous method to ensure I am in tune and hit the right pitch	My target is to apply the same method to different songs	5.1.2015

Vocal technique	Progress to date	Target	Date
Range	My smoothness into head voice from mixed voice is improving by just focusing on those two notes (C# and D). It helps to slowly ease into the next note so I can control it better not to break.	My target is to continue using this method to progress in jumping the break to avoid the cracking in my voice	5.1.2015
Diction	I improved my diction by using the tongue twister ‘Peter Piper’. I find this helps to strengthen and stretch the muscles involved when talking/singing	My target is to continue using different tongue twisters as the difficulty helps to make singing lyrics clearer much easier.	14.2.2015
Articulation	I improved by using one of the songs from ‘Into the Woods’, and I sang this changing legato/staccato every 10 seconds.	My target is to apply the legato/staccato on the scale to the previous vowel exercise ‘Ti Ta Te To Tu’	14.2.2015
Flexibility	I improved by using a different exercise – interval scales – this is where you switch between numbers 1 to 8 on the scale.	My target is to continue working on this exercise and increase the speed that I do it at	14.2.2015
Breath control	I can now hold the high A note for 17 seconds. This was effective as I initially found it hard to hold near as much breath in a higher pitch as in lower.	My target is to keep practising this method and see if I can extend the duration of my breath when in a higher note.	22.2.2015
projection	I have improved decreasing the volume and getting softer in my head voice. It helped to firstly inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth a couple times, before taking a deep inhale.	My target is to use the deep breathing technique for improving the head voice	22.2.2015
Intonation	I have improved by again using the previous excersise. It has really made an improvement on how accurate my intonation is.	My target is choose a different exercise to investigate different ways to improve this skill.	22.2.2015

Vocal technique	Progress to date	Target	Date
Range	I improved smoothing my breath with the previous exercise. I find that it works to not force too much air when going up the scale and switching as my voice isn’t trained/used to it enough	My target is to find other exercises that will improve my range	12.3.2015
Diction	I improved by the previous use of the tongue twisters	My target is to increase the speed that I say the tongue twisters	5.3.2015
Articulation	I improved by using the previous method of applying legato/staccato on the scale to the vowel exercise. This was interesting as the legato version seems to emphasise the vowels more, whereas the staccato version is more on the consonant.	My target is to choose a different technique for articulation	5.3.2015
Flexibility	I am now able to jump 1 8 1 7 1 6 1 5 1 4 1 3 1 2 1	My target is to create a completely irregular pattern of the numbers e.g 6 3 8 1 4 3 7	26.2.2015
Breath control	Using B, one higher from A that I was using, I managed to hold the note for 14 seconds. I can see how the higher I go increases the difficulty in breath. Like in an exercise also useful for projection, I inhaled through my nose and out through my mouth a couple times, before taking a deep inhale. With the techniques I have been using it is definitely improving	My target is to see different breath control exercises so I have a range of approaches to improving my breathing whilst singing.	26.2.2015
projection	The use of deep breathing was helpful to use in projection, as when I released a note I could really sing the note outwards because I had time.	My target is to choose a different technique for improving projection	26.2.2015
Intonation	I have practised with different songs by recording and listening to my intonation	My target is keep on doing this with different songs and recording my voice to them.	5.3.2015

Vocal technique	Progress to date	Target	Date
Range	I improved by using an interesting technique – It involves slowly breathing in from your diaphragm whilst slightly tightening your airways. This causes you to make a croaky-like sound as you inhale. You then release your breath. Doing this seemed to warm up my larynx and abled me to reach higher notes that I couldn’t before.	My target is to play around with this technique in different ways to see if it can enhance my voice even more.	12.3.2015
Diction	I have increased the speed at which I practise the tongue twisters which made it much difficult but slowly I was improving	My target is to manipulate different ways of the tongue twisters	12.3.2015
Articulation	I practised with saying different consonants ‘T, D’ which I kept repeating. I could feel some letters  on the tip of my tongue which helps you understand whereabouts in your mouth should certain letters produce from. E.g, ‘K’ comes from the back of your throat.	My target is to continue using this method, maybe on a scale	20.3.2015
Flexibility	The previous target said was much harder but once the pattern was learnt it was easier to jump from each note	My target is to increase the speed of this new irregular pattern exercise	20.3.2015
Breath control	I improved by using a different breathing exercise – I took a deep breath a held a comfortable note. I then went louder (crescendo) and softer(diminuendo), to see if I could keep a steady control of my breath.	My target is to continue with this technique to improve the control.	20.3.2015
projection	I improved by using short introductory excersises, such as hisses and ‘HA!’s.	My target is continue with these small exercises that can easily be done quickly daily.	26.3.2015
Intonation	I have improved my intonation by listening back to recordings of my voice to check my pitch accuracy	My target is to return to the scales and practice on a 12 note scale	26.3.2015

Vocal technique	Progress to date	Target	Date
Range	I improved the use of the previous exercise. I used the croaky-like sound, but when you exhale. You then gently travel up and down with your voice going high and low, or you can even do this along with a piano scaling up/down. I found this really helped warm up my vocal chords and found it much easier to reach more difficult keys, high and low.	My target is to apply this before performing a song.	26.3.2015
Diction	I used exaggerated facial expressions mostly in my mouth shape, to produce the words in the tongue twisters even clearer. E.g, a large smile while saying ‘Pe-‘, then dropping the smile on ‘-ter’	My target is to now apply this in a song and perform	2.4.2015
Articulation	This method I have been using has helped massively, and I used it on a 16 note scale.	My target is to apply this to different songs	2.4.2015
Flexibility	I have improved after speedinh up the irregular pattern, which has made it easier for me to jump large scales quickly which will help in certain musical songs.	My target is to apply this to songs	2.4.2015
Breath control	This exercise has helped me to improve the duration of my note holding – my comfortable range duration is now 24 seconds	My target is now use this in songs	11.4.2015
projection	The previous exercises have helped me to project much more confidently	My target is use these methods on different songs	11.4.2015
Intonation	I have now reached a 12 note scale	My target is to attempt a 16 note scale.	11.4.2015