When I was a young girl, still in the single digits of life, I dreamed of walking onto the stage alone to sing for an audience. In my imagination, I grudgingly allowed for there also to be a pianist onstage with me. As a very shy person whose musical vision…

Some years ago, when my mother flew alone across Canada to visit with me, I was desperate to find a way to rekindle our former deep emotional connection. Since she had remarried several years earlier, I felt that I had lost some of our precious bond…

“You may not see me, but you’re damn well going to hear me!” My good friend, Anna, boomed out to a male server in a coffee shop who refused to “see” her waiting next in line to give her order. Anna, who is 72, is a theatre actor whose well-trained voice…

Much has been written about the fact that singing is a powerful way to enhance our lives. As a long time singer and vocal coach, I have observed first hand how singing can improve our mood immediately. Lifting our voices in song can bring new life to our imaginations…

As a long-time performer and vocal coach, I have heard these words spoken many times, especially after one of my concerts or talks. These days, during concerts, which have taken on a more conversational tone, I often mention the great pleasures that singing…

When I was in my early 20s, I rented a room in a sprawling mansion-turned-rooming-house that was in a beautiful part of Vancouver, Canada. Lots of tall, old trees lined the sidewalks. The area had a luxuriant park-like atmosphere…

To shed some light on this question, let me offer the story of my good friend, Claire Duchesneau, a hearing-impaired singer. When she was a young woman, Claire was able to hear normally. She played the guitar. She wrote and sang songs…

An experienced singer walks onto the stage with the strong desire to elicit emotion from their audience. The best singers have an arsenal of techniques at their command. It is their job, in part, to make us feel something beyond our daily…

Many, perhaps most of us, are moved to sing. I know this from my numerous years of giving concerts. Often, I hear from audience members that they had “always wanted to sing.” “I don’t have a good voice, but I really…

I remember standing backstage when I was quite young, waiting to be called onstage for my first performance in a song festival. I may have been 12 or 13 years old. I was about to sing a song I loved from the musical The King and I, titled, “I Whistle a Happy Tune…