The Singing Tutor

Mike Marlin

2011-04-22T22:18:00.004Z

I would like to wish singer/songwriter Mike Marlin every success in his current U.K. tour supporting scottish band Big Country

As Mikes vocal coach I am pleased to say that the effort he has put into his technique and regular vocal exercises shows when you hear him sing, especially when he holds those really long notes effortlessly.

Mike has also recently been touring with The Jam and The Stranglers. You can get Mike Marlin's latest album "Nearly Man" from i-tunes.

Singing And Performance Classes

2011-04-19T23:30:00.001Z

Starting in June 2011 we will be holding classes for people who want to learn singing and performance within a group environment at our studio in Inchinnan (within easy travelling of Glasgow, Paisley and Renfrewshire).
The lessons will be aimed at teaching students to sing and perform within a group of similar age, learning correct vocal techniques and how to sing harmony as well as performance skills. These classes will help students to bond, work together as a team, gain confidence and build character as well as have lots of fun, with the chance to perform along with their class members and other ZigZag student groups in a performance in front of a live audience.
Each class will be one hour long held on a Sunday from 10am and will consist of three age groups, 5 to 11 years, 12 to 15 years, 16 and above and will be taught by expert vocal coach Robert Wishart.
To allow for students to have the required amount of expert voice and performance tuition, classes will be limited in numbers and will be offered on a first come basis.

Quest For Talent

2011-03-26T19:14:00.005Z

Congratulations to two of my singing student, Jade Burke aged eleven from Glasgow Scotland who for the second year running took first place prize in her catagory as best vocalist singing Rhianna's Russian Roulette. For an eleven year old Jade's voice is a voice that some adult female singers would be proud of. She has worked extremely hard on her vocal exercises as well as her performance skills and is set to be a future star. Taking the runner up prize was eleven year old Andie Rose Barr also from Glasgow who impressed the judges with her rendition of the Eta James classic At Last. Andie has been having singing lessons from me for a short time and week by week her voice just keeps getting better. She recently sang at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow with Pop Idol winner and TV presenter of STV's The Hour Michelle Mcmanus. Andie is also heading in the right direction to become a singing sensation.

Open Mike UK talent competition

2010-10-03T12:30:00.003Z

Congratulations to one of my singing lessons students ten year old Jade Burke from Glasgow, Scotland who wowed the audience and judges alike with her rendition of the Miley Cyrus song The Climb at the semi-final stages of the Open Mike UK talent contest held in the Royal Concert hall in Glasgow. Jade has secured her place in the final of this, one of the largest singing competitions in the U.K. She will be competing in the final held in London on the 1st December 2010.

Increasing your vocal range

2010-06-01T09:29:00.002Z

I got this question asked as a message on my youtube channel recently and thought I would share the answer.
Q How long does it take to increase your vocal range by one octave.
A.To increase your vocal range by one octave is dependant on your present range. you should look at the quality of your voice more than the range of notes you can produce. Most songs are composed well within two octaves so if you have this range you should be able to sing most songs easily. vocal exercises carried out using the correct technique will increase your vocal range and this should be done slowly note by note over a period of time so that you don't put excess strain on the vocal chords. To inrease by one octave is a bigh achievment if at all possible and without knowing what your range is at present is difficult to say how long or even if you would be able to increase by this amount.

Keep Singing!

Michelle McManus

2010-04-23T15:59:00.003Z

I did a gig with Michelle McManus last night at the Parkville Hotel in Blantyre. I haven't seen Michelle since her rise to fame when she won Pop Idol a few years ago.
Her voice and charisma on stage were superb and in my opinion we should be hearing a lot more of her. It was nice to see that she is just the same down to earth person that she was before Pop Idol. Michelle can be seen presenting on "The Hour" TV show on Scottish Television 5pm Monday to Friday. It just shows what you can achieve with singing lessons and a lot of hard work.

BBC Singing Lessons

2009-11-09T23:50:00.003Z

All this week I will be working for the BBC, teaching Aggie Mackenzie from the hit television show "How clean is your house" how to sing. By her own admission she can't hold a tune and therefore steers clear of anything to do with singing. She told me she went for a lesson with a top vocal coach in London but left at the end of her lesson no better.
My challenge is to get her good enough to sing live on the Macauley and Co. radio show on BBC Radio Scotland on Friday. You can find out how we got on and if I managed to get her to sing confidently and in tune by tuning into the show each day at 10:00am.

Xtra Factor 2009

2009-11-04T01:15:00.002Z

I got a call last week from the producer of Xtra Factor (the sister program of reality talent contest show X Factor)asking me to appear on their show. unfortunately they wanted to film the following day as the show was being aired on the sunday evening. I reluctantly had to decline their offer of using my services as vocal coach as my schedule was full on the day of filming. These things happen at times!!!

Nadia Howard-Does it Again

2009-07-13T00:14:00.002Z

My singing student seventeen year old Nadia Howard from Glasgow received a standing ovation at the X Factor auditions in Breahead Arena, Glagow yesterday and got Four "Yes's" from Simon Cowel, Luis Walsh, Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue.
She sang the Joe Cocker song "you are so beautiful". Her singing lessons and practice with me have certainly paid off as she is now on her way to boot camp on the 26th July. Simon Cowel told her "you should go far in this competition" while Dannii Minogue said she was the best that day.
Only time will tell whether Nadia can go on to win X Factor 2009 but if she continues to do her singing exercises daily as well as regular singing lessons she should go all the way.

Robert Wishart

Nadia Howard Up In Front Of X Factor Judges Again

2009-06-20T16:51:00.003Z

Seventeen year old singer Nadia Howard from Glasgow is to audition in front of X Factor judges Simon Cowel, louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole on the 12th July 2009. She has already performed for these judges on the 8th June and wowed them with he talents. She has been getting singing lessons from me for only a few weeks and she has worked hard to perfect her singing. You can watch her practice at a lesson with vocal coach Robert Wishart. It is important to learn to sing with the correct technique.

Singing student prepares to meet Simon Cowell

2009-05-22T22:48:00.006Z

Now that one of my singing lessons students senteen year old Nadia Howard from Glasgow has been told officialy that she has to audition in front of Simon Cowell and his panel of judges for this years X Factor on the 8th June, it'stime to get her voice in top condition.
Today I worked with her on her techniqe for the songs she will sing and getting her breathing sorted.
We recorded the song and worked on some parts which were not perfect. Nadia has a great voice and if she follows my instructions, singing tips and practices her singing exercises she will have a fantastic voice. She is full of enthusiasm and wants to learn to sing> to the best of her ability. Her next singing lesson is on Tuesday 2nd June.

X Factor Auditions 2009

2009-05-14T08:52:00.007Z

Congratulations again to one of my pupils seventeen year old Nadia Howard from Glasgow for getting through her second audition for X Factor on Sunday (11th May 2009).
Nadia has worked very hard in a short period of time to perfect her songs and it just goes to show that her singing lessons have paid off. As a vocal coach I get as excited as my students when they succeed at an audition. Watching them improve as they learn to sing and hone their vocal skill to their best. Well done again Nadia.

X Factor Result

2009-05-09T16:13:00.003Z

Well done to one of my students seventeen year old Nadia who has just phoned me from Hampden Park in Glasow to tell me that she succeeded in getting through to the next round in X Factor 2009. She is over the moon and so am I as she has only had a four singing lessons from me before her audition. She sang the song "You are so beautiful"

Well done againg Nadia I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Susan Boyle

2009-04-22T10:29:00.002Z

well done Britains Got Talent hopeful Susan Boyle. she certainly took us all by surprise with her excellent performance of I dreamed a dream.
I am looking forward to her next performance on this show.
If you would like to be able to sing like her then you should take singing lessons from a good vocal coach.

Wedding Band Glasgow

2009-03-21T13:37:00.004Z

Wedding season is getting busy now and I like nothing more that performing with Blazing Pianos Wedding Band Glasgow.

Working with fellow band members keyboard player/singer Kenny Campbell and superb female vocalist Diane Barry.

Working within the glasgow and surrounding areas of Strathclyde, Lanarkshire, Bunbartonshire and Ayrshire we are kept very busy. This along with my vocal coach work keeps me very busy.

X Factor Auditions 2009

2009-03-05T13:42:00.003Z

Hi,

It's almost time again to be preparing for auditions for the xfactor.

Learn the secrets of exactly what they are looking for from top Vocal Coach to TV's Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus and Fame Academy winner David Sneddon.

There are usually around ten thousand people who turn up at each audition so get the edge over other contestansts by finding out how to succeed in the X Factor auditions.

Good Luck

Robert Wishart

Vocal Coach

Dancers should learn to sing

2009-01-08T23:39:00.002Z

I was listening to an interview on Radio 2 with Elaine Paige who was interviewing dance choreographer Anthony Van Laast who was the choreographer in the stage and film versions of Mama Mia to name just one of the many hit shows credited to his name.

Anthony was telling Elaine how important it is nowadays for musical theatre dancers to be able to sing as well as dance and also for singers to be able to dance.

He went on to explain that with the tight budgets nowadays in the theatre and film industry, producers can no longer afford to employ dancers and singers and it is easier to get a job if you can do both.

Anthony is now spreading the word to dance schools to tell the dancers to have singing lessons with a good vocal coach as he is no longer interested in auditioning people whoc can't do both.

So if you're a dancer and you want to succeed in todays market of musical theatre I would suggest that you learn to sing. Anyone can be a good singer if you get the correct singing tuition.

Don't SHOUT-Sing!

2008-12-05T14:45:00.002Z

I had an email from a girl asking my advice on singing the Biork song "Oh so quiet"
She wanted to know how to scream or shout at the louder parts of the song without damaging her vocal chords.

My reply to her was...
... don't ever scream or shout when singing. You will eventually damage your vocal chords.
What may sound like screaming or shouting in a song is a controlled for of singing.

As a vocal coach I know only too well that lots of people who don't learn to sing properly or have any form of vocal coaching will attempt to sing loudly without knowing the correct singing technique.

Anyone who wants to sing should find a good singing teacher, vocal coach in order to sing properly.

BBC choir sing live on radio

2008-11-20T22:48:00.004Z

Here is a utube link to hear the MacAuley and Co. choir singing live on Radio Scotland.

They were coached by myself (the singing tutor) in only six hours.

BBC Children In Need Day

2008-11-14T14:20:00.009Z

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Nine days ago I was asked by BBC Radio Scotland's MacAuley and Co. show presented by radio and T.V. personality Fred MacAuley, to help some of the shows co-presenters and producers form themselves into a choir, as they wanted to learn to sing live on the MacAuley and Co show for the BBC Children In need charity day on 14th November 2008.

None of the presenters were in any way shape or form singers and so the challenge was set and they began their singing lessons.

My job as The Singing Tutor, was to teach them to sing, in tune, in time, in unison and in harmony with only seven hours of rehearsal time.

I have to give these guys credit, they worked exceptionaly hard and with a great determination to succeed.

Last night they sang for the first time ever, live in Buchanan street, Glasgow accompanied by the children in need mascot Pudsy the bear and managed to collect £123.00 to add to the many thousands still to be donated by various other events throughout the BBC network.

Today they closed the special children in need edition of the MacAuley and Co show with the song which we had been rehearsing (Lean On Me) and the choir really stepped things up a gear and sounded fantastic.

They were a credit to themselves, to the show and to me. They were a joy to work with and I can't thank this group enough for their dedication.

Singing Student Supports Sydney Devine

2008-11-13T00:33:00.003Z

Well done to one of my former singing tutor students Dyane Barry who is appearing in concert with country legend Sydney Devine at the Pavilion Theatre Glasgow from Thursday 13th November-Saturday 15th November.
Dyane has come a long way since her tuition only two years ago.

BBC Children in need

2008-11-06T00:36:00.005Z

I have been asked by BBC Radio Scotland to take ten of their radio presenters from the MacAuley and Co. programe which is hosted by Fred McCauley and teach them to sing in aid of their Children in need day.

The presenters will sing live on the MacAuley & Co. show on Friday 14th October.
They are all non singers and so this is a challenge and I only have a total rehearsal time of five hours during a ten day period.

Kenny Campbell of mp3 Backing Trax put together a specially arranged backing track for the choir to sing to and if you want to know which song I have chosen tune in on the show on Thursday 6th October and all will be revealed.

We started our first rehearsal on Monday 3rd October and you can listen to how that went, along with an interview which I had with Fred MacAuley by going to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/presenters/fred_macaulay/

Can I succeed in getting these non singers to sound good enough to sing live on radio?
Tune into the MacAuley and Co. show on Radio Scotland on Friday 14th October at 10,00am to find out

singing exercises helps muscles

2008-10-29T13:12:00.004Z

Hi,
I just thought I would let you all know that one of my pupils who has been coming to me for only six weeks for singing lessons told me that he has been visiting a Chiropracter with back probelms.
The Chiropracter had noticed that there was more blood going to the muscles in his back due to the breathing exercises which he had been practicing thus helping his recovery.
Even more proof of the benefits of vocal coaching.

Robert

Singing Audition

2008-09-10T10:20:00.003Z

Hi,
i just wanted to share a couple of tips that may help you is you are going for a singing audition.
BE PREPARED!
Too many "singers" turn up at singing auditions unprepared. They haven't given any thought to what the audition is for ie: what type of job it is pop band, solo, choir, stage play etc.
Do your homework before you go and find out as much about what the auditioners are looking for.
Be prepared with at least two short songs (no longer than 2 minutes each).
Be well dressed and take a bottle of water with you.
Don't be put off by rejection, this could be because of anything rather than you singing ability eg; you could be too short, too tall or any number of reasons.
Many singers fail many auditions only to go on and have fantastic a singing career.

Robert
The Singing Tutor

Singing Can Improve Your Health

2008-09-02T11:06:00.004Z

It's been a while and I've neglected my blog so a slap on the wrist tom.

I just had to let you all know the latest news about singing.

A top british doctor has said that singing is good for your health and should be available on the NHS.

Apparently singing can help prevent depression and also help people who suffer bronchial problems such as asthma to breath more easily.

I remember about twent or so years ago my singing teacher (who is now 83 years of age and still singing) telling me that a doctor came to him for singing lessons and when he was given some of the exercises for correct breathing, he decided to use thes vocal exercises with his patients as he said the would benefit by helping their breathing.

I will write an article about this in my nextpost which will be soon..

Robert

Jordin -American Idol Winner

2007-05-27T11:24:00.000Z

Congratulations to Jordin on winning this years American Idol.
I have watched this seventeen year old throughout the American Idol series and was blown away with th mature sound of her voice.
With such an incredible voice and looks to match she was destined for stardom.
It just goes to show that with determination and training someone as young can take America by storm.
I think that runner-up Blake will not drift into obscurity but with his personality and ability should go on to have a great career in the music industry.

www.thesingingtutor.com

Keep singing !

Professional singer

2007-04-26T23:22:00.000Z

To sing for fun whether it be at a karaoke bar, in a local choir or just for friends is a far distance from performing on stage and getting paid for it.There are so many other things to consider other than singing, it can almost be thought of more like acting.Let's take a look at the requirements to be a good professional singer.No matter what type of singer you wish to make as your profession, the basics are the same.
The Voice... Read More

P.A Equipment

2007-04-17T12:59:00.000Z

The most common question I get asked by professional singers is, "how do I set up my P. A. (public address) system to achieve a good sound?"
It saddens me when I hear a singer with a good voice and well produced backing tracks have their performance ruined by a poor sound caused by their lack of knowledge on how to set up the sound system... Read More

Equipment

2007-04-10T23:24:00.000Z

A singer is only as good as the equipment they use.
You can be the best singer in the world but if you sing through an inadequate P.A system, no matter how good a singer you are your sound will not be good.
The same rule applies to being able to use the equipment to it's best.
In other words you can have a great voice and top of the range sound system but if you don't know how to set a good sound it will still sound terrible.
Read more in my article http://www.thesingingtutor.com/equipment.htm

New Joseph

2007-04-01T09:51:00.000Z

I see James McCracken whom I sometimes work with is down to the last 50 in the new reality TV show which is looking for the new joseph for the musical "Joseph and his amazing techicolor dreamcoat".
Well done James and good luck you deserve to win.

Keep Singing!

Todays Tip On Good singing

2007-03-28T12:34:00.000Z

Don't take any dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter or chocolate on a day when you are going to sing.
Taking dairy products causes a sticky film to form on your vocal chords and makes it extremely difficult to control your voice.
Make sure you drink plenty of water in order to keep your vocal chords hydrated.

Taken from The Singing Tutor E-Book

Keep Singing!

X Factor Winner gets £100k for five songs.

2007-03-27T11:58:00.000Z

X Factor winner Leona Lewis was flown from Los Angeles to Glasgow and paid £100,000 to sing five songs at a birthday party.
Bra tycoon Michelle Mone payed the extorionate price as a surprise for husband Micheal's 40th birthday.
Leona has become Michael's favourite singer since appearing on ITV's The X Factor reality talent show.
Nice work if you can get it!
Michelle also gave hubby a new Bentley and flew guests to Barcelona to finish the party.

Keep Singing!

Vocal Exercise

2007-03-26T09:34:00.000Z

I can't stress enough how important it is to do regular vocal exercises.
This is especially true if you are not singing for a few days.
An Olympic runner doesn't wait until he's on the starting blocks to get ready for the race.
We don't see the months of intense training that is carried out before this race.
Like the Olympic runner it is important for singers to learn the correct methods of singing and to exercise the voice in order to keep a good and strain free vocal sound.

Keep singing!

Backing Tracks

2007-03-25T01:20:00.000Z

I went to see a singer working self contained (using backing tracks) a few days ago.
She was a good looking girl, with a good voice, nice stage presence and a good P.A. system.
Did I enjoy the show?
No!
So what was the problem you're probably asking?
The problem was her backing tracks. She had paid great attention to everything in her act except her tracks.
Don't get me wrong some of them were very good, but that was the problem. In amongst the few good quality tracks were tracks from karaoke discs which had fade outs (very unprofessional), tracks made directly from midi files which included the melody line and badly recorded tracks.
Most of the tracks played at different volumes so she spent most of her act making adjustments at the mixer.
I always advise singers to get all their tracks from one source, that way they are guaranteed to be the same quality and play at the same volume.
For great quality backing tracks, listen to some of the samples at mp3backingtrax.com and you'll see what I mean.
This cabaret act had obviously spent a lot of time and effort getting her act polished and yet it was all for nothing as it was spoiled by bad music.
Don't let your stage performance be ruined by inferior backing tracks.

Keep Singing!

Nodules

2007-03-24T11:54:00.000Z

I keep hearing about singers having problems with their voice only to find that they have developed nodules on their vocal chords.
This is mainly caused by singing from the throat and not using the diaphragm properly.

Nodules are like small callouses which occur when the vocal chords touch each other due to over exertion of the voice and not only prevent your voice from functioning properly but may cause you to require surgery to have them removed and it could affect the quality of your vocal sound.

Every singer should be aware of maintaining a good healthy voice to prevent problems like nodules and the best way to do this is to have proper training.

theres an old saying which says "it's never too late to learn" but in the case of the vocal chords where irreparable damage can occur it's better to look after your voice and prevent future problems than wait until they happen and try to deal with them.

Vocal chords are resiliant but they are not indestructable...

Keep Singing!

CHEAPEST SM58 MICROPHONE IN UK

2007-03-23T00:20:00.000Z

I have just searched the web for a shure sm58 mike in the UK and the cheapest I can find only £68.15 inc. vat is here: http://secure1.securesite.co.uk/soun973919/acatalog/sm58lc.html

Todays Tip On Good Singing

2007-03-21T14:54:00.000Z

Styles Of Singing

Don't just sing one style of music.Try singing in as many styles as you can like swing, musical Theatre, pop, rock etc.This will train your voice to be versatile when it's needed….

Full explanation can be found in the singing tutor e-book