How to create a practice session for beginner singers

One of the frequent questions I get from my singing students is how to organize a practice session for beginner singers.

Of course, there is no right or wrong answer to this since every person is different and therefore different things work for them.

But if you are really struggling, here I give you some ideas that will help you get started.

If you are a beginner, don’t worry about setting aside 2 hours a day to practice. That would probably result in frustration and finally in not doing any practice at all.

Even 15 to 30 minutes practice three times a week will give you very good results if you are consistent in your practice and if you are present in your practice rather than doing mindless repetitions of exercises and songs. When learning an instrument, quality is way more important than quantity.

Tips on how to prepare a practice session for beginner singers:

1-Define who will be your guide

Are you going to learn from private lessons? Group classes? Youtube videos? Online courses?

2-Time commitment

Define how much time you can realistically spend on your practice on a regular basis. 30 minutes three times a week tends to be a good place to start and quite easy to commit to.

Consistency is key!

As you progress in your singing training this will probably change, and you will naturally want to add more time to your practice.

Also, make sure that you commit the time that you can enjoy. There is no point in scheduling one hour sessions if you will be looking forward to it being done. Singing is a lot of fun and practicing should not take the joy out of it!

3-Set a goal to work towards

This gives your practice direction and motivation. 

It doesn’t have to be a huge goal. It can be something like:

• Singing in an open mic
• Singing in a Karaoke night
• Singing in a showcase
• Singing a song on your birthday 
• Doing a singing audition
• Recording a song
• Preparing for a concert

4-Warm up your body

As singers, our instrument is our whole being. Our body, mind and energy. 

Your emotions change your posture, and your posture changes your breathing, which affects your voice in many aspects.

So it is a good idea to dedicate some minutes at the beginning of your practice to tune in with yourself and observe how you are feeling today. 

Some things to observe:

-Are there any tensions in your body?

-What main emotion are you experiencing today? anxiety, happiness, anger, sadness, peace?

-How is your breathing today? Shallow, deep, calm? What parts of your body are expanding when you breathe in?

-Are you experiencing any pain today?

-Do you need anything right now? Food, water, maybe moving around a bit?

If you don’t know what I am talking about, you are welcome to download my free workbook that you can get HERE (the link is at the bottom of the page).

5-Warm up your voice

Now that you have tuned in your instrument, it is time to warm up your voice gently to get it ready for your practice.

Start easy. Don’t worry about singing crazy high notes in your warm up. It is not the time to do that yet.

In the warm up, you can sing a sound that is comfortable for you like an “Ah” sound or a humming, and simply go up and down the scale gently. 

6-Voice technique work

 Now that your body and your voice are ready to work, it is time to incorporate some technique work in your practice.

This is the moment to focus on the specific things you are working on. Some of the things you might be focusing on can be:

-Breathing

-Posture

-Range expansion

-Voice connection through the registers

-Specific voice exercise 

-Diction

Focus on one thing at a time and you are going to progress much faster.

7-Keep a journal of your practice

 Your notes will be really helpful to monitor your progress for yourself and for your teacher if you have one.

8-Repertoire work

This is the moment to work on your songs.

Make sure you are also focusing on a specific goal with your song. Singing the song along mindlessly does not do much for your singing training. 

If you have a teacher, they will tell you what to focus on. But if you don’t, make sure you break it down to learn it in depth.

You can focus on things like:

-Learning the lyrics of the song 

-Learning the whole structure of the song

-Learning the melody

-Learning the rhythm

-Getting familiar with the message of the song

-Listening to different versions

-Work on specific parts that cause you trouble

If it seems like a lot, you can organize your practice session routines in two different types:

Practice 1: Body warm up – Voice warm up – Voice technique

Practice 2: Body warm up – Voice warm up – Song work

I hope you got some ideas from here! Remember that there is no right or wrong. As you practice, you will get better at practicing as well 🙂 

If you are looking for singing lessons in North Shore Auckland, contact me 🙂 

Singing lessons in Auckland and online for adults, teens and kids. Group singing classes for adults in Auckland. Glenfield – Unsworth Heights area (North Shore)