ANNABEL'S VOCAL WARM UPS

VOCAL WARM UP EXERCISES

Looking after your voice is so important! In order to enable you to treat your voice with care, Annabel has devised a series of vocal warm ups for all levels and all voices. She uses these in her online singing lessons, her one-to-one sessions and also for her celebrity coaching work.

WHY ARE VOCAL WARM UPS ESSENTIAL?

Vocal warm ups are a vital part of each session and ensure that your voice is protected before you begin. They will:

• Loosen up and relax your singing muscles

• Minimise the risk that you’ll lose your voice

• Safely expand your vocal range Improve breath control and vocal articulation

Your voice is your instrument and with practise, care, the right attitude and excellent coaching, anyone can learn how to sing!




ANNABEL'S VOCAL WARM UPS

Annabel recommends the following vocal warm up exercises to get started:

BREATHING


This exercise will help you to understand how to use proper diaphragmatic breathing techniques, even if you’ve never done them before. Singing from your diaphragm will help to give you more control over your voice, make it more powerful when you need to, and help control your air flow to enable you to deliver a more expressive tone. In order to practise this exercise you should:

  • Stand up straight with a good posture, shoulders back and relaxed.
  • Slowly breathe in through your mouth for 5 seconds. As you inhale and breathe deeply into your diaphragm, your belly should expand outwards.
  • Exhale for 5 seconds, keeping your shoulders and chest relaxed and contract your abdominal muscles to bring your belly in.
Read more of Annabel's breathing exercises.

SUSTAIN LONG NOTES

Want to learn how to sing those really long (and impressive!) notes and phrases? This exercise will show you what to do:

  • Think of your whole abdominal area like a ‘barrel’ and push your belly and ribs out as you breathe in.
  • As you sing the long note, leave your belly and ribs out as long as possible until you feel forced to pull them in.
  • This will maximise your diaphragmatic breathing and make the air go a long way.

HUM SIRENS


Sirens are brilliant for all levels of singers for warm up purposes and for development, but it’s important that you do them correctly. Here’s how:

  • Make a continuous ‘mmm’ sound
  • Start at the lowest point of your vocal range and gradually work up to the top note that you can comfortably reach at a medium volume.
  • Continuing with your ‘mmm’ sound slide back down to your lowest note
  • Work up and down the range - you’ll sound like an emergency siren!

5 NOTE MAJOR SCALE

This is one of Annabel’s favourite exercises (all of her clients use it on a daily basis!). It helps you develop your range, agility and is a daily workout for the voice. Only go as high as you can – don’t strain.

  • It’s important to lift your cheeks and keep the sound ‘nasal’ throughout.
  • Do your best ‘witch’ sound to help increase the twang!
  • Try to hit each note separately to develop flexibility.
  • Only go as high as you can. Beginners should change to head voice once you hit your break to avoid straining in chest voice.

ANNABEL'S VOCAL WARM UPS

Annabel has crammed The Vocal Coach App full of warm-ups, exercises, songs and video tutorials. Perfect for learning at home - and a great vocal warm up resource for kids - it’s like having Annabel in the room with you! ‘I Like To Sing’ is one of her favourites with clever lyrics and a fun melody.

The video tutorials are exclusive to the app, with Annabel herself showing you how to do your vocal warm ups both safely and correctly. If you are new to singing and have only just started your lessons don’t worry – there are plenty of vocal warm up exercises on the app for all levels.


Download The Vocal Coach singing app straight to your phone today!




And for those looking for some regular daily vocal warm up videos, checkout Annabel’s Instagram highlights labelled ‘Vocal Workouts’. These will give you a taster of Annabel’s unique methods and teaching style. If you have any questions or would like to book in a singing lesson with Annabel, please send us an email.

Book a one-to-one singing lesson with Annabel