What to Eat Before You Sing

Some of my students have asked me what they should eat before they sing or have a performance. Since the voice is part of the human body, what we consume affects what we produce. You want to make sure that you are in fact eating- you don't want to starve. Starvation is unhealthy and won't give you the energy that you need for your performance. But, you also want to consume foods that will give you the stamina and nutrients that you need without hindering your vocal instrument.

The following are some tips that I always try to live by before I have a gig:

1- Hydrate!

There's a reason why hydration is #1 on this list. Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids. Water and non-caffeinated tea are best. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol. They will actually do the opposite--dehydrate and irritate the voice. If you hate the taste of water, add lemon, berries or non-sugary powders such as Crystal Light. If you don't like tea, add honey or lemon to your drink. When your voice is hydrated, a healthy amount of mucous membranes coat your cords and you're able to sing with a lot more ease. 

2- Eat protein.

Lean meat will give you the energy that you need to sustain throughout your performance. Grilled chicken and fish are great examples of what you can make at home or eat at the place that you are performing. If you are on the go, try grabbing some deli meat (turkey, ham) and snack on that with some WheatThins or Triscuits. These lean proteins will keep you satisfied and serve as the fuel for your voice and breath-supporting muscles. 

3- Eat your veggies.

Vegetables are just really good for you and will give you the vitamins that you need to maintain your health. Working long hours and sleeping irregularly can affect your immune system and eating properly will help give you the stamina that you need to stay healthy and strong. Salads, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are just some veggies that provide great benefits to your overall health and voice. I like to munch on carrots and celery when I am on the go. If I am at home, a quick salad is very refreshing.

4- A spoonful of honey.

Honey is a singer's best friend. Honey is filled with so many awesome benefits for the body and the voice. Its a great lubricant for the voice because it literally just coats your throat and soothes your muscles. Honey serves as a natural healing property and bacteria killer, gives you energy and boosts your immune system. If you keep a squeezable bottle in your car (its okay to it leave out in the sun and it never expires), then all you have to do is have a little bit of honey when you are en route to your gig.

5- Granola Bars.

I love granola bars (Kashi is my favorite) because they give me a lot of energy and are very filling when I am on the go. They are also a great little snack to have if I have a break between a 4 hour set. Healthy granola bars provide a great combination of fiber, protein and carbohydrates. I make sure to pack at least one when I have to perform. Sometimes I get anxious before I sing and am literally not hungry. A healthy granola bar also serves as a quick compromise if you just need to put something in your stomach. 

I hope that this list helps you next time you are wondering what to eat when you have a performance or gig. Overall, you shouldn't starve yourself or overeat. You should eat until you are satisfied and make choices that are beneficial to your body and your voice. 

Remember... you only have ONE voice!

American Idol's Vocal Coach - Debra Byrd

Check out this neat little interview with Debra Byrd, Vocal Coach on American Idol. Debra demonstrates her knowledge, experience and nurturing nature.




Debra discusses the importance of vocal health in a professional performance setting. Proper coaching, healthy singing technique and good habits are imperative when you are singing on a regular basis for long period of time. The enormous amount of preparation and performance required in a platform such as the American Idol competition is just one extreme example of this.

I posted this video because I just love Debra Byrd's demeanor. Her personality is so warm and nurturing and you can see how easy it is for singers to trust her. The hardest thing about being a vocal coach is gaining that trust. The voice is a fragile thing and singers should be careful when working with teachers. I constantly strive to learn more and more about my craft so that my knowledge and sincerity can allow my students to trust me as well.

Hope you enjoyed this little video. =)

Season 11's American Idol Winner - Phillip Phillips

Last night we witnessed a very emotional reaction from our newly crowned American Idol, Phillip Phillips. The finale was filled with amazing performances and touching moments. But the best moment of all, was when Season 11's winner, Phillip Phillips was crowned.

As I wrote a couple of days ago, I was rooting for Jessica Sanchez to win. But after watching Phillip perform, react and embrace his family, I immediately became attached to him. His musicality is undeniable and his style is very kitschy, but in that very moment, he became real. 

So many aspects about being a great vocalist require concentration, discipline and skill. But what will transform and bring you to life is authenticity. Just let yourself become vulnerable and emotional. Your music will then speak for itself.

Congratulations to Season 11's American Idol, Phillip Phillips. I am very curious where this journey will take him. I love his new single and expect that he will do better than our previous winning WGWG's... let's hope he will go far and wish him well. =)

And sadly, this season has come to a close. =( But watch out, America! I will be auditioning this summer! We need a female Idol to win next year!

And on that note, I will leave you with the best, most hilarious and fierce performance of the night: The Face Off between Jennifer Holliday and Jessica Sanchez singing "And I Am Telling You, I'm Not Going" - ENJOY =)

American Idol Season 11 Finale - Jessica vs Phillip

Finally, Season 11 of American Idol's biggest event has arrived. Tonight we watched the Top 2, Jessica Sanchez and Phillips Phillips compete against each other for this year's coveted Idol title.

Round One - Simon Fuller's Song Picks
- Jessica Sanchez sings "Nothing" by Whitney Houston - Perfect song choice! Really nice delivery as Jessica is a natural when it comes to singing these diva ballads. I loved how she still performed very well but didn't give us everything that she had.. She needs to save the wow moments for the end of the show..

- Phillip Phillips sings "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King - I love his laid-back indie approach to this popular standard. His rendition was very tender and showcased great musicality. However, did not demonstrate incredible vocal ability by any means. I agree with Randy, Jessica definitely won this round.


Round Two - The Singers' Favorite Song of the Season
- Jessica Sanchez sings "The Prayer" - Gorgeous rendition of this classic song. It is quite an accomplishment to tackle a song that is actually a DUET with both Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. I love how her performance was so emotional and powerful. She could have easily belted out that last note, but she flipped into her head voice and led us wanting more.

- Phillip Phillips sings "Movin Out" by Billy Joel - This is a neat arrangement of this song. Phillip's phrasing was really interesting and he did a great job building up to the end of the song. My only gripe was that he literally looked like he was in pain during his performance. Great growl and climax to the end.


Round Three - Their Potential Winning Song
- Jessica Sanchez sings "Change Nothing" - The melody was a little interesting but she opened up really nicely in those big notes. I felt like the song showcased her range really nicely but the arrangement was really strange- there was no soul, no flavor or style. I don't know if this will take her to the top.

- Phillip Phillips sings "Home" - The song was a little boring but I love that catchy little indie hook at the end. The marching band made the production even more special. This song sounds like The Shins in the Garden State. It was a great performance but don't agree that it merited a standing ovation from the judges!

Well, I am very frustrated because it seems like another WGWG is going to win American Idol this year. I agree that Phillip has a wonderful style, but is this competition about singing or about style???

1- Round One Winner - Jessica
2- Round Two Winner - Even
3- Round Three Winner - Phillip

Its gonna be a toss up, but I am pretty certain that America will elect yet Phillip Phillips as Season 11's American Idol.

What do you think?!?!

Joshua Ledet Eliminated from American Idol: Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips Compete in Finale

After a suspenseful Top 3 elimination on American Idol Season 11, tonight we said goodbye to the very talented Joshua Ledet. Throughout the competition, Joshua demonstrated incredible growth as both vocalist and performer. He brought a unique flavor to the competition with his artful approach to vocal improvisation and dramatic performance. He married jazz, gospel and R&B and cultivated an incredible style behind an amazing voice. I was not a fan at first, but fell in love with his riveting performance of "It's a Man's Man's World" by James Brown. Check out how this kid pulled off this classic performance last week:




How epic and fierce was that performance... from start to finish!? Ah-ma-zing!

Anyway, it was a shocker (for me at least) that he was eliminated tonight. Joshua proved to be a very strong contender in this competition, but sadly will not be crowned as this year's Idol.

This means that next week's finale will narrow it down to our resident teen diva, Jessica Sanchez vs our token White Guy With Guitar (WGWG), Phillip Phillips. With these two in the finale, the franchise risks losing another talented female in the finale.

I truly believe that Jessica is the obvious winner in this season of American Idol. Phillip is more of a musician than a vocalist. He has great style and excellent instincts but his vocal ability pales to comparison to mostly everyone who made it to the Top 13 this year. Jessica, however, is a blossoming diva with all of the vocal chops necessary to be the next blockbuster Idol. She is soulful, youthful and powerful. We haven't seen that kind of female talent since Season 6's Jordin Sparks. For the sake of the show and its Billboard livelihood, Jessica is going to really need to prove herself next week... There needs to be female Idol this year.

And the rest of us??? We need to vote accordingly. Who do YOU think should be our next American Idol???

I am rooting for Little Miss Jessica Sanchez.

Belting Without Ruining Your Voice by Cari Cole

To add to last week's blogpost about belting, I came across this cute little video from Cari Cole, a professional contemporary vocal coach from New York City.

Cari makes three really strong points about how to belt without ruining your voice:
1- Take a deep breath, because breath propels and fuels the voice.
2- Don't hit the note really hard and create tension on your vocal muscles.
3- Open your mouth wider to create more space for the sound to circulate in.

This video describes very similar methods that I use in my lessons, but instead she describes it in her own words and is very helpful.  Belting simply requires proper breath support, lack of pushing and lots of practice! Be patient with your practicing because your muscles need to work out in order to become stronger! The same goes for singing. =)

Hope this helps!

Season 11's American Idol Top 4 Performers

At this point of the competition on Season 11's American Idol, it could be anyone's game. Tonight we witnessed our Top 4 finalists-- Hollie Cavanagh, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez-- sing for their lives! Here is what I thought about each of the performances:

Round One: California Dreamin'
- Phillip Phillip sings "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by Creedance Clearwater - I love that Phillip showcased a little bit more range. His belt was clear and healthy, since he's finally stopped singing with his throat. Still boring, but definitely hearing a lot of improvements with his voice.

- Hollie Cavanagh sings "Faithfully" by Journey - This girl is peaking at the right time! I loved how she really held back in the beginning and gave us those beautiful big notes at the end. She utilized her technicality to give us so much power, confidence and emotion. Great performance!

- Joshua Ledet sings "You Raise Me Up" - Keeps swallowing phrases, not enough breath in verses. Key change did him well because he was able to redeem himself. His outro was extremely impressive and showcased impeccable range.


- Jessica Sanchez sings "Steal Away" by Etta James - Incredible phrasing, control and style! This girl's vocal performance is way beyond her years! She showcased attitude, growl, power and incredible melodic chops. Her flips to her head voice were very impressive and she just nailed it!



Round Two: Songs that Inspire Them
Phillip Phillips sings "Volcano" by Damien Rice - I agree with Randy that this is one of Phillip's best performances this season! It was very well sung, passionate and simply sexy. This is Phillip in his true element.. but is it enough?


Hollie Cavanagh sings "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt - This song was just too mature for little Hollie to tackle. She tried her hardest to evoke emotion, but came across rigid and robotic. I was disappointed with some of her melodic choices as she didn't "go for it" like I know she could. The tempo should have also been a lot slower. Sorry, girl!

Joshua Ledet sings "It's a Man's Man's World" by James Brown - FIERCE! The outfit, the attitude, the staging, the instrumentation, the arrangement.... flawless! His range, control, growl, passion and maturity are ridiculous! I really wanted a female to win Idol this year, but Joshua keeps outdoing himself. This performance was epic!

Jessica Sanchez sings "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" by Jennifer Holliday - Perfect song choice!!! This performance showcased her passion, power and confidence and she delivered it flawlessly! The entire song felt like she was climbing a big mountain and she executed it with maturity well above her years. What a Diva!


I think its obvious where the divide in the talent is based off of tonight's performances, overall consistency and performer track records.

Its a battle between Jessica and Joshua.. Hollie and Phillip have no chance. Phillip might stay for another week because of the female teen demographic, but will have no chance of making it to the finale. Hollie will most likely be packing her bags tomorrow night.

What do you think?!