Book singing lessons near me in Napier

Learning classical techniques can make you a better singer

If you are a singer and you are learning classical technique, you will be faced with learning how to read music and all the symbols and terms that come with it. Your repertoire will certainly use a music sheet that at times can be very specific about accents, dynamics, syncopated rhythms, and articulations such as slurred notes or trills. Following this multiple indications will help you become immediately more expressive.

Let us start with Tempo. Tempo is simply the speed to which the piece of music should be played at. A tempo mark is usually found at the beginning of the piece and it will inform the pace at which you will play the piece. Some of them are very specific, while others will be just a world such as Lento, which means slow; or Presto for example, which means fast. Sometimes these tempo marks will be followed by an indication of the mood or attitude. Words such as Maestoso (majestic), Cantabile (easy to sing), or Con Anima (with soul) are great to set you up into the spirit and attitude meant for the piece. Throughout the piece you may also find indications for a change of pace: you could find the word Accelerando, which translates as speeding up or increasing speed. Other examples of this are Rallentando (slowing down), Ad Libitum (play freely), Animato (animated), Più Mosso (more quickly) or Senza Tempo (no tempo or no strict tempo).

Finally, other signs can be used to distinguish different notes with a phrase. These signs can make a note last longer, shorter or make them stand out from the rest. The first one is called Staccato: it is a little dot found on top of the note and it makes the note be short and detached from the group of notes that it might be part of. The opposite of Staccato would be the liaison or legato line, which ties two or more notes together making them sounds chained in one single line with no break between them. If you would like to accent and make one or two more notes come out there the accent mark (>) that you place on top or at the bottom of the note. This sign means that you have to play that note harder and more intensely, followed immediately by a decrease of intensity.

All these signs and symbols are there to create the proper texture for the right mood and the precise expression. The goal is to find your unique expression, your unique way of playing the different indications and making the piece your own.

Learning to sing in Napier

The music scene in Napier is diverse and filled with festivals and famous artists that have come out of this locality. One of the most famous artists that has come out of Napier is Iris Dunn. After a successful concert tour in Japan, this new pop artist is finding herself in search of a musical career in Los Angeles. Another solo artist who calls Napier her home is Danica Bryant. This up-and-coming artist can certainly be an inspiration to you if your desire is to write and perform your own songs. She is an extremely talented singer and songwriter who started writing songs at the age of 7 and has been featured in compilations and different productions. Napier is a great place to find a great variety of music festivals, events and weekly live performances. The Food and Music Festival, Music in the Park, The Art Deco Event and many others are great opportunities for you to experience live music and be inspired by the great variety of musicians, bands, styles and shows that Napier has to offer to their people.

How to practice and what to expect from your teacher

When you are learning an instrument, you are also developing good habits: discipline and a sense of purpose are two major components of good practice that will allow you to progress in learning music. In order to become better at the instrument you have chosen, you have to be very disciplined. You can practice for 5 minutes, but it has to be consistent. It is always better to practice for a short period of time every day than to practice for an hour before the class. Your teacher will want you to spend time with your instrument consistently throughout the week, that is the basis of your relationship with music and your instrument and thus discipline plays a major role. And just like any learning discipline, in order for you to progress, you have to have a clear goal. Some people have a very clear idea of what they want to learn, others not so much, but it doesn’t matter because once you begin your training and you start playing a few notes or strumming a few chords you will start realising what specific goals you might now have in the horizon.

Then your teacher and you can come up with a course plan, a direction for the series of lessons to follow. Or you could tell your teacher everything you would like to learn, tell him how you see yourself playing the music you’d like to learn and the main objectives you have in mind. Then your teacher can arrange the lessons to focus on your interests and your ultimate goals. This takes us to another important point: besides your sense of discipline and clear goals,  learning music involves also a good teacher who will tailor the classes to your needs and will keep you motivated as he tries to provide you with the basic, fundamental skills to learn music, that is learning to read music, learning to play an instrument, learning about rhythm and your sensibility to it, and your imagination.