top of page
Search


Wanna learn something new? Sleep on it.
There's no way around it. Sleep is essential for life. And the quality of your sleep can directly affect how well some of your life...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Jul 25, 20224 min read
Â
Â
Â


Analyzing Research on Register Transitions
Lately I've been on a bit of a kick, writing some straight up vocal science posts that are making me happy. I love me a good research...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Jul 17, 20226 min read
Â
Â
Â


Love Your Ears
There's a ton of discussion about vocal health in the singing world, and how to keep our voices healthy over a (hopefully) long career....

Dr. Heather Nelson
Jul 10, 20225 min read
Â
Â
Â


Sing Bright Like a Diamond
Harmonics are nifty. It's just one aspect of voices that I find endlessly fascinating. How singers use and manipulate harmonics is a...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Jul 3, 20225 min read
Â
Â
Â


Phonation Threshold Pressure: What it is and why you care
This is gonna be a straight up voice science post, just talking about phonation threshold pressure. Because science is fun, and voices...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Jun 5, 20225 min read
Â
Â
Â


Sumer is Icumen in, lhude sing "what continuing ed am I going to do??"
I love me a good Medieval music pun. There are so few opportunities for them! (If you also love Medieval music, here's info on one of the...

Dr. Heather Nelson
May 31, 20223 min read
Â
Â
Â


The first step in teaching clients who are older than you.
Here it is: Remember that you will be that client one day. And treat them the way you want to be treated. We expect to get older, but...

Dr. Heather Nelson
May 15, 20223 min read
Â
Â
Â


There's always pressure in your singing.
And that's not necessarily a bad thing! I'm talking specifically about air pressure that is happening at all times along the vocal tract,...

Dr. Heather Nelson
May 8, 20224 min read
Â
Â
Â


A Choir of One: Teaching Choral Pedagogy in the Private Lesson
I love choirs. I mean, I luuuuuuuv choirs! I love to conduct them, sing in them, listen to them, plan for them. All the things. Choirs...

Dr. Heather Nelson
May 1, 20223 min read
Â
Â
Â


First, do no harm.
I don't think any one of us would be surprised when I say that being human can be hard. Being a singer can be hard. And sometimes the...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Apr 17, 20223 min read
Â
Â
Â


Do Your Own Research
There's hardly a phrase that's been overused and under-understood in the past two years more than "Do your own research." Research is a...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Mar 21, 20224 min read
Â
Â
Â


Learning styles: Too good to be true?
Spoiler: Yes, it probably is. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Learning styles are the idea that because of a...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Mar 13, 20225 min read
Â
Â
Â


PRESSURE! When Sinuses Attack.
I don't know anyone who hasn't had a sinus infection at least once in their life. If you are that person, I wanna know how you've managed...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Jan 23, 20222 min read
Â
Â
Â


You say "Vocal Cords." I say "Vocal Folds." Let's call the whole thing off!
Okay, admittedly that was a terrible title trying to draw on a popular song, but stick with me. (And in case you need a little Ginger...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Jan 16, 20223 min read
Â
Â
Â


Achieving Your Continuing Education Dreams
If you're the kind of person who has been dreaming about getting a master's degree in pedagogy, but have no earthly idea how you could...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Dec 26, 20214 min read
Â
Â
Â


How do we actually sing in tune?
When a person is learning to sing in tune, meaning generally in the center of the desired pitch (not too sharp or flat or unsteady)...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Dec 19, 20214 min read
Â
Â
Â


Creating Awareness of Breathing Muscles
Getting to better efficiency in breathing for singing is a worthy goal, but sometimes we miss the very first step! Especially if you've...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Nov 21, 20211 min read
Â
Â
Â


Your Brain Is Your Friend...Except When It's Not
I say it often that all singing begins in the brain. Singing can also be influenced by the brain, specifically by reflexes, in an ongoing...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Nov 14, 20212 min read
Â
Â
Â


Intercostals: Essential Partners in Breathing
For some reason or another, in singing pedagogy over the recent past, we've focused a lot of attention on the diaphragm in breathing. I...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Sep 5, 20214 min read
Â
Â
Â


Pedagogy Happy Hour for September: Singing for those with chronic breathing problems
Singing in front of other people can be incredibly intimidating. Sometimes when I'm starting out with a new client, I have to consciously...

Dr. Heather Nelson
Aug 29, 20214 min read
Â
Â
Â
bottom of page