First Lessons with new students (and their parents)can be awkward as everyone is trying to get to know each other and understand the routine of your studio. Take care; a well planned first lesson can make or break your business relationship. Nikki shares simple strategies to get everyone started on the right note. For Links to resources mentioned please visit the podcast page: https://www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts/81 My Music Staff Minute: Forecasting in your Music Teaching Business Warm-Up of...
Apr 20, 2019•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Voice Teacher and Social Media expert, Karen Michaels returns to the FULL VOICE Podcast to answer questions about new Pinterest, and Instagram features that (would most definitely) benefit voice teachers and teaching studios. For more information, please visit the podcast page: https://www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts/80 The My Music Staff Minute: How to make tax time easier. Feature product: The Singing Lesson Practice Planner and Journal (for kids) now available. https://www.thefullvoice.com/si...
Apr 12, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Liz Craig is a professional private music teacher and an in-demand performing artist. Our conversation is about understanding employment rights. Are you an independent contractor or an employee? What does this mean for you when you accept work for your time and talent? Liz shares some important information for all artists, whether you are teaching, performing, or hiring for your company. For links mentioned in the show, please visit our podcast page: https://www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts/79 My...
Apr 05, 2019•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Being creative and flexible in your teaching approach is essential in the private teaching studio. Facilitating adaptive lessons is teaching to the students’ individual learning needs. Special guest, Becca Samson is a board certified Music Therapist and a private voice teacher who specializes in adaptive music lessons. Becca shares fantastic teaching strategies for all teachers working with young musicians. For more information and links to resources mentioned in this interview please visit our ...
Mar 29, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do your voice students TRULY understand the story behind their song? Probably not as much as you would think.🤔 Many of our students struggle with reading skills, and lyrical prose is tricky! (Even our teen and adults can struggle with reading comprehension skills.) Perhaps some time exploring the text of the song could lead to more expressive singing? This podcast ties in with our recent freebie Friday - LYRIC DISCOVERY download. This simple two-page lyric discovery activity encourages students...
Mar 22, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jeremiah Johnson is an opera singer turned financial expert with a passion for helping musicians make peace with their finances. In episode 76, we are talking about money mindset(for self-employed creatives who just want to make music) and simple strategies for preparing for retirement. For more information about Jeremiah and links mentioned in this episode, please visit our podcast page: https://www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts/76 My Music Staff Minute: Your Business Logo
Mar 15, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Social media expert, Karen Michaels returns to the podcast to keep us up to date with fantastic opportunities to promote our teaching studios on social platforms. In this episode, she talks about Google My Business and the updates to the Linkedin platform. Karen also shares inspiration and best practices for keeping our social media accounts up to date. My Music Staff Minute: Writing your story into your business For links mentioned in this podcast, visit our podcast page www.thefullvoice.com/fv...
Mar 08, 2019•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Voice teacher and business strategist, Michelle Markwart Deveaux discuss the different lesson fee structures that voice teachers can offer their ideal clients. Hourly rates, tuition fees, lesson packages or value-priced packaging all have pros and cons. Which fee structure is best for you? Which is best for your students? Michelle (as always) shares information and inspiration to build a rewarding business you love. My Music Staff Minute: Outstanding Customer Service for Music Teachers. Click he...
Mar 01, 2019•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Curse of Knowledge is a sneaky cognitive bias that prevents YOU from being the best teacher you can be. Think you're not cursed? It trips up even the most experienced teacher. It can also cause communication challenges when running your teaching studios. Learn about this evil challenge and simple ways you can lift the curse on this episode of the FULL VOICE Podcast. My Music Staff Minute: Time-saving strategies for busy teachers. Click here to start your 30-day free trial today. https://www....
Feb 23, 2019•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Returning guest, Dana Lentini shares her teaching strategies for discovering and exploring the lyrics of a song with young singers. From young beginners who are just learning to read to students starting new languages, Dana has some fantastic teacher take-a-ways to help singers learn and appreciate the text of their songs. Effective practice strategies and expressive singing for the win! My Music Staff Minute Click here to start your 30-day free trial today. https://www.mymusicstaff.com/?utm_sou...
Feb 15, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast When do you introduce a young singer to a new language? How do you begin the process? What about that tricky rolled or flipped "r" or blended vowels? Special guest, Tracey Ford loves working with young vocalists and is super passionate about teaching repertoire in new languages to her students. She shares her favorite beginner and intermediate song collections, fantastic resources and how she works new language challenges into her student's vocal warm-ups. My Music Staff Minute: Using Social Med...
Feb 08, 2019•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lip and Tongue trill exercises are favorite go-to exercises for many voice teachers. As fantastic semi-occluded exercises, they have many useful applications. Our FREEBIE FRIDAY download "engages" young singers to explore lip and tongue trills with an outer space theme. For details and links mentioned in the podcast, please visit www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts/70 Thank you to the team at My Music Staff Staff for their weekly business tips.
Feb 01, 2019•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Colds, flu, and poor general health bring stress and suffering to everyone, but for a voice teacher and singer, it means missed opportunity and lost income(and in severe situations - vocal injury). Our guest, Voice Teacher, nutrition expert, and health coach, Elizabeth Rotoff outlines the four pillars of better health - exercise, stress management, sleep, and nutrition. If you are looking to make healthy living a priority in 2019, Elizabeth shares some simple strategies and inspiration for happy...
Jan 25, 2019•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Introductory Vocal Classes are a unique opportunity for students age 6-8 years who love to sing and are new to lessons. This group lesson is a music skills class with a particular focus on singing. If you have the interest, space, and mindset to work with a small group class, Nikki shares the kid and teacher-tested singing games and activities and all the fantastic resources she uses to create a fun and educational vocal music curriculum. For links to all the resources mentioned in this podcast,...
Jan 18, 2019•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Discussions about onset, using resistance bands with our vocal students and a very naughty tongue twister that will keep everyone laughing. Our trip around the world continues and teachers are sharing their go-to warm-ups and exercises. A special thank you to Elizabeth Rotoff, (Winnipeg, Canada) Jerry Elsbernd, (Shorewood, Minnesota, U.S.) and Nicole Casey (U.K./Spain) For more information about our guests and the free resources mentioned in the podcast, please visit our podcast page www.thefull...
Jan 11, 2019•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kid friendly exercises for helping with speech articulation and easy-peasy (and super effective) exercises to help coordinate switching between the registers. We continue our journey around the world to discover great warm-ups and exercises for your students. A special thank you to Lauren MacKay (Brisbane, Australia), and Christine Keene (Anchorage, Alaska) for sharing super fun singing ideas! For more information about our guests visit our podcast page at www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts
Dec 26, 2018•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pack your bags - we are taking a trip around the world. We are stopping in on our friends and colleagues from around the globe and asking them about their favorite vocal warm-ups. {Teacher Take-a-way Alert} Listen to this podcast and You will have new and exciting vocal exercise ideas for your studio - guaranteed! In this episode, no piano warm-up tips and crowdsourcing ideas from your students to customize a warm-up that makes them smile! Special thanks to Karen Michaels, Kim Wessel and Rebekah...
Dec 21, 2018•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Returning Guest, Shannon Coates discusses her new online course: The Vocal Instrument 101. A fun and lively conversation about continuing education and diving into the science, anatomy, and physiology of singing. For information about the links mentioned in this podcast please visit www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts (Please note: There is occasional “crackle” in the recording due to internet connection issues, but the voices are clear!)
Dec 14, 2018•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast After miserably hacking through a student’s song on the piano in the lesson the other day, I started thinking about challenges of accompanying our students. And the struggle with using backing tracks for home practice. Whether you are a seasoned pro behind the keyboard or your skills are functional there are plenty of times when we need to step away from the piano and watch our students too! Music is a collaborative art form and yet, are we supporting our singers too much? Visit our website for ...
Dec 07, 2018•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Voice teachers are ALWAYS preparing students for auditions. What songs will give our students the best chances of landing the roll? Should you transpose the music? What about the 16 or 32 bar cuts? Our good friend (and Musical Theatre guru) Nate Plummer answers these questions and MORE in this interview. For more information and shownotes visit www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts
Nov 30, 2018•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Keeping students engaged and participating in your teaching studio can be challenging. Yes, students often quit lessons for many reasons that are out of our control, but in this podcast, Nikki discusses several strategies that can ensure that students of all ages will stay with us and take advantage of all that we have to offer in our teaching studios. For more information and links to the show notes, please visit www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts
Nov 22, 2018•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Special returning guest, Michelle Markwart Deveaux discusses the unique challenges we face in our teaching studios depending on our age. Yes! Age matters more than you may think when running an independent teaching studio. Whether you are new to teaching or you have been at it for decades, Michelle shares strategies for all of us PLUS an important reminder about how we can all support each other. For all links mentioned in this podcast, please visit our website at www.thefullvoice.com
Nov 16, 2018•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you are interested in creating music teaching resources - This podcast is for you. My dearest friend and faithful colleague, Mim Adams dropped into the FULL VOICE office, and we talked about our adventures researching, creating, publishing and marketing the FULL VOICE resources. It has been a LONG journey(almost 20 years), but we have enjoyed the challenges all along the way. We hope to inspire those of you who are interested in developing your educational materials. For a detailed list of al...
Nov 09, 2018•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nikki talks to Australian composer Glyn Lehmann about his modern, pop-infused music for young singers. Children around the world have enjoyed singing his music and he shares his inspiration in composing for young voices. This podcast features clips of his catchy songs from his library of great music. Visit www.thefullvoice.com/fvpodcasts/58songlibrary for links to all the great resources listed in this podcast Songs Featured in this podcast (with permission from the composer) The Children of the...
Nov 02, 2018•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vocal onset is a big topic in most voice studios - but how do you explore this with young singers? We came up with a kid-friendly vocalise that uses glottal, aspirate and balanced onset sounds. "Singing Owls" is now available on our website and makes it fun for your kiddos discovering the sounds they make when they sing. Visit our website to get your copy of this free download www.thefullvoice.com/freeresources
Oct 25, 2018•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The dedicated team from My Music Staff are helping savvy music teachers run their teaching business online. Nikki talks with Dan and Dasa from My Music Staff and discovers how the company got their start five years ago (spoiler alert: Dan's wife is a voice teacher - What!!)and the new features the team is working on now.
Oct 19, 2018•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vocal exploration exercises are whole body activities that encourage students to use their voice in fun and creative ways. Often reserved for the youngest singers, vocal exploration exercises can be the first step in helping young singers sing in tune. But did you know, sirens, animal sounds, tongue twisters, and vocal expression lines can help singers of all ages and provide teachers incredible insight about the students in your studios? Visit our website for more information and free teaching ...
Oct 13, 2018•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Special Guest, Brian Lee discusses his new book, Sane Singing: A Guide to Vocal Progress. His book is “about self-advocacy - taking control of the course of your vocal life.” It is also a brilliant check-in for voice teachers about how challenging it can be for voice students trying to become a better singer.
Oct 05, 2018•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Halloween Season is here! (And so is our new FREEBIE Friday download!) Using the scary themes from Halloween can be a fun time in the private teaching studio. Singing minor triads and arpeggios or exploring a chromatic scale is far more engaging with a ghostly “Oooo” or “Eeeee”. Have some fun with your singers of all ages this month. Don't forget to get your FREEBIE FRIDAY DOWNLOAD www.thefullvoice.com/freeresources
Sep 28, 2018•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Helping young music students to understand the language of music requires a system or method. There are many different music systems including movable DO (tonic sol-fa), fixed DO (solfege), numbers and note names. Which one is the best one for you? Which one is the best system for your students?
Sep 21, 2018•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
