Customer Reviews

Voice Lessons To Go Volume 1: Vocalize and Breath

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have been singing rock and blues here in Los Angeles for many years. I bought these on a whim because I was having vocal problems during several gigs in the past few months. All those years spent screaming and growling had worn my voice out. Thanks to these CDs, I was able to incorporate new techniques into my singing. My band says I sound better than ever and I can do back-to-back sets in a single night again and still speak the next day. These CDs probably saved me a trip to the doctor. Highly recommended.

I am a piano teacher who also teaches voice, and this CD has been a lifesaver for me, it has helped improve problems with my voice students that
common popular exercises have failed to achieve. The breath control exercises especially have been an enormous help, and my students find them
not only challenging but fun as well. The warmup exercises are a little unique, bringing in tweet, hweet, and unique ways to improve sound production with exercises that combine air production with compression against the lips and teeth. The exercises as a whole help students with the lower register as well as the upper, and effectively improve power without yelling. A great program, I highly recommend!

I love when something comes in the mail from Amazon that is exactly as it was described before I bought it. I bought both volumes of "Voice Lessons To Go" for my own desire to improve my voice. (I was a choral singer through college and miss music a lot in my "adult world now".) Ariella Vaccarino's voice is awesome. Just is clearly a professional singer and teacher. The vocalizes are broken down clearly. She gives examples sings a few with you and then lets you go on your own with piano accompinament. There is nothing fancy about these CDs they are just voice lessons like described. The more you do them the stronger your voice will be.
The second volume was really fun for me because I remember doing solfegio in Choir. It may seem difficult at first. But practice makes perfect.

I am not, nor do I aspire to be, a professional singer. I mainly purchased this item to improve my singing at family gatherings, reunions etc... I found this CD to be extremely well done. Not overly complicated or difficult, the CD really focuses on the basics which is very appropriate for someone new to singing or without previous voice lessons. I believe I can tell a difference in my singing with just a few listenings of the CD. If you still have doubts about the CD, check out Ariella's website. She has quite an impressive resume at this point in her career, and there are some samples of her work located there. If, individual voice lessons are not an option for you, because of family, work, or other interests, I think you will find this CD helpful in learning the basics of voice.

Several people have mentioned using these in a car. I have a different approach to incorporating them into my day.

I own both of these, have used them many times--and continue to improve with each use. I am not a singer, but always wished I could sing, and this material actually helped me develop a pleasing singing voice. As a teacher, my speaking voice is an important tool of my trade, and this also helped me strengthen my voice and project it more effectively.

My approach to incorporating these into my life is perhaps not ideal, but works for me. I start the day with them, before it has a chance to get so hectic that they are put aside. I start the breath CD before I get out of bed in the morning. Laying in bed on my back, freshly awakened, I am able to bring a strong focus to this part of my routine. Sometimes I don't have time for more than the first few exercises, but I still benefit from those I can do. It's a really nice way to wake up, and I am fully oxygenated before my feet hit the floor.

I do the ear training one in combination with exercising before I leave the house--get on my Total Gym and do squats, overhead pulls, etc., so I am still on my back. Or I stretch out using an exercise ball. I put that CD on my vcr, and keep the remote at hand so I can pause, rewind, etc. as needed. Some of the more challenging exercises require my full attention during the learning process, and these I save for the weekends when I'm not zooming off to work.

I realize that this might not be ideal for either the voice/ear training OR the weight training--but it's such a great way to start the day for me that I accept the trade-off. If I didn't get it done that way, it might not happen at all. I have dressed, showered, cooked breakfast, packed my briefcase, made and packed lunch, to these CD's, and can tell the difference in how the day goes when I follow this routine. (Brushing teeth while doing these doesn't work--tried it.) I sacrifice something in posture and focus, but even so, I benefit from the routine. I use the time while she's talking to drink warm water with lemon juice and a little sweetener. Helps relax my throat and hydrate me for the morning. If you have either the privacy or the self-confidence to do it, I think you could do these while going for a walk as well.

It's almost like a meditation for people who don't have the time or patience to do the real thing. The combination of breathing and focus are the same techniques many traditional meditative approaches use, and I feel some of the same benefits ascribed to meditation--increased clarity, calm, optimism--just a great way to start the day. YMMV.

I have some other voice CD's and DVD's, but they sit on my shelf while I use this one each day--they are too slow, too mechanical, or showcase irritating mannerisms on the part of the instructors. Ariella Vaccarino has a very optimistic, upbeat, down-to-earth approach to teaching--even after many listenings, I still take encouragement from her supportive instructions.

Another reviewer commented that she leaves the user with no followup at the end. I respectfully submit that this is because she does that at the end of her introductory information. (And her voice plays in my head as I type: "if you do this, you WILL improve. Good luck!" She also recommends seeing a voice coach to take you beyond the scope of the CD's. Yet another expressed frustration that the CD did not take advanced singers further, and the repeated instructions were not helpful at that level. I can only speak to the level I was using it on, which was rank-beginner-yearns-to-sing, and I found it electrifyingly transforming.

I have recommended these CD's to students of mine who do not have access to voice training or choral activities, and feel very confident that I'm doing right by them. Homeschooling families may want to consider these as well.

I hope someday to have the pleasure of attending one of her live performances.

I have been enjoying working with this CD. The CD has two parts: the first part consists of about 23 fun vocalization exercises and the second part of several fun breathing exercises. The CD is great whether you intend to warm up your voice for singing or for speaking. It helps to free up your voice.

I've wanted to sing for as long as I can remember, but never could afford voice lessons. I've recently invested in about 5 different vocal CDs to see if I could help myself learn a bit. Out of all the ones I purchased, this is by far my favorite and most used CD. I found the exercises to be simple, and Ariella explains everything before you attempt it. Some of the "visualizations" she gave before the exercises helped me a great deal. I especially liked the breathing exercises, very helpful.

Some vocal CDs just go through the exercise once and then expect you to be able to do it, but sometimes you like to know WHY the particular exercise is useful for vocal development. Don't worry, she doesn't go overboard with explaining though. The most important thing to keep in mind is to stay in your personal comfort zone. Everyone is at different levels of vocal development, so you must never strain to reach a note that you don't feel comfortable hitting. Ariella covers this in the intro. She cannot tell if you are straining or pushing, so you have to be the judge of what your body is telling you. Another thing to keep in mind is you don't have to try to be powerful when doing these exercises! I know that Ariella sounds loud over the piano when she is going through the exercises but I find it's the best to stay at a speaking level or softer. Just make sure you are comfortable, and don't try to push because you think you have to do these loudly. I find it counter-productive to try to do that. Do what works for you.

I recommend this CD for both people who are starting out and for those who already know how to sing but are just looking for a warm-up CD or a refresher. Of course nothing compares to a vocal coach that can assess your voice and give you specialized vocal lessons, and there is no magic CD that cures all your vocal problems, but this is definitely worth buying if you want to better your voice, no matter what level you're at.

I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of this CD. On CD#1, Ms Vaccarino guides you through various exercises designed to teach you the basics--posture, breathing, pronunciation, etc. I discovered that these exercises also built my confidence as I worked through them. I really found them fun!

The lessons are well-paced, with ample introduction and examples. Some are more challenging than others, but all are useful, and very professionally recorded.

You can do most of the exercises in the car--but probably not the more extensive breathing exercises (since you might get dizzy.)

After working through the first CD, I immediately ordered #2.

I am extremely happy with my purchase--it's easily worth much more!

This is an excellent cd for someone who has raw singing talent and wants to develop it. Ariella Vaccarino is pleasant to listen to and has great teaching skills. I have completed this cd only once and can already see an improvement in my singing. I plan to use this cd and Vol. 2 of this collection very often, to give my voice a workout and keep it in shape.

These vocal exercises are very inexpensive to download and have made an improvement in my voice in a very short time. I've tried many of the programs on the market and this little CD has actually been more helpful than many of the bigger programs I've invested in. As a guy who tends get his voice caught up in his throat...these exercises have a tendency to bring the sound into the mask of the face while relieving the tension in the muscles surrounding the throat. This CD really helps ease my voice while, at the same time, gives it a pleasant resonance and/or ring.

The only downfall to these CD's are that the instructions are very short and I think it would be nice to be able to spend more uninterrupted time working on the examples. There is a very short explanation and then it takes you through the exercise very quickly. Instead of a minutes worth of time on each exercise...I think it would be helpful to have fewer exercises and give them more detail, depth, and time for practicing.

This is NOT a comprehensive program but I gave it five stars because the exercises, if practiced properly, REALLY do improve your voice. There are many programs on the market that cost more and will never make you a better singer. For the price of the MP3 download version...this is an absolute steal!!!