Santa-Approved Vocal Exercise Shared By TakeLessons

Online, December 22, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Gifts? Check. Eggnog? Check. If the to-do list is completed, it's time to sit back and take a deep breath. Christmas is just around the corner, and it's time to celebrate (and relax!) with family and friends.

To share some holiday cheer, TakeLessons (http://takelessons.com), the nation's fastest growing music lessons provider, took the opportunity to share a Santa-approved warm-up exercise for vocalists. For those heading out caroling this weekend, the exercise is a great way to warm up and focus on breathing properly.

The following is an excerpt from the blog post:

"You have probably heard many times that singing is all about breath support and airflow.
And you may think you're singing with good breath support and airflow. But if you're getting tension in your neck and are unable to sing past a certain ceiling without "flipping" into the next higher register, you probably still have some work to do with breath. Let's get down to the basics for a moment.

Put your hand on your belly.
Spread your fingers wide so that you cover as much vertical area as possible.

Now, say "Ho! Ho! Ho!" in a percussive way.
Don't worry about hitting any particular pitch. Just focus on feeling your stomach muscles actually act, and expel air with each syllable. Your throat is simply a passage the air goes through. Let the air pass through without trying to "grip" it or control it with your throat muscles.

Your belly should go in, not out, with each syllable.
This is completely natural for some people, but not for everyone. Just check to make sure. (If you're pushing your belly out with each syllable, how in the world are you pushing air up and out through your throat as well? Think about it...)"

By sharing the exercise with blog readers, TakeLessons hopes to continue engaging current students and help with any musical goals they may have. Readers are invited to share their thoughts by commenting on the TakeLessons blog, where they can also read about music iPhone apps, and comments are also welcomed on Facebook (http://facebook.com/takelessons).