
Feeling uninspired with your catalogue of songs? Why not use 2025 as the opportunity to refresh your repertoire! Each piece you tackle is an opportunity to grow, refine your technique, and connect with audiences (and even yourself!) on a deeper level. This step-by-step guide breaks down the process into detailed and intentional phases, from selecting the right repertoire to polishing it for performance. Feel free to use it with your teacher in lessons, or to help with your self practice at home!
Choose Repertoire:
Consider your goals: Select pieces that align with your current vocal goals, whether they challenge your range, phrasing, expression, etc!
Select appropriate difficulty: Pick something within your skill level but with opportunities for growth. Keep in mind that growth happens little by little, so don't choose anything that will strain or harm your voice. Baby steps!
Pick a song you love: If you choose rep that you love to sing, you will want to practice it even more!
Learn Melody, Lyrics, and Rhythm
Break it into chunks: Work on one section at a time to prevent overwhelming yourself.
Use recordings: Listen to the original recordings to familiarize yourself with the piece, but avoid mimicking the artists; make it your own!
Rhythmic and pitch accuracy: Clap or tap out tricky rhythms to internalize them. If there's any runs or intricate melodies, work with your teacher to make sure you're handling each and every note with care.
Focus on Vowels and Placement
Vowel consistency: Sing through the piece slowly, focusing on maintaining clear and consistent vowel shapes. Play with different vowel shapes to optimize your sound. (Of course, do this within reason! You can't change words entirely.)
Explore resonance: Experiment with placement (for example, forward placement for brighter tones or a lifted soft palate for classical pieces).
Think About Breathing
Mark your breaths: Have a clear plan, and mark your music (or even a lyric sheet) with intentional breathing spots. Practice thinking about each and every breath you take- the speed, the depth and the quality of the breath.
Phrasing awareness: Practice singing through long phrases with controlled support.
Add in Musicality and Dynamics
Come up with a plan: Decide where to add your dynamics, whether it's crescendos, decrescendos, accents, or a beautiful legato passage, to bring the piece to life.
Experiment with volume shifts: Practice transitioning smoothly between dynamic levels where the piece calls for it. Dynamics and contrast are part of what gives music its emotional intensity.
Develop Storytelling
Analyze the text: Understand the meaning and emotional context of the lyrics.
Identify the arc: Determine the emotional journey of the piece—where does the intensity build or release? Your dynamics should also play a role in this.
Add personal connection: Reflect on how the lyrics resonate with your experiences to deepen authenticity and how you tell this story.
Prep for Performance
Practice with intention: If you plan to perform your song somewhere beyond your private practice sessions, recreate performance conditions during practice. This can be adding in choreography, practicing without stopping even if you mess up, or visualizing the audience and how you will feel to sing your song when nerves kick in!
Stage presence: Incorporate physical movements or gestures that enhance your storytelling.
Record yourself: Even though it's hard for many to watch or listen to themselves sing, review recordings to identify areas for improvement in tone, phrasing, or emotional delivery.

Learning a new song doesn’t have to be stressful—it’s all about exploring, experimenting, and having fun along the way! Take your time, enjoy the process, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Every step you take brings you closer to making the song your own. So when it’s time to perform, trust your hard work and enjoy the moment. You’ve got this! We hope you have an amazing year of singing!
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