.sherlynchia.com. Vocal coach. Performer.

Sherlyn Chia, commonly known as 雪玲老师, has been a Vocal trainer for the last 12 years. She received training as a Vocal Trainer in various countries such as USA and Japan. 

Some of her training includes Shenandoah Conservatory - Vocal Pedagogy Institute for Contemporary Commercial Music (Shenandoah University USA), Dr Peak Woo (New York otolaryngologist specializing in laryngology (voice and throat disorders), Dr Wendy DeLeo LeBorgne (Ph.D., CCC-SLP. Clinical Director. Singing Voice Specialist & Voice Pathologist),  Lawrence Goldberg (Musical Director for Cats, The Producers, Les Miserables, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Sunset Boulevard, The Phantom of the Opera, Carousel and Chess), Brett Manning (USA), Jeannie LoVetri (USA),  Michiko Yoshida (Japan), and various voice trainers for more than 14 years.  

The certifications that Sherlyn has attained includes Level III instructor for Somatic Voicework™ The LoVetri Method, London College of Music (Pop vocals), Trinity Guildhall (Classical and Musical Theatre Vocals) and is registered with the Ministry of Education as a certified Arts and Music Instructor. She is currently pursuing her Fellowship Diploma with LCM. 

Sherlyn was formally the regional vocal coach for Ocean Butterflies and has hand-crafted the successful training syllabus for Music Forest Singapore 海蝶森林 , Malaysia 海螺森林 and Beijing 北京森林, as well as training up the main vocal coaches for the schools in Singapore, Malaysia and China. Her syllabus has helped to train up many great singers from the various countries. 

Female falsetto

I am happy for my student: Brandon Lee. He got 2nd Runner up for "Youth alive" singing com at Takashimaya Civic Plaza :) Enjoy this song by him:

ScienceDaily (Mar. 16, 2009) — Children exposed to a multi-year programme of music tuition involving training in increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills compared with their non-musically trained peers, according to a study published in the journal Psychology of Music.

According to authors Joseph M Piro and Camilo Ortiz from Long Island University, USA data from this study will help to clarify the role of music study on cognition and shed light on the question of the potential of music to enhance school performance in language and literacy.

There was a memorial tribute to Shirlee Emmons, "A Musical Remembrance," on Aug. 14, 2010, at 1:00PM, at Trinity Church, Broadway at Wall Street, New York City.



Shirlee Emmons passed away on April 16, 2010. She will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched.

I still remember when I first picked up her book- Power Performance for singers. It challenged me to broaden my understanding of voice training; to look beyond the extraordinary and usual methods of teaching. My teaching methods have since then evolved till what it is today; and is still being improved upon - all based upon the teachings of Shirlee Emmons.

Her books are still constantly being referred to when I write and revise syllabus or when I have difficult teaching situations. Shirlee Emmons has blessed so many with her teachings, she is an inspiration to me and to many others.

About Shirlee Emmons:

Lauritz Melchior and Shirlee Emmons

Shirlee Emmons maintained a private studio in New York after teaching for 35 years on the faculties of Columbia University/Barnard College, Princeton University, Boston University, and Rutgers University.

She was the author of five books:The Art of the Song Recital; Tristanissimo: the Authorized Biography of Heroic Tenor Lauritz Melchior; Power Performance for Singers; Researching the Song, and Prescriptions for Choral Excellence.

Her workshops and master classes were presented in thirty-four of the US states, in Korea, and Canada. Emmons’ singing career commenced with winning the Marian Anderson Award, followed by a lengthy national tour with Lauritz Melchior, US and Canadian concert and opera appearances, regular engagements with the major New York City choral organizations, and the award of an Off-Broadway Oscar, the “Obie,” for the leading role in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of Us All.

She was a past chair of the prestigious American Academy of Teachers of Singing. Her students included Hei-Kyung Hong and Harolyn Blackwell.

1. Much whirling water makes the mill wheel work well.
2. Odd birds always gobble green almonds in the autumn.
3. She makes a proper cup of coffee in a copper coffee pot.
4. Round and round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.
5. Shave a cedar shingle thin.
6. Double bubble gum bubbles double.
7. Sinful Caesar slipped his snifter, seized his knees and sneezed.

Vocal range and voice classification

Singing and the definition of vocal range




While the broadest definition of vocal range is simply the span from the lowest to the highest note a particular voice can produce, this broad definition is often not what is meant when "vocal range" is discussed in the context of singing. Vocal pedagogists tend to define the vocal range as the total span of "musically useful" pitches that a singer can produce. This is because some of the notes a voice can produce may not be considered usable by the singer within performance for various reasons.

For example, within opera all singers must project over an orchestra without the aid of a microphone. An opera singer would therefore only be able to include the notes that they are able to adequately project over an orchestra within their vocal range. In contrast, a pop artist could include notes that could be heard with the aid of a microphone.

Another factor to consider is the use of different forms of vocal production. The human voice is capable of producing sounds using different physiological processes within the larynx. These different forms of voice production are known as vocal registers. While the exact number and definition of vocal registers is a controversial topic within the field of singing, the sciences identify only four registers: the whistle register, the falsetto register, the modal register, and the vocal fry register.

Typically, only the usable range of the modal register, the register used in normal speech and most singing, is used when determining vocal range. However, there are some instances where other vocal registers are included.

For example, within opera, countertenors utilize falsetto often and coloratura sopranos utilize the whistle register frequently. These voice types would therefore include the notes from these other registers within their vocal range. Another example would be a male doo-wop singer who might quite regularly deploy his falsetto pitches in performance and thus include them in determining his range. However, in most cases only the usable pitches within the modal register are included when determining a singer's vocal range.

Modal voice is the vocal register used most frequently in speech and singing in most languages. It is also the term used in linguistics for the most common phonation of vowels. The term "modal" refers to the resonant mode of vocal cords; that is, the optimal combination of airflow and glottal tension that yields maximum vibration.

In linguistics, modal voice is the only phonation found in the vowels and other sonorants (consonants such as m, n, l, and r) of most of the languages of the world, though a significant minority contrast modal voice with other phonations. Among obstruents (consonants such as k, g, ch, j, s, and z), it is very common for languages to contrast modal voice with voicelessness, though in English many supposedly voiced obstruents do not have modal voice in most environments.

In speech pathology, the modal register is one of the four identifiable registers within the human voice, lying above the vocal fry register and overlapping the lower part of the falsetto register. This view is also adopted by many vocal pedagogists, although some vocal pedagogists may view vocal registration differently. In singing, the modal register may also overlap part of the whistle register. A well trained singer or speaker can phonate two octaves or more within the modal register with consistent production, beauty of tone, dynamic variation, and vocal freedom.

The modal register begins and ends in different places within the human voice. The placement of the modal register within the individual human voice is one of the key determining factors in identifying vocal type.

Physiological process of the modal register

In the modal register the length, tension, and mass of the vocal folds are in a state of flux which causes the frequency of vibration of the vocal folds to vary. As pitch rises, the vocal folds increase in length and in tension and their edges become thinner. If a speaker or singer holds any of these three factors constant and interferes with their progressive state of change the laryngeal function of the voice becomes static and eventually breaks occur resulting in obvious changes in vocal quality. While some vocal pedagogists identify these breaks as register boundaries or transition areas between registers, other vocal pedagogists maintain that these breaks are a result of vocal problems caused by a static laryngeal adjustment that does not permit the necessary changes to take place within the modal register.

On the lower pitches in the modal register the vocal cords are thick and wedge-shaped. Because of this thickness, large portions of the opposing surfaces of the vocal cords are brought into contact, and the glottis remains closed for a considerable time in each cycle. The glottis opens from the bottom first before it opens at the top; this imparts a fluid, wavelike motion to the cords. The modal voice has a broad harmonic spectrum, rich in overtones, because of this rolling motion of the cords. It is comparatively loud to the other vocal registers because of the vibratory energy present, but is capable of dynamic variation.

For the lowest tones, only the thyroarytenoid muscles are active, but as the pitch rises, the cricothyroids enter the action, thus beginning to lengthen the folds. As longitudinal tension increases, the glottis tends to develop a gap in the middle. To counteract this tendency, the lateral cricoarytenoids are brought into action, pulling forward on the muscular process of the arytenoids. This process is sometimes referred to as medial compression.

In addition to the stretching of the vocal folds and the increasing tension on them as the pitch rises, the opposing surfaces of the folds which may be brought into contact becomes smaller and smaller as the edges of the folds become thinner. The basic vibratory or phonatory pattern remains the same, with the whole vocal fold still involved in the action, but the vertical excursions are not as large and the rolling motion is not as apparent as it was on the lower pitches of the modal register.

Tonight was the show Letter of Heaven on channel 8, in rememberance of Nicole Lai. I still have copies of her anniversary EP with me. Email me if u want one copy.

I recently picked up the book by Malcom Gladwell, The Outliers.

The second chapter in the new book Outliers is titled The 10,000-Hour Rule. Malcolm Gladwell shares his research about people who become the best in their field, after putting in at least 10,000 hours of preparation.

”The closer psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the smaller the role innate talent seems to play and the bigger the role preparation seems to play.”

Whether it’s Bill Gates, Michael Jordan, the Beatles, Mozart, or Warren Buffet, one can only get to their best after putting in 10,000 hours. If you put in 40 hours a week, that’s 5 years. If you only put in 10 hours a week, it will take 20 years. It’s the sheer hours of work that will set you apart from the rest.

Now, have you started to put in that 10,000 hours? My own personal experience of improvement indeed came after hours and years of sheer practicing for hours and hours everyday. It has indeed shown over my last 10 years of singing.

Understand that you don’t have to be born with extraordinary talent. Just find your passion and put in that 10,000 hours of practice and doing. You’ll surpass those with more natural talent and find success that you have never dreamt of. Nurture surpasses Nature.

Well, the only thing I don't quite agree on is that the book states that music teachers are those who put in less hours; I guess that is only true for those who didn't choose to be teachers but were assigned to be due to the lack of ability to perform professionally. Those who put in 10,000 hours to master their teaching skills; that will be one awesome music teacher. Well, at leas that is my goal.

From Shirlee Emmons:

Some Science Background on Vibrato, Tremolo, and Wobble

If you are not interested in the scientific studies of vibrato, feel free to skip this section, although reading it will undoubtedly clarify your thinking on the subject.

As long ago as the 1930s, Carl E. Seashore initiated a study of the vibrato. Until only very recently when the issue was raised again, by Ingo R. Titze among others—without conclusions as yet—the results have stood as a hallmark. Seashore’s definition of a vibrato is the traditionally accepted one: “A good vibrato is a pulsation of pitch, usually accompanied by synchronous pulsations of loudness and timbre, of such extent and rate as to give a pleasing flexibility, tenderness, and richness to the tone.” Several important points were revealed in the Seashore study, among which were these, roughly extracted from that study:

Teaching is not about what u know; its about how you lead, guide and develop your students to illumination and intellectual independence. Learn and use your senses, instincts - understand what your rational mind is trying to tell you through unspoken manner.

The hallmark of a good teacher, a good leader is his faith in himself- with that comes confidence and other tools.

Rehearsing tip:

Singers may find that they can produce a powerful sound during rehearsal but not during a performance or the reverse may occur. Adrenalin and tension can be a hinderance or a help depending on the character of the singer. In some it boosts the performance whilst others become stressed and try too hard.

When learning or practicing songs with a band it is easy to strain the voice by over singing. If a song is demanding, has difficult notes or requires powerful expression the singer should avoid performing at full belt on every run through. Use a lighter technique, hold back or hum the melody line until the accompanying musicians have a good grasp of the song, then have ONE run through at full efficiency and move on to the next song. You can always go back to the song later in the session, during the next band practice or during a vocal practice. The amount of time spent learning a song decreases in direct relation to the experience and proficiency of the performers. A professional singer who works with competent sight reading musicians is unlikely to require more than one or two rehearsals of a complete set whereas amateurs may need several hours of constant practice before one song is played to a reasonable standard.

To teach is to learn twice.

Joseph Joubert
French Moralist and Teacher

I know many are keen on music education especially in the area of music teaching, here is a writeup taken from connexions-direct.com :) but do take into the context that this is written in the context of teaching in the UK.

There are three main types of work for music teachers. They can either be:

• classroom teachers in a primary or secondary school - teaching all aspects of music, planning lessons, setting and marking work, and organising school choirs, orchestras and concerts
• teachers/lecturers in further or higher education or specialist music colleges, teaching music at all levels, from GCSE and A level, to degrees
• private or visiting teachers (often known as peripatetic music teachers), giving instrumental, theory or voice tuition to individuals or small groups, and often preparing pupils for music exams.

School music teachers may do extra work, such as tuition, rehearsals and concerts before and after school, or at weekends. They work mainly in classrooms and practice rooms. Private music teachers tend to work evenings and weekends, often in their own or pupils' homes. They may work school hours also, visiting local schools to teach music under an LEA contract.

Salaries for school music teachers may range from £20,627 to £34,768 a year. Private teachers agree their own rates with pupils. The Musicians' Union (MU) and the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) advise members on fee levels, taking into account a teacher's training, skills and experience. These can range from £20 to £50 an hour.

Music teachers should:

• have a high level of personal musicianship
• communicate well
• be able to inspire and motivate pupils
• be self-disciplined and organised
• be passionate about music and have a strong desire to teach.

Music teachers work for state and independent schools, colleges and music services all over the UK. There are also opportunities with universities and specialist schools of music. Many private teachers are self-employed.

Entry requirements vary depending on the type of employment. Those wishing to teach in state schools need Qualified Teaching Status (QTS). A postgraduate level qualification is usually required to teach in a music college conservatoire. While a teaching qualification isn't a requirement for private work, a teaching or performance degree or diploma from a recognised music college, conservatoire or awarding body can increase the chances of finding work.

To work with children or vulnerable adults, music teachers would need to undergo checks through the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

A mentor supports newly qualified school teachers during their induction year. Private teachers need to keep up to date with examination board syllabuses. The ISM, MU and Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) offer members access to professional development courses, including the Music Teaching in Professional Practice (Mtpp) distance-learning programme.

Experienced music teachers working in schools and further and higher education establishments may progress to subject leader or head of the music department. Some might find work in an advisory capacity as a teacher or LEA inspector. Private and visiting teachers may move into music board examining, performing, composing or directing choirs or orchestras

As I have started on my new schedule of teaching and performing, I totally enjoy the new challenge of a brand new routine. Especially now that I have made a comeback in performing, I have soon come to realised that i have a whole list of essentials for every performance that is a must for me; resulting in me bringing a larger bag around:

1. File of lyrics (you never know when u need to sing extra songs)

2. Compact powder, lip gloss, eyelash glue, blusher

3. 500ml bottle of water (with a dash of honey)

4. Fortacold throat lozenges (the ultimate lozenges with manuka honey and propolis; stops all itchy throat)

5. Heels for stage (i go out in flats)

6. Extra dress/top (in case i spill a drink on myself)

7. Bread (for curbing hunger))

8. Ipod player

9. Nail polish (for last min chip)

10. Moisturizer (for cracking skin)

11. Sunglasses

12. Audio cable (in case CD fails to play; just plug in the ipod)

13. Umbrella (v v impt!)

14. Jacket (for cold locations)

Yep... A whole load of things I bring around for performance :) You shd try; this conquers Murphy's law!