David Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor. He was a figure in popular music for over five decades, regarded by critics and musicians as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. His career was marked...
His voice faltered as he said, “It’s silly really, but I’ve always wanted to sing.” It was Monday morning and We were speaking with a prospective student….well, at least We think he wanted lessons. He then gushed self consciously, “I have a terrible voice” and “I don’t want to...
New figures from UK labels association the BPI reveals that UK music consumption rose again in 2016. The music industry’s second consecutive year of growth saw a 1.5% increase in Album Equivalent Sales (AES) to 123.4 million, reports Music Week. But with CDs sales continuing to decline, along...
What amazes us the most about the human (and animal) voice is how wide our pitch range is. This is created using 2 simple short strings, which are really only 1 string as they move in symmetry with each other. We stand alongside man made musical instruments that have 4 strings, 6 strings or even...
There is a muscle that connects our cheek to our lower jaw which is called the masseter muscle. When we open our mouths wide the masseter wants to engage to help us bite down on a big piece of food. The problem is, when we open our mouths wide to sing, this muscle wants to get involved. We end up...
Mariah Carey had a very public and very embarrassing end to 2016. She had a massive technical meltdown during her performance at a New Year’s Eve party. And it wasn’t exactly an intimate gig – it was the New Year’s Eve party in Times Square in New York. Thousands of people...
The Kinks’ Ray Davies received a knighthood for his service to the arts as part of Queen Elizabeth’s annual New Year Honours list. Ray Davies: “Initially I felt a mixture of surprise, humility, joy and a bit embarrassed but after thinking about it, I accept this for my family...
Listening to the rhythm of our internal hunger and satiation cues isn’t easy for anyone especially if you are a performer with long rehearsals, late-night gigs and irregular and unexpected travel. We have embedded a pattern of eating that goes with the drum beat of the clock or the smell of food...
