What if the secret to better singing practice isn’t doing more, but understanding why we avoid it in the first place? Voice educator Tessa Smith Whicker joins Alexa to explore how her master’s research reshaped her view of practice — from battling guilt and distraction to embracing curiosity and compassion.
Discover how to get singers excited about their own practice, how teachers can reframe “you need to practice” into empowering questions, and why small, playful tasks can make all the difference.
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
3:16 What do you believe practice actually is?
8:10 Common barriers to practice
10:02 Options to manage the barriers
18:31 Playing devil’s advocate
22:18 Holes in the research
25:18 How to effectively set practice
39:18 The role of the singing teacher and rapport
46:23 Measuring progress
53:00 Tessa’s practice hub and podcast
About the presenter HERE
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.164 Music and the Brain: The Science of Learning and Practice with Dr Molly Gebrian Part One
Jacob Collier
Singing for the Self Conscious by Becky Gilhespie
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.166 Overcoming Self-consciousness in Singing with Becky Gilhespie
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.131 Mastering Research Papers: How to Read with Ease and Extract Knowledge with Kate Cubley
Singing Teachers Talk – Ep.70 Coaching Contemporary Commercial Music with Kim Chandler
The Singer’s Guide podcast by Tessa Smith
ABOUT THE GUEST
Tessa is a Jazz singer, band leader, and singing teacher based in Leeds, UK.
Tessa has a BA in Jazz Studies, an MA in Vocal Pedagogy and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her main research areas focus on Performance Assessment for Popular Music singers, stylistic awareness in Popular Music styles, and decolonisation of Popular Music singing education and assessment.
She teaches in several Higher Education institutions across the North of England, as well as running choirs and community singing groups. As a teacher, she is an advocate for creating self-sufficient, self-compassionate and well-rounded singers, which deeply connects with helping singers to improve their practice – creating content on social media about how to make practice effective, efficient, and enjoyable.
Her podcast – The Singer’s Guide – and membership – The Singer’s Practice Hub – are dedicated to helping singers improve their singing through practical means, mindset shifts and bite-sized practice exercises, and passing on the information it took her decades to learn.
Websites: tessasmith.com & thesingersguide.com
Instagram: @tessasmithmusic
