Breath Support, Part 1 — Why "More" Is Almost Always the Wrong Answer

Breath Support, Part 1 — Why "More" Is Almost Always the Wrong Answer

“More air. More support. Bigger. Push more. Give me more.” If you’ve spent any time in a voice lesson or choir rehearsal, you’ve heard it. And according to Josh Manuel, founder of VoSci — it’s almost always the wrong answer. In part one of this two-part episode, Drew Williams-Orozco walks through Josh’s ground-up breakdown of how breath actually works, why the “more” instinct betrays singers, and what’s really happening when a phrase falls apart. The episode covers the mechanics of inhalation and exhalation, what breath support actually is and which muscles are doing the work, why tension isn’t the enemy, and the subglottal pressure principle that reframes everything singers think they know about air. Part two goes diagnostic — finding the specific leaks that are costing you air and what to do about each one. But first, the foundation. voicescience.org

Do You Know Your Type? A Model for Understanding Different Types of Students

Not all students want the same thing — and assuming they do is one of the most common sources of frustration for both teachers and students. In this episode, contributor Timothy Wilds introduces a diagnostic model developed by Juilliard-trained violinist and educator Fedor Ouspensky that helps teachers identify what a student actually wants from lessons. Built around two simple questions about goals and mastery, the model produces four distinct student types — Dedicated, Hobby, Casual, and Experience — each requiring a different teaching approach and a different kind of relationship. Timothy walks through each type in depth, shares how his own teaching assumptions have had to evolve over four decades, and offers practical guidance for the most common scenario teachers face today: the student who wants the result without the skills — and what to do when that student is standing in front of you. Whether you’re a teacher trying to retain students while holding your standards, or a student trying to figure out why lessons haven’t been clicking — this one is for both of you. voicescience.org Ready when you have the link! 🎙️

Why Does My Voice Strain? (And How to Fix It)

Vocal strain is one of the most common complaints singers bring into the studio — and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, Drew walks through the mechanical cause of most strain, why the advice to “breathe deep and support” can actually make things worse for contemporary singers, and what to do instead. The episode covers the hyperfunction loop, the relationship between breath pressure and vocal fold closure, why singing softly is more physically demanding than it sounds, and how redirecting tension into the torso changes everything. Practical, science-grounded, and immediately applicable. If your throat gets scratchy on certain passages, if high notes feel like a fight, or if you hit a wall somewhere in the middle of your range — this episode is for you.

A Case for Voice Teacher/Trainer Licensure

Anyone can legally teach voice lessons in the United States. No degree. No clinical hours. No exam. No license. In this episode, contributor Timothy Wilds makes a direct and sometimes uncomfortable case for why that should change — and what a more professionalized field could look like. Timothy draws a pointed comparison between the credentialing standards required of speech-language pathologists and those expected of voice teachers, argues that the overlap between the two professions is larger than the industry acknowledges, and challenges the commonly cited reasons for keeping voice teaching unregulated. He also shares how his own teaching was transformed by pursuing deeper training — and why he believes evidence-based tools and voice science have a critical role to play in raising the bar for teachers at every level. Whether you’re a voice teacher, a student, or simply someone who cares about the integrity of the field — this episode is for you. Ready to go deeper? VoSci Academy gives you structured Practice Paths, real-time pitch and interval feedback, and biweekly Q&A calls. Learn more at voicescience.org

The Reason You Can't Sing Has Nothing to Do With Your Voice

When someone tells me they can't sing, I usually hear: I tried, it didn't sound right, so I assumed the instrument was broken. It almost never is. This episode unpacks why singing lives much closer to speech than most singers think, why what you hear of your own voice isn't what's coming out of your mouth, and why the first year of lessons is mostly about removing habits — not building new ones. We get into attractor states, the diaphragmatic breathing problem for pop and musical theatre singers, what every other instrument in the practice wing knows about fundamentals, and the research showing that how you practice matters far more than how long. Whether you have a teacher or you're going it alone, the path forward is the same: short sessions, specific goals, daily, and a recorder you're willing to listen back to. Ready to go deeper? VoSci Academy gives you structured Practice Paths, real-time pitch and interval feedback, and biweekly Q&A calls. Learn more at voicescience.org Presented by: Drew Williams Orozco Written by: Josh Manuel