Come and witness Singing Lessons Exeter’s very first Easter Showcase, a night where we release our students onto the stage and show you what they’ve been up to – expect gorgeous pop numbers, rock epics, musical theatre oddities and jazz classics.

We’ll be in the Phoenix’s lovely café bar – friends and family can relax on the tables and sofas and watch their singers up on the newly refurbished stage. The event will not be ticketed, so bring as many people as you like to see you rock out

There will be two halves of singing, with an intermission in the middle – each singer will have 2 songs each to strut their stuff, with Matt accompanying them on piano. We’re also planning a couple of special events such as a Public Breath Test (devised by our very own Tim L), so watch out for those!

If you’re a performer, get back to Matt ASAP if you can make it. If you’re interested in performing and he, for some reason, hasn’t mentioned it to you, then give him an email.

And keep on telling your friends and family – let’s pack the place out and make it a night to remember

Join the Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/Singing.Lessons.in.Exeter to hear more updates.

So, you’re going for Drama School/A role in a musical/an acting job that needs singing/auditioning for The Voice. You’re anxious. You’re not sleeping much. How do you get through it?

First: learn everything you can about the space you’re auditioning in, and how the audition itself will work. Auditions take many different forms. Sometimes they ask auditionees to perform in front of each other. Sometimes it’s the ‘Pop Idol Room’ scenario, with three judges behind tables. Sometimes, very rarely, you’ll have the first audition in front of a massed audience.

So find out which it is. There’s nothing worse than preparing to sing in front of 3 professionals and find out on the day that you’ll be singing to a live crowd.

Second: find out whether you’ll be singing a capella (without backing), or with instruments. For a capella auditions, you need to know what note you’re starting the song on. I suggest recording the first few bars of the song on your smartphone, and then playing it back to yourself just before you go into the audition room (if you don’t have a smartphone, leave an answerphone message for yourself).

For auditions with an accompanist, you need to make sure the music you have is in the right key. Sheet music purchased online is often unreliable and incomplete, so have a musician or teacher make sure it’s pitched correctly for you. This is crucial – you don’t want to start singing in the wrong key, or you’ll either be straining for high notes or whispering the low notes.

Third: when you’re in the audition, don’t get nervous. Nerves are energy. Keep moving. And run through your song obsessively in your head. Think about the procedure.

And keep a confident body position in the room. Don’t let yourself get scared and crouch in a corner. Talk to the other auditionees, make introductions, act like you’ve already got the audition. It’s the classic fake it till you make it – act confident, and you’ll be more confident.

Follow these steps, and you’ll be able to give the audition your best shot. And tell me how it goes!

After having stumbled through this week’s lessons with a heavy cold, and half of my students off ill with sore throats, I know what bad weather can do to even the strongest of voices. All that cold in the air, people bringing unexpected presents home with them – their seasonal illnesses – and all the damp from the rain…

But how do we stop it getting to our voices?

First: Wrap Up. Either get a scarf on or wear a high turtleneck, something that will keep the voice box nice and warm. Cold air makes the neck muscles work extra hard and they tense up around the larynx and the cords, making them less malleable.

Second: Stay Hydrated! Keep a bottle of water with you at all times, and stay hydrated even when you’re inside. In winter, the sudden temperature shifts between your warm house or workplace and freezing cold outside can dry out the voice, so keep drinking.

Third: Watch What You’re Eating! If you’ve got any big gigs coming up over Christmas, watch out for that Christmas meal – big meals just before gigs are never a good idea, as they cause build-ups of pressure in the organs below the diaphragm (no shock there!) which can make your projection less effective.

And stay away from the cheese board, too – dairy products of all kinds take a while to wash out of the pharynx (back of the throat behind the soft pallette) and can leave traces which affect your resonance chambers when you’re singing.

However, I don’t want to get all Scroogey on you here. As a rule of thumb, give yourself three days and nights between your big holiday binge and your next gig. In other words, if you want to pig out on at Crimbo, you shouldn’t be gigging until the 28th!

Stick to these rules, and your voice should survive the holiday season just fine.

And, guess what, you might get to enjoy a bit of Christmas too.

To hear more tips, subscribe via Email, Twitter, or Facebook at the tabs on the right.

Wow, just hit a massive milestone: in the last 9 months, 100 students have now signed up for lessons at Singing Lessons Exeter. This is massive! Just in time for Christmas too, lovely stuff

To add your name to the list, email me at mpocock@me.com or call me at 07712 676 946 for a no obligation consultation.

Matt Pocock at the Old Firehouse (2011)

The first Sorry Head night of the new term! Phew, it’s been a long summer. Still, an awesome line-up awaits. The first outing of the Matt Pocock Trio in almost 4 months will set the stage, with their trademark twists on vintage soul classics and an electric live show. And though they may start off a trio, they most certainly will not remain one for long: with the band’s “get-up-and-play” ethic, they’ve been known to finish with over 12 people on-stage by the end of the night. One for the musicians: don’t miss!

Supporting them are two awesome up-and-comers in the area: Raphael Persighetti, after an electrifying first outing at the Phoenix last month, will bring his mix of smooth vocals and hard-stinging rap into play. With reggae sensibilities and a hip-hop tongue, we see big things in this college boy.

And finally, starting us off will be Matt Lumsdaine, with his trademark acoustic grit, all the way from Brighton! Matt’s a new boy in town, and this’ll be one of his first gigs in the area, so come out and show him what the Exeter scene’s about!

Matt Pocock Trio - https://www.facebook.com/MattPocockMusic

Rapha Ghetti Music - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rapha-Ghetti-Music/207116656033693

Matt Lumsdaine - http://www.myspace.com/mattymatti

Kelsey Conroy (2012)

Tuesday Night at the Phoenix is set to be a showcase of youthful talent, with Kelsey Conroy taking centre stage. Her expressive vocals and soulful stage presence have earned her over 400 “likes” on Facebook, and the Conroy bandwagon shows no sign of slowing. Don’t miss!

Jessamy Queree is next on the bill, lighting up stages across Exeter with gentle ukulele originals which demand attention. Really awesome stuff!

Finally, Raphael Persighetti will be kicking us off with his trademark smooth vocals over guitar and keys. Bags of potential, and a real star in the making. Get listening

Get there for 8:30 for the Exeter Music Scene’s best-kept secret. And bring your friends

Matt: “This song always goes down a storm at The Sorry Head on Sundays and I thought it was way overdue that I gave it a good airing here. This version’s a bit rough-and-ready, but the song speaks for itself and I hope I did it justice!”

Check out more of Matt’s work at facebook.com/mattpocockmusic, and learn about getting singing lessons from him at his teaching page!

Thanks for watching!

Moscow Magazine At The Phoenix (2012)

This Tuesday, the magnificent Moscow Magazine will be gracing us with their presence. With gorgeous acoustic sounds mixing with female-fronted melodies and wondrous songwriting, they’re truly a band not to miss.

The exciting up-And-comer Harry Vinnicombe is next on the bill, a precocious guitar maestro with a smooth voice and fantastic originals – don’t miss the South West’s next big thing!

Starting us off for the evening will be the excellent Jade Mckenzie, who made her Sorry Head debut last month with a gorgeous set of piano-led covers: hopefully this time she’ll bring out some of her own stuff!

Get there 8:30 to enjoy some of the South West’s best-kept secrets! Be there!

The Cat Hardy Jazz Band have finally hit the studio! Their debut EP, including such classics as Fly Me To The Moon and My Funny Valentine, is now available to download on Bandcamp, and to stream at DevonJazzBand.wordpress.com.

The first track, Georgia On My Mind, is a classic from the american songbook, and is given a great rendition here. Check them out at Facebook.com/devonjazzband to stay up to date with latest events and offers on bookings: they currently have a 25% student discount!

Makro Store, Exeter (2012)

The Cat Hardy Jazz Band have their first supermarket opening! Makro Stores, on the Marsh Barton Trading Estate, will welcome a three-piece set-up bright and early at 9:00 AM on Wednesday.

With heavyweights Rob Emmett on alto saxophone and Tim Raybould on bass, the day is sure to be a pretty swish affair. We’ll be there till 4:00 PM, so listen out for some sweet sounds coming through Marsh Barton this Wednesday!