20 Crafting a Song Journey
Using everything we’ve explored in this section of the course, we’ll put it all together and dive deep into song application! In this lesson, you’ll learn how to craft a beautiful, emotional journey in a song and be able to make decisions on vocal tone moment-by-moment—both by understanding your unique vocal sound and by discerning what is best for each moment in worship. This lesson also marks the next “Master Your Voice” Checkpoint — learn more or submit Checkpoint #5 here.
See the lesson resources below to:
- download the lesson notes (in Downloads tab)
- download the vocal workout for offline use (in Downloads tab)
Congrats on finishing Part 2 of Master Your Voice! I recommend spending a couple extra weeks reviewing the workouts and concepts from this section, so you can move into Part 3 in strength!
My light bulb moment was when you said great singing is WAY more than range and tone. This is true because a number of singers I’ve enjoyed actually don’t have perfect sounding beautiful voices but MOVE me emotionally and communicate a message through the lyrics very well.
Absolutely! So true!
Really cool how all the different parts all come together here! Appreciate how it was so practically explained. Made me realise that there can be so many different ways to sing a song!
Glad you enjoyed the lesson!
Hi Charmaine, I just want to thank you for letting God use you to bless many, I have struggled for years to be able to sing using dynamics, but I have never understood how to do it. I have recorded many songs and when I share them with other vocalist and musicians and ask them for their honest review, I alway relieve the same feedback ” You sing at the same volume”. Every time I tried to work on the problem, I alway either change the key or switch from one part to another. I even registered for some vocal lessons and I told the instructor my specific problem, however, nothing changed.
The good news is that I am beginning to understand it and I just want to say thank you!
I’m glad you’re finding the lessons helpful! I encourage you to take it slow and be patient with your voice and the vocal training journey—the best way you can build your voice is from the ground up… if you build the foundations strong, then things like dynamics will come much more naturally!
It was so powerful when you read the C.S. Lewis quote about being a living house. I had to stop the video and wept, as God spoke to me and His encouragement and hope filled me. It has been a challenging journey so far, at times discouraging, but by God’s grace I have never thought of stopping or giving up, but only pressing forward. I have been discovering so much about my voice as a medium for expression, creativity and communication, and that there is so much more depth than I knew before. With each lesson, the more I learn the more I realize I don’t know, which makes it challenging but also exciting, like new worlds are being opened up, new rooms for God to dwell in. I’m looking forward to working on my light voice and dynamics, and discovering more about adding artistic elements to singing in worship.
Thanks for sharing these thoughts! So glad you’ve been encouraged — I can relate to the challenging and discouraging parts of the journey… those are totally normal feelings/experiences. But from hearing your voice throughout the group class lessons I am confident you have seen so much improvement in so many areas… so rewarding! Thanks for committing to the journey!
So Good. The journey through “Discovery” and “Master” your voice over the last six months is such a good foundation to let God build His palace in us. Much Gratitude, Many Thanks.
Wonderful! You’re very welcome! Part 3 coming soon — working on it now! 🙂
This lesson (and the whole of part 2) has been SO useful and made a huge difference to my ability, confidence and understanding – can’t wait for Part 3! Is there a workout download coming for this lesson as there is only the lesson notes in the downloads tab. Thanks again Charmaine for everything you do to inspire and develop us.
Hey! So glad you’ve found the lessons enjoyable and useful! There isn’t a new workout for this lesson — see the lesson notes for my recommendations of what to do in terms of vocal exercise moving forward!
Finished!! Part 2 has completely changed the way I sing in all the BEST ways. When I started, I described my voice as “vanilla,” balanced tone with good pitch , safe, but oh, SO boring.
But in the last few weeks I’ve had people tell me, not that I sound so great, but that the worship has been so great. Which tells me that I’ve been able to convince them to come along in the journey with me. I still have so much work to do but my voice is now bringing me so much joy when I sing. I feel so much more like the artist that God made me to be. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing all your knowledge and for all your hard work!
Wow…the whole “Discovering Your Sound” section has been awesome. It’s been a lot of work…but it has been fun.
I like the “dot diagram” and the lyric analysis methods. Both are really helpful.
This final lesson is a great way to wrap it all up…so good.
Yes, it is a lot of work! But so rewarding after many weeks and months when you really start to see things coming together! You truly have improved so much. So much more colour and dynamic to your voice, and the vowel modifications have helped a lot! Thanks for your commitment to this journey and for being so diligent to send in your exercises for feedback along the way! 🙂
I’m so excited to be finishing up this section of the course! I feel like I’ve grown so much. There’s this new part of my face to sing into that I didn’t even realize was there before:). Still working on each of these elements and even some stuff from part one, but I’m glad to have all this as a tool. It might be time for me to start again and redo the whole thing just for more improvement.
Awesome! Yes, so many things to learn and review! Keep up the great work!!
Amen! I believe The Lord did what He wanted to on this snowy day here in New Jersey 🙂
Thank You for being on this journey with me and your heart for God Charmaine.
I was asking Him the same lately “what are you doing?” and you gave the answer – “building a palace”.
After all this hard work and time my vocal coach here at my local church finally said that I’m getting ready to do it with the team at church 🙂
Hopefully I will soon share a video with you of it!
(I will try to send a song for your feedback)
Awesome, so glad this could be an encouragement to you on your journey! What an amazing thought that He is building a palace in you!!! And very cool that you will have the opportunity to sing with the team at church! Way to go on your hard work, diligence, and commitment to the process!
Hi Charmaine
I believe the energy and depth that you were talking about in the lesson comes as well as we remember the words
that we are actually saying/ singing,they can really influence the build of the song. Would you agree?
Hey Evelyn! Absolutely — it is very important to be passionate about what we’re singing about, and pay attention to the lyrics! All the best technique and dynamic strategies won’t suffice if it’s not coming from a deep place of worship, passion, and intimacy with the Lord.
In many cases though… what a singer feels inside is not communicated through their voice, because their vocal technique and bad habits (pushing/straining/poor dynamics/off-pitch/unpleasant tone, etc.) get in the way of communicating their heart and passion.
It’s important to have both — HEART + ART! 🙂