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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘Singercise’ Keeps Voice Tuned Up

Anita Rainey Staff writer

In the privacy of their cars, many drivers throw inhibitions aside, turn the radio up and burst into song, often to the amusement of onlookers.

These amateur singers are the primary target of the Singercise tapes, an upbeat collection of voice warm-up activities by Seattle voice teacher and professional singer Karen Oleson.

Her tape “I’m Not Crazy … I’m Singercising” offers eight increasingly demanding vocal exercises, each one focusing on a separate skill, such as resonance, enunciation, range and flexibility.

Oleson’s work as a voice teacher brought her to Spokane for the regional conference of the National Music Educators Association last month where she shared her enthusiasm for vocal activity.

Inspired by the positive sing-alongs of family trips when she was a child, Oleson designed her Singercise tape to provide a fun and accessible way for average people to start to learn to improve their voices, overcome intimidation and reap the physical, emotional and psychological benefits singing offers, Oleson explained.

“Singing is an athletic activity,” demanding coordination and muscle and breath control, Oleson said. “A lot of people don’t realize that.”

The work done by singers on proper breathing and posture can physically benefit anyone, she said, by teaching them to breathe more efficiently and aligning the body and the internal organs correctly.

Just as time spent at the gym helps keep the body toned, limbering up the vocal cords and toning the mouth muscles by singing can help prevent the voice from aging.

As an aerobic activity, singing and the deep breathing involved oxygenates the blood and causes the body to produce endorphins, the same organic mood-lifters that cause a runner’s high. This makes singing in the car, or anywhere for that matter, a simple way to reduce stress and feel better, Oleson said.

Oleson’s Singercise tapes are available through Capitol Music Center in Seattle. Call (800) 542-7053 in Washington or (800) 426-9846 outside the state to order.