Voice coach and singing teacher

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Merry Christmas !

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Wednesday, December 20, 2023,
Merry Christmas singers ! 

Thank you all for sharing your beautiful voices with me in 2023.

 It has been a difficult year for many and I feel that the singing has helped release a lot of pain and intense feelings but there has been many moments of joy too. 

I am sorry but I have discontinued the NHS staff discount.
There will be other discounts that I will be able to offer in the new year. 

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for 2024! 





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Discounted lessons for NHS staff

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Monday, May 9, 2022,
I am afraid that my offer of 2 free singing lessons for NHS staff has run out but I am now offering discounted lessons for all NHS staff.

Please feel free to get in touch and I can book you in if you are interested. 





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Free lessons for NHS staff

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Saturday, June 19, 2021,
The pandemic has effected our nurses, doctors and so many other people that work within the NHS. 
I would like to offer 2 Free singing lessons to NHS employees as I know how singing and music in general can help boosting our mood and also reduce stress + there are so many more benefits to singing. 

Please feel free to contact me to book in your first Free lesson! 

I can't wait to hear from you! 
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Restarting face to face lessons

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Thursday, April 29, 2021,
Hello ! 

I am very excited about starting face to face lessons in May! 

It has been a long time since I have been able to teach face to face, I have missed it very much!

I have taken precautions as I want to make sure that all my students feel safe singing face to face again. 
There will be a large plastic - see through ! sheet between us, the windows will be open to give us extra airflow, hand gel will be available in the singing room. 
There will also be longer gaps between students which allows...

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Happy New Year Singers !

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Wednesday, January 6, 2021,
Dear Singers, 

Happy New Year! 

 I am ready for a new start and I have promised myself to stay positive and keep singing and practising and to embrace the new year with new energy and positivity! 

I know that singing has helped me through the last few months, that have at time been challenging due to the pandemic. 

Join me in celebrating what we can do together safely ( via Zoom, for the time being). 

I look forward to hearing from you if you would like to book in your next lesson, 30 minute taste...

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The benefits of singing in Dementia patients

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Monday, May 13, 2019,
I have seen and felt the benefits of singing in myself and also seen it in my students. 
It is good to see that it is now also proven that it helps people that suffer from Dementia. 

Check out the article here below,it talks about the TV programme called "Our Dementia Choir - with Vicky McClure".
I have also attached the link to the programme itself, Series 1 episode 2. In case you have missed it. 

I found the programme immensely moving and also uplifting as music can bring people together and cr...
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Breathing is key

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Monday, October 5, 2015,
It is really important to breath properly with your diaphragm when you sing.
If you don't, your voice will get tired quickly and feel sore.

I really like the exercise here below, why don't you give them a try!

Hissing

  1. Breathe in through your nose to the count of 4, breathe out, hissing, to the count of 4
  2. Then, breathe in for 6, and hiss out for 10
  3. in for 6, out for 12
  4. in for 2, out for 12
  5. in for 4, out for 16
  6. in for 2, out for 16
  7. in for 4, out for 20
  8. in for 1, out for 20
The aim of the exercise is to ha...

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Are you tone deaf?

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Sunday, September 13, 2015,
One of my students asked me if they are tone deaf. 
Tone-deafness is the
 inability to distinguish between musical notes, i.e. the inability to sing in tune. 
After that I had heard my student sing quite a few scales in tune , I was happy to be able tell the student that he/she was not tone deaf.
 In this case it could have been a lack of confidence and also not knowing how to use the breath control properly. 
I read a report recently and it said that tone-deafness does run in families. 

The same r...

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Very Inspiring

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Sunday, November 2, 2014,
I went to see one of my favorite groups yesterday. They are a 12 piece band called Pink Martini, originating from Portland Oregon. The group was founded in 1994 by Thomas Lauderdale who is a classically trained pianist.
Their music is very eclectic, it's a mixture of classical, latin, jazz and classical pop.

I discovered them 12 years ago and fell in love with their quirky, funny and charming music.
They sing in several languages which adds to the fun and charm. The vocalist, China Forbes has a ...
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The importance of being honest

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Friday, October 3, 2014,
My son sang a song for me recently,  he was practising the song for an assembly that he had in his school the following day.
He sang the song beautifully with lots expression and emotion. It sounded really honest and innocent.
He sang from the heart and that is why it moved me.

We all need to learn to be honest to ourselves and our voices, and to be proud of the sound we make. 
Don't try to be someone else or to sound like someone else.

Just be yourself and enjoy the sound you produce.











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The benefits of singing

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Tuesday, June 10, 2014,

When you sing the body releases endorphins, the brain's feel good chemicals.
I have seen it with so many of my students, how happy they feel when they sing.  
According to a study it was found that after nursing-home residents took part in a singing program for a month, there were significant decreases in both anxiety and depression levels. 

Singing can have some of the same effects as exercise, like the release of endorphins, which give the singer an overall "lifted" feeling and are associated ...


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Singing = Relaxing & fun

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Sunday, June 8, 2014,
I read an article in the Evening Standard a few days ago about Alison Cooper, she's the chief executive for Imperial Tobacco. 

She has a very stressful job and talks about how singing lessons help her with relaxation and voice projection. I'd also add how beneficial singing can be for the mood, confidence and the general sense of well being.

You can read the whole article here.  



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How to sing high notes!

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Friday, May 2, 2014,
  • Keep your throat loose and relaxed, like when you're yawning. 
  • Warm up by humming simple ascending arpeggios. 
  • If your voice cracks when you hit the high notes, it is likely that you are singing from your throat, which damages your voice. Push your larynx down your throat. This action is also achieved by trying to yawn.
  • Always always always make sure you have enough air to support your sound.
  • Avoid tensing up before singing the high note; this leads to the tightening of throat muscles and subsequ...

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Singing for fun and for life!

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Friday, March 14, 2014,
I don't know a single person who doesn't like to sing. Singing makes people happy!

I sing everyday, not because it is my job as a vocal coach but because I love singing, it makes me happy and it makes me feel good!

We all need to warm up the voice before we start singing. 
Practicing scales and breathing with your diaphragm is really important.
 
The link here below will show you where the diaphragm is located in the body. 
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19380.htm

Breathing with ...

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Top tip: How to soothe a sore thoat

Posted by Beatrice Beston on Saturday, February 1, 2014,
Do you suffer from a sore throat?
I hope not, but if you are this is one of
my top tips on what to do when you suffer from a sore throat. 
I love this drink and I hope you will enjoy it too.

This makes 1 cup of Lemon, Honey and Ginger tea.
Boil some water, add the juice of half a small lemon (fresh is possible) add a teaspoon of honey and some freshly grated ginger, a small piece of ginger is enough as ginger has quite a strong flavor.
Add more honey if you like it a bit sweeter! 


The heat and the ...

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