Magic Sing Blog

I read about one news write-up in the health section of a news network that singing can help the brain relearn communication skills. Persons with Alzheimer’s disease are recorded to have unlocked their communication block through singing. Usually, people with dementia tend to withdraw themselves and stop communicating with others; they are not able to hold conversations.

Some relatives of patients with Alzheimer’s tried singing with groups, where their loved ones showed some personality changes like being able to hold conversations, gaining focus and recovering from slurred speech due to a stroke. 

One group which helps such patients is Singing for the Brain, which started three years ago to give aid to patients with dementia. The founder said their weekly sessions had proved popular and successful for patients. They have an avid following in the group they have and families believe it has enhanced their lives and in some ways it has kept people well longer.

The group chooses things to sing for people that have an emotional resonance, things that allow them to express their emotions such as feeling irritated or sad as well as happy. They say that music has the ability to access words and people who have lost their ability to speak can access songs and words from the melody. The singing sessions also appeared to have positive effects on participants’ cognitive powers, their physical ability and their emotions. They likewise seem to enjoy doing something jointly with other people and being socially engaged is good for people with dementia.

It was explained that the part of the brain that worked with speech is different to the part that processes music, allowing those who had lost their speech to still enjoy their music. Rhythm had also been shown to be beneficial, particularly for those with diseases like Parkinson’s where movement was a problem. Listening to rhythms could be very helpful.

Knowing the home remedies for your vocal problems in the previous post, it’s also good to know about products that are beneficial for your vocal health. Given that you are a professional singer, or even someone who just loves singing, you should be ready when throat strains occur, so you should always have vocal health products in hand, like throat sprays, lozenges and tea.

There are a lot of throat sprays available in the market, which lubricate, hydrate and dilate vocal chords. They include combinations of herbs in glycerin, aloe or alcohol base. If you have dry, hoarse or sore throat, throat sprays quickly improves throat comfort and vocal quality. They soothe tired voices, relieves scratchy throat, keep your voice crystal clear, moisturize and strengthens as well. These sprays also warm the lungs and increase oxygen uptake. Some sprays offer flavors to choose from, like lemon, mint, peach or apple, though some products are not for pregnant or nursing women.

Lozenges are also another kind of vocal health product which reduce swelling and protect your vocal chords from abrasions. These products relieve minor discomforts and protect irritated areas in your throat. They act by dissolving and allowing the natural substances to coat your throat like paint. They are rather efficient at lessening swelling in the throat muscles and membranes. As singers, they are also helpful for your vocal health since they guard against abrasions caused by poor tone creation choices. One of the known organic ingredients of lozenges is slippery elm. Its inner bark is grounded into a powder and then combined with a crystalline substance to form a throat lozenge.

Teas likewise support throat health, since teas usually include herbs traditionally used to enhance the structure and function of the throat. There are also herbal candies for the throat, which you could pop into your mouth before singing. (:

A piece of trivia for karaoke lovers:
Did you know that famous Hollywood stars, multi-awarded music artists, and even royal persons in monarchy have a penchant for karaoke? This amazing invention has been entertaining people all around the world, from top to bottom of the social hierarchy.

While scanning the newspaper the other day, I noticed the banner of an entertainment article which read, The Karaoke’s International Appeal. Indeed, karaoke’s appeal through the years has been large-scale, making it a global entertainer.

In Hollywood, one of the gorgeous faces of today enjoys throwing karaoke parties for her Hollywood friends in her house. Penelope Cruz does karaoke parties at home. She even says everybody arrives and they would tell her they are not going to sing, but they end up fighting for the microphone. Even Oscar winning actor Nicolas Cage winds down and relaxes while singing karaoke. He would even invite cast and crew when shooting a movie to karaoke joints.

Black Eyed Peas’ female stellar Fergie also includes karaoke as her favorite hobbies together with her boyfriend, besides fishing and cooking. Her boyfriend owns a karaoke machine at home and he would sing Total Eclipse of the Heart untiringly.

When Prince Harry was to be announced that he would be sent to Iraq, he had a karaoke spree on that eve of announcement, reportedly singing Don McLean’s American Pie and Bryan Adam’s Summer of ’69.  Even though his would-be sending off was deferred because of him being a huge security risk, at least he had some fun doing karaoke!

Even in this side of the globe, celebrities enjoy karaoke joints together with their famous friends. Popular karaoke hubs are teemed with well-known personalities singing alongside regular people. Karaoke certainly has the mass appeal, and it proved it even has the celebrity appeal. Talk about universal charm!

If you are a singer, your voice is your precious gem. You have to know the tricks of trade in guaranteeing your product and service which is your voice, is on shape and in tune…and healthy. When your vocal chords get strained, troubles occur like hoarseness of your voice and your work gets in trouble too!

You should know what to do in instances your voice seems to croak like a frog, or when a sore throat or cold disturbs your voice…because they’re just not pleasant to the ears! Ailing vocal chords needs treatment, like sipping cough drops, some melted in a cup of boiling water. There are many available throat drops like Halls and Ricola.

There’s also this dry mouth syndrome. It’s hard to sing, even speak, with a dry mouth. There are home made cures to avoid and treat this problem, like looking after the foods you eat. It’s helpful to keep away from caffeine, sugar, chocolate and dairy products since they can get you thirsty or dried up. You can also spread something like a lubricant on your teeth to help out your upper lip to slide over the teeth and create saliva. You can also bite the tip of your tongue just enough to create saliva.

Drink plenty of water. That’s a great habit for singers to do. But do not drink ice-cold water! Water in room temperature is just good. Add some lemon too which helps. Surely, smoking and drinking are hard on the throat. So better avoid such vices!

When you sing, what you wear is important as well. Your clothes should be loose-fitting around the waist to help you take in air better and around the neck so it doesn’t smother you. Doing vocal warm-ups is always good. Sing in the shower, do cheery humming and formal vocal warm-ups are effective. And also, stand straight! Good posture can help your voice stay healthy!

If you are a fan of karaoke singing, you’ll enjoy this one. I just found out an online karaoke site where you can select from a broad variety of songs and sing along using the microphone in your PC. The songs can be recorded and uploaded for your family and friends, the online singing community or the whole cyberspace to check out.

The site comes by the name Sims On Stage, a free interactive online website based on SingShot Media, a karaoke community created by Electronic Arts.

In the Sims on Stage, songs ranging from pop to rock to country are available in the site. A window shows the lyrics while the music plays, like the usual karaoke set-up. The songs you record and upload can even be commented and rated.

You can even do more than recording, watching and sharing karaoke songs in the Sims on Stage. You can also share stories, comedy acts, open-mic materials, and other original ingenious stuff you personally create. And you can post your work on blogs and social network sites like MySpace or Friendster. There’s also a “Movie Mashup” where the members can produce their own original movies using contents of The Sims.

We all know The Sims as one of the biggest, warmest and most original communities in the globe. From video games to the online community, The Sims is well-liked and been around in the interactive entertainment for years now. Now The Sims on Stage adds to The Sims’ array of fun!

If karaoke singing is one of your best source of fun and entertainment, like having you and your Magic Sing karaoke microphone always up and running, this online karaoke site can add up to the enjoyment. The sign-up is easy, so you can readily share your karaoke on stage!