Effective Practicing

Quality Music Preparation that Preserves the Voice: 

Practicing techniques for the busy teacher or student, that preserve the voice and foster confident performances.

Learning music well takes concentration and time, which can be challenging for busy voice students and teachers. If the singer or teacher is talking for a large part of their day, keeping their voice fresh for practicing and performing is an added challenge. The solution is a clear practicing plan, time management skills, and moderation. By rotating various singing and silent practicing and polishing exercises, an artist can effectively learn and prepare music while still conserving the voice. Further, a customized and flexible daily practicing schedule can help a singer prepare a single work or multiple works simultaneously while keeping their voice fresh for performing. 

Praised by The New York Times for singing with “bell-like clarity and surpassing sweetness,” The New York Concert Review for “her sparkling coloratura perfection,” and in Opera News magazine, “the mellifluous soprano Penelope Shumate puts her lines across with sincerity and attractive lucidity,” Penelope Shumate’s engagements include numerous soprano soloist appearances at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York. She can be heard on “Messiah Refreshed” (Signum Records) recorded at historic Abbey Road Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, performing the title role on “Kassandra” (Navona Records), and as the soprano soloist on “As the fireflies watched . . . chamber music of James M. Stephenson” (Klavier Records). She has performed with opera companies, orchestras, and music festivals across America including Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Roanoke, Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Annapolis Opera, Opéra Louisiane, Opera on the James, Muddy River Opera Company, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma Philharmonic, Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Heartland Festival Orchestra, Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Gateway Chamber Orchestra, Rapides Symphony Orchestra, Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, Distinguished Concerts International New York, Berkshire Choral Festival, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Kennett Symphony Orchestra, among many others.

She is an award winner with the Gerda Lissner Foundation, The American Prize, the MacAllister Awards, and the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition, among others. She is represented by Encompass Arts management in New York. In addition to her professional performance career, she serves as Director of Opera and Associate Professor of Voice at Austin Peay State University. She has been a presenter with the National Opera Association, the National Association of the Teachers of Singing, the College Music Society and has published articles in Classical Singer Magazine. Visit www.penelopeshumate.com to learn more.