Music Notes: An Xperience Column

Music Notes: An Xperience Column – by Peak Music Studios.

Hello music fans,

This month, we’re tackling one of the most asked (and least understood) questions from aspiring singers, crooners, and carpool karaoke kings and queens alike: how do I sing high notes? Or its cousin: why does it feel so hard to sing this song?

At the heart of these questions is something most people overlook: strength. Yes—strength. Not just emotional fortitude or your ability to survive a bad first date—actual muscular strength. Singing high, singing well, singing consistently—it all comes down to whether the muscles that operate your voice are trained and coordinated.

Let’s get a little technical (but stay with me). You’ve got two primary muscle groups working under the hood: the CT (cricothyroid) muscles responsible for stretching your vocal folds and producing head voice, and the TA (thyroarytenoid) muscles, which thicken the folds and produce chest voice. Most people are weak or unbalanced in one or both. Then comes the tricky part—coordination, known as “mix” or “blended voice.” That’s using chest-dominant muscle coordination in the higher part of your range—aka belting with control, not strain. If that sounds like magic, it’s not—it’s biomechanics.

Here’s the kicker: most singers never work on this consciously. I’ll ask a student, “What exercises are you doing to stretch your voice?” They say, “Oh, I just sing songs.” That’s like saying you train for a marathon by walking around the mall. Or I’ll ask, “How loud can you sing a note without it going sharp?” Blank stare. It’s like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”: “Can you sing high notes, Mr. Spicoli?” “I don’t know.” Exactly. Because there’s no workout.

Science backs this up. Research from the Journal of Voice (Titze et al., 2006) shows that semi-occluded vocal tract exercises—lip trills, straw phonation, etc.—improve efficiency and reduce strain. Another study (Echternach et al., 2010) demonstrates that singers with better coordination between CT and TA muscles show smoother transitions and fewer pitch breaks. Translation: voice training works. Not random practice. Not hope. Real, structured training.

Want to belt like Adele or soar like Freddie Mercury? Then you need a serious plan. Imagine a weightlifter saying, “I can’t lift 200 pounds.” You ask, “What’s your training like?” They say, “Well, I hang out at the gym and scroll TikTok.” That’s not training—it’s loitering. Same for singing.

So here’s your August checklist:

1. Know your range and where your voice “breaks.” This is the passaggio—the bridge between chest and head voice. Track it. Test it monthly.
2. Do exercises designed to challenge your weak spots. The break area is not the enemy—it’s your training zone.
3. Learn to sing in chest voice, head voice, and mixed voice—on command. No more guessing.

And if you don’t know how to do this? That’s okay—but get help from someone who does. A qualified vocal coach doesn’t just give you scales. They assess, guide, and tailor the plan. The best singers in the world have vocal coaches—why shouldn’t you?

This Month in Music History

August 1, 1981 – MTV Launches with “Video Killed the Radio Star”

Rock music would never be the same. This event reshaped pop culture, promotion, and the rise of visual rock acts.

August 4, 1755 – Birth of Marie Bigot

Virtuoso pianist admired by both Beethoven and Haydn, she was a rare female star in early classical circles.

August 8, 1969 – Photo Shoot for The Beatles’ “Abbey Road”

August 15–18, 1969 – Woodstock Festival

The definitive music festival, featuring Hendrix, Joplin, The Who, and more. A defining moment in rock and counterculture history.

August 16, 1980 – Monsters of Rock debuts

The inaugural festival at Donington Park, headlined by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, drew over 40,000 hard-rock fans

August 21, 1987 – “Appetite for Destruction” by Guns N’ Roses hits #1

Though released in July, it reached the top spot in August—marking a breakthrough moment in metal-infused hard rock.

August 22, 1862 – Claude Debussy Born

Composer of “Clair de Lune” and “La Mer,” Debussy’s work marked the transition into modern French impressionism.

Weird but True:

Ozzy Osbourne Bit the Head Off a Bat… And It Wasn’t Fake

During a concert in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 20, 1982, a fan threw what Ozzy thought was a rubber bat onto the stage. Always one for theatrics, Ozzy picked it up and bit its head off—only to discover it was a very real (and very dead) bat.

He later claimed the bat was “stone-cold and crunchy.”

After the show, Ozzy was rushed to the hospital for rabies shots. He later said it was one of the worst decisions of his life … And that’s saying a lot for someone as “interesting” as Ozzy Osbourne.

Until next month, keep practicing, stay curious, and remember:

You don’t have to be born great—you just have to get started.

See you in the practice room.

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