🎶 Learning Mixed/Belt: A Choir Girl’s Journey

When I was in school, I didn’t have access to belting, contemporary styles, or even the concept of mixed voice. My vocal world was built around bel canto, solfège, and everything classical. My choir teachers did what they knew best — traditional methods — and for a long time, that was the only path I saw.

I had a voice teacher who worked with me on narrow vowels, head tones, singing in the mask, and creating classical resonance. That training gave me a beautiful foundation — a clean, resonant, classical tone that served me well. But I had a secret desire: I wanted to sing like the Broadway stars I heard belting their faces off.

The problem? Every time I tried, it felt… wrong. It went against everything I’d been taught. I was scared I’d hurt my voice. So, all through high school, I built habits that worked — for classical singing. I flipped into head voice, swallowed sound through my bridges, and had no idea how to access my chest voice. Singing low notes felt weak, because I was always using head voice. And when I did try to belt, I was basically yelling. When I listened back, I cringed.

Breaking Out of the Box

It wasn’t until I stepped outside of the classical world that my mix journey really began. Because the truth is, to learn how to mix, you first have to understand the extremes — what true chest and true head voice feel like in your body. And I had spent years being too scared to explore my chest voice. Without that awareness, I couldn’t build the muscular coordination needed for a balanced mix.

In college, I continued with opera training, and in many ways, that was a gift. I learned how to create resonance without relying on narrow vowels and how to relax the larynx. Opera singing taught me about freedom — no tension, no strain, just open, hollow space, dexterity, and breath control. It helped me learn how to release tension and build awareness of what my voice was actually doing.

The Turning Point

The real breakthrough didn’t come until my 20s, when I was studying at Brigham Young University. There, I finally got access to vocal coaches who specialized in belt and mix.

The first coach I worked with… well, let’s just say we didn’t vibe. Learning mix was foreign and awkward. I had to be vulnerable, willing to make ugly sounds, and open to failing — a lot. We were trying to build coordination between my TA muscle (thyroarytenoid) and CT muscle (cricothyroid), and that kind of muscular balance doesn’t come overnight, especially with years of habits, that worked pretty well for me. I was frustrated. Nothing felt right.

It wasn’t until my next coach — one who focused on helping me find my chest voice — that things really clicked. Yes, it involved a lot of yelling, chest-pulling, tension, and even some sore throats. But it was the step I needed. Once I understood how to engage my chest voice, I could finally begin to explore what mix really was. And all the frustrating lessons from my earlier coach started to make sense.

Building the Skill

One of the biggest breakthroughs for me was understanding the power of vowel manipulation. Learning how to modify wide and narrow vowels unlocked vocal freedom for me. That, paired with mix-focused training, allowed me to sing strong, connected, and healthy — in the styles I had always dreamed of.

Since then, I’ve worked with other voice teachers, and I’ve learned something valuable from each one. Sometimes lessons don’t click right away — but they always leave a breadcrumb trail that I return to later.

My number one tip for any voice student? Record your lessons. Yes, it can be painful to listen to yourself. But listening back is how I’ve found my biggest breakthroughs. I hear what’s working and what’s not. I fine-tune. I recreate the feeling. It’s how I’ve learned to build the right coordination — over and over again — between CT and TA muscles.

Final Thoughts

If you’re on this journey too, here’s what I want you to know:

Don’t give up. Don’t be afraid of sounding ridiculous. Every crack, every chest-pull, every flat note — it’s all part of building the skill.

I wasn’t naturally gifted in singing. Some people just have their voices resonate in a naturally mixed space. I had a strong choir voice, sure — but everything else? I earned through trial, error, and persistence. You don’t have to be naturally talented to learn this. You just have to want it, and be willing to put in the reps and humor your voice teacher. There’s something to learn from everyone weather you vibe with them or not. Stay humble and learn to laugh at yourself and enjoy the process.

You’ll get there.