You've been studying the greats, working on improving your vocal skills, and building vocal technique. Now it's time to take the next step in your singing career to shine as a vocalist. Singing Popular Music provides you with the essential skills to define your own unique vocal style and sing healthfully. The course begins with devices to support and alter your sound including vowel quality, tone production, and breathing techniques. From there, you will learn how to use techniques like mix voice and belting in contemporary singing styles. Then you'll take a cover song and make it your own. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to confidently and healthfully sing in your desired vocal style as well as understand how you can alter your singing to match other contemporary styles.
Give your career the gift of Coursera Plus with $160 off, billed annually. Save today.
Singing Popular Music
This course is part of The Singer Songwriter Specialization
Instructor: Jeannie Gagne
28,495 already enrolled
Included with 
(161 reviews)
What you'll learn
Identify and practice using appropriate breathing technique while singing.
Identify and practice using your head voice, mix voice, and chest voice while singing.
Learn healthy ways to perform powerful singing/belting.
Incorporate improvisation techniques in your singing style.
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Add to your LinkedIn profile
8 assignments
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
There are 5 modules in this course
Welcome to the course! Here we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your experience.
What's included
5 readings1 assignment
Vocal style is shaped by language. How you interpret the meaning of the text and phrases impacts your artistry. The tone of your voice—which is essential to your style—is defined by the way you shape and pronounce vowels in words, while consonants give words rhythm. In this lesson we will discuss different vowel shapes and how devices such as vibrato, legato, and dynamics shape your sound. We will focus on gaining vocal self-awareness, practicing breathing techniques, and making style-appropriate choices.
What's included
5 videos4 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts
The mix voice vocal register or placement is a topic of much confusion. In this lesson, we will take a close look mix voice, how it can be helpful for you, and when to use it or not to use it. We will also continue to fine-tune the elements in your own style.
What's included
4 videos6 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts
In this lesson, we'll take a close look at big singing, when you might use it, and how to do it safely. In today's musical landscape, belting is not required to be successful, but to be the best singer you can be, it is good to explore the full extent of your voice. That exploration includes singing with physical power. As we explore powerful singing, we'll look at what it is and what it is not. This method may be an important part of your sound, or ultimately you may decide that it's not for you. Either conclusion is fine artistically, depending on your chosen style and overall message.
What's included
4 videos4 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts
In this lesson, we'll focus on how to frame your music, genre-wise. We'll look at whether or not you want to include improvisation in your tune(s), and we'll discuss how to take a cover song and make it your own. Finally, you'll spend time demonstrating your vocal style by covering a song of your choice.
What's included
5 videos6 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
Instructor
Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Music and Art
The University of Sydney
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Learner reviews
Showing 3 of 161
161 reviews
- 5 stars
70.18%
- 4 stars
21.73%
- 3 stars
2.48%
- 2 stars
1.24%
- 1 star
4.34%
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.