how can I have a better mouth opening when I'm singing?
473116
Open as wide as you can until you yawn.  From there, experiment until you can open wide, but no longer trigger the yawn reflex.  Remember to support with the diaphragm.
970431
practice. sing anything.  just stay relaxed when you sing.  loose jaw an make sure you breathe into ur stomach...its kida weird and will take u a while to get used to it.  also, b4 u sing, dont drink milk...dont try to sing anything out of ur range without keeping ur throat super relaxed.  also, always sing on full breath.  keep good posture.  straight back, head level, etc.
917985
The best way to take care of your voice is to keep your mouth shut and avoid singing,shouting and anything that might strain your vocal chords until the changes settle down.Breaking voices attract their share of jokes and comments and that is life,but it does not really take very long.Just hold your silence and be patient,then you will soon be able to talk like a man,instead of croaking and squawking.
706517
Ok... this might help.\nVoice: Standing up straight should make you sound alot better.  My coach taught me a method: breath in, and as you are breathing out yell in a peppy and enthusiastic voice.  Don't speak too fast, or too serious, you want to brighten up the faces of your judges.  \nJumps: Jumps are best practiced on a spring floor or trampoline.  If there is a specific jump you need work on, research tips online or in books.  Don't forget to smile when you jump, I know it's hard, but it is great when the judges look at it.\nMotions: Move your body swiftly to the motion you are performing, and then lock it!  Keep it stiff and hold tight.\nTumbling: This sounds silly, but you can practice your tumbling skills and have fun at the same time.  I sometimes practice while watching TV... listening to music... yeah.  Get a friend to spot you in this kind of stuff.\nFitness:  Work on sit ups, push ups, and other exercises for about 1-2 mins at a time.  Lift 2-3 pound weights a few times a day, eat healthy.\nHow to deal w/ mean cheerleaders: Just ignore them, get some REAL help.\n\nGood luck at tryouts! You'll do great!
225851
Yes this is very hard to explain..umm tryholding your nose and sing...okay after you do that try singing without holding your nose. Do you sound the same if you do then try singing without making the same sound when you hold your nose.
11611
Try not to think about the fact that you are going to sing in front of people because the more you will think about it the more pressure you build.\n\nBefore you go up the stage and sing, imagine yourself singing in an empty room. Or that you are singing to your baby or someone you love. \n\nThe trick is to get you mind into somewhere comfortable. And then just let it be…..\n\nGood luck
430662
By your picture, I assume you're a guy.\nYour anatomy is made for low larynx singing for most EVERYTHING in your chest voice. It may be hard to do, but if you're going to sing properly, you need to keep it down. This only works if you're doing everything else right (head posture, breathing, support). \n\nIt takes a while to train yourself, even with a teacher, but a teacher who knows what he/she is doing should tell you to KEEP IT DOWN.\n\nIf you do all this right, you should be a able to sing in a medium sized auditorium without a mic! It's what opera singers use.
566485
MacArthur1977 is right on the ball, but one thing you gotta do is sing all day every day and practice scales. Project you voice by pretending you are trying to stick every sound your voice makes onto the far wall. Use the alphabet. Assign H to the lowest note you can hit. The go up and down the alphabet, always trying to extent its range. If you are a boy and your voice is about breaking don't even think about singing or practicing til it breaks. I could do A to R at one time but now can just manage A to M. I have friends who can get almost to the end of the alphabet.
1121593
And if you don't wanna take voice lessons....i HIGHLY recommend training your vocals...such as use your diaphragm...and once you can talk loud without your voice hurting...work on your pitch...after that just work on technique...every singer needs to be different...i HATE hearing the same voice
235938
you probably have a small mouth like me,take it slow and dont put too much in,it takes practice,good luck
535693
I'm not a singer but been playing in bands for eons. Key thing to remember no matter how important this contest is if you blow out your voice you've lost it for good. Win or lose it means nothing. So make sure you rest your voice. I'd suggest 3-4 days of good practice out of the week and try to allow at least one day between practices. The day before the practice sing only a quick run through. No matter how badly it comes out resist the temptation to work on a song that late. Even if you get it right the next day you might be hoarse. Do sing a little the day before and lightly the day of the comptition. Just a quick run through. Preferably shortly before the compitition. Remember this is a warm up exercise. Don't strain, expect to mess it up. The point is not to see if you are ready it's to limber the vocal chords and see if you have any physical ailments that are hindering your singing. It's not how your going to sound like when you do the real thing. Don't even try to push yourself to hit the hard notes. Just glaze over them. Your warming up not singing the thing for real. \n\nWarm up before all practices and the contest. Most common cause of injury is going from cold to full out. \n\nLemon juice, teas, iced beverages that are not salty are things I often see singers do after practices and to prepare for a gig/after gig care. No alcohol before singing. If you smoke limit your cigs before the event. Many singers I've known will not smoke at all a couple hours before performing. Get a good nights sleep. \n\nOne thing that most singers forget is that unlike a guitar every emotion your feeling pours into your voice. On guitar if you listen closely you can hear nervousness or that the guitar player is tired but only by listening intently and with a good musical ear. With a singer you get nervous your voice constricts. You try singing from the throat not the diaphram. You forget lyrics or just as bad spend all your time worrying about the lyrics. When you sing close your eyes, let go of concious thought. Let it pour out. Forget the rest of the world even exists. Let it roll out, be part of the song. Be the vessel for it. The more you think the more you interfere with your own talent. Worry, insecurity and fear all creep into your voice. If you've practiced enough you need no thought. It'll be natural to you. \n\nSleep, did I mention getting enough sleep? Memory is affected by sleep. Nothing like forgeting a lyric to trash a performance. Concetration is decreased, confidence decreased. Get a good nights sleep before the show. \n\nMake sure your not congested. If you have a trace of a sniffle get rid of it. Wear confortable clothing if at all possible. \n\nLast smile and enjoy the performance. It'll show in your voice if your really having fun. You sound far better enjoying yourself than you do if your not. People can tell. Even untrained ears will notice the difference.\n\nAlso by the last few days you have a routine stick to it. Don't try anything new that late. Your last practice should be as much like the show as possible. What you eat, drink and do should be as close as possible to what you will do for that show. What you have for breakfast is what you want to eat the day of the compitition. What you drink the same.
617908
practice first singing to people you don't mind singing around. eventually start singing around a few more people.
801861
I am 25 and have been singing since I was in kindergarten and the one thing I have learned is to never strain to get out of your range, it hurts and to be perfectly honest, it probably doesn't sound as good as you think it does.  Remember this visual:  you always want to be soaring on top of that note, not struggling to touch it from underneath!  I would have a Dr look at it to let you know b/c contrary to one of the afformentioned answers you can, in fact, damage your vocal chords.
963400
well, i'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to things like this...i make sure know my material, and have all my note cards in order. then, about a 1/2 - an hour beforehand i start doing deep breathing and stretching...it really works. practice your speech while looking in a mirror so you can see your facial expressions...practice reciting it to friends/family and get their feedback. while you're giving your speech, focus on ppl in the audience you know, and look at them from time-to-time. if you don't have to stand at a podium, move around a bit as you give your speech. try not to say "um" a lot...it makes it sound as if you don't know your material. try to smile at specific points in your speech material...if it's appropriate. that will make you look comfortable to your audience. i'm sure you will do a great job!! best of luck.
654320
use the bottom of your stomache to breath. it sounds weird but it really makes your voice stronger. good luck with american idol! ill vote for u.
190750
a good scream does not come from the throat. use your diaphragm, the area right underneath your ribcage/above your stomach. its a good exercise to start out singing a note and using your hands to press on your stomach area. you'd be surprised how much rasp and growl you can get out of it.
16121
I once listened to a talk by a vocal coach (Peter Trump - who had performed baritone at La Scala and the Met) who claimed that the secret to a powerful singing or speaking voice had a lot to do with balance.  I remember old records of "Sing Along With Mitch" (Mitch Miller) where the men stood in a semi-circle looking almost ape-like balanced nearly on the tips of the toes that suggested the Trump method.  of course, once learned the principle may be performed more gracefully as in opera, where acting is also required.\n\nBasically, when your body is well balanced while standing on your feet, all your muscles can relax to the greatest extent possible, because they are not needed to maintain balance.  This will include muscles in or near the throat that can constrict free passage of air.\n\nMr. Trump expained that singers who break wine glasses with the power of their voices do not need to use great force.  They select the pitch at which the glass will resonate the add energy to the glass by singing that exact pitch (like pushing a swing higher and higher until it goes over the bar!).  But he indicated that you could place a lit candle between the singer's lips and the glass and it would not flicker.  By properly balancing and relaxing the throat muscles, a column of resonating air is produced that reaches from the glass back to the lips through the oral cavity and down the windpipe past the vocal cords.  Strained muscles would pinch off the air column and cause vibrations to weaken and vary.\n\nInterestingly, he also coached brass players who could produce better tones if their instruments participated in a resonating air column that reached both sides of the mouthpiece, just like a good singer.  Of course the brass players had to learn how to balance sitting down, using good posture at all times.  Hope that helps.  Good luck.\n\nBTW, good speakers (and singers) think "speak through the mask" where they try to project their voice as though their face were a mask, allowing their voice to resonate behind it including perhaps just enough nasal resonance to make the voice pleasant and not distorted, strained or harsh.  The voice is also controlled for speaking and singing by raising and lowering the diaphragm rather than expanding or contracting the rib cage; which would produce muscular strain.