MELA BEE

I’m not claiming to have all the answers. I’m interested in asking better questions, challenging my own perspectives, and hearing yours. Let’s actually talk about it. 🩷 Research referenced: • Basterretxea et al. (2019) — Can employee ownership and human resource management policies clash in worker cooperatives? • Hernandez (2006) — Striving for Control: Democracy and Oligarchy at a Mexican Cooperative. • Estragó (2023) — Management in Worker Cooperatives: Democracy vs. Dissonance, and Possible Overcoming Approaches. #capitalism #socialism #sociology #criticalthinking #foodforthought

I’m genuinely curious where you stand on this. I’m open to hearing all perspectives! 🩷 #capitalism #sociology #criticalthinking #modernsociety #foodforthought

Are we actually making things better, or are we sacrificing something we’ll eventually regret? Somewhere along the way, I think we started confusing efficiency with progress. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for technology and the accessibility it’s brought us but I can’t help wonder what we’re losing in the process. As a musician, I see this happening in my own industry, and with AI entering the picture, I think these are conversations worth having. I’m not saying everything was better in the past. I’m questioning whether everything we’re calling progress is actually an improvement. Sometimes the things we work so hard to eliminate are the very things that make something beautiful. Curious where you stand on this one 👀 #musicindustry #artificialintelligence #creativity #authenticity #musicproduction

If you do it afraid, you might just surprise yourself When I first started making yappy reels, I was TERRIFIED. Putting myself out there, talking to a camera, knowing people were going to watch and potentially judge me… it felt so unnatural and cringe af But I did it anyway. And what I didn’t expect was how much confidence I’d gain in other areas of my life because of it. The more I filmed myself, the more I started noticing my habits, how I communicated, how I carried myself, and how I could improve. And I genuinely believe that no matter what you’re hoping to achieve in life, learning to communicate confidently is a skill that will serve you in ways you might not even realize yet. I’m not an expert, and I’m certainly not claiming to be one. I’m just someone who decided to try something that scared me, and ended up getting so much more out of it than I ever anticipated. I think sometimes we wait until we feel confident enough to start something, when really, the confidence comes from doing it. So whatever that thing is that you’ve been putting off because you’re scared… maybe you don’t need to feel ready. Maybe you just need to do it afraid ❤️ #confidencebuilding #personalgrowth #creatormindset #selfdevelopment #doitafraid

Most singers practice their notes, but how often do you actually practice your breathing? 👀 Breath control isn’t about taking the biggest breath possible. It’s about learning how to manage the air you’ve got. Try this 3 step breathing exercise 👏 The goal is to keep your airflow steady and controlled, even as the resistance changes. Save this for your next vocal warm-up and tell me which step was the hardest in the comments! #singingtips #vocalcoach #breathcontrol #singinglessons #vocaltechnique

Teachers…it’s October. How’s your voice doing? 😅 If the answer is “raspy,” “exhausted,” or “basically gone by 3 p.m.” we need to have a chat lol You’re not just talking all day. You’re projecting, repeating yourself, competing with classroom noise and using your voice for HOURS with very little recovery time. That is a serious vocal workload. Warm it up. Stop competing with classroom noise. Hydrate BEFORE you feel dry. Your voice is one of the most important tools you bring into that classroom every single day. We’re only one month into the school year. Protect it now so you still have one in June. SAVE this for Monday morning and send it to a teacher whose 3 p.m. voice is already fighting for its life. #teachertips #teacherlife #vocalhealth #voiceteacher #vocalcoach

Finding your mix in an exercise is one thing… getting it to actually show up in a song is another. Here’s how I bridge the gap between a vocal exercise and the actual melody: Step 1: Start with a bratty “NYAH” to find that bright, forward, efficient coordination. Step 2: Sing the tricky melody entirely on “NYAH” so your voice can learn the coordination without worrying about lyrics yet. Step 3: Start the phrase on “NYAH” and seamlessly transition into the actual words while trying to maintain the same vocal feeling and ease. Step 4: Once that coordination feels consistent, experiment with adding a slightly dopey, cry-like quality. This can help darken and round out the tone without completely losing the pharyngeal resonance we established with the “NYAH.” 👌 The goal isn’t to make your song sound like the exercise. The exercise helps you find the coordination. Then we gradually remove the training wheels until you can keep that same coordination in the actual song. #mixvoicetechnique #vocalcoach #vocallessons #findyourmixvoice #singingteacher

Mix voice is one of those singing terms that gets thrown around CONSTANTLY without anyone actually explaining what it means 😂 It’s not a magical third voice hiding somewhere between your chest voice and head voice…and it’s definitely not just pushing your chest voice higher and hoping for the best. Your voice is capable of a spectrum of coordinations, and learning to “mix” is really about gaining more control over how those coordinations shift as you move through your range. Understanding what your voice is actually doing makes it a whole lot easier to train it. This is Mix Voice 101: Part 1. Part 2 is coming with 3 exercises you can actually use to start training your mix, AND I’ll explain why they work. #mixvoice #singingtips #vocalcoach #voicelessons #vocaltechnique

I can completely change the way someone sings in just ONE lesson. But your voice has default settings! And finding a new coordination once doesn’t automatically make it your new normal. That’s where repetition, intention, and motor learning comes in. #vocalcoach #voiceteacher #singingtips #vocaltraining #vocaltechnique

If you want to get better at singing, you have to be willing to sound a little ridiculous! Vocal exercises aren’t always pretty…but they’re doing a job. There is method to the madness. So make the weird noises. Experiment with your voice. Stop worrying about sounding “good” while you’re training to get better. Your voice will thank you later 🩷 #vocalcoach #singingtips #vocalexercises #voicelessons #singingteacher

Stop sucking it in!! What starts as a mental habit can become a muscular one. Learning to breathe freely means slowly teaching your body that it doesn’t need to take up less space 🩷 #breathing101 #breathsupport #singingtips #vocalcoach #vocaltips

I’ve been getting quite a few inquiries for vocal lessons since posting this video and I’m super excited about it 🥹 I have room for a few more clients so if you have an interest in vocal lessons, hit me up in DMs and let’s get you singin’ your heart out!

You don’t need MORE breath to sing better. You just need to use the breath you already have more efficiently! Three tips for efficient breathing: 👉🏻 Stop breathing UP. Think back, low and wide. 👉🏻 Think 360° expansion. Belly, lower ribs AND back. 👉🏻 Don’t immediately collapse that expansion when you start making sound! Resist the urge and draw the ribs toward the hips/floor. That last one is a big one: breath support isn’t about squeezing harder or bearing down. It’s about controlling the release of air while maintaining that wide expansion. Try the hiss exercise at the end of this video and pay attention to what your ribs and torso are doing. Save this and practice for a couple weeks. Apply the technique while singing and things will feel VERY different over time. #vocalcoach #singingtips #breathsupport #vocaltechnique #singers

What if you paid a producer $500 for an instrumental they generated in 30 seconds? AI music is getting harder to spot, but there are still things you can listen for. One of the biggest giveaways can be in the high frequencies. Cymbals, hi-hats, guitar strings...any sounds with a ton of fine detail can have that weird smeared quality that you might completely miss when listening to the full mix. You have to listen closely. Its like your brain fills in the gaps unless you zoom in (with your ears lol) and pay attention to the individual instruments. Once you know what you’re listening for, it gets a LOT easier to hear this right away. Just keep in mind, this isn't a dead giveaway. There are other reasons that this could happen to a mix. Think of it like a clue and then investigate further. I'll share what I'd look for next in part 2! #aimusic #musicproduction #musicproducer #independentartist #musicindustry

What if the best way to fight ai copyright infringement is to start with the infringement we can actually SEE? SOCAN is suing Suno and bringing 150 allegedly infringing outputs to the table. But this does raise a very interesting question: If an AI system generates a song that proves to infringe someone’s copyright, who is responsible? The answer could have massive implications for the future of ai generated music. Let me know what you think in the comments 👇 #aimusic #musicindustry #copyright #suno #socan

and we write absolute bangers while learning 🎸so much fun 😆

We did a co-ed camp bach! 🏕️🛶 The absolute BEST weekend with the best people. Thank you to everyone who came to lake eugenia to celebrate with us and made it so damn special Same time next year for the anniversary party Camp Buck foreverrrrr🩷 #bachcamp #coedbach #bacheloretteweekend #cabinweekend #lakeweekend

“Independent” isn’t just owning your masters. Its owning your voice even when using it might cost you something. I spent a long time worrying about saying the wrong thing, losing opportunities, upsetting people, or being “too opinionated” as an artist. I’m not interested in doing that anymore. I want real conversations. real disagreement. real people. real art. #independentartist #musicindustry #singersongwriter #independentmusic #artistsoninstagram

Rest in peace, Dolly 🙏🏼 A true icon, a one-of-a-kind artist, and an inspiration to generations. Your music, your heart, and the way you stayed so unapologetically yourself left a mark that will never fade. I will always love you 🩷 #dollyparton #ripdolly #countrymusic #musiclegend #musicnews