October 2025
You VS Yew
It is an interesting quirk of American voice students that they will sing “yew” rather than the more open “you” (pronounced YOO). I say interesting, because most won’t say the word “you” as “yew” — it is primarily a singing issue. The lips and tongue squeeze too tightly and the “Y” is heavily emphasized, when it should be quick and released immediately into the “OOO” sound.
So, remember to sing “I love YOOO” and not “I love YEW” or someone might think you are exceedingly fond of trees!