One of the biggest challenges in singing and in life is LETTING GO. When something doesn’t go quite how we hoped, we often spend countless hours ruminating over WHAT happened, WHY it happened, and the million ways it could have gone BETTER. Rather than beating yourself up, take a step back and try to view things objectively! This isn’t always easy, but here’s a trick: imagine that whatever is bothering you happened to your best friend instead. Your friend calls and retells the story. What would you say to them? Imagine the dialogue you two have, and take your own advice! Understanding the scenario through a different lens will help you resolve the issue, let it go, and move forward with your artistry and life. You may even find that some of your challenges end up becoming your best friends!
Feeling Joyful? Feeling sad? Your voice reflects your emotional well-being more than you can imagine. JOY inspires exuberant, energetic singing, whereas depression can make creating or even listening to music difficult. Some singers even struggle to make bold, strong sounds because they struggle with self-confidence in daily life. Never fear! Singing is actually one of the greatest cures for the hardships in our lives! Invite your Vocal Journey to be a part of your Inner Journey. Let singing help pull you out of the sorrows that you are experiencing. Let your “Joyful Noise” reflect any happiness you feel deep in your spirit. But, also invite singing into the pain and suffering that you are overcoming! And YES... you WILL overcome this…
Performing is a full-body experience! Usually, we put most of our focus on the TOP half of our bodies: our heads, our brains, our necks, and our faces. However, try focusing on the other end: your FEET! As you get ready to sing, make sure your feet are a good distance from each other. Generally, they should be hip-width apart. Shift your weight from your toes to your heels and from side to side and find your ideal balance. Flex and release your toes. Send your energy into the ground and feel the roots that hold you up. A strong EARTHY foundation will support your body, your breath, your sound, and your mind in surprising ways - especially while singing high notes. So, get out of your head! And, instead, sing with your WHOLE body - head to TOE!
Have you had an absolutely fantastic performance where you just NAILED it? It's exhilarating, full of nuance, and seems to happen effortlessly! Have you ever then tried to repeat that performance? Chances are, the second time around it was far less satisfying and felt a bit forced. Remember - even when we sing the same songs or say the same words- there are no two performances that are exactly alike. This is actually the Joy of performing. But to stay consistent, try to repeat the actions that led to the successful performance. Pay attention to your impulses. Stay emotionally available. Dare to thrive in the present moment. There will never be two that are the same, but you'll soon find your best performances happening more often than ever!
Need to make a last-minute demo recording for an audition or an agent? This is becoming a VERY common request these days. So, don’t let technology and environment spoil your chances at success! After you’ve prepared your audition, carefully consider the device you're using and the acoustics of the room. Are you using a phone, camera, computer, or microphone? Any of them can work. But, make sure they capture your sound in the most advantageous way. Are you recording in a kitchen, bathroom, studio, or practice room? All spaces will have different acoustics and will feature your voice in different ways. Don’t rush these acoustic details in your excitement to submit your audition. Instead, experiment until you find which combinations make you sound best. Let acoustics work FOR you, not against you!
Did you know that when you sing a note, you’re actually singing MANY notes all at once? It’s true! The note you sing is called the "Fundamental Frequency". It’s the lowest note present in the sound. But, there are many other higher notes present that are called “Overtones”. Depending on how we shape our vocal tract (jaw, tongue, soft palate, lips, and larynx), certain Overtones become boosted and others become dampened. Vocal tone and timbre is largely affected by which Overtones are brought forth. Modifying vowels and making thoughtful adjustments to your vocal tract is how to achieve a clearer, louder, or more aesthetically pleasing sound. Imagine the infinite notes you can sing without ever changing pitch!
Great vocal technique is often about taking things APART more than putting them together. When we make a "yawny" sound, typically the back of the tongue lowers, the larynx lowers, and the soft palate ascends. When we make an especially “nasal” sound, the back of the tongue goes higher, the larynx rises, and the soft palate lowers. These relationships tend to feel natural. BUT! With a bit of coordination, we can combine elements of both! For example, try lowering your larynx and lifting your soft palate, but with the back of your staying tongue high. Or, try letting your larynx and tongue rise, but without letting the sound enter the nasal cavity. Modifying one or two elements of what feels natural can result in new resonances that your voice needs. The more you can DISSOCIATE the elements of vocal anatomy, the more possibilities your voice will have!
Do you have EYES in the back of your head? No. You can only see what’s in front of you! Yet, for your singing life it would really be great if you had eyes back there. Because if you did, you'd be more aware of the back of your neck. The muscles at the back of the neck include the trapezius, the occipital, and capitis muscles. These muscles tend to tighten during singing. This causes the back of the neck to shorten, the chin to thrust forward, and the head to lift upwards. All of these tendencies result in unwanted pressure on the larynx and can be a huge hindrance on vocal freedom. So, while you may not have eyes in the back of the head, pay attention back there anyway. It's bound to be a real eye-opener!
How many decisions do you make in a day which directly affect how you present yourself to the world? "What should I wear?" "How should I do my hair?" Your personal style says a lot about how you hope people will perceive you. But what about how you use your SPEAKING voice? Are you a loud or soft speaker? Do you construct long sentences or use fewer words? How often do you gesticulate and how big are your gestures? Is your face very animated when you talk or is it more calm? Communication style is as important as appearance when making an impression. So, whether it's a big audition, a job interview, a date, or a friendly outing - be aware of how your voice affects your presence. To know YOU is to know your voice!
One of the most important vocal skill-sets is Vowel CLARITY. It’s sometimes okay to change Vowels in singing. This is called “Vowel Modification”. However, our first goal must be to sing our vowels as accurately as possible before modifying them. For example, is your EE vowel as BRIGHT as it should be? Or is it slipping into something like an IH sound? Or, what about the OH vowel? Are you using your lips to form the vowel or is the tongue retracting backwards instead? The concept of Vowel Clarity has been around since the foundations of Vocal Technique and applies to all musical styles. If your vowels can all be sung accurately, then your voice is going to find a great balance of resonance, breath, registration, control, and CLARITY!
What do you do when it’s time to sing your awesomest HIGH NOTES? Do you close your eyes? Do you stare straight ahead like a deer in the headlights? Do you have a ZOMBIE-like out-of-body experience? It’s important that in performance we drop any EYE habits that we may have developed during practice. When we listen and focus too hard, our eyes freeze up and we lose our stage presence. For the audience, this is like watching a singer take a BREAK. Momentarily, the singer is thinking about something else that the audience is not a part of. The performance only continues after the high and difficult part of the song is over. When a High Note is approaching, stay connected to your audience and your message. Don’t place your High Notes in the back of your mind. Place them in the hearts and SOULS of your listeners.
Got a FROG in your throat? Well, maybe it’s actually your TONGUE! If your voice sounds froggy, swallowed, or choked, then the root of your tongue might be the root of your problem. Make sure your tongue root isn’t pressing down and back. This often gives a false feeling of strength and security, but it comes at a cost. Tongue retraction puts pressure on the larynx and blocks your most free and natural resonances. That’s exactly why it sounds like a frog and not like you. If you struggle with these habits, try vocal exercises with your tongue fully extended on a “HAA” sound. Observe whether it wants to pull back. Try to keep it from doing so as notes change. You'll notice an immediate improvement. So... HOP to it!
Everyone knows that certain songs are unfailing crowd-pleasers. You sing one line and the whole room joins you. It’s helpful to have songs like this in your repertoire to pull out on a whim. However, don’t limit yourself to crowd favorites! It’s ideal to be able to perform not only sure-fire hits, but lesser known melodies as well. When you sing a piece that's unfamiliar to the listener, they won’t be distracted by wanting to join in and can focus their attention on the singing itself! Your audiences will become even more interested in your performances simply due to the VARIETY of your repertoire alone. You may also introduce them to a new artist or style of music in the process. This is a crowd-pleaser in itself!
Musical Theatre has some of the most emotionally electric songs that are immensely rewarding to perform and hear! - Cue the tears and the teeth gnashing! - Those songs are wonderful for the stage with lights, costumes, orchestra, and context. However, they don’t make the greatest audition songs. As fun as they are, when taken out of context they can read as unintentionally comical or simply deflated. In an audition, you don’t have the time to establish the necessary imaginary world for the adjudicators to appreciate your tour de force. So save the intense, emotional songs for your bedroom, car, or – hopefully - the actual stage! Focus on finding sincere songs that elevate you as a performer, instead of songs that are nearly impossible to live up to under harsh audition room lights.