LOVE/LEARNING MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY "I'M SORRY"

It's been a great couple of weeks of teaching here. My "old" students have come back from their summer vacations and I have acquired several fascinating new students of many different backgrounds, ages, and styles of singing. As is my usual policy, I inform everyone at the beginning of studying with me, one of our goals is to "fire the judges and hire the reporters." This means we are going to be on a journey together of exploration of their particular singing/acting process and how I can help them to find their most beautiful, strong, flexible, free and powerful instrument. Along the way we are going to run into many bumps in the road. Some of them will be because of the student's age. Some will be because I haven't found the right way to communicate to this particular student yet. Some will be because the student hasn't practiced enough (simple, but true). Some will be because there is an emotional block. And on and on . . . But LOVE/LEARNING MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY "I'M SORRY." I can't remember how many times I had to say this week "Hey! Don't apologize! We're learning here. That's what it's all about. We're both learning. Let's see what we can learn, celebrate our awarenesses and move on."

I know a lot of the apologizing for our "mistakes" or imperfections comes from our culture and/or upbringing. Goodness knows I have it myself. But I urge you in your work on your music to "Fire the judges and hire the reporters." See what it feels like for a day. Just observe. Have a day of "Hmmm. . . isn't that interesting. Every time I "reach" for a high note I lift my chin . . . or Every time the emotion gets stronger my shoulders get tight." Just observe. Don't judge and don't apologize. Love yourself into learning.

REVELATION OF THE WEEK

This week's revelation is about hard work, sweat, and laughter.  "Is it hot in here?" is the typical question for a woman going through menopause.  It's also a question for a student really working well in the voice studio.  I find myself stripping off layers of clothing during every lesson.  (Don't worry . . . there is a limit to how far I'll go!)  This week my studio was a veritable strip tease/comedy club!  "I'm exhausted!"  "Is your voice exhausted?"  "No."  "I'm tired too but let's take off a layer and keep going for a little while longer."  Then when I sense that the student's muscles can't support the tone anymore and/or they are singing "from their throat" we stop.  We rest and drink water and breathe easily and let the muscles recover.  But those supporting muscles are getting stronger each week and the beautiful, tiny vocal folds are protected and no one walks out unable to speak or sing at the end of a lesson.  They may need to take a nap or a shower, but that's OK by me.  

I have to be real careful with my younger students and constantly ask myself "How much can they take?  How much can they give?"  But they constantly surprise me.  So I had some revelations this week with a 13 year-old who hung in there for an hour of pretty demanding singing and with a sparkle in her eyes managed to make it through a song she never would have been able to tackle just two weeks ago.  Once again, the power of music working with the human body and spirit constantly amaze me.

More about Singing When You Are Under the Weather

In response to a request from Erin C. for remedies, exercises, etc. for overworked voices or ideas for how to handle singing when you're sick, I'm going to share some more ideas from my experience as well as those of an expert.  Dr. Anthony Jahn, one of the most highly respected otolaryngologists in the country recommends zinc tablets or nasal swabs, saline nasal spray, a Neti pot (I use mine religiously), and vitamin C.  He says to avoid antihistamines if you are going to have to perform, because they tend to dry you out, and that is dangerous if you have to sing.  Better to use a decongestant (hence my love affair with Musinex).  The mucus gets looser but you won't get dried out. Remember that commercial for hand cream that used to show the dried up leaf vs. the beautiful green leaf?  I like to think of always keeping my vocal folds like the green leaf, moist and supple. 

When you have a cold, the chances are you are going to be affected in the upper parts of your voice and/or your passaggio. You may also be feeling physically weaker. Be very careful to not tire yourself out, because that's when you are in danger of really hurting your voice.  Eat well.  Rest well.  Cancel or re-schedule any engagements and auditions if you are able to.  And remember, a cold will pass, but if you over-sing on it, watch out!  You can do damage because you may be singing from an unsupported place and can cause harm to your voice, which will take more time to heal than just the week or ten days that it would have taken to nurse a cold or flu.

As far as overworked or overused voices are concerned, I am not a voice therapist, so I will send my students to an otolaryngologist when I sense that something is amiss that healthy nutrition, rest, good technique and conscientious practice seem to be doing nothing to conquer.  A couple of times the doctor has found a cyst, a polyp or even the dreaded "nodes" but I always feel it is better to be informed than to keep on beating your head against the wall wondering "Why can't I sing like I used to?"  Dr. Jahn's column in Classical Singer Magazine is enormously useful every month and can be found in the archives on their website. 

REVELATION OF THE WEEK

Thanks to my wonderful students and their parents asking me questions this week, I have something to share for all of us regarding studying singing.  Sometimes it is hard.  Sometimes it seems like there is no reward in sight.  Sometimes it seems boring or stupid or exhausting.  So I have to ask myself, "Do I have the time, discipline, and willingness to put up with doing what may seem like silly, embarrassing, even impossible things for a while in order to allow my instrument to grow?"  And you know what?  Sometimes I don't.   And that's OK  too.  You can take a break.  If you find yourself resenting every moment of practicing or hating your lessons, take a vacation from them.  If auditions are making you crazy with self-loathing or confusion, find another way to fulfill your creativity by writing or painting or just dancing in your living room.  Your creativity will find a way to express itself if you give it a chance.  And eventually you'll come back to singing if you are meant to.  Just ran into a student I hadn't seen in a long time who did a very creative thing . . . she had a baby!    

Revelation of the Week

This week's "Revelation" happened to me.  I was working with three students, all of whom are  in their twenties and have been studying with me anywhere from eight months to two years .  All of them have gone through many vocal challenges but have been persistent in their studies and, despite the fact that they are not "blessed" with the most beautiful and mature natural voices, have hung in there with practicing and have kept a positive attitude.  Well, this week it seems that all three of them have not only made breakthroughs, but they are also able to consistently repeat their vocal improvements, make truly beautiful natural sounds and understand how they are doing what they are doing.  The only way this was able to happen was through "persistent, purposeful play" and trusting that Nature would, in Her own time, enable their voices to mature at the right time if we didn't interfere.  

A lot of young singers hear their "idols" on the radio, TV, Broadway or web and think "If so-and-so is only 17 and can sing like that, why can't I?"  They forget that "so-and-so" is amplified within an inch of her life and has a sound engineer tweaking notes to avoid any hint of "pitchiness," and that, most important of all, many of us do not find our  true voices until we are 18 or 20 or 27 or 32.  But we can and should keep on singing.