Dancers CAN sing

I just got back from an exciting and challenging three days in Seattle, working for the Jerome Robbins Trust helping to cast the upcoming Pacific Northwest Ballet production of "West Side Story Suite."  Twenty-eight dancers, most of whom had not sung since they were in middle school chorus, if at all, were required to sing either "America" or "Cool" not only as a solo, but in front of a video camera!  Can you imagine if you were given a challenge like that in an art form you were almost totally unfamiliar with?  I had one and a half hour group lessons with each of four groups and then ten minutes with each individual to help them do the best job they could to portray Anita, Rosalia or Riff and tape the audition.  The group session proved a terrific way for everyone to learn with a feeling of comfort and playfulness and taught me how to teach them.  Then, when the individual auditions came, these magnificent artists, who amaze me with their physical genius and grace, came into the room with such vulnerability, terror, and insecurity all I could do was wonder at the strange and wonderful workings of Nature and the gifts of talent and courage.  As it turned out, many of the dancers actually could sing and act very well.  There wasn't a single one who could not sing at all.  One sweet girl had been kicked out of 6th grade chorus because her teacher said she couldn't sing.  There she stood at her audition, literally trembling; I put my arm around her and sang softly into her ear and she sang on pitch and in correct rhythm.  That dancer CAN sing!  They all could sing.  And most of them could act when given half a chance.  Let's all give ourselves a chance.  And give our kids a chance.  And when we are trembling, an arm around the shoulder and a sweet song in the ear couldn't hurt.

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. 

Musings on Singing When You are Under the Weather

Wow, has this been a crazy couple of weeks!  Not only have I been sick, but at least three of my students have called me with "HELP WHAT DO I DO ? I HAVE TO SING AND I'M SICK!" Questions.  All three of them had different issues and I'm going to share what I told them. 

 First of all was the issue of the baritone singer/actor who not only is performing in a show but had an audition where he had to sing and act a lyrical ballad.  I reminded him that he was not just a voice.  This young man, as we all are, is a three mode performer.  He is a very strong actor, who has a face, voice, and body that can communicate the truth of his song and his character if he trusts them.  Sometimes, we are not able to rely on "the voice" being there 100% so we have to ask more of the rest of our instrument to help us out in an audition or performance situation when there is no understudy or opportunity to change an appointment or canceling is not an option.  I also suggested he "take it easy" with both his audition song and his song in the show and see what happens.  My student took this advice to heart and got wonderful results in both situations.  

The other two students who were under the weather were doing recordings and I gave them different advice for very different reasons.  One I told to put off her recording, because it sounded like she had actually done some minor, temporary damage to her voice by talking too loudly too soon after being ill and she is a heavy-duty R&B singer at the beginning of a very promising career. The other student is the young soprano I mentioned in an earlier blog, who is at the finishing stages of recording her demo CD and had some "fixes" to do.  Just because she wasn't 100% it didn't seem like there was any reason to not try to go into the studio and listen to what we had and try to fix what we could.  Despite her fatigue and the fact that she was recovering from a cold, knowing that the "finish line" was in sight and hearing the inspiring sounds she had already made in the previous recording sessions, she managed to do some pretty incredible singing that evening.  

And what have I been doing for my cold?  Water, water, water, water, water.  Rest, rest, rest, rest.

Musinex, every twelve hours.  Chicken soup.   

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!    

STRESS, ANXIETY, AND AROUSAL IN PERFORMANCE

I just read a great article in the NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Journal called "Understanding Performance Anxiety" by Shirlee Emmons and Alma Thomas.  They pretty thoroughly covered the issues of preperformance jitters, the differences between people who deal well under high stress and those who function better under low stress, the condition that defines an Ideal Performance State, and ways to manage performance arousal and anxiety.  We have all felt it at some time or another; be it before an audition or performance, or sometimes right in the middle of singing.  To quote the authors "stress tends to be the result of the interaction between the singer and the environment . . . Whether, however, the environment causes an anxious response in performers will depend on the appraisal of their ability to meet the demands of the performing situation.  Examples of stressors include:

The  very presence of the audition panel

Another singer performing the same repertoire (song)

The presence of the voice teacher during a performance

An opening night with press present

An accompanist arriving late

Bad weather  cutting size of audience

An ill-fitting costume

A critical attitude on the part of the musical director

The presence in the audience of a musical or theatrical VIP"

I'd like to know if any of these have affected you negatively (stress, anxiety) or positively (arousal) in auditions or performances or if you can think of others you'd like to share.  Please email me at joan@joanbarberstudio.com and I will share the results with the rest of our ''BEING VOCAL" community.  Then we'll talk about how they affect us and ultimately share our SOLUTIONS!

 

Revelation of the Week

A young soprano in my studio has been working on her demo CD for several months now.  After lots of detailed preparation both vocally and dramatically, she is ready to record a variety of songs from musical theatre to pop to rock.  This week for a change I decided to have her just sing her songs straight through . . . no breaks, no time to think, no time to evaluate how she did, no time to re-adjust her "technique" or her acting choices . . . just as if she were doing a cabaret show.  I had my back to her, so she could feel free to be as active as she wanted to be, but all I would hear was her voice as it would sound on the CD.  Well, what happened was pretty fabulous!

Her sound was more vibrant, exciting, and varied than it has ever been.  Her acting was thrilling and spontaneous.  And her reaction to the experience was overwhelming joy and excitement.  She said she found new things in each song that she'd never found before.  Try this exercise for your own audition and/or performance workout.  Take a bunch of songs you have accompaniment for and just SING THEM STRAIGHT THROUGH with no stopping, evaluating, or judging.  Let the music and your own impulses guide you on a journey of discovery.