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Emotional Expression

Who is your favorite singer? What is your favorite song? Do you listen because the singer has perfect pitch? Unlikely. We listen to music because it moves us, transports us from one emotional state to another. We sing because it brings us to a state of JOY. But this is often hit or miss for the singer. When you’re rehearsing, working at something it’s usually a miss. So how do we do this as a singer, move ourselves and take the audience on the ride consistently? Great technique provides the tools that allow the voice to function at its best so the singer can focus on the artistic soulful experience. Like an athlete who gets into “the zone” where we experience effortless effort.

A singer tends to focus too often on sounding good which will leave one the majority of time unhappy because mostly you’ll feel short of your goal, of sounding good. One also can’t actually make your voice sound “good” consistently.  Imagine spending your day trying to “look good”. What kind of an experience would that be? Can’t laugh, be goofy, look silly, trip, be human! So 99.9% of your personality is repressed while you attempt to only reveal 1%, looking good. So confining!And chances are high you’ll look worse trying to look good, right? That’s exactly what trying to sound good does – blocks your personality from being expressed, represses the variety of shining sides of your character and is confining both vocally and emotionally.

What defines “good”? Hitting all the notes? Well, you’ve already realized that’s not what you value in a singer. … so where do we start?

Start by saying the words. As a singer, your number one job is actually to pronounce pure vowels – this affects the mechanics of your larynx and cords which affects the pitch, resonance and tone. So you want to improve pitch and tone, start by pronouncing pure vowels.  By saying the words you also get into the story of you song – be affected by it, let it move you and allow you to express, share what you are feeling. The beauty, melody, tone and emotional expression all come through the vowel. The vowel rides on the breath so be sure you are releasing air as you pronounce. (If you think you don’t have enough air, chances are you’re holding it.)

No Drama! Do not be dramatic while singing  – it’s not emotional, just vocal tension or fake. It may seem boring, but simply say the vowels on a melody with rhythm. See what happens. When you try to express something emotionally thru your voice by manipulating the voice, all you really do is remove your emotional expression.  When you share what you’re feeling with a balanced voice your emotions come out freely, spontaneously.

Record yourself rehearsing, you’ll be surprised how emotional a performance is when you’re not trying to be emotional and you let go of the ideas of the song. Oh, you think it’s a sad song? Really, what song dictates an emotion? None! A song may make you feel sad, which is then what you get to share through the song. But the song is not inherently sad. And no one is sad for 3 minutes and 33 seconds, other emotions have to come out. If they aren’t you’re forcing your idea of the song not allowing what you’re actually feeling to come through.

The next step has to do with plugging in what you’re feeling more consciously, purposely … we’ll get to that in another post. It’s enough and actually a lot to digest and practice this. Your vocal tools – having a balanced voice are the key, the foundation that allows the emotional life to come through with ease and joy. Give it whirl! Have fun. Singing is all about sharing. Sharing your heart, not hitting the note pretty

Let us know your thoughts!

WALL STREET JOURNAL ACTICLE

By John Jurgensen

“Hemorrhaged vocal cords.” The words conjure images of a bloody blowout, one that seems all the more dramatic because it sidelined Adele just as the 23-year-old singer was dominating the music business. But the doctor who successfully operated on Adele last week says that the condition is generally not as gruesome as it sounds (“This is not a lot of bleeding”) and does not afflict only powerhouse singers. TV pundits who shout over each other and traders screaming above the din of a stock exchange, for example, run the risk of voice trauma, an acute form of the stress that we all weather over decades of vocalizing.

Citing Adele’s privacy, Dr. Steven Zeitels, director of the Voice Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, declined to discuss her case specifically. But in an interview he described a condition that he has treated (in some form) in hundreds of singers, including Steven Tyler, Julie Andrews and Roger Daltrey, who had a pre-cancerous growth removed from his vocal cord by Dr. Zeitels just six weeks before the Who performed during the Super Bowl last year.

Adele’s record label, Columbia, and her manager declined requests for comment.

Injuries to the soft tissue of the vocal cords lead to bleeding and the formation of blister or callous-like growths. Such polyps and nodules contribute to scarring and the stiffening of the vocal cords. The less pliable these folds of mucous membrane are, the less they vibrate and oscillate properly. Translation: “You cannot sing,” Dr. Zeitels says.

Bad singing habits, such as failing to warm up, can contribute to vocal injuries. A likelier culprit: Most pros carry on with the show even when they’re ill or over-fatigued, making their voices especially vulnerable, he notes. “They may not be doing anything incorrectly. They may just have an amazing work ethic. They don’t call in sick.”

The doctor, who does the bulk of his surgeries on throat cancer patients, says that there’s nothing inherently more dangerous about belting out, say, blistering hard rock vocals or muscular Adele-style soul. In fact, Dr. Zeitels treats more singers of opera than other genres, he says, “probably because what’s expected out of their voice is slightly more precise. A pop singer with nodules is common.”

He speculates that many afflicted singers go undiagnosed. That may be changing. Like Adele, Keith Urban and John Mayer both recently went through throat surgery, putting their performance schedules on hold.

The procedure Adele underwent, which typically takes about an hour, involved the use of a precision laser to remove a benign polyp and stabilize blood vessels that had ruptured. Dr. Zeitels predicts the field will be revolutionized in coming years by the use of “biomaterials” that will allow doctors to refurbish old or damaged vocal cords. This could potentially produce what he calls “super singers.” Imagine a 50-year-old seasoned veteran who is suddenly endowed with the vocal abilities she once had at age 20.

Dr. Zeitels says singers should be emboldened by the technological advances and growing success rate in the field. It’s a shift since the late 1990s when Julie Andrews lost her voice after a surgery intended to remove lesions on her vocal cords. That put a black eye on the field, says Dr. Zeitels, who did not perform that procedure but has worked with Ms. Andrews in attempting to correct it. (The singer is the honorary chair of the Institute of Laryngology and Voice Restoration, a non-profit group that funds research at Mass General and other institutions.)

It’s unclear when Adele will return to the stage. Meanwhile, there’s a huge demand, with her “21” album continuing to ride high as the top selling title of the year by far, some nine months after it was released. (As a stop-gap, a concert DVD, “Adele Live at the Royal Albert Hall,” will be released Nov. 29.) Dr. Zeitels says a two-to-three month recovery and rehabilitation process, led by a vocal coach and/or speech pathologist, is typical. “More often than not, the person has been singing around an injury, so you have to decouple some of those habits,” he says.

In an entry posted on her blog Monday, Adele pined for a comeback and joked about pursuing an alternate career. “The operation was a success and I’m just chilling out now until I get the all clear from my doctors,” she wrote. “I best get back to practicing my mime show now.”

You can leave your thoughts about Adele in the comments.

With school back in session, it’s that time of the year again: choir tryouts, auditions for the fall musical, cold reads for the play, etc.  Out of everything required of a performer, the audition is the most intimidating experience.  Even the most seasoned of professionals experience anxiety during the audition process.  This blog will be your cliff-notes version of actions to take and pitfalls to avoid in the process of a typical audition.  Although this information is geared towards theater auditions, most of it is rather universal common sense that could apply to film, television, modeling, etc.

Come to the audition with a positive attitude.  Be early or you are late.  If you can’t show up to an audition on time, odds are you won’t be on time to rehearsals.  Second, no matter how the other actors are acting, be professional.  Be quiet and respectful while waiting to audition, walk in confidently and be concise in the audition room, say thank you after auditioning.  Never linger!  If they are interested in seeing/hearing more they will ask for it.  Also, remember that even the staff checking you in may have a say in casting so be sure to treat them with respect.  It’s a small world even if you’re working on Broadway.  If you develop a reputation as a diva or someone that is difficult to work with, you are not likely to get cast again.  Dress appropriately for the audition.  Opinions vary as to what that looks like.  The safest bet is to stick with something close to business casual ie slacks and a nice solid color shirt.  NEVER show up in costume or with props!  Let the directors be the ones to decide which role you fit best.  These aspects are the finishing touches after you have been cast.

Now to the nitty-gritty.  Make sure you show up with your music cut and copied for the accompanist.  It is best to have the music in a binder in non-glare sheet protectors.  Also, make sure that all cuts are clearly marked.  At all costs avoid confusing or complicated cuts because you never know what level of pianist you are going to get.  As you walk into the room, head over to the accompanist first (unless the directors signal otherwise) and give him or her the music.  Establish a tempo before hand.  NEVER snap at an accompanist; it is standard etiquette to use your hand or sing/talk part of the song to convey the desired tempo.  After this interaction, walk to the designated place to stand or pick a spot in the center of the room not too far and not to near the directors.  Announce yourself (first and last name) the song you are singing, and then drop your head to get into character.  When you raise your head be sure you are in character, this also signals the accompanist to start playing.  A word of caution especially when auditioning for community productions: don’t pick something that is extremely challenging to play ie Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, etc unless the instructions specify one of these composers.  It is a tall order to sight read anything by composers like these, and only a professional accompanist will be able to pull it off.

Let’s talk for a moment about song choice.  Always pick something that is comfortable in your range and is similar in style and mood to the part for which you want to be considered.  The idea is to “suggest” to the directors in a subtle manner that you are a fit for a specific role.  Be realistic in your choices.  If you aren’t built like a linebacker, you’re probably not going to get cast as Jean Valjean and if you don’t look like a teenager odds are you won’t be considered for Dickon in Secret Garden.  Make sure that all the notes in the song are comfortable for you to sing.  Nerves always happen in an audition so you don’t want this to be the time you attempt that 15 second high D for the first time.  Ask your teacher to help you avoid songs that are “overdone.”  Generally this includes anything currently running on broadway as well as those shows commonly done in your locale.  Figure that the directors are going to hear Phantom, Les Miserables, and Wicked all day.  You want to be the breath of fresh air that does something different, not another John Doe belting out On my own.  Also, never sing a song from the show you are auditioning for unless it is specifically requested in the audition notice.

Now go out and BREAK A LEG!

Come join us for the most exciting event we produce all year… Student Fest!!!   An entire weekend of fun-packed events including AMP’D band concerts on Friday and Saturday nights and individual student and group performances all day Saturday.  Everyone who comes to see the show will be given one free drawing ticket for our Great Gear Give Away.  Thousands of dollars worth of prizes will be given away throughout the entire weekend.

More Details: http://www.ontrackguitar.com/

Dates:

Friday and Saturday May 20 – 21, 2011

Location:

2780 East 3900 South   – in the Risen Life Auditorium!!

MAP

Details:

Auditions for the Sandy Arts Guild “Guild Showcase” production, Come Fly With Me, will be held on Tuesday, April 26 and Wednesday, April 27 from 7-9 pm at the Sandy Parks and Recreation building, 440 East 8680 South in Sandy. (Map)

Come Fly Away with us to an elite underground jazz club and enjoy as we take you back to the smooth sounds of the 1940s. We are looking for both male and female crooners ages 16 and older to audition for this one night performance. The production is co-directed by Eric Richards and Mindy Pack with music provided by “The Reunion Band.”

Auditioners need to be prepared to sing 16 bars of a jazz number, not a musical theater/pop piece. An accompanist will be available. Please bring music, no minus tracks or recorded music. The directors have requested that all auditioners bring a list of scheduling conflicts from April 30 through June 25. A current photo and resume is requested. Come Fly With Me performs Saturday, June 25 at the Sandy Amphitheater.

Reserved audition times are available and recommended, but not required. For a reserved time, please go to http://www.sandyarts.com/ and click on the Come Fly With Me window.

Healthy Singing

What is healthy singing? This is something that is widely debated. Many think that it is only a pure classical sound; still others that it is a light, ethereal choral sound; and others would say a “belt” sound. Reducing it down, one could say that healthy singing is the ability of a singer to sing through their entire range with ease, consistency, and beauty. Great singers that come to mind who exemplify this include Julie Andrews, Luciano Pavarotti, Freddie Mercury, Anthony Warlow, Chaka Khan, Gnarles Barkley etc. Healthy singing is truly not limited by genre or style otherwise we wouldn’t see so many people singing their entire lives with little or no deterioration of the voice in very different genres and styles. Healthy singing is a sound that is pleasing to the listener because it sounds “easy.”

What makes singing easy? There are some concrete aspects of the physiology that create these results. Any ENT (Ear Nose Throat doctor) will tell you that the vocal cords need to come together or adduct through the entire range of the voice. Ideally, as a singer ascends in pitch, the cords zip up much like a zipper to make the adjustments required for the new pitch. A great example of this effect is a guitar player fretting a string on a guitar. The shortened string in turn creates a higher pitch or frequency without overtaxing the string or creating tension in the string. The other option would be to tighten or stretch the string at its original length to create the higher pitch, but we all know what happens eventually: the string snaps from the pressure. The most crucial and fundamental aspect of the singing process is that the vocal cords make these adjustments through adduction and shortening through the upper range. When this happens, a natural blend of head voice and chest voice or a “mix” occurs without any thought on the part of the singer.

Next, we must address the muscles surrounding the larynx (the cartilage and bone structure that houses the vocal cords). If the vocal cords are making the pitch adjustments correctly, these muscles can focus on the vowel and diction process which is their function in healthy singing. If not, these muscles tend to engage to try to help in the pitch making process. This results in a larynx that reacts to pitch by raising which causes an over-stretching of the vocal cords. Finally, the tension will signal the epiglottis (a flap of cartilage that covers the trachea when we swallow) to begin closing over the trachea since these muscles also serve to help us swallow. All of these factors like dominoes cause a chain reaction that results in a loss of ease, control, and beauty in the voice. To achieve healthy singing, the involvement of the swallowing muscles must be dialed out of the pitch making process and restored to its true function: vowel and consonant formation. When this happens, the singer achieves a stable larynx that doesn’t go up or down in response to pitch. This is the other crucial component of healthy singing.

Beyond the above processes, the singer can learn to apply a horizontal press on the vocal cords to achieve power and strength without strain and fatigue that result from simply blowing more air through the vocal folds. What is created is a sound that may come across as a “belt” but is actually an extremely strong and balanced mixture. Belt is essentially using the chest voice to its maximum capacity. It results in a stretching or the cords beyond what is healthy or easy for the singer. Pressing in this way is the goal of a more advanced singer. It gives him or her a greater dynamic range and enhanced freedom to express the meaning of a song. You could say the singer achieves comparable results to blowing more air or over stretching the cords with a minimal amount of effort or taxation of the voice in comparison.