My students and I are often surprised by how things that seem so complicated can really be so simple. Breathing, for instance, is one of those things. You don't need a huge breath in, where your whole body swallows up every bit of air possible. You get much more with a small breath that fills the diaphragm, and then that is supported by the abdominal muscles. Less is more!
With regard to fear and anxiety, I no longer spend a lot of time talking clients through it. We talk about it, we devise ways around it, and then we decide to not make it bigger and more important than it has to be. By giving credence and too much attention to problems, they can seem bigger and more difficult to overcome. So with any kind of self-talk, less is more!
What do you think?
12/30/10
3/19/10
Perception is Reality...To Our Students
If not for me asking questions and being approachable, I'd probably lose clients. In fact years back before I started asking questions of my students, I did lose a few. I wasn't unapproachable, but I didn't dig deep enough to find out what was really going on.
Rob was at my house for his lesson a couple of weeks ago. He's been with me for awhile, lack of confidence being an issue. We'd work on a song, he'd get through some of it, stumble on parts, improve on others, and then I'd say, "let's try something else."
What I meant was to try something else to switch gears and not stay on something that wasn't working and causing him anxiety. He felt comfortable enough to tell me that when I switched tasks like that, he felt like a total failure because he couldn't sing that song.
I told him how much I appreciated that feedback, as I never would have guessed it on my own. I explained my motivation for making the change, which was having the opposite effect on him that I was going for. This helped me adjust my approach, perhaps in not as quickly changing over to a new song.
It's so important to read our students and ask questions. It can make a difference between their perceived success and their perceived failure.
Rob was at my house for his lesson a couple of weeks ago. He's been with me for awhile, lack of confidence being an issue. We'd work on a song, he'd get through some of it, stumble on parts, improve on others, and then I'd say, "let's try something else."
What I meant was to try something else to switch gears and not stay on something that wasn't working and causing him anxiety. He felt comfortable enough to tell me that when I switched tasks like that, he felt like a total failure because he couldn't sing that song.
I told him how much I appreciated that feedback, as I never would have guessed it on my own. I explained my motivation for making the change, which was having the opposite effect on him that I was going for. This helped me adjust my approach, perhaps in not as quickly changing over to a new song.
It's so important to read our students and ask questions. It can make a difference between their perceived success and their perceived failure.
2/18/10
Possitive Affirmations: Do They Apply in Music?
Of course they do. Possitive affirmations apply in any area of life we wish to improve. Think of how easy it is to believe things about ourselves that are negative related to music: "I can't sing", "My kids tell me I suck", "I don't sound good", "People tell me to stop singing."
Whether these things are true or not, we'll believe them because we've heard them. You don't necessarily have to believe something consciously for it to become a subconscious belief. Hearing it enough times programs the brain to believe it, and for us to act on those beliefs.
Nancy is my student who struggles with a lack of positive affirmations. So we made a list things she could say to herself that she doesn't necessarily believe yet, but that could help her rework the wiring in her brain. The list consisted of:
It's working for Nancy. She's more relaxed looking, which helps her voice to not tremble. The nerves, rather than her vocal competence, is what was causing the less than desirable trembling sound.
Whether these things are true or not, we'll believe them because we've heard them. You don't necessarily have to believe something consciously for it to become a subconscious belief. Hearing it enough times programs the brain to believe it, and for us to act on those beliefs.
Nancy is my student who struggles with a lack of positive affirmations. So we made a list things she could say to herself that she doesn't necessarily believe yet, but that could help her rework the wiring in her brain. The list consisted of:
- Of course I can sing
- I sound great
- Let's do it
- Absolutely
- I like the sound of my voice
- People who criticize me don't mean to hurt me
It's working for Nancy. She's more relaxed looking, which helps her voice to not tremble. The nerves, rather than her vocal competence, is what was causing the less than desirable trembling sound.
1/14/10
FEAR!!!
My student Nancy came to see me yesterday. Nancy has a very nice, powerful quality to her voice. Her technique has improved. She's been with me for a few months now, and I'd love to see her break through her remaining barrier. It's preventing her from really taking over her skill. The one thing alone that is preventing her vocals from developing past the point they are, is fear.
In order to get a good sound, you must move when you sing. You don't have to go crazy with elaborate choreography, but you can't stand frozen, with your hands at your sides, standing perfectly still. The energy in our bodies can not come out correctly if it's not forced out properly. It results in a weak, off key sound.
I demonstrated to Nancy what I wanted her to do, and she became overwhelmed when she saw me do it. I forced her to do a simple step together step together with her arms and legs. This was a great start, because when she went to sing again, she did sound better. I no longer heard the trembling in her voice. Her voice automatically took on a relaxed quality, which greatly improved the sound. Once she felt more relaxed, I saw the expression on her face change to one of really getting in to what she was singing.
Also improving sound quality is how one varies one's voice and movements. The song we were working on had some quiet parts where instruments dropped out and then got louder again. I showed her how she might change her volume and increase or decrease the way she was moving to convey what she was singing. Doing these things might seem theatrical, but they make all the difference in the world in the quality of the vocals.
I'm looking forward to continuing to work with Nancy with this new found insight.
In order to get a good sound, you must move when you sing. You don't have to go crazy with elaborate choreography, but you can't stand frozen, with your hands at your sides, standing perfectly still. The energy in our bodies can not come out correctly if it's not forced out properly. It results in a weak, off key sound.
I demonstrated to Nancy what I wanted her to do, and she became overwhelmed when she saw me do it. I forced her to do a simple step together step together with her arms and legs. This was a great start, because when she went to sing again, she did sound better. I no longer heard the trembling in her voice. Her voice automatically took on a relaxed quality, which greatly improved the sound. Once she felt more relaxed, I saw the expression on her face change to one of really getting in to what she was singing.
Also improving sound quality is how one varies one's voice and movements. The song we were working on had some quiet parts where instruments dropped out and then got louder again. I showed her how she might change her volume and increase or decrease the way she was moving to convey what she was singing. Doing these things might seem theatrical, but they make all the difference in the world in the quality of the vocals.
I'm looking forward to continuing to work with Nancy with this new found insight.
1/10/10
Focus and Fear Reduction
Many times, we don't sound good simply because we're not giving what we are doing the focus it needs. I'm not talking about focusing consciously. I'm talking about focus on a deeper level. And the fear! People think they are giving it all they can, but fear and self consciousness prevents them from really letting go and singing. And it directly affects the sound that comes out.
Student Demo
I'm very proud of my students when they finish. I like to do something interactive with them to share with my audience. Enjoy!
1/1/10
Hear With Your Brain
Have you ever heard anyone say that they are tone deaf? Our ear is just the vehicle with which we process sound. It's the brain that does that interpreting.
I have had students that have had pitch processing problems. I realized how powerful the brain is when I had them use visualizations to correct their pitch. It's a deeper level of focus and concentration.
I had a student come to me who couldn't sing on pitch to save his soul. He would sing a song, correctly going higher when the lyrics were supposed to go higer, and go lower when the lyrics were supposed to get lower. The problem was he never matched the notes.
So in addition to doing pitch comparison exercises, we focused on brain function relative to processing pitch. One of the things he did that worked was using the bricks on my fireplace while singing a scale. The distance between each brick was the same. Looking at the bricks this way helped his brain process the note progression in equal steps. By the time we were done, he was able to sing a whole do-re-mi...etc. on pitch. I was absolutely ecstatic, and he was happy and surprised at the same time.
When I work with pitch with my students, it's from the standpoint of manually engaging the brain to do what we want it to do. The brain can usually correct issues with pitch. Until it's engaged in this new way, it doesn't realize it can do this. It is truly an amazing process.
I have had students that have had pitch processing problems. I realized how powerful the brain is when I had them use visualizations to correct their pitch. It's a deeper level of focus and concentration.
I had a student come to me who couldn't sing on pitch to save his soul. He would sing a song, correctly going higher when the lyrics were supposed to go higer, and go lower when the lyrics were supposed to get lower. The problem was he never matched the notes.
So in addition to doing pitch comparison exercises, we focused on brain function relative to processing pitch. One of the things he did that worked was using the bricks on my fireplace while singing a scale. The distance between each brick was the same. Looking at the bricks this way helped his brain process the note progression in equal steps. By the time we were done, he was able to sing a whole do-re-mi...etc. on pitch. I was absolutely ecstatic, and he was happy and surprised at the same time.
When I work with pitch with my students, it's from the standpoint of manually engaging the brain to do what we want it to do. The brain can usually correct issues with pitch. Until it's engaged in this new way, it doesn't realize it can do this. It is truly an amazing process.
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