Singing Lessons: Let Your Sound Feed You

My mom was my first voice teacher, and during our lessons she would say to me, “Tricia, have fun and relax.” 

This used to drive me crazy… I took singing very seriously. I wanted to give to best of my ability. I had goals to meet. A vision to fulfill. And, I was really trying to relax and have fun… needless to say, I had conflicting energies going on at the same time.  

Mom was not a vocal technician, so it was difficult for her to find creative ways to get the outcome she wanted from my voice, but she was onto something…

especially for my “give, go, and do” personality.

Today I am sharing with you an idea, another tool that may help you sing with more ease and freedom.

I have said this a million times… “How you live is how you sing.”

[Tweet “Your beliefs about life will show up in your sound. “]

The quote by Roy Hart, “The voice is the muscle of the soul.” is no joke.

Performers are usually givers at heart.

But, what happens vocally when we are out of balance in our giving?

We know what it looks like in our life when we are out of balance in our giving… not enough sleep, not eating healthfully, giving up joys we once loved, fulfilling expectations… giving to everyone else…pushing through the day.

Vocally, it looks very similar.

We tire easily. We feel strained. We abandon healthy technique. The true joy of singing is sacrificed. We push too much air, too much sound, too much weight… we literally lean forward with our body… head, neck, jaw, chest, and feet. We “lose” our spine. We are off our core. We become more like needy pushers rather than healthy givers.

Any of this sounding familiar?

Take a moment to feel –

– solid in your feet

– heavy in your core

– aligned in your spine

– settled back into your neck

– relaxed in your jaw

– then, draw a low belly breath and on the exhale, allow the sound to feed you.

Allow the sound to feed you…

Feel that for a moment.

There is an allowance of space.

There is the ease of a natural exhale.

There is not a cutting of the sound, rather a gentle release.

If you are a giver and feeling a bit unbalanced in life and in your vocal production, try the idea of letting your sound feed and nurture you first – giving from this place may help you take the first steps to returning to healthy giving and healthy singing.

Until next week, Always Rejoice In Your Voice™!

xoxoxoxo Tricia