Conscious Breathing

Recently, an adult student mentioned to me that it was a challenge to make the skills he'd learned in private coaching his 'new habits'. I replied that lifetime habits, even when they don't serve you, take time to reprogram. It's hard letting go of those constrictions, tensions and bad vocal habits, mostly because they've become your comfort zone, and two, because those bad habits are now firmly entrenched in your muscle memory.

So what do you do? First, become CONSCIOUS. Private coaching helps you to become aware of destructive habits that hinder your full expression. Once you become aware, you move on to reprogramming a new, positive habit. If Tiger Woods has to change his grip (and yes, even Tiger Woods still has a coach!) he must repeat the new grip and movement over and over until it becomes a natural part of his muscle memory. After considerable conscious effort, the new grip becomes the norm.

Start by doing what I call 'conscious breathing'. Obviously, we breathe without thinking about it; it just happens. But when we're speaking or singing, we must consciously take slow, low, relaxed breaths. We need to 'fill up' with air, not just take a quick, shallow breath, then plunge back in to our speech or music. Your breath is energy; it supports your tone; it gives you volume, power and inflection. If you don't take time to breathe, your listener won't either. They'll adopt your rhythm and feel tight, and literally, out of breath. You want your listener to be focused on your message or story, not on a subconscious nervousness that is urging them to relax and take a breath!

Work on one element at a time. Become conscious of your breathing. When you're breathing correctly (which will most likely solve many of your other vocal challenges!), then move on to another challenge, like voice placement. When you've become consciously aware of your voice and it's natural placement, and get to a place where you no longer have to think about it, move on to the next challenge, and so on. Don't overwhelm yourself with all the details at once. Rome wasn't built in a day!

Don't get frustrated; take it one step at a time. A lifetime habit is resistant to change. Be kind. Perhaps that habit has served to protect you in some way, but realize that it's time to release it, and replace it. Don't stress; practice 'conscious breathing'!

Guest Speaker - Midvalley Chamber Luncheon

Pictured in this photo are MidValley Chamber CEO, Marie Marshall, Marketing Director, Shahar Boyayan, Beth Lawrence and Nashlah Boyayan, VP Membership at the monthly Chamber meeting in Midvale.

Your Voice Speaks Volumes About You!

That was my topic for the day, and as usual, I just love talking about the psychology of voice, sound, and the power of authentic presentation. In the corporate world, a lot of time and money are spent on professional training, business cards, marketing tools and equipment. How much time is spent in personal development? Generally, not much. And yet, you are your best business card!

Business owners, trainers, reps and salespeople would be well served to understand the power of their VOICE. It is as individual as a fingerprint; each voice is unique, and is our means to express in the world. Subliminally, we are judged on the quality of our voice; whether our delivery is relaxed, clear and confident; whether our tone is pleasing or strident.

If a speaker's voice is breathy or difficult to hear, where is your focus? It's on trying to hear the person's message, not on the message! If the voice is scratchy or abrasive, you'll want to get away from that person rather than be attentive to the product information. I've heard professional speakers who were so energized that they overwhelmed me with that energy. I was exhausted by the end of their talk! It seemed that they tried to pack so much content into their presentation, that they never took a breath. YOU'VE GOT TO BREATHE! If you're a presenter, and you take short, high breaths, your audience will mirror that behavior; give them a chance to relax and breathe!

Most of our communication is preverbal, so it makes sense that we respond to the sound and tone of a person's voice. Every sound is made up of a combination of vibrations that hit our ear mechanism. If the voice is not soothing, or is too soft or too loud, we tune it out, tuning out the message with it.

Learn to breathe consciously when you speak. Do some vocal warm ups before you start your workday. Be aware of the pitch of your voice, and consciously relax and lower the pitch if you find your voice pitched in a high or 'pinchy' range. You want your listener to relax and enjoy what you're talking about, not be distracted by an unappealing voice.

Remember that your voice is a crucial component in your 'total' package. If you're spending more time developing your professional wardrobe than developing your professional voice, you should reconsider your priorities, and begin to think about the impact of your voice on potential clients. Your voice should represent the confident, commanding, expert presence that is your ideal self; that ideal self that needs to be revealed through your strong, clear, resonant voice! Your voice speaks volumes about you.

Sound Sandwich!

Have you ever done vocal improv? Just making sounds and rhythms with your voice? It is so fun! Last Friday 10 of us got together for a VOICE JAM here at Harvest Lane. We started out doing 'unison' rhythms, then as everyone got comfortable and more brave, we opened it up to just jamming with our voices.

I'd throw out a suggestion like 'Brazilian' then start with a vocal rhythm and the jam grew and evolved into a very cool mix of rhythms and African sounding chants. This went on for two hours as we emulated various instruments and musical styles.

When you're doing a vocal jam like this, it's crucial to LISTEN to each other. You'll hear a line, sound or rhythm, pick it up or add to it. It really is a communal endeavor and a great team builder. Throughout each improv we'd swell together, come down, and just flow with the song we were creating. It's very organic!

We did some straight 'toning' where we sounded long vowel sounds. I encouraged everyone to find their own tonalities, and it created some fantastic overtones and harmonies. I coined a phrase that fit perfectly with the interweaving tones: A SOUND SANDWICH! Bear in mind that this had nothing to do with Voice Jam....har har; a sound sandwich with voice jam. hmmmmm.

This kind of vocal improv helps the singer and musician get free of convention, allowing them to jump into their structured music with innovation and the ability to scat or do riffs without fear. After the Voice Jam, we all sang a bit, and everybody tried new approaches with their voice with bravery and confidence. It's a great way to loosen up and start stretching out as a singer, or a musician developing dynamic solos!

Special Musical Guest, Salt Lake Council of Women

Here's a photo of Marilyn Tang (Past President) and I at Monday's Salt Lake Council of Women's Installation of Officers. I was the special musical guest, and it was a lovely luncheon. It's always nice to sing for service groups, as you can choose material that is uplifting without being corny. These women do so much for the community, helping women and children with a miriad of projects, so it feels good to be able to celebrate and honor them with special music.

Marilyn Tang, pictured, is an inspiration to me. I met her this summer at the Salt Lake Chamber's WNET group for women in business. Marilyn was so supportive of all the participants and even had a monthly brainstorming session at her own business, Certified Handling Systems. She has the refreshing knack of cutting right to the chase. And I love her because she just speaks her mind in no uncertain terms! She's a Past President of Soroptimists; NAWBO; and Salt Lake Women's Council, among others. She's a fantastic woman who has boundless energy and a passion for helping other women in business. I don't know where she finds the time, but she serves, serves, serves! I'm grateful for her friendship and support.

This summer I'll be supporting other women musicians by hosting monthly concerts at Harvest Lane. Among the guest artists will be Pungent Lily, singer/songwriter Anke Summerhill, and pianist/composer Elise West. I think it's important that women in music promote and encourage each other. The music world is rather dominated by male energy, and I want to expose the public to those great female artists who don't get the recognition they deserve, especially in the jazz and songwriting fields.

Master Class, Washington

Everybody's still smiling after a three hour Master Class intensive on Monday, May 1st at the home of Tricia Thompson in Snohomish, WA! From R to L, Emily Pickrell, Ravi Mantena, Laura Lagerstadt, Beth, Linda Page, Hannah Thompson and Tricia Thompson. Missing from the photo are Lee Summerfield, Dan Miller and Laurie. Also note the beautiful photo taken at Beaver Lake in Sammamish!

It was great to see everyone again after my eight month absence from the Northwest. One of the challenges that came up for many of the group was inspiration, and keeping motivated. Ravi commented that when I was in Bellevue and we were doing our weekly Songhop class, he was motivated to write something each week. When you're not involved in an ongoing class or writer's circle, it's difficult to make time for your art, and yet, that's your passion.

It's so easy to let the everyday stuff of living get in the way of your creativity. Sometimes, when you're done with your day, it's the last thing you feel like doing. I think most of us would agree, though, if we just start working on a song, whether you're a singer or songwriter, the time flies and the music works as wonderful therapy. We de-stress, forget the concerns of the day, immerse ourselves in right brain activity, and feel great. It's a fantastic way to end the day.

I suggested setting aside an hour or two once a week to do music, even when you don't feel like it. Put it on the calendar, and commit to that time. It's rewarding time for yourself, and you'll feel better when you make that an ongoing 'date' with yourself. Also, during your work day, take 15 minutes to work on lyrics, music, or a song you'd like to share. It will free your mind, and you'll return to work more open, more productive, and able to 'think outside the box'. Take a moment to be inspired by the beauty of nature around you, by the sounds of life happening right where you are.

It's easy to let our passions assume a place of lowest priority in our lives; but when this happens we suffer. We feel out of balance, unfulfilled and resentful. Take time, make time, to indulge in those activities that you love, that bring you joy and peace; that make you feel good about yourself. Instead of thinking about music as a 'hobby' that you do when you have time once in awhile, think of music as the driving force in your life! Only you can give it that place of importance in your schedule. It's not a hobby, it's your life blood; it's what makes you a creative, vibrant, artistic human being! Don't diminish the importance of your artistic outlets. Your creative spirit, your playful spirit is always there, tapping on your shoulder, reminding you to come out and play.

We all have responsibilities, but don't let those responsibilities rob you of the joy of expression through music and art that makes you who you are. We communicate through art, it is part of our collective psyche as human beings. Take time to express yourself! You will feel so much better, so free, so open when you integrate your creative spirit back into your life!