Brush Up Your Vocals Class #1

What a great class we had tonight! I get so energized when I can help people open up and 'find their voice'. In my 'Brush Up Your Vocals' class there were seven students, which is a really good size; everyone can get lots of personal attention. There were several students who had told me before class that they were 'terrified' to sing in front of others. How amazing that everybody sang solo lines tonight, and by the end of class everyone was volunteering to do more!

We worked a lot on 'releasing' the voice, and everybody had great breakthoughs. When you are able to trust that the body and breathing mechanism is going to support you, you're free to let the voice relax and place it naturally. It was really difficult for a couple of the gals to get the concept of 'soft belly'; they were breathing just the opposite of what they should be doing. Most folks have spent a lifetime 'sucking in' when they inhale, breathing high in the chest and even raising the shoulders. So it's hard for them to soften the belly, open the chest and allow the diaphragm to drop down. I liken correct breathing to 'filling up a balloon'; when you inhale, you fill up, the inbreath is relaxed and low. When you exhale, your abdominal area 'deflates' or slightly flattens. The concept is like a bellows; the ribs expand, the area opens up. It gives you such incredible, relaxed support. That's when the throat can open up, relax and allow the warm, natural, easily produced voice to soar.

I love seeing how excited everyone is after the first class. It's like a collective sigh of relief when they face their fear and anxiety and see that they CAN sing, and sing well! I work really hard on helping them lose their negative, limiting thoughts about singing, so that the whole class becomes positive with lots of positive reinforcement to get them over those old tapes that are running in their heads. It's very rewarding for me as I see the students growing in confidence right before my eyes!