Most singers who come to me for help have an overriding fear of something; whether they'll forget their lyrics; whether their voice will crack; that they'll sing off-pitch, and on and on. Why all this anxiety? What happened to the joyful singing experience we used to enjoy as children?
During lessons, we use the Vocal Mastery Exercises to warm up and release the voice. It's not about being perfect, in fact, I urge my clients to PRACTICE IMPERFECTION by simply accepting that the voice is a glorious instrument of incredible color and emotion, and 'perfection' is completely subjective. I would much rather hear a singer who moved me with their emotion rather than a technically perfect singer who didn't connect with me emotionally.
When you can get to a place where you stop thinking about all the bad things that might happen when you sing, you can start to focus on the emotion of the song, which is what's really important. Of course, learning proper technique is key to getting rid of 'singing anxiety' because once you've mastered your technique, it becomes natural, and you don't have to be thinking about it, you can let it go and concentrate on your message.
When you're warming up your voice, practice the imperfection of singing with joy and abandon. Get over the fear that someone will be judging you. We all carry the shame of some far-distant criticism that has shaped our distorted belief system surrounding singing. Let it go! Sing because you love it, because it's fun, because it's part of your soul that cries out to express itself! When you feel self-conscious about your voice, move through that fear and belt out a song as you celebrate your unique voice! You're human; practice imperfection!
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