The Secret to the 'IT' Factor!

Have you ever gone to a concert where the singer just totally mesmerized you, even though they may not have been the best singer in the world? The performer just had the 'IT' factor? One way to develop the 'IT' factor not only when you're onstage, but in your everyday dealings with people day to day, is this: THINK OF YOUR BREATH AS PURE ENERGY! When you are preparing for a concert; a meeting; a difficult conversation, visualize the air you are breathing in as PURE ENERGY! Fill yourself up with that energy. THEN: RELEASE THAT GOLDEN ENERGY OUT TO THE WORLD! Energy comes in, energy goes out. Your audience will feel that energy, it will create a connection with the person or people you're speaking to. BREATH IS ENERGY - USE IT! I have a new Facebook page... All About Voice - please join the conversation there, and give me your comments on how this 'breathing in the energy' works for you!

Teen Idol Class Shaping Up!

Just finished Module Two for my new 'Teen Idol' class coming up next month. It'll be a great class to get teens confident on stage.

Common Sense Public Speaking!

Steve Jobs was a passionate, confident speaker!

Public Speaking is  like everything else - you've got to use plain common sense.  If you speak too fast people can't understand you - and can't process what's being said fast enough to 'get' your message.  If you speak too slowly, you give the brain too much time for distraction - you lose them.  Filler words are a distraction.  Constant movement is a distraction.  A speaker needs to minimize distractions so that the audience is locked on to the message, not the quirks of the messenger!

If you're totally connected with the real message you're presenting, and are passionate about it, your energy will reflect that.  If you're speaking too slowly or too fast, that tells me, as a listener, that you're not totally 'feeling' what you're talking about, or that you're not  reading your audience to determine whether they are tuned in to you or not.  During a presentation I believe that a speaker has to know their topic so well that they can be flexible to change up pace, audience interaction, and just overall, be able to take command of the energy in the room!

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Rob Lowe On Shower Singing

My new book From Shower To Stage....7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro! is written both for the shy, shower singer, to the working professional.  Here's what Rob Lowe says about 'shower singing':

 "Everybody knows that the shower has the best acoustics. There's no two ways about it. I actually have a recording studio in mine. So look out, Kevin Bacon. You think you've got your fancy band. You've got nothing on my shower band."

President Omama Talks About Singing In the Shower!

Here's a bit of what President Obama said when announcing the Kennedy Center Honors recipients.  You see, even the President sings in the shower!  I should gift him my book From Shower To Stage.....7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro!


"Now, at first glance the men and women on this stage could not be more different. They come from different generations, different walks of life. They have different talents, and they've traveled different paths. And yet they belong here together. Because each of tonight's honorees has felt the need to express themselves and share that expression with the world.

It's a feeling that all of us have at some point in our lives. That's why we sing, even if it's just in the shower. (Laughter.) It's why we act, even if we never get past the school auditorium. That's why we dance, even if, as Michelle says, I look silly doing it. (Laughter.) It's one of the downsides of being President: Your dance moves end up on YouTube. (Laughter.)

But tonight's honorees take it a step further. By expressing themselves, they help us learn something about ourselves. They make us laugh. They move us to tears. They bring us together, and they push the boundaries of what we think is possible. And each of them has been blessed with an extraordinary gift. Tonight, we thank them for sharing that gift with us."

Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/STAGE-TUBE-President-Obamas-Kennedy-Center-Honorees-Remarks-Barbara-Cook-More-20111204#ixzz1ffj8PXY7

How To Mentally Prepare for a Performance

Check out this quick Viva La Voice Tip shot at beautiful Lake Champlain in the Adirondacks!

Profession Speakers - what's your first impression?

If you speak for a living, and that could be anyone, from a Corporate Trainer, to a Minister, to a Teacher - then one of your most important assets is your actual physical presence.  And what says 'confidence' more than GOOD POSTURE?!

Here's a great tip for making a first impression that will grab your audience's attention.

A Singer's Posture Indicates Confidence!

Every time you take the stage, whether it be in front of a classroom, or Carnegie Hall, you have an opportunity to present yourself with confidence and charisma. An easy way to do this without ever opening your mouth is to simply develop 'A Singer's Posture'!

Good posture indicates confidence, so immediately your audience will view you in a positive way. The first step in professional presentation is to take the stage with body language that says "I am a Diva!" or "I am a Divo!"

This video will give you some simple tips on developing 'A Singer's Posture'!

Joyful Singing Finale!

Our six week Joyful Singing series ended with a fantastic finale!  We did our 'Mock Carnegie Hall' concert to an appreciative audience of pianos (afterall class was held in a piano lab!).  And since I had urged the students to imagine a full house, it was easy for them to imagine a rousing standing ovation from their imaginary fans!

The great thing about this class, and the incredibly gratifying thing for me, as the teacher, was seeing the growth in confidence that this group experienced!  For the first few weeks of class, mine was the only voice I heard as I sang along to encourage them.  But after 6 weeks, they were singing with style and verve, and didn't need my help at all!  It was neat to see all those animated, smiling faces as I 'directed' our repertoire for our final night.  Not only were they smiling because they loved singing, they were smiling because they had overcome their fear and were able to move on with their lives, rich with a new passion that they had just re-discovered.

Most of these folks were 're-entry' singers - adults who had sung when they were young, then either put it away while they lived their lives, or stopped singing because of some public embarrassment they had experienced which caused them to shut down their voice and never sing again.  Finding the courage to even come to the first class is a testament to all of them who wanted to rekindle a relationship with singing - something they had loved, but had lost.

If singing is something that you used to do (and we all used to sing just for the fun of it when we didn't care if we were 'good' or 'bad') and would like to do again, then take a group singing class where you can not only learn some basic singing skills, but discover how fun it is to raise your voice with others.  There is a healing power in singing that is  magnified when there are many voices.  It is in our cultural heritage to sing together in joy, in sadness, in celebration of life.  To shut this voice down is to cut oneself off from our cultural community, and deny ourselves the true joy of singing.

Don't let fear keep you from joining others in song because you don't feel 'good enough'.  The only person who will be judging you is your self, and if you are in a class that can teach you new singing skills, you will improve as well as gain confidence in your singing voice.  My philosophy is the 'everyone can sing!'; but you can also learn to sing 'better' which will help you feel more secure when singing in a group, or singing solo.  So don't hesitate to get back into singing!  It will not only improve your health, it will make you feel proud of yourself for taking a risk, and confident in your ability to sing in any situation.

Joyful Singing Tonight

Prepping for 'Joyful Singing' tonight. It's my last class of the series and I'm having the students do a 'mock' Carnegie Hall Concert!

Don't Trivialize Your Dreams

So many people tell me how much they would love to sing, but are too terrified to do so.  This is the very reason I offer 'Conquer Stage Fear' workshops, in hopes that they will be able to finally let their fear go.

If there's something you want to do in life, don't trivialize it; don't ignore it; find a way to have the courage to transcend your fear and live that dream.  If not you will forever regret that you didn't face the monster in the closet, that in reality is nothing more than a product of faulty logic created when you were too young to create your own truth.  If you'll open the door and face your fear, you'll be surprised to see that it's nothing more than dust and cobwebs that can no longer hurt you.

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