Nyle Steiner Goes Country!

My good friend and music collaborator, Nyle Steiner (he's the genius that invented the Electronic Wind Instrument, played by jazz musicians worldwide) and I did a benefit for Wasatch Humane on Saturday. (You can see Nyle's invention in this photo). This was a really worthy cause and we were glad to help this organization that does a lot of horse rescue and rehab here in Utah.

When we got to the gig it was a decidedly 'horsey' event so we pulled out some of our more 'americana' tunes, and with the help of keyboardist Cary Hobbs, we did some fun music, very fitting for the occasion - stuff like 'Don't Fence Me In' Ha!

Before we played Nyle jumped in and played a few tunes with the cowboy band 'the Hometown Pickers'! A good time was had by all as Nyle can create the sound of harmonica, pennywhistle etc., all sounds that fit just great with the cowboy music.

Here are a couple of pics with Nyle in his farmer's hat and me with one of the adoption horses.

Curing Nodes

I recently had an inquiry from a singer/songwriter who was diagnosed with nodes, and wondered if I had any advice for her. This is the response I gave her, and hope that it might be of help to anyone else who has, or has had nodes:

"I'm sorry that you're having voice challenges. For a singer/speaker, nothing is more stressful than nodes.
If you haven't done so already, you should read "My Story" on my articles page. It details my own vocal challenges until I finally FOUND THE RIGHT TEACHER! I haven't had one problem with my voice for over 20 years! (www.vivalavoice.com)

You might also check my Blog and look at the archives; lots of helpful info.

I will tell you that no amount of vocal rest is going to save you from nodes in the future unless you begin SINGING CORRECTLY! Trust me when I say that nodes don't come from overuse of the voice; they come from too much compression on the vocal chords, pushing, jamming the larynx etc., and you've got to learn to get rid of those destructive habits. I have sung for hours on end 7 days a week and have never damaged my voice, thanks to finally finding a technique that was healthy.

I'll be coming out with a new Vocal Mastery Exercise CD and booklet, and you might think about getting that. When I had nodes I began studying with my Mentor, Giuseppe Balestrieri, and was very worried about using my voice. My teacher said, 'even if you have nodes, they'll go away once you start using your voice correctly'. AND HE WAS RIGHT.

I wish you luck. Not being able to use your voice is heartbreaking. It's your passion, and also, your vocation. Find a good teacher who teaches Bel Canto and make the investment; it will be worth it and it will change your life as it did mine."

Dry, Summer Throat?

Are you suffering from a dry, summer throat? Do you run, bike or play tennis outdoors in the hot, dry air? If so, you may be suffering from a scratchy voice due to drying out your vocal chords. Allergies can also dry out the vocal chords and irritate the throat.

If you're having any 'dry throat' symptoms, why not try my 'Viva La Voice Tonic' recipe? It's fantastic for soothing and hydrating the voice, cleansing the system, and cutting plegm. And best of all, you can now get this fantastic recipe online! Go to my website, www.vivalavoice.com and click on 'Products'. I'll send you the recipe and an article about how I developed the Tonic due to years of professional singing in sometimes hostile conditions!

You'll love what this Tonic will do for your voice, whether you're a singer, speaker, salesperson or outdoor athlete. Enjoy!

Music Eases Labor Pains

In a 1986 paper published by the Journal of Music Therapy, a research associate at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute described the effects of music therapy on women in labor. For 10 contractions, women listened to songs they'd previously used as part of their relaxation techniques. They then alternated 5 music-less minutes for the duration of labor.

The women reported fewer pain responses -tense muscles, clenched teeth, raised shoulders and requests for painkillers - while music played. As I've said in earlier blogs, music is a great analgesic for pain!

Dentists have also discovered the effect of music on patients who wear headphones while having dental procedures. The music blocks the sound of the drill, diminishes pain and reduces patient anxiety. Next time you go to the dentist, ask to have headphones with your favorite music, or bring your own ipod!

More and more hospitals are using music to speed healing and relax patients during surgery and in post operative situations.

Singing: A Natural Act

My Integrated Voice Method is based in Bel Canto, an old Italian method which is said to date all the way back to the middle ages. In line with the philosophy of Bel Canto, I believe that singing is a natural act; an extension of relaxed, released speech.

Usually, when a client comes to me, the moment they begin singing, they create a phony, forced tone. Why do we believe that we have to DO something different the moment we start singing? I like to demonstrate to my students the speaking of a line (in my 'actress' voice) then immediately singing the line in exactly the same place (voice placement) with exactly the same tone quality. I didn't do anything different! Singing shouldn't be a big, mysterious production; it's just a natural use of our voice. When you were two years old you didn't obsess about technique, how your voice sounded or whether you'd hit those 'high' notes; you just SANG because it was fun and felt good! I'm constantly urging my students to 'stop thinking, and start feeling!'

We spend so much time in our heads, analyzing every note, every 'mistake', whether we're doing everything perfectly. Practice imperfection! Stop thinking and just enjoy the experience of singing. You were born singing, just let it happen. Get out of the way of your voice and let it spill out in all its magnificence! The challenge most singers have is trying to control their voice. Over the years, this mechanism of control translates into constriction and holding, which keeps the voice from releasing fully and naturally.

Singing is a natural act! Don't try to intellectualize it. You've always known exactly what to do to sing beautifully. Strip away all the controlling and manipulating and let your voice be free! There's nothing difficult about singing, unless you've created challenges from years of limiting your own brilliance. Sing because you love it!

The Spirit of Findhorn

"When your desire is to bring peace and harmony into the world, then you will have to start by finding peace and harmony within your own heart. It is a waste of time talking about peace. You have to seek and find that consciousness of peace which nothing and no one can disturb, and remain in it." - Eileen Caddy

Great quote, no? Eileen Caddy was one of the founders of Findhorn, a spiritual community in Scotland. I first read about Findhorn in the book 'The Gardens of Findhorn', and became entranced with the underlying philosophy. On an unforgiving sandspit of land, the Caddys, along with Dorothy McClean, created a magnificent, world-renown garden by cooperating with nature spirits, 'Devas', who helped them turn out lush flowers and vegetables in the worst of conditions.

Findhorn has grown and gone on to be known as a center for spiritual growth, and many global workshops and seminars are held there. While there may not be 50 -pound cabbages, still held there is the vision for world peace, working in cooperation with the natural elements, and a sense of the simple life.

We would all benefit from creating peace in our own lives. When you look around and see such strife and divisiveness, it's easy to want to 'change the world'. Sometimes it's overwhelming in its scope, and you wonder where to begin. As Eileen Caddy said, you must find peace within so that nothing and no one can disturb your calm center. It's from that point of strength that you will affect others. They will feel that positive energy flowing from you and will want to be a part of it. Your inner peace will be a comfort and example for others to follow. So don't think you have to change the world. Change yourself first, and others will surely follow in your footsteps. Start by 'finding peace and harmony within your own heart.'

The Wisdom of Johnny Cash

Blaring from the car radio today was that characteristic dum ta da dum ta da dum bass line you hear in many Johnny Cash songs. Then that thick, flat, splayed out voice, unmistakably Johnny. I'd never heard this song before (not really being a JC fan), but it really struck me as great wisdom.

The song was 'Get Rhythm' and the lyric holds so true: 'Get rhythm when you get the blues'! Go Johnny! One of the best things you can do if you're depressed is put on some music and start dancing! Bang on some pots and pans; make weird rhythms with your voice; use your body as a percussion instrument!

To get yourself out of that blue funk, try singing! Even if you think you can't do jazz 'scat' singing, put on a jazz instrumental CD and sing along, pretending your voice is a trumpet, a bass, or even drums! It's all about having fun, and getting your mind off your problems. Remember singing and dancing release endorphins, and endorphins make you feel good!

So even if you're not a fan of good old Uncle Cash, pay attention to his lyric and 'Get Rhythm when you get the blues!'

Mary Blige Uses Music as Therapy

In an article by Malcolm Venable in the Virginia Post, he talks about how Mary Blige has used music to heal her own demons. In his article about her latest concert Venable says "Blige, who's been public about her addiction, abusive relationships and rough inner-city upbringing, demonstrated the legitimacy of music as therapy. Women in the audience - most of them African American - roared as she sang mantra-heavy songs like "Good Woman Down."

Later, he quotes Blige as saying, "Ladies, we are so necessary!" she said. "We're very special, very beautiful! There's not a man or woman or child that would be here if not for a woman that carried them for nine months and pushed them out into this Earth!"

The next time you have challenges in your life, try writing a song about it. Write down your feelings, stream of consciousness if necessary, and then let yourself make up any melody that comes to mind. It doesn't have to be perfect; let the melody come from the emotions or frustrations you're feeling. There's no right or wrong; no one's listening, and it's a great way to heal yourself with music. When you bypass your thinking brain, and begin singing your lyrics you can tap into that emotional place that needs expression and healing.

Music has been used as therapy since time began. Next time you have a challenge in life, do as Mary K. Blige has done - write about it!

Learning to Breathe

Most vocal challenges are directly related to an inability to correctly support the voice while singing or speaking.

It's crucial that you are using 'active breathing' so that you can let go of 'holding' or tensions that are keeping you from releasing your voice with a relaxed, open sound.

A good exercise to learn proper breathing is this: lay on the floor, placing a book in the diaphragm area (in the center, just above and between the bottom of the ribcage). As you breathe in, 'fill up' with air so that the book rises. As you exhale, the book will lower as the diaphragm area flattens. Keep doing this exercise until this type of breathing becomes natural and habitual, and you can breathe this way standing up. As you sing or speak, 'fill up' with air and try to keep 'filled up' even as you're using your voice, although, naturally, with the exhalation of air, your diaphragm area will flatten somewhat.

Remember, your breath is your engine; never your throat. If you want power and volume, simply fill up with more air and use the 'cushion of air' as your vocal support mechanism.

Girls! Find your voice!

I work with a lot of girls just entering, or going through the agony of puberty. I say 'agony' because it causes so much hormonal upheaval that usually leads to a huge drop in self-confidence. When young girls come to me they usually have a difficult time 'finding their voice'. Usually, they are shy, reserved and sing and speak in an airy, small voice that lacks power and confidence; exactly mirroring how they feel about themselves. Girls, it's time to find your voice!

"There are far-ranging consequences to low self-esteem," says Lisa Machoian, a psychologist and former director of gender studies at Harvard University. Girls lose their voice and sense of who they are, and may do extreme things - develop eating disorders, abuse alcohol and drugs, cut themselves, become promiscuous.

Clinical psychologist Robin F. Goodman writes that "Girls self -esteem peaks at 9 years old, then takes a nose dive." Here are some statistics: 75 percent of 8 and 9 year olds said they liked their looks. That percentage dropped to 56 percent among girls aged 12 and 13. By age 9, 50 percent of girls say they're on a diet. That jumps to 80 percent by the eighth grade.

I've found that singing and voice lessons can renew a girl's sense of self. When she begins to 'find her voice' and release it to the world, she gains incredible confidence. I have seen my students absolutely blossom after taking lessons and developing their voice. They get in shape, their grades go up, they get involved in activities and become more social. Overall, they open up to their own power and completely transform!

My advice is to get your teen or pre-teen involved in music or singing lessons, or any activity that will empower them and make them feel that they're good at something. It will change their lives, and help them get through the teen years easily and happily. Girls! Find your voice!

Practice Imperfection!

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!

The Rainbow Won't Wait

The work will wait while you show the child the
rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you
do the work. - unknown

Take time to be inspired by nature! Step away from your work and feed your artistic soul. You'll return to work refreshed and ready to think outside the box!

For more Viva La Voice Tips, sign up for my monthly Voicegram at vivalavoice.com!

Miss America endorsement

Like many of you, I guess I used to think that beauty pageants were hokey. Recently, though, I've seen local and state pageants in a different light.

I just acted as Pageant Advisor for the Miss Wasatch pageant, and got to see firsthand what a great learning experience it is for young women. In just a few short weeks of rigorous coaching, these girls turn into lovely, sophisticated and confident women. They learn to dress, to walk, and to present themselves with confidence and poise. They have to articulate their views and opinions in an assertive and mature way. They learn life skills that will help them tremendously in every area of their lives.

Being Miss Wasatch is an important stepping stone to become Miss Utah and eventually Miss America. No matter what you might say about these pageants, the truth is, holding any one of those titles can, and will be a life-changing event. It means exposure to the public, thinking on your feet, presenting yourself professionally, and certainly not least, it means college scholarships.

I'd urge any young woman to investigate their local pageant opportunities and take advantage of all the pageant experience has to offer. It's a great opportunity to grow and blossom. It takes work and dedication to get to the top ranks in the pageant world. Most successful contestants would probably be deemed 'over acheivers' in the most positive sense of the word.

I admire the guts it takes to enter these pageants, and salute all the young women who put themselves on the line and go out there to compete. When you see all the girls become beautiful butterflies you realize so profoundly that they are all winners, no matter their final ranking. I salute all of you contestants with 'The Queen's wave'!

Are You Speechless?

Did you know that one-quarter of the U.S. workforce considers their voices to be the primary tool of their trade, and 28 million Americans experience daily voice problems, according to Ingo R. Titze, executive director of the National Center for Voice and Speech in Denver, Colorado?

I can't stress enough that you must treat your voice with the same, or more, respect and importance than your car, cel phone, computer or high end professional wardrobe! Most of us would be lost without our computers. What would happen if you lost your voice? What if you so abused your voice that you had to stop talking for a month or more; in other words, had to have complete vocal rest? Does it make you stop and think?

More than 3 million teachers who use their voices as part of their trade are considered at higher risk for chronic vocal problems than the general population. Lawyers, broadcast journalists, actors, singers, telemarketers, clergy and even parents who constantly use and sometimes misuse their voices are at risk for painful problems that can damage the vocal cords. If left untreated, they could become serious conditions requiring surgery. Why not avoid vocal problems before they start by learning to speak correctly? A few minutes of vocal warm up in the morning can help you avoid vocal strain, and will strengthen the voice.

Professional voice training is an essential part of the business professional's tool kit. Not only will speaking correctly preserve and strengthen your voice, but you'll be more successful when your voice reflects the confident, commanding professional that you are.

If you're interested in my new CD, The Integrated Voice, Vocal Mastery Exercises, sign up for my Voicegram at vivalavoice.com and I'll send you info on the upcoming release date, along with an article on vocal health.

Audio Analgesic

Here's yet another study on the power of music to effectively reduce pain. More and more medical studies are concluding that sound and music act as an 'audio analgesic'.

A study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing involved 60 patients with chronic, non-cancer pain. Those who listened to music on headphones for an hour a day reported significantly less pain and depression and an increased sense of control.

This confirms my philosophy that music, sound and the power of the human voice act on a core biological level that bypasses our analytical, thinking brain.

If you'd like to learn more about sound healing, read my article "Sound Healing - Not Just For Britney Spears!' on my website at: vivalavoice.com

Vocal Mastery Exercise CD

This week I completed a new CD, 'The Integrated Voice - Vocal Mastery Exercises'. It's going to be a great product for speakers, singers, salespeople; really anyone who uses their voice professionally.

If you're a speaker, trainer, clergy or teacher, you need to train your voice just as singers do. I suggest at least 15 minutes a day of vocal warm ups that will help you not only build and develop your voice, but should also be done every day before you speak. Going through a series of vocal exercises daily will teach you how to use your voice correctly so that you don't strain or injury your voice. The exercises on my Vocal Mastery CD will also help you build and condition your voice as well as learning proper breathing and placement techniques.

If you'd like more information on my new Vocal Mastery CD, please sign up for my monthly Voicegram at vivalavoice.com, and I'll keep you posted about the upcoming release date!

Repetitive Voice Injury

Are you using your voice correctly? It's not only singers who develop vocal problems. More and more service personnel who use their voices all day long are suffering from a new syndrome called REPETITIVE VOICE INJURY. Folks in call centers are particularly at risk, especially when they are straining their voices by speaking incorrectly.

If you're a teacher, clergy or salesperson who's on the phone, or using your voice extensively during your work day, you could be at risk for developing this syndrome. Here are a few tips to protect and preserve your voice:

- Keep hydrated! Working in an air conditioned building can dry out your vocal chords.

- Breathe fully! Make sure that you are consciously breathing and actively supporting your voice

- Sit up straight! If you sit while you're speaking or on the phone, make sure that you 'pull up' and maintain your posture.

- Don't push! Trying to speak loudly or 'project' your voice will only lead to strain. Instead, use your breath support for vocal power.

- Use your body voice! Visualize your voice resonating in your body, not your head.

- Relax your jaw! Unclench your jaw and let it drop naturally as you speak.

- Open your mouth! You'll be surprised at how much more volume you'll get from this one simple trick.

- Take breaks! Give your voice a rest. Stop talking when you're not 'on the clock'.

- Get coaching! Most importantly, learn the basic skills that will help you to speak correctly so that you won't suffer from a strained or fatigued voice.

With just a bit of conscious effort and some basic voice coaching you'll be able to avoid Repetitive Voice Injury.

For more information on Voice Coaching and avoiding vocal injury, see my website articles at vivalavoice.com

Music Soothes an Elephant's soul

For those of you who think that animals can't feel pain, are stupid, or immune to grief, please open your mind and read on!

I recently read an article about 45 year old Suma, the Elephant, in a Croatian zoo, who had lost her pacyderm partner of 10 years to cancer. Suma was inconsolable; wouldn't eat or sleep and was clearly suffering from extreme grief and depression. Who said animals can't FEEL??

The zoo had organized a concert of classical music that happened to be opposite Suma's compound. At the sight of the five musicians with instruments, Suma began to pelt the tuxedoed musicians with small pebbles fired from her trunk. Then something totally incredible happened!

"But as soon as the concert started, what we saw was fascinating. Suma leaned against the fence, closed her eyes and listened without moving the entire concert," Mr. Anic (head of the Zagreb Zoo) said.

Suma now gets a daily dose of Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi, and seems to be coming out of her depression, consoled and comforted by her musical prescription.

Don't ever think that we human beings are the superior race! Animals feel, hear, smell and taste things that we're totally oblivious to. We humans, though, have lost our connection with nature; and our senses, as well as our instincts, have become dull. Elephants, in fact, communicate (as do whales and other sea creatures, just to name a few!) in subsonic ranges that we 'superior' humans can't even hear!

Take a lesson from Suma. The next time you're angry or depressed put on some uplifting, magical music and let your soul be healed.

Open Up Your Words!

The next time you sing a song, or give a presentation, become conscious of 'opening up your words'. So many times I'll hear a singer or speaker, and can't understand most of the words they're saying or singing! What you've got to realize is that people may not have heard your song before, so all your words, your entire story, is new to them. If you're presenting, everything you'll be saying to your audience is brand new!

Do your audience a favor and let them CLEARLY UNDERSTAND YOU. No one will be focusing on your message if they're straining to hear your words.

The way to make yourself clearly understood is to open up your words. I don't mean to open your mouth in phony, exaggerated movement. All you have to do is simply make more space INSIDE your mouth. By imagining an orange (or some other small fruit!) inside your mouth, you'll lift up the soft palette and open up the words. Elongating your vowels will also make it easier to hear every word.

It's also important to slow down your speech, or slightly overemphasize your pronunciation. What is clear to you, may still be hard to understand for someone who's unfamiliar with your words and topic.

Singers, especially, need to open up vowels and make space for their words so that lyrics are clear and understandable. If you're telling an important story with your song, you want it to be understood, otherwise, your audience won't be able to relate to your music and you will have lost a very important emotional connection.

Remember that what sounds clear to you in normal speech or singing, may not be clear to an audience who has never heard your presentation or music. Open up your words to clearly communicate your message and the emotion that is the key to your success as an effective performer!

Sing. Dance. Be Happy!

In the Path of Your Happiness....
A Master's story from Illusions, by Richard Bach


....And the Master said unto the people, "If a man told God that he wanted most of all to help the suffering world, no matter the price to himself, and God answered and told him what he must do, should the man do as he is told?"

"Of course, Master!" cried the many. "It should be pleasure for him to suffer the tortures of hell itself, should God ask it!"

"No matter what those tortures, nor how difficult the task?"

"Honor to be hanged, glory to be nailed to a tree and burned, if so be that God has asked," said they.

"And what would you do" the Master said unto the multitude, "if God spoke directly to your face and said, 'I COMMAND THAT YOU BE HAPPY IN THE WORLD, AS LONG AS YOU LIVE!' What would you do then?"

And the multitude was silent, not a voice, not a sound was heard upon the hillsides, across the valleys where they stood.

And the Master said unto the silence, "In the path of our happiness shall we find the learning for which we have chosen this lifetime. So it is that I have learned this day, and choose to leave you now to walk your own path, as you please."

And he went his way through the crowds and left them, and he returned to the everyday world of men and machines....

WHAT A GREAT STORY. It exemplifies the truth that we are all responsible for our own happiness. No one else can make you happy; no one else can make you unhappy unless you choose to let them. When you are fulfilled and are feeling good about yourself; when there's harmony in your world, only then can you reflect that harmony back to others.

Is it time for you to SING, to DANCE, to COME ALIVE AGAIN? Don't waste another minute standing on the sidelines of life! Take control and do those things that make your soul sing. Do it for yourself, and your whole life will change. The joy you experience will be a joy you can SHARE with others. In being our authentic self; in singing and dancing through life, we enable and empower others to do the same. Just by living our lives fully we are a shining example to others. Implicitly, we give them permission to do their own singing!

Can you see that neon sign in the distance flashing "HAPPINESS!"? Is the path to that happiness strewn with rocks and boulders that stand in your way? Then it's time to clear away all those boulders and learn the lessons that are there for us in this lifetime! Every boulder has a valuable lesson for us. You may roll one boulder away, only to have it reappear again later. Is there a reoccurring boulder in your life? Something that stops you from living life to its fullest?

I believe that we're responsible for only one thing in life - to be happy! An astoundingly simple solution to everything that ails the world. It's not written anywhere that you have to play the victim. You have the power to choose how you react to everything that happens in your world. Is there some lemonade that needs to be made from all those lemons??

What if God; the Mighty I Am; the Universal Presence in all its glory spoke directly to your face and said 'I COMMAND THAT YOU BE HAPPY IN THE WORLD, AS LONG AS YOU LIVE!' What would you do then??

Sing. Dance. Be happy.