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.

What Keeps a Musician Going

This is a great quote, and an apt description of why we 'creatives' keep at it against all odds.  Ultimately, to own your own life you must relinquish the idea that you need to be like anyone else.  And being 'non-status quo' is not for the faint of heart.  It takes both courage and integrity.

“Singers and Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, they face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get real jobs, and their own fear that they'll never work again. Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream. With every note, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life - the car, the family, the house, the nest egg. Why? Because musicians and singers are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that melody, that lyric, that chord, or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul. Singers and Musicians are beings who have tasted life's nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another's heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes.” - David Ackert, LA Times

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Positive Affirmations for Pitch Problems!

No more howling!  Yes!  You can sing in tune!

I bet you think that positive affirmations will do nothing to help you stay on pitch.  But what if I told you that your belief system has a great deal to do with your success at singing!

If you have trouble staying on pitch, there may be several reasons for this, which are usually easy to fix!  Here are a couple of great suggestions in another Viva La Voice Tip.

FIX PITCH PROBLEMS

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Fix Pitch Problems!

Here are a couple of simple tips to help you sing on pitch and change the way you feel about your voice!Video Tip - Fix Pitch Problems!

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New Online Interactive Singing Classes!

Technology is so cool these days!  No matter where you live -- you can do classes online, in real time, with real people!  My new 7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro! classes start soon!  Check it out!Beth Lawrence's Online Singing Classes!

A Job Well Done - Voicegram!

Do you think you didn't do enough in 2012?  Instead of being so hard on yourself, why not give yourself a pat on the back and look at all the greatness you exhibited??

My December Voicegram is all about the 'year end assessment' and how to change your perception of what your year was like!

Read 'A Job Well Done!' for a little end of the year inspiration!

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Tips for Powerful Performance, Part 3

Focus

Performance Tips

 

1.  Focus before singing! Don’t sing before you are ready! Look forward to singing what you have to say.

 

2.  Really sing and communicate from your heart. What message do you want the audience to get from your singing?

3.  Commit yourself 100% to your performance. Keep the 10, 20 or whatever percent for technique that you need in the back of your mind, and devote the rest to communicating the text and music.

 

4.  Don’t forget your visual presentation. You express not only through your voice, but also through your facial and bodily expressions and your eyes.

5.  Keep up the intensity! This means through every rest and through the end of the very last note of the song. Don’t forget to stay in character no matter what!

Adapted from http://www.healthyvocaltechnique.com/index.php?function=viewarticle&categoryid=6&articleid=4

Tips for Powerful Performance, Part 2

Prepare before singing

Pre-performance Tips (just before you sing):

1.  Know what your strengths are and where they lie in the song. Use positive affirmations and images well ahead of time.

2.  Remind yourself of your two most important technical issues. This can change from week to week, or from song to song. Examples may be: make sure to stay open, breathe deeply, focus, low larynx, etc.

3.  Think about your character and what you will be expressing in the song. Be ready mentally, physically, and emotionally.


Excerpted from http://www.healthyvocaltechnique.com/index.php?function=viewarticle&categoryid=6&articleid=4

Tips for Powerful Performance, Part 1

Prepare before you sing

Preparation - Do Your Homework!

 
Know your music - inside and out. Know the arc of the song.

Work on the technical aspects. Get all of the rough edges handled technically so that you are comfortable singing the song and can make it yours.

Know your text. Understand the meaning and significance of every word, even if it’s in English!

Know your character and plot. You must know who your character is and know the story line. What is the purpose of your song? Know the who, what, where, when and why.

Say the text as a monologue in the mirror. If in a foreign language, paraphrase in your own words first, then say the text as written. Make sure your facial expression and body movement are natural.

Excerpted from http://www.healthyvocaltechnique.com/index.php?function=viewarticle&categoryid=6&articleid=4



 

Singing Therapy Helps Speech-Impaired Stroke Patients

If you can’t say it, then sing it! Experts researching patients who have lost their ability to speak after a stroke are now suggesting that they could be able to communicate with music using Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT). Using MIT, the scientists showed that patients who were earlier communicating only in mumbles and grunts could now learn to sing out basic phrases like “I am thirsty.”

The study was conducted by Harvard Medical School neurologist Gottfried Schlaug on 12 patients whose speech was impaired by strokes, and showed that patients who were taught to essentially sing their words imrpoved their verbal abilities and maintained the improvement for up to a month after the end of the therapy. 

The researchers worked with stroke patients whose speech was incoherent, and who had damage in a region of the left side of the brain that is typically involved in speech. Schlaug’s research suggests that the brain can be essentially rewired. Stroke patients can learn to use a region on the right side of the brain, which is typically involved with music, for sing-songy speech instead.

 

Using MIT, therapists taught patients how to sing words and phrases consistent with the underlying melody of speech, while tapping a rhythm with their left hands.  After frequent repetition--1.5 hour-long daily sessions with a therapist for 15 weeks--the patients gradually learn to turn the sung words into speech.  When Schlaug compared images of the patients’ brains before and after the therapy, he found that the right side of their brains had changed both structurally and functionally.

Though it has been known that patients who can’t speak clearly often do better when they sing the words, this is the first time anyone has shown the phenomenon through a clinical trial that combines treatment with brain imaging.

Excerpted from http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/02/22/singing-therapy-can-rewire-brains-of-speech-impaired-stroke-patients/

Music Helps the Healing Process

Music helps heart patients

A study conducted in Japan might give new hope to heart transplant patients.  Masateru Uchiyama, from the Juntendo University Hopsital in Tokyo, found that mice that listened to classical music after a heart transplant lived longer.

Uchiyama tested the mice's blood after heart transplants and found that those who listened to classical music had calmer immune systems, which is what caused them to live longer after surgery.  The researchers are interested now in what effect listening to this music might have on human heart transplant patients, especially after a 2003 study found that music therapy lessened pain and nausea in patients after bone marrow transplants.

In the study, mice were given heart transplants from an unrelated donor, with the expectation that they would reject the new organ.  The mice were split into four differnt groups, each listening to a different type of musc.  The groups listened to: a Verdi opera song, Mozart concertos, Enya, and montone sounds.

The final results found that mice that listened to Verdi lived for an average of 26 days, while the group that listened to monotone sounds only lived for an average of seven days.  While we don't yet know exactly what this study means for humans, it is definitely a promising insight into the healing process for transplant patients.

Taken from Making Music, July/August 2012

Has Your 'Someday' Arrived Yet??

If you're still waiting for the perfect time to live your life more fully, maybe you need to read my August Voicegram, all about 'doing it NOW', rather than 'doing it Someday'.

This month's Voicegram has a special tribute to Composer Jeff Day, also.

 Beth Lawrence's August Voicegram

http://conta.cc/Pulz9c

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Music and Alzheimer's Research

Music may help Alzheimer's disease

The early symptoms of Alzheimer's--memory loss, forgetfulness--are so similar to those of natural aging that the disease is often diagnosed too late for effective treatment.  Now an MIT team has created music software to help diagnose the disease much sooner.  Users compose songs and then play a Concentration-like game that involves recalling excerpts of melody pairs and other memory tasks.  You can track your own results and watch for signs of more serious cognitive decline.  "If Alzheimer's can be detected early, medication and mental exercises have a better chance of stabilizing memory loss or at least slowing down the progression," says one of the software's creators, Adam Boulanger, Ph.D.  The software is currently in clinical trials, but researchers hope to release a commercial version to the public within the year.

From AARP: The Magazine, August/September 2012  http://aarp.org/magazine

Music Relaxation

Music promotes relaxation

Music can promote relaxation of tense muscles, enabling you to easily release some of the tension you carry from a stressful day (or week).

It can help you get ‘into the zone’ when practicing yoga, self hypnosis or guided imagery, can help you feel energized when exercising, help dissolve the stress when you’re soaking in the tub, and be a helpful part of many other stress relief activities.  It can take an effective stress reliever and make it even more effective!

Music can help your brain get into a meditative state, which carries wonderful stress relief benefits with it.   For those who find meditation intimidating, music can be an easier alternative.

Excerpted from http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/musicrelaxation.htm

Benefits of Music

Music is therapeutic

Music can be used to bring a more positive state of mind, helping to keep depression and anxiety at bay. This can help prevent the stress response from wreaking havoc on the body, and can help keep creativity and optimism levels higher, bringing many other benefits.

Music has also been found to bring many other benefits, such as lowering blood pressure (which can also reduce the risk of stroke and other health problems over time), boost immunity, ease muscle tension, and more. With so many benefits and such profound physical effects, it’s no surprise that so many are seeing music as an important tool to help the body in staying (or becoming) healthy.

With all these benefits that music can carry, it's no surprise that music therapy is growing in popularity. Many hospitals are using music therapists for pain management and other uses. Music therapists help with several other issues as well, including stress. 

Excerpted from http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/music_therapy.htm

Music As Therapy

Music can counteract stress

Research has shown that music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thinking, and a slower tempo promoting a calm, meditative state.  Also, research has found that the change in brainwave activity levels that music can bring can also enable the brain to shift speeds more easily on its own as needed, which means that music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening.

With alterations in brainwaves comes changes in other bodily functions. Those governed by the autonomic nervous system, such as breathing and heart rate can also be altered by the changes music can bring. This can mean slower breathing, slower heart rate, and an activation of the relaxation response, among other things. This is why music and music therapy can help counteract or prevent the damaging effects of chronic stress, greatly promoting not only relaxation, but health.

Excerpted from http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/music_therapy.htm

 

 

Music Therapy Promotes Health

Music Therapy Affects the Body and Mind

Research has shown that music has a profound effect on your body and psyche. In fact, there’s a growing field of health care known as music therapy, which uses music to heal. Those who practice music therapy are finding a benefit in using music to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music and music therapy can bring. This is not surprising, as music affects the body and mind in many powerful ways. 

Excerpted from http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/music_therapy.htm

Singing: The Key to a Long Life

King's Singers a capella group

This is an excerpt from an interesting article from Brian Eno:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97320958

I believe in singing. I believe in singing together.

A few years ago a friend and I realized that we both loved singing but didn't do much of it. So we started a weekly a capella group with just four members. After a year we started inviting other people to join. We didn't insist on musical experience — in fact some of our members had never sung before. Now the group has ballooned to around 15 or 20 people.

I believe that singing is the key to long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends, super self-confidence, heightened sexual attractiveness and a better sense of humor. A recent long-term study conducted in Scandinavia sought to discover which activities related to a healthy and happy later life. Three stood out: camping, dancing and singing.

Well, there are physiological benefits, obviously: You use your lungs in a way that you probably don't for the rest of your day, breathing deeply and openly. And there are psychological benefits, too: Singing aloud leaves you with a sense of levity and contentedness. And then there are what I would call "civilizational benefits." When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a capella singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That's one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.

So I believe in singing to such an extent that if I were asked to redesign the educational system, I would start by insisting that group singing become a central part of the daily routine. I believe it builds character and, more than anything else, encourages a taste for co-operation with others. This seems to be about the most important thing a school could do for you.

Why Singing Is Good for Your Health

Harmony singing is good for health

Looking for a fun way to get and stay healthy?

Try singing on a regular basis.

But not any old singing will do. The kind of singing that will provide you with significant health benefits has to come from deep inside your chest, even from your abdomen.

If you've ever been in a choir, you've probably been told that the proper way to sing is from your belly.

The idea is to use your diaphragm - the large muscle that separates your chest and abdominal cavities - to push air out through your vocal cords.

Using your diaphragm to sing is a good way to promote a healthy lymphatic system, which in turn promotes a healthy immune system.

If you want to start singing for health and have some fun with it, I highly recommend that you learn how to sing in harmony with another person or group of people. Singing in harmony with others is easily one of my favorite things to do.

Whether you get your feet wet with singing in harmony with others or not, do your health a favor and belt out a few tunes on a regular basis. But remember: it has to come from deep within, not just from your throat.

And if you're a bit shy, you can always save your singing for the shower when no one else is home or when you're in the car and have the windows rolled up.

Your immune system will thank you for it.

Excerpted from Dr. Ben Kim: http://drbenkim.com/articles-singing-for-health.htm

Building a Better, Younger Voice



Vocal exercises can create a younger
sounding voice 

Some people want to not only look younger, but sound younger, too. 

An increasing number of older adults are putting more pep into their speaking with voice therapy.  "Research has shown they can sound younger than their chronological age" through proper techniques says Nandhu Radhakrishnan, a University of Missouri specialist in voice science and therapy. 

Vocal exercises improve loudness and strengthen the tone and endurance of muscles that have lost elasticity, says Ellen Markus, a speech pathologist at the Universty of North Carolina Voice Center.

Breathing and vocal exercises twice a day along with relaxation techniques greatly improve raspy voices.

Adapted from AARP Bulletin, July-August 2012, Vol. 53, No. 6