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!

Dream Like Mick Jagger!

I'm a voice coach, so if you asked me if Mick Jagger was a good singer, technically speaking, I'd have to say no. But that doesn't mean he isn't charismatic; electric and utterly unique as a performer. When you sing, you have to be the whole package - it's not enough to just be a good singer. Mick Jagger said "Lose your dreams and you might lose your mind." So if you dream of being a singer, look at Jagger and remember that he may not have a stellar voice, but he connects with his audience, gives them a good time, and has followed his own dream to the pinnacle of success! Dream Big!

Soothing Pets with Vocal Music!

Have you ever tried music with vocals to soothe your pet? My doggie Chevette used to have terrible separation anxiety. Now when I leave the house I put on my lullaby CD and it seems to keep her calm. I also use lavender oil. Have you tried music for your own doggies? What has been your experience? What kind of music do they respond to? I would love to have your comments on All About Voice FB page.

Here's a wonderful exercise in mindfulness, that also has intrinsic benefits for your speaking voice! I welcome your comments once you've tried this exercise for a day!

Alzheimer's and Singing!

I've posted excerpts from a BBC News article on +All About Voice. Caregivers, what has your experience been with singing and Alzheimer's?

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