Once upon a time in voice pedagogy, singers were instructed to place their sound "in the mask." The term referred to the zygomatic and frontal bones ie. the cheekbones and forehead. Many singers, myself included, worked to place sound in…
I don't need to be in your home office to know that your tongue is probably tighter than it should be. No judgment, it seems that our tongue tries to hold for dear life in the best of times. And,…
We tend to apologize when we yawn, especially in front of others. But what if we welcomed it? What if, instead of seeing the yawn as a sign of boredom, we acknowledged how efficient it is? All of that oxygen…
This is a quick exercise to release facial tension, open the hips, and move the voice. Stand with your feet flat on the ground and shoulder-width apart.Bend your knees and bend forward at the hip joint placing your abdomen as…
When there is concerning public news (for example, a pandemic with uncertain ramifications in the offing) it is easy to either ignore it or go into a full spin. The fact is that sometimes we need to believe either that…
This morning, I have a story. Today, I attended a leadership breakfast for City Year. City Year is a non-profit tasked with supporting our schools through community service. One of the speakers was a Senior AmeriCorps Team Leader from City…
How different should one pronounce 'where' and 'wear'? Is there a difference between 'bear' and 'bare'? It seems like these questions should have one answer, but they don't. There is no one, true American English diction. Variance in pronunciation is…
Yesterday, I read another article about how women are giving up their power by using vocal fry and upspeak. If you don't know those terms, just google, the media has decided that they are what is wrong with public speech.…
I saw Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera -- Truly an important production of a wonderful work of art. And, it was wonderful. What strikes me this morning is that I sat through three hours of an opera that…
Our love of novelty is perhaps the most endearing and frustrating characteristic of the human-animal. But, since we can't change it we might as well engage it. Directing attention to your speech can be as simple as changing volume, using…