You/Sing: Make Some Noise
It is a short week and a compressed writing schedule here on the blog so I decided to combine two feature days. Whether you are training your singing voice or truly believe you can't sing -- you really should sing…
Sing: Directing the Soundwave
When discussing how to send the voice into a space, we sometimes get stuck between magical thinking and nothing at all. It may help some of you to imagine a beam of light traveling away from you but I was…
Articulate: Which Vowel Is This Anyway?
When was the last time you thought about where exactly your tongue was as you pronounced a vowel? Never? You are not alone. Vowels are lovely and necessary, and far too often, nebulous. This can make language hard to understand…
A Singing Revolution
From about 1987 to 1991 there was a movement underfoot which eventually led to the restoration of independence in Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. It was called the Singing Revolution because of how important the voices of protest in song were to…
Friday Focus: The Jaw
Oh, the jaw. Many of us are well aware of the tension we are carrying in the jaw joint and the surrounding musculatures. This tension is not benign. In fact, even people who have no idea they are carrying jaw…
Hit that Note and other Pitch Fictions
Short on time? Try listening to this post instead here. "I can't hit that note!" "Let me try to hit that note again." "I think if I just try harder I could hit that note." The preceding three statements are…
Friday Focus: The Brain and the Voice
Have you ever had the experience of hearing your own voice on a recording and being shocked at the sound? Whether you like the sound of your recorded voice or not, there is a reason it sounds foreign. You aren't…
Friday Focus: Vocal Health – Care
In the partner article to this piece, we discussed vocal hygiene. Vocal Hygiene is an umbrella for those behaviors that assist one in maintaining the daily health of the voice. This week we will delve into vocal health care which…
Friday (Saturday?) Focus: Voice Health – Hygiene
I am currently at the LoVetri Institute's Somatic Voicework Training in Ohio and was inspired by our amazing Laryngology presenters (Dr. Milstein and Dr. Rubin) to talk a little about vocal health. First of all, what do I mean by…
Friday Focus: The Vocal Tract
Over the past weeks, I have described components of the vocal instrument working my way upward, and now we arrive at the source of sound, the vocal tract. First a definition, the vocal tract is the cavity where sounds are…