I just want to confess that I was not the kid who enjoyed practicing music. No, I was one of those teenagers (and I think it's bit more common) who only wanted to sing songs, make up melodies, day dream about lyrics and forget the warm ups! And this served me pretty well. By the time I was in high school I was performing around New York City with other high school musicians and we were playing clubs we couldn't even get into at our age! BUT a lot of the time I felt I was straining to sing and I didn't know how to make singing easier nor how to get through those trickier parts of my vocal range like my head register.
I am mentioning this because I want you to know that when I tell you to practice along with your lesson recordings or to consider the way you are moving and the amount of force you are using (for those of you who are current students of mine), I want you to know that I have been there....I am there! I think it's actually pretty ironic that a huge portion of my work and life is spent teaching other people about HOW and when to practice:). But in all honesty IT’S MY JAM!!
However, that doesn't mean I haven't sat in practice rooms (very expensive ones!) and stared at the ceiling for HOURS! But I have to tell you the issue that I eventually discovered later on was that I didn't know HOW to practice and by that I mean I didn't know how to break things down and still get satisfying results. No one was giving me bitesize tips for success. I had to learn from the Alexander Technique.
Becoming an Alexander Technique teacher taught me how to break activities down. And tho it sounds simple I don't see it very often. In combination with Somatic Voicework, the LoVetri Method I learned how to hold space for myself and my students, to enjoy the space, to be patient, to wait much longer than the student might normally wait and take pleasure in what arises. It has also given me a way of accessing my voice like no other. And this approach has created countless voice breakthroughs for my students!...as well as for myself.
I have to tell you the challenges that come up in your music don’t just go away by singing your songs over and over the way I used do in high school. They start to shift and move using consistent warm ups based on healthy singing for the body, vocal function and an ability to break things down and stay interested in the process. That way you can sing without stress or strain and have fun expressing yourself! So what do you say to practicing now? Make sure to schedule your voice lesson today so you can remember the ease of singing.