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Whenever we are passionate about an activity, we naturally want to see results: Basketball players want to jump higher, track stars to run faster, and singers to sing with more power and range. Wanting to excel and improve is a good thing, which is why I ask all my students to record their lessons so they can hear when their vocal technique improves.
This desire to improve can be problematic if it starts to 'tighten' the athlete or singer. Instead of focusing on the process of improvement (lifting weights and agility exercises for athletes, vocalises for a singer), singers start to focus on their sound being 'perfect,' and when the sound doesn't match that standard, we start to get frustrated, tighten up, and actually make the sound worse because we are not relaxed. This can setup a negative feedback loop that never ends - we get frustrated that our sound isn't right, get tense, which makes our sound worse, which makes us MORE frustrated...you get the point. As a singer, it is critical to focus the process of improvement, and the exercises that accompany improvement, rather than the result. It sometimes takes time for your body and mind to figure out a vocal exercise, perfect it, and then use that exercise to benefit your singing in a song. So long as your voice teacher gives you the right instruction and exercises, great singing will come! DWS It's summertime! While every student (and teacher!) enjoys the summer break, I will also be working on my CD/digital download project for the next school year. Right now, I am currently in the process of going through musical after musical to find those gems no one has heard about (or at least hasn't been heard in Houston!). One of the wonderful books I am using to discover these songs is "Show Tunes" by Steven Suskin. If you love Broadway, this book is right up your alley. He details every show that has made it to Broadway, with a few exceptions. Basically, every musical you have heard of + thousands more.
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