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When I start voice lessons with a new student, one of the first questions I ask is "What do you want to achieve in the next year?" Almost without exception, one response is to sing high notes better and expand their vocal range.
Expanding your vocal range and improving high notes is more than a matter of repetition; you have to know how to practice to expand your range and sing high notes effortlessly. Singing high notes is essentially the Olympics of singing; it requires a tremendous amount of skill, talent, and practice to sing high notes without tension or visible stress. The first step is to diagnose the issue: what is preventing your high notes from coming out easily? There are several typical culprits and solutions available.
In summary, you can learn to sing high notes easily and with confidence. It just takes a lot of work and a good singing coach! DS This post is prompted by a recent event - District Auditions 2017. While most of my students did very well (results will be posted soon), I had two students who were greatly affected by stage fright and did not sing as well as they were capable of.
To fight stage fright, you have to understand both the physical and mental aspects of singing. Singing for an audience typically produces a "fight or flight instinct." The singer's heart rate increases, knees lock or wobble, palms gets sweaty etc...We have all been there! Dealing with the physical manifestations of stage fright is relatively easy. Once you know how you react, you can plan for it. Just the act of planning and anticipating your nerves reduces the gut reaction to singing in public. In voice lessons, we talk about how to approach some of these symptoms by breathing and stretching exercises, positive visualization and other techniques. The tricky, and life-long project, is the mental aspect of stage fright. Stage fright is ultimately rooted in a fear of rejection. I've never met who a singer who didn't care how an audience or judge would react to their singing. In fact, caring about how others' react is necessary to being a good singer; why would you put the hours upon hours of practice in if you didn't care if people enjoyed your singing? If we are really honest with ourselves, stage fright is a completely RATIONAL fear. Wanting to be accepted and liked for your singing is completely normal. In voice lessons, the goal is not to eliminate this social anxiety but redirect and calm it. Here's how we go about this:
DWS This year I served as a judge for the Tenor 2 Room for the District-level Auditions for Region Choir 2017. Below are some general observations that I wanted to share with my students. 1) I was blown away by how well-prepared most of the singers were. Remember, most students only had two weeks to prepare for the audition due to Hurricane Harvey. I went into the room expecting to hear a plethora of wrong pitches, rhythms etc...Instead, this year was the best District audition I have heard nine years of judging singers. I really was impressed with everyone. 2) The most common mistakes were spreading of vowels and poor high notes. This is where a good singing instructor comes into play. Aside from having an ouside opinion to tell a student what needs work, there are very specific vocal techniques one can aplly to improve your high notes. 3) While pitch errors were rare, there were many problems with intonation (singing just above or below the pitch). This as most likely the result of nerves. When your breathing becomes shallow, or you stop using your air correctly, little imperfections start to emerge on matching pitches. 4) Musicality was excellent on the English song but lacking in the Latin one. There is an easy fix to this: write in an English translation so you know what you are singing! The "Laudamus te" is a song about rejoicing, and yet very few singers sounded happy when they were singing the selection! 5) It did not matter that students only sang two selections this year for auditions versus the usual three. This was the result of coping with the shortened preparation due to Hurricane Harvey. The reality is that a judge really only need a minute or so to make an accurate placement for each singer. 6) Results were good for my students! I'll post their results later this week once I have all the results in and speak to my students. DWS Every week, when I enter Clear Falls High School, I walk by a quote by Aristotle:
"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor." What does this have to do with singing, besides confronting stage anxiety? Plenty. The reality of being a professional or amateur singer is that everyone is a critic. Everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) has a better idea on how you should sing, act, look etc...And because you are a singer, people will not hold back. Have you ever heard a person complain about a tuba player? Nope. Singers? Absolutely! Here is where courage and honor come into a singers' life. Singing actors have to have the courage to make choices musically and not worry about the criticism that may come after. There is nothing more boring than a singer who does not take a risk in how they interpret the music or a role. So instead of worrying about criticism, which will come regardless of how good you are, have the courage to take that risk and be noticed. It doesn't matter how many people think you made the wrong choice; what matters are the people who think you made the RIGHT choice. Those people are the people paying your bills, seeing your performances, and helping you achieve a career in music. Honor is the extension of courage over time. Once you make your choice as a singer, STICK WITH IT! That doesn't mean you do not accept valid criticism or change over time. However, it does mean you listen to the critic's that matter: the people who already love your work and want you to succeed! Those peoples' opinions matter more, because again, their appreciation for your singing is what pays your bills as a professional singer! Finally, I just want to say how happy I am to be back at teaching. I know Houston is still recovering from the Hurricane, but it sure is wonderful to have an element of normalcy with the schools open and music lessons resuming. DWS The title of this blog comes from a saying by Rollo Dilworth, an excellent spiritual and gospel composer, pianist and conductor. Attending his clinic last weekend, he spoke these words to address both airflow and musicality.
Perhaps the hardest aspect of learning how to sing is in developing a vibrant sound based on airflow, not muscle. Because we cannot manipulate a voice physically, teachers come up with different mental images to describe proper breath management. You have probably heard some - sing 'buoyantly, sing 'spinning the air' and so forth. However, I think Rollo's description is the best I've heard and I'm using it! When he explained 'singing with intention,' it was in context of a spiritual he wrote asking God to 'send it (it being grace).' He said, don't sing just plain old text, but sing "SEND IT!" Words cannot describe the physical and emotion energy the man had when he said this. How he used his air and consonants to create a driving and powerful sound was both technically and musically wonderful. It was remarkable how quickly the church choir, composed mostly of non-professional musicians, understood his concept and instantly started singing with more breath support and intensify. As he said, the choir was singing with "intention." When you sing, proper breath management and support is not just about singing in a way that is healthy and technically correct; it is also the driving force behind musicality. It is almost impossible to sing musically if the technique is not there. By using a simple phrase, and explaining the emotional context of his song, it was easy to emulate and deliver a great vocal sound. DWS This post was supposed to go up on August 25th, welcoming the beginning of school and well...Hurricane Harvey happened.
The rainfall that fell on Saturday is something you can't understand unless you went through it. The closest I can come is the intensity of rainfall felt like driving through a bad storm that forces you off the road because driving conditions are so treacherous. Now, imagine that rain is non-stop, with no drop in intensity for a whole night. The amount of rain turned our street into a literal river. As I saw the rain creep up to my house, I felt equal parts fear and bewilderment. This could not be happening. We live on relatively high ground in League City and our house was about to turn into an ark. Fortunately, my family and most of my students did not suffer flood damage, but several students got hit hard. Resuming school today was an incredibly welcoming bit of normalcy, and I imagine most of the students felt the same. Not teaching for two weeks, with two little boys tired of being cooped up inside for a whole week is not an easy experience. Seeing neighbors hit hard by the rain and helping gut their homes is an experience I hope to never repeat again. With school resuming so close to the District Round of All-State Auditions, audition pieces have been shortened to accommodate the lack of preparation time. Many fall concerts have been canceled, shortened or moved. Fortunately, everyone is really pulling together locally to be more friendly, kind, and patient with everyone. When you ask, "how is your family," people know instantly it is about the flood and how well you managed. The hurricane was a disaster, but the silver lining was a community brought closer together out of mutual need and care for each other. DWS |
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