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Just a shout out to my Pre-Area singers. Break a leg tomorrow! You all are SO prepared and I know everyone is going to do great. Have fun and I look forward to hearing how it goes!
DWS I just finished a run of My Fair Lady with Masquerade Theater. The show went really well and received great reviews, but I'm even happier we are done because I now have time to relax! No more 18 hour days!
I will be blogging more about technique in the future, but I am going to take the next few days to sit back and relax. DWS Singers are very lucky relative to instrumentalists. As singers, our instrument is free, and it rarely requires training to produce some musical pitches. Have you ever heard a little kid try to learn the violin or tuba??
The fact that our instrument is inherent to our bodies creates a problem. We tend to take for granted that our instrument will always be there. However, recent news of talented singers such as Adele canceling concerts to have surgery should be a wake-up call. The reality is that singers rely on two small, easily injured vocal folds to create a beautiful sound. It is our responsibility to take care of ourselves. While physical fitness, eating, and exercising are very important, the single most important thing a singer can do to take care of their instrument is to warmup. Every singer, before a lesson, concert, or rehearsal, should give themselves 10-15 minutes to gradually warm the voice for a long exertion (singing is tough work!). The larynx, lungs, diaphragm, and other parts related to singing are just like our muscles in sports; they need to be stretched and warm to prevent injury down the road. As a voice teacher, I give my students tailored warmups specific to their vocal needs so that vocal injury will not happen. DWS One of my favorite professors, Buck Ross at the University of Houston, had a favorite saying: If you like something an actor/actress does, STEAL IT!
What he meant is that the only way to develop a unique acting style is to first copy the masters; understand what worked for them and WHY. The same principle applies to singing: listen to your favorite singers, and understand what precisely makes them interesting to listen to. The reality of the entertainment business is that there are PLENTY of good singers, but the ones who catch our attention are the singers with a unique way of communicating through music. As a singer, it is not enough to simply become a technician. You have to develop your own style of musicianship, and the first step is to not reinvent the wheel. Listen to the greats: Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Beyonce, Judy Garland etc...and figure out what makes them an effective stylist. Then steal! DWS I will be posting Region Results soon, once I hear from all my singers. However, I want to give a special congratulations to three Alto II singers, who got 4th Chair, 3rd Chair, and 1st Chair, respectively! Way to go Andrea O, Michelle V, and Maddie B!
I am incredibly lucky to have such talented, hard-working singers at my high schools. It is always a wonderful feeling to know your students are succeeding outside of the studio. DWS |
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