Meredith Colby's Blog, page 8

COUNTDOWN TO WORLD VOICE DAY

Day 26: MAKE YOUR POSTURE WORK FOR YOUMost of us think of our posture as a function of our backs. But most doctors will tell you that a person will reap the benefits of good posture primarily in the neck and head. For singers, not only does good posturelookfabulous, it makes efficient use of the larynx possible, so you sound fabulous as well.People who have poor posture tend to reach out or up with their chins when they talk or sing. This position puts pressure on the larynx. You’re still making sound, you’re just making your voice work much harder. Throwing your shoulders back won’t help, but there is a way to create healthier posture in a way that can become a habit: liftupjust a bit from your sternum.TAKEAWAY:Good posture is worth the effort. Give yourself the chance to get the hang of it.

COUNTDOWN TO WORLD VOICE DAY

DAY 27: LOOK FOR THE EASY FIX FIRSTIf you’re experiencing vocal fatigue, or frequently find yourself hoarse at the end of the day, then your voice is sending you a message. That message is that you have a habit or behavior that is taxing your voice. Continuing that habit or behavior could lead to vocal injury. If you haven’t let it go too long, you can try to solve the problem yourself before going to a doctor.FIRST TARGET THE OBVIOUS:Before anything, be aware of both sleep and hydration. Chronic lack of sleep and chronic dehydration are both really hard on your voice. They’re also very common.TAKEAWAY:If your voice typically feels tired or is hoarse at the end of the day, try drinking at least six glasses of water a day, and sleeping seven or more hours for a few nights in a row, and see what happens! (If that doesn’t fix the problem, a visit to your ENT may be in order.)

COUNTDOWN TO WORLD VOICE DAY

Day 28: If You Can Speak You Can SingSinging is fancy speaking.It’s loud speaking in which one intentionally matches pitch and rhythm. They’re both a form of phonation; that is, blowing air through your vocal folds. In fact, there’s a concept called “speech to song illusion” that says that speech is the God Particle of music – that if you repeat a phrase in exactly the same way for six or more times you’ll realize that you’re singing. In fact, you’re probably singing with more pitch dexterity than is needed in singing Western music with its 12-tone scale. Try it…simply doing that exercise will show you that, while you may not be John Legend, you are really very adept at intentionally matching pitch and rhythm.Nota bene: L.A. voice coach Roger Burnley has a terrific video about starting to use your vocal chords for deliberate pitch that leads to singing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiZxJ... you want to sing you can. Give yourself a chance to get the hang of it, and avail yourself to loving and helpful teachers.

COUNTDOWN TO WORLD VOICE DAY

30 Vocal Tips in 30 DaysDay 29: Singing is Good for You. Really Good For You.In the interest of keeping this short, I’m not going to list my sources. But every claim on the following list is backed by research. You can google them.Singing:…releases endorphins andoxytocin, the Happy Hormones.…in a group helps you bond socially.…changes body chemistry to reduce stress (cortisol) and enhances the immune system (cytokines).…slows heart rate and increases deep breathing.…reduces anxiety and depression.…may delay the onset of age-related cognitive decline.TAKEAWAY:If you’re worried that your voice isn’t good enough to sing, think of it as an exercise class. Or, better yet, join a choir. Your singing will improve and you’ll have a great experience!

30 Tips in 30 Days: Vocal Tip #30

HEALTHY BODY, HEALTHY VOICE:Let’s start on the ground floor.  Your voice is an organ; a valve in your respiratory system.  As such it relies on the systems of your body - your neurological, respiratory, vascular, endocrine, muscular, and skeletal systems - to be healthy and function well. If something is out of whack - or not optimally healthy - with any of the systems in your body, it will affect your vocal health and functioning as well. Like anything else, it can’t function optimally if it’s not optimally healthy.TAKEAWAY:Exercise, proper hydration, meditation, and good nutrition will all have positive effects on the sound and function of your voice.

How to Be a Big Fish

Once upon a time in Paris, there was a group of young men who met often at a favorite café. They were friends and colleagues, and they shared a passion and a frustration. Their passion was painting; they were driven to push the accepted boundaries of the medium. Their frustration was that they were finding it nearly impossible to sell their art.It wasn’t that people weren’t buying art - in 19th century Paris people did that - it was that the art they were buying was from artists whose work had been displayed at Salon. Salon was a 200 year-old annual event at the Académie des Beau-Arts in Paris and was considered the greatest annual art event in the Western World.Every artist wanted their work displayed there. But in order for an artist’s work to be displayed, it had to be selected.The problem for our young maverickswas that theirs was not the sort of art selected to be displayed at Salon. Works displayed there were familiar to people, both in subject and technique. That is not what our boys were doing.Their stuff was new and different. They were small fish in a big pond. The wrong pond.So they bitched and they starved. They longed to be in the big pond. Until the day they decided to create their own pond.They used the studio of a photographer friend to create their own exhibition, and opened it to the public.Some people appreciated their work, some laughed or criticized.But they got attention, they sold paintings, and were encouraged to exhibit seven more times.The names of some of those small fish who created their own pond – one in which they could be the fish they knew they could be – were Monet, Renoir, Pissaro, Cézanne, and Degas. Today, the paintings from that first exhibit in 1874 are valued at over a billion dollars.From time to time I’ve suggested to talented students and friends that they start their own youtube channel. Typically, they laugh or brush that aside. I’m not at all attached to youtube;  the core of my message to them is this:Dig your own pond.If you’re not being recognized, or having success, in the thing you’re pursuing, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should give up. Maybe first you should look at the pond you’re in, and the fish with whom you’re swimming, and decide if that’s really where you want to be.Perhaps it’s just where you think you should be. Or simply where you ended up.You may not be thrilled, or even confident, about moving to a smaller pond. But you may find that you like being a bigger fish.Acknowledgement: Malcolm Gladwell,David and Goliath

Reasons To Christmas Carol: How Sharing Song Makes the World a Better Place

In Christmas seasons pastI’ve taken groups of singers to assisted living centers to wander the halls in Santa hats singing Christmas songs to the residents. This year I enlisted the power of social media in hopes of generating bigger groups. (Seriously. When I invited people via email there was an event to which two people came. We wereThe Three Lonely Carolers.)Before creating the invitation to post,I googled “reasons to Christmas carol”and “reasons to sing at Christmas.” Nothing.I was looking because, being self-employed and always behind the 8-ball, I was aware of the reasonsnotto go Christmas caroling at an assisted living center.I’m busy.I have so much to do before fill-in-the-blank.I don’t know those people.Everyone wants something this time of year; I’m overwhelmed.I really don’t have time.Nobody will miss me if I’m not there. Other people can do it.I have so many tasks to fit into my weekends.I’m busy. Just really so busy.It’s a long and compelling list which weighs heavily against the list of reasonstogo caroling.It’s a nice thing to do.It’ll probably be fun.It’s a reason to don you now your gay apparel.That being the case, I concluded that giving people reasons to join me would probably backfire; thatI’d have to commit to the activity and step out on faith.Two Sundays, two different care centers, two Facebook invitations (along with a few emails and phone calls) and notarized promissory notes from my husband and daughter in caseThe Three Lonely Carolersended up staging a reunion tour.I had invited singers, though; people who have had the experience of seeing their gift of song reflected in the eyes of the listener.They had seen singing give wings to words, letting the meanings soar past the mind, with all of its attendant resistance, and land squarely in the soul. They knew that a song is an experience shared by both the singer and the listener.That was the reason they came. Over 30 people at each event. The experience was eloquently put into words by Susie Wexler, one of the newly foundedLarge Group of Joyous Carolers:...caroling was an excuse to bring humanity, companionship and relevance to those who may have felt forgotten during the holiday season.Sometimes we get so busy maintaining our own lives that we forget the big truths. In giving to others, we recalibrate our own existence to bring meaning and faith to our actions.Reason enough.

My Kid Can't Sing: What to Do With a Child Who Can't Sing But Does Anyway

Once again, I’m inspired to write by a piece I saw on a morning show while I was working out. This time is was Good Morning America. The charming panel shared an article wherein the author questioned whether she should enlighten her nine-year-old daughter vis-a-vis the child’s lack of singing talent.Obviously, I’m not in a position to offer universal parenting advice. But I do feel qualified to address this particular issue.So…no. The answer is “no.”You should not ever, ever, squash a child who is in the process of creating joy for herself. Just because you may have forgotten how to create joy for yourself doesn’t give you the right to steal that from someone else. Even your own kid. Instead, you should probably watch and learn. That singing child isn’t judging herself, as you are, she’s enjoying herself.There’s a current theory in anthropology which posits that human speech came out of singing, not the other way around as had been previously believed. If that’s so, then singing is a very old, and very natural, inclination; one from which we could all benefit by indulging. It’s an enjoyable, stress-reducing activity that requires nothing in terms of time, place, participants, or equipment. It feels good, helps you focus, burns cortisol, and increases your ability to memorize things.But there’s that judgement piece. What I’d say to the author of that article, given the chance, is that, while it may feel noble to want to protect one’s offspring from the hardship of broken dreams, it’s not really her job.1.  She’s not qualified. What sounds bad to her might sound perfectly normal to a voice teacher or music educator. Her kid isnine, for pete’s sake!2.  Think it through! It’s illogical to want to protect someone’s feelings by hurting their feelings.3.  If you’ve been a parent for nine years, you know by now that kids try and reject interests at a head-spinning rate. A kid who wants to be a famous singer today will be equally adamant about a future career training dolphins tomorrow.Bottom line for the kid, the mom, and anyone else who likes to sing: unless you’re actually seeking a career as a professional singer, it really doesn’t behoove you to hold yourself up to the standards of professional singers. Enjoy yourself! Just sing!

SCREAM! When to Scream, How to Scream, Screaming Recovery

In salute to Halloween, I’ve decided a post about screaming is in order.Screaming can trash your voice, but doesn’t have to. Your voice can be in a condition to tolerate some screaming (or not) and you can use your voice in a way that makes screaming less taxing (or not). You can also use “alternative screams.”Just to be clear, I’m talking here about screaming, as in “screaming and yelling.” Sports event, haunted house, mosh pit kind of screaming. I’m not talking about shrieking, which would be an isolated incident upon the discovery that one is being pursued by a zombie.ALSO not talking about singing-screaming. Singing-screaming is both another subject, and something about which you should visit Melissa Cross (www.MelissaCross.com). She’s the creator of the DVD The Zen of Screaming; a must-have for any metal singer.Alternative ScreamsAssuming you can plan your screaming, try a high, loud“woo-hoo”instead. It’s suitable raucous and doesn’t sound at all weird in the context of any screaming-appropriate situation. This is my personal fave. It works really well.Whistling is even better. Not whistle-while-you-work whistling, but fingers-in-the-mouth whistling. The loud kind. If you really want to save your voice, this is your best noise-making option. If you don’t know how, you can learn from helpful people on Youtube.When To PassTypical screaming is really hard on the vocal folds. If your voice is already compromised and you find yourself indulging in a night of screaming, you’re asking for trouble. If you have any of these things going on:laryngitis (or recent laryngitis)lack of sleepdehydrationcoughing (or recent coughing)overused voice (you’re a teacher, sports coach, or interpreter)…you should either avoid the situation altogether or duct tape your mouth shut. Vocal folds that are already compromised can be damaged in a more substantial way if they’re abused by screaming and yelling.If You Feel You MustIf you won’t do the “woo-hoo” thing, or, you can’t resist the need to coach professional athletes from the 26th row, then plan on a little penance the next day. Silence is ideal; it’s the only way to truly rest the vocal folds. If you can’t be silent, then limit your speech, speak quietly and at a low pitch, and drink a lot of fluids. (Don’t whisper; that’s hard on your voice.)Old YellerIf you’re a person who yells a lot you already know that you’re being unfairly hard on your voice. Some people have jobs that require yelling (e.g. sports coaches or nightclub bartenders). If you’re one of those people and you want to maintain a reasonably healthy voice, you’ll have to put in a little maintenance. Melissa Cross’s DVD’s would help, as would a few private voice lessons.All that said, though, it is Halloween, and if you do find yourself pursued by a zombie, you should definitely scream. They hate that.Meredith Colby is the author ofMoney Notes: How to Sing High, Loud, Healthy, and Forever. Available on this site and at Amazon.com

Fabulous On-stage, Shy Off-stage: Help for the Prepossessing Wallflower.

WednesdayI watched the Today Show while I worked out. I heard Tamron Hall - the smart, talented, and beautiful co-host - talk about how awkward she feels at parties. She’s shy.She dreads the small-talk that parties and other social events require.It seems counter-intuitive, but that’s actually a common issue for many people who make their living being the focal point of attention; on-air personalities, teachers, actors, and singers, for instance. These people are fine on stage, or in front of a classroom, microphone, or camera but, put in a situation where they have to interact spontaneously in a large group, they lose their footing. (If I’m talking about you, keep reading.)There are a couple of reasons for this.The first reason has to do with roles. People who make their living as a focal point for attention are doing a job.  They’re presenting something they know - a song, a script, a schtick - for a certain amount of time, and to people who are observing their own roles.The boundary between the two is the edge of the stage, or camera lens, or a row of desks.People adhere to their roles whether on a movie set, a concert stage, or in a nightclub.When Tamron Hall is a guest at a party, she probably views it as a social free-for-all. (There are probably a lot of singers an voice teachers who can relate to her.) Nobody has a role, there are no teleprompters or sets, and people are everywhere.For someone who’s comfortable with roles and boundaries, parties seem like mayhem.But there’s nothing you can do about that; it’s the nature of the beast.The other reason Tamron Hall doesn’t - and possibly you don’t - like parties is because of fear. The person who is shy fears mistakes or social gaffs. She’s afraid she won’t know what to talk about, or will say something stupid. Her fear is all about her, and about being unsure of expectations, and about thinking other people care far more than they do.If you’re like Tamron I’m not going to try to talk you out of your fears. First of all, that would take therapy, not a blog post. Second, there’s nothing wrong with being that way. That’s how you are.I would, however, like to offer you a suggestion that might help you if you have crowd anxiety. I want to give you a cheap, but reliable, trick that you can use when you find yourself suffering from the expectation to socialize:Ask questions.That’s it. Two words, easy as pie, works every time. Everybody’s favorite topic is themselves. So interview everyone you talk to. Ask questions, listen actively, ask more questions, maybe share an experience or thought that’s relevant to what the other person is sharing, and then listen some more.I promise you this works.I use it all the time. It’s very seldom that somebody I’m talking with turns the conversation around to talk about me. So seldom as to be almost never. And since they’re doing all the talking I don’t have to come up with something to say. I’m good with that. You would be too, right?