Archive for March, 2009

April Newsletter from Sing Your Life!!

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

Hello to all of you singers who have made the transition from the emailed newsletter to this web-based format!
 

I hope you have arrived here safely!!
 

Be sure to bookmark this page as it’s the official address of the newsletter, so you can return here on the first of every month to read the latest news and articles from Sing Your Life!
 

Man! It has been an incredible month, singers! Lotsa stuff happening around here! The singers social network is growing daily, and of course we are looking for more singers all the time to add to the fun.
 

I’ve heard from some of you that it appears to be a bit daunting…joining the network…not so much the joining act itself, but the being part of the network. What’s expected? Do you have to post your singing clips for all to hear? Do you have to talk to other singers on a daily basis? What’s its purpose?
 

I’m going to answer all these questions in this newsletter, plus write a short article on over-singing, it causes and cures. But first…
 

I’ve been trying to recall when I became moved or, to use a more spiritual term, “called” to teach, because I am so grateful for the chance to do something for other people that I love so much. Anyway, so I was asking myself WHEN the teaching bug grabbed hold of me, and an amazing thing happened!
 

One day, while looking for places online to find singers who might be seeking a community where they could interact with others like themselves, share their music, and stories with each other, etc., someone suggested I get on Face Book. I always thought of Face Book as the adult version of My Space, but I gave it a try and signed up!!
 

Suddenly, and I mean almost immediately, I was knocked out of the present day and thrust at lightening speed into my past. Within just a very few days of joining Face Book, old friends started comin’ out of the woodwork and knocking on the door of my heart.
 

About 32 years ago, I lived for a brief time in Scottsdale, AZ. Having “escaped� from New York at the height of the Summer, we had planned to go to California, but the car died on a Sunday afternoon in a tiny town outside of the Phoenix-Scottsdale area  called Strawberry. The temperature was 125°. We ended up staying.
 

I got a job at the Dinner Theater of sorts, where every person who worked there, from the busboys and bar-backs to the waiters and waitresses,
and even the hostesses, performed for the crowd.
 

It was a truly magical place that was felt by every customer that entered. The Musical Director was more than brilliant in his understanding of talents and correct song choice. He knew exactly what each singer was capable of and presented each in the very best light. But he was also an extraordinary musician in his own right, and a ring master in the way he would warm the crowd into anticipation for each singer, giving them the confidence to night after night dazzle the audiences.
 

It was my good fortune to stumble into this place one night and get to sing to the remarkable accompaniments of the musical director.
Actually that performance turned out to be my “audition”. He asked me what I wanted to sing. I answered, “You Made Me Love You”. “Would you happen to know the KEY you sing that in?”. He asked. “Sure! It’s in G!” As I sang that old Judy Garland gem, my next 3 1/2 years were carved in stone. I became part of a “family” of 34, all with egos the size of Montana, and hearts the size of Texas. J
 And around March 15th of this year, all these beautiful people came popping one by one back into my life!
 

So I’d been searching my memory for when I decided that I would make a good voice teacher, using my own experiences with my mentor from the University of Illinois, who literally gave me back my voice after I totally lost it at 24, and here was the answer, among all these crazy, fabulous people from Jed Nolan’s Music Hall.
 

It was during those 3 1/2 years that I started teaching singers my mentor’s method of vocal strength and maintaining one’s voice over time.

It’s become my specialty you might say. And for me, there’s nothing that quite satisfies like seeing the face of a mature singer who once believed his or her voice was completely gone and would never return, and then hearing and feeling her voice come out of her body as it once did, years earlier.
 Gotta tell ya’…I love what I do!
 

I guess it’s one of the reasons I started my Singers Social Network on Ning, and why I invite you to become a part of it!  Here’s the link: http://www.singyourlife.ning.com.
 

A Social Network could have a few uneasy ramifications for some, so let me clarify what we do over on my Singers Community site.
 

  • We meet each other…or not.
  • We put up our recorded song clips…or not.
  • We participate in workshops and seminars on singing…or not.
  • We enter contests and compete…or not.

Notice the “OR NOT” part!
 

You are not obligated in any way whatsoever to participate in any of the structured activities…it’s very much like being a cruise ship and choosing to just sit in a lounging chair and read a book, rather than play the games the social director has decided would make you enjoy yourself.
 

Yes! I will write to you now and then and encourage you to sing for us, but you certainly don’t have to…at all….EVER!
 

I hope that’s clear…
 

Okay! On to this month’s feature article on Over-singing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Over-singing occurs when we begin to examine ourselves during a performance.

It can happen
 

  • as a result of the microphone levels being too low and not being able to hear ourselves through the sound system,
  • or the crowd isn’t listening to us, or
  • we have some physical problem that we’re concerned about, or
  • we are desperate to make an impression, as in an audition or contest of some sort, or
  • we’re nervous about missing a lyric or hitting a certain note.
  • Any number of external or internal issues are distracting us.

These factors enter our consciousness and we get thrown, which starts us looking inside of ourselves at what is wrong with what we’re doing.
We start putting ourselves under a microscope in our mind to find the cause of our discomfort. This only leads to further distraction.
 So what do we do? Stop LOOKING INSIDE!
 

Let’s get a little scientific about this.
 

You cannot be the specimen in the jar and the scientist at the same time.
 

It’s impossible for the viewer of a specimen under a microscope and the specimen itself to be the same! You see this, right?
 

The time for self-examining is your practice time. When you step up onto a stage or bandstand and take the microphone, you must STOP self-examination and simply sing your song…to the audience, or to whatever picture you’ve place in your mind as the recipient of your performance.
 

That’s it…pure and simple.
 

Now, is there a way for you to know when you’re over-singing? Sure is.
 

  • Are you getting more tired as you sing?
  • Is your throat closing up?
  • Do you run out of air easily?
  • These are certain clues that you are probably over-singing.

And by the way, what I mean by over-singing, for those of you who are not familiar with the term, is singing that is forced and uncomfortable, and not just for you, but your listeners as well.
 

The more you try too hard to overcome your fatigue, the more uncomfortable you become, and the more fidgety your audience gets too.
 

The cure for over-singing is not self-exploration during a performance, but more serious and deliberate practicing to raise your comfort level when you DO perform.
 

When you act as your own coach with objectivity, you are able to hear the entire performance including the flaws, and correct them for a better outcome.
 

But try not to subjectively criticize yourself, even during practice because once you are hearing ONLY the flaws, rather than any of what is good about your performance, you may easily sink into frustration and even depression.
 

There’s an enormous difference between self-evaluation and self-criticism, and how to practice constructively.
 

Critical points to know BEFORE any performance:

  1.       Know your words,
  2.       know your notes,
  3.       choose the right songs for you, in the correct keys for you,
  4.       ALWAYS DO A SOUND CHECK,
  5.       and feel a connection to what you’re doing up there.
     

     My new motto: Don’t IMPRESS - EX-PRESS!
 

Feel free to comment on this blog or any other blog. And to be in connected to conversations like these on a regular basis, please come and join my Singers Social Network!!
 

“til next time, Singers!
 

Chrys
 

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Posted in Attitude, Performing, Motivation & Inspiration | No Comments »

Song Choice and Performance Attitude

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

Hi Singers!

Can you believe it’s almost Spring time again? I think time is moving faster and faster the older I get. Maybe that’s why I feel so determined to accomplish the dreams that burn in my heart non-stop, 24-7. And those dreams include you, dear singers! I continue to motivate you to share your talent with others, in whatever capacity you care to because I really believe it creates and expands our life…and does not tear it down.
 

When you think about it, lots of what we do day to day is about tearing down, doncha think? Oh, not in a malicious way, no! But without meaning to, we pollute, we waste, we hate, we fight…and in so doing, the whole world gets sick. Sharing our God-given gifts with each other, with strangers, with anyone really…this heals and lifts up! This is my purpose on earth, and when you know your purpose, people, well, there’s isn’t anything you can do but follow it.
 

To that end, we have expanded our Sing Your Life website to include a social network of singers worldwide to display their talents and hone their skills.


Have YOU joined us yet??? 

The site is growing and we have some big plans, including “live� seminars and workshops, contests, and more. I will continue to encourage you to network with other singers because merely by writing to each other on the site, you are sharing your energy, and making real connections. Okay! Enough of that! For today at least, no more coaxing…
On to this month’s article…
 

SONG CHOICE 

When you do what you love, work, though sometimes a bit tedious, isn’t really working as most people would describe it. With years of freeway grid lock behind me, I create my own schedule and do my best to stick to it. And I love every minute!
 When I’m not with my local students, teaching, recording their demos, finding music that suits them, or working on my websites, I take breaks and watch the Tennis Channel, and for the next few weeks, “American Idol�.
  I get much inspiration for these articles from the judges and coaches I hear in these programs, and can always find a parallel for you singers.
 For example, the other night on “Idol�, Simon remarked that most of the contestants had chosen the wrong song, and when one of the singers was asked for a comment on Simon’s remark,  the singer answered, “Well I respect him, but I disagree. I LOVE THAT SONG!�
 I often get that same response from my own students, and I want to give a rebuttal on the subject!Â
 If you LOVE THAT SONG….great! Love it! Put it on your I-pod, and play it all day in your ears, but if it’s not the right song for you, your personality, your essence as an artist, for Pete’s sake, DON’T SING IT!!  

You will love a million songs in your life, but they will not always be songs that are right for you to be singing, do you get this?
  I fall in love with songs on a regular basis. Last year one of my locals sang a song in our recital that I simply adored, and the way she sang it was so gorgeous I wanted to record it myself.  The song was “Was That My Life� by Jo Dee Messina.
 

Well, I loaded the backing track into my recording software and started singing it.
I got 4 measures into the song and realized that this song, though beautiful, with great lyrics and melody, was NOT for me, and I immediately put it away.
 

We can’t always sing the songs we love. But we MUST always sing the songs that love us!!
 

So how do we know when that’s the case?

  • Does it feel comfortable in your body?
  • Does it flow from you with absolutely NO EFFORT?
  • Do the rhythm and melody match your individual expression, in other words…is this song the reason you want to sing?
  • Does it show you off at your very best? Your range…your style?
  • Does it envelope you; surround you with the joy of singing it?

Okay, I hear you, especially you professionals who have to sing a variety of songs on your gigs.
Me too! I get that when a customer yells out a request, you sing it. Gads! I can’t even count how many times a night I hadda sing, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon� back in the day, but when you’re a pro, you just do it. And on a gig, you’ll sing lots of “throw-away� songs. It’s part of the job.

But I would never have recorded that song, or sung it on an audition! Nothing wrong with this song, it’s fine, and fun, but recordings especially MUST be reflections of your core values because the listener cannot see you and therefore can only receive your essence by the songs you are singing and the love you are pouring into them.
  So, like chocolate cake, you might love a song, but be sure IT LOVES YOU BACK, okay singers? 

PERFORMANCE ATTITUDE 

Watching a tennis tournament recently, I heard the “talking heads� in the booth comment on one player’s lack of aggression on the court, and one of them remarked that this player would probably lose because of this.
  However, the other reporter felt that the player may be feeling a bit insecure, or tired, or nervous about the “moment� and needed to play “into himself�, and that when he was more comfortable, he’d get more aggressive.
Singers, good singers, even great singers are always nervous when they perform. I get butterflies…almost every performer does.
If I were to open with a song that leads into the highest strong note in my range and I’m nervous, this is definitely going to play in my head, distract me and probably cause me to screw up on that note. Whereas, if I chose a comfortable song, a crowd pleaser but one that puts a smile on my face too, my nervousness would wane, and with more confidence, I’d be able to nail that pesky high note in the next song.
 You need to “play into yourself� on stage, singers. Performance time is NOT the right time to experiment or to force yourself out of your comfort zone. Use your practice times for that. When you perform, you must think ONLY of communicating with your listeners, be they a crowd of 10,000, or 10, or one!
 The “ego� will naturally keep pestering you to “SNAP OUT OF IT�, but as long as you sing inside your limits of the moment, they will widen and your confidence will grow with every song you sing.
 

As always, this newsletter will be posted on the SING YOUR LIFE BLOG for your comments and suggestions!
 

‘Til Next time, Singers!
 

Chrys
 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Attitude, Performing, Motivation & Inspiration | 7 Comments »