What are we all afraid of?

A former classmate of mine (who is now a voice professor) was recently discussing the role of fear in singing. In lessons she works to identify “the moment of fear” with her students. In other words, noticing when mental or emotional reluctance results in physical inhibitions that limit freedom in our singing. 

I talk often about how personal singing is. When people criticize our voices it can feel like they are criticizing us, not just our singing. Of course, we are not our voices. But our voices are an important instrument for expressing who we are and I suspect that is where some of our insecurities and fears come in.

So…what are we afraid of? 

Maybe we’re afraid of making an ugly sound. The American Idol culture seems to tell us that singing should only be done by the people who are already good at it. And if you’re not good at it you deserve our ridicule. 

Maybe we’re afraid of being wrong. The current academic climate places a strong emphasis on achievement, grades, and the “right" answer, as opposed to engaging in productive debate or creatively working out various solutions to a problem. How many times have you sat confused in class because you didn’t want to ask a question that might make you look stupid?

Maybe we’re just afraid of making a sound that isn’t “me.” Since our sound is how we express ourselves, we may be resistant to making a sound that doesn’t (literally) resonate with who we are or who we believe ourselves to be.

Of course, singing and practicing our singing should be about exploring our options and discovering new and (eventually) better sounds. In the same way, education is about expanding the mind to include concepts not yet considered. And growing up is about finding who you are and building a life around your own values and priorities. Fear can be an obstacle in each of these areas and can keep us locked to the familiar. 

Whether in lessons (What will he think?), in performances (Will they think I’m terrible?), or in practice sessions (Who is listening on the other side of the door?), it can be a good idea to identify the fears lurking beneath the surface so we can move beyond the restrictions and limitations they may be subconsciously encouraging.

So…what are you afraid of?

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."  --Rosa Parks

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it."  --Salvador Dali

Now go practice.

To your health

Due to the environment in which we work, almost no one stays healthy for an entire semester. The onslaught of cold and flu season is exacerbated by the stressful academic schedule we maintain and the seemingly constant exposure to sick classmates and co-workers. This can be further compounded by the lifestyle many college students choose that is not always conducive to optimal health.

One of the best ways to avoid getting sick, of course, is to constantly work toward overall good health. (Consult a doctor for the best advise. A real doctor, I mean.)

-Maintain a balanced diet
-Exercise regularly
-Make a full night’s sleep a priority
-Drink plenty of water
-De-stress your life (to the degree that you can)
-Wash your hands often

But, when you do get sick, as we all eventually do, there are some additional things we can do to minimize the impact on our voices.

-Make sleep an even bigger priority (this is one of the best ways to allow your body to heal itself)
-Continue drinking a lot of water and making healthy food choices
-Prioritize your voice use when sick. Don’t oversing or speak too much if your voice is weakened due to illness.
-Try to keep all coughing to a minimum. Knowing how hard that is on the voice, the less coughing you can do, the quicker the vocal recovery.
-Know the side effects of the medications you may be taking. Most decongestants, for instance, dry out the voice. This doesn’t mean you can’t take them but it should mean you minimize your voice use and increase water intake while using these medications. You can go to ncvs.org and click the “check your meds” logo to see the impact that all kinds of medications may have on the voice.

AND if you are sick please do all you can to keep your germs from spreading to others.

-Keep tissues on hand
-Cough and sneeze into a tissue or at least into your sleeve
-Wash your hands often
-Know when to just stay home

According to Dr. Wendy LeBorgne’s chapter “Vocal Health and the Music Theater Vocal Athlete” in “So You Want to Sing Music Theater: A Guide for Professionals,” a 2013 study supports use of a neti pot to clear sinuses or for allergy relief. She also says that gargling water or salt water (without too much salt) can help in treating or preventing upper respiratory infections.

Many people find tea with honey to be soothing to a sore throat. Or course, this will not (or should not) reach the vocal folds but it can make the tissue of the mouth and throat feel nice. Just make sure that it is herbal tea since caffeinated tea (any caffeinated beverage, really) will have a drying effect on the voice.

No one can avoid illness completely. Unfortunately, the time we are busiest and the most stressed out (tech week, juries, finals) we tend to have compromised immune systems and are more susceptible to getting sick. In that case, take care of yourself even more and be protective of your voice. Any way that you can minimize harm to your voice while sick will hopefully result in being back to full vocal strength even sooner.

Buena salud. To your health.

Now go practice.