In the last blog, I presented the first definition of “resolve.” When used as a noun, its definition includes, “firmness of purpose or intent; determination” (Dictionary.com). Knowing that practice routines can be hard to consistently stick to, it can help to consciously commit to our resolve and simply decide to do it.
The second meaning of resolve is also an important step in effective practice. When used as a verb, resolve means “to come to a determination; make up one’s mind . . . to resolve on a plan of action” (Dictionary.com). This gets to the specifics of what you decide you want to work on, what goals you hope to achieve, and what tactics and strategies you will use to reach those goals. So, once you have found your resolve (determination), you should resolve on a plan of action.
The first step is to decide what you want to accomplish. Think back to the goals you articulated in the last blog. Once you’ve identified a specific skill you want to work toward, you need exercises that are designed to target that skill. We all know that this is how physical strength is built. If you want to develop core strength, you have to do exercises that target that area. If you want to build your biceps, squats aren’t going to do that directly. But, when it comes to vocal practice, we often just default to whatever exercises come to mind or whatever ones we’re most familiar with.
If you’re not sure what exercises to use to work toward your goals, your teachers can help. In the book The Vocal Athlete: Application and Technique for the Hybrid Singer, authors and voice pedagogues Marci Rosenberg and Wendy D. LeBorgne state, “A vocal exercise is only effective if the teacher has firmly established the intent and purpose of that exercise for a given student’s vocal needs/development/growth.” And the more specific your goal is, the more likely we are to come up with targeted exercises for that goal.
That being said, don’t discount your own intuition. Often, it’s not the particular pattern of notes that make an exercise well-suited for a certain purpose. Rather, it’s the intention you bring to performing the exercise. When you are clear as to what you are working on, a variety of exercises can help you improve in that area. So don’t be afraid to experiment on your own and see what may come of it. Even if it doesn’t lead to the success you’re hoping for, it will continue to inform you about your own voice and how it works.
The opposite of resolve (choosing specific exercises to build specific skills) is mindless vocalizing. Maybe that means singing through a list of “warm-ups” without a clear idea of what each exercise might be intended to accomplish. Or maybe it’s running through your songs from start to finish without any particular game plan in mind. Voice professor Lynn Helding calls this “roadkill practice” (“I ran over my music.”). As I’ve mentioned, this can help reinforce certain habits, but it is not a way to build skill or explore new creative options.
Consider starting each practice session this week with a particular goal. Work on that for 5 to 10 minutes. Switch to a different goal and work on that. If you need ideas for what exercises might facilitate this work, I’m here to help.
Find your resolve. Then resolve on a plan.
Now go practice.
I really appreciated this blog, Brian! In all honesty, I’ve been so focused on what rep to do for Senior Showcase that the idea of expanding specific vocal skills has been on the back burner. That being said, most of my rep are things that I have done before so that means there should be more time for me to focus on new rep that allows me to work on vocal goals. For example, I’m hoping to work more on a pop/rock growl so now I am encourage to look for rep that includes that!
ReplyDeleteAlexa Shaheen
I think I need to work on my resolve. The first two weeks of class I didn't practice every day. For the past couple of days I've set up alerts on my phone to remind me to practice which has helped a lot. I also think that picking a specific goal for each practice will be very helpful to my personal improvement throughout this semester. I often find myself thinking of new goals, and new things I want to work on. But if throughout this semester I pick a handful of goals, like, for example, my goal to figure out where my voice personally resonates in my head/chest when I am singing, then I can work specifically on each about twice a week. And while I do this the continued practice will still help me grow and discover my voice.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this blog and thinking about class this week, I’ve realized that my goals are not specific at all. I read my response from the previous blog and I really do think I could be way more specific. This weekend, I am going to prioritize goal setting and really sitting down to write them into reality. I think I am intimidated by goals, and that makes me push them away, but I feel very inspired now to have some. When asked about specific things I do get nervous and lose all of my thoughts, so again I need to sit down with myself to think about it. Yesterday after my vocal pedagogy class, I went to practice and for one of the first times felt I was more intent with my practice, and it gave me motivation to strive to improve. It felt pretty good I would have to say. My next lesson, I want to focus on writing down what specific vocal exercises are used for, jotting down what I think it is first and then clarifying with my voice teacher. This way I’ll be able to pin point certain exercises and utilize my practice in a way that is, again more specific. I am feeling pretty excited about practice this upcoming school year and hope that this drive will carry through.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to work on my resolve. Whenever I've been practicing, I haven't necessarily been thinking about which parts of my vocal chords I'm working on or how it could help me with the song we have been trying to learn. After reading this blog, my next goal is to work on warm-ups that will help me reach the higher notes for the song. I also think I should set goals that are smaller and more accessible for the future. That way, I can accomplish them and then set new goals and still feel like I am improving.
ReplyDeleteI have a tendency to overthink anything before I put it into motion and this also applies to my singing practices. When I set goals I usually create a smaller set of "sub-goals" that will help me stay on track and therefore keep me on the right path towards success. However, this does create a habit of then hyper-focusing on a single goal and forgetting about the others. You mentioned working on goals in 5-10 minute increments and I think that would be a helpful practice for me to develop for my own resolve. This way, moving forward, I don't dwell on a single goal and neglect others.
ReplyDeleteI think the two different definitions of resolve are very important when it comes to setting goals for one's self. It becomes clear that when it comes to goals, you must be willing to take action -- even when you don't feel like it. This blog will definitely motivate me on those lazy days when I consider skipping my scheduled practice time, reminding me of the goals I set and how, if I want to reach them, I have to have the strength to push through the laziness.
ReplyDeleteI think understanding how different types of practice can lead to better improvement even in one just one session is an often-overlooked aspect. Being able to work towards multiple goals at once can really help you understand how different aspects of the voice work together. It can also help to avoid strain on one part of the voice or technique. Another benefit of switching the types of practice can be to keep your mind engaged. This is a frequent struggle for me to stay engaged when focusing on one technique or something, switching up the type of practice can really help to keep me engaged.
ReplyDeleteI think you are absolutely right Brian! Looking back on what I said within the last blog post, and looking at what goals I set for myself this semester, I have really been making the conscious effort to begin practicing consistently. However, some of the time, I don't really go into it with the mindset of improving what I want to practice, more just jumping in blindly to whatever I need to work next. But recently, and especially after a particularly frustrating riff warm-up we have tried in class, I have revisited quite often to help strengthen that skill. It's not perfect but it's something. Following that point, a lot of preparation has been going into showcase. Reaching higher notes has always been a struggle for me, but revisiting my recording of the lesson in which we fiddle with placement and vowel shape of whatever note I am trying to hit, I went into practicing with the resolve to not only find a way to consistently hit those notes, but also utilize those tools in order to help when I encounter a similar area in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think I definitely need to work on my resolve. I have had trouble finding motivation to stick to my practice schedule, and honestly have not practiced that much. I think reading this blog has helped me in finding specific goals that will help me keep to my practice schedule, or just try and practice at least once a week. Finding those goals will definitely keep me motivated and help me not overthink too much to the point that I get too overwhelmed to practice.
ReplyDeleteThere are many times in the past that I have told myself that I want to practice my singing in my spare time, but I rarely find myself with the resolve to do so consistently. However, this semester that’s been different and I think there are three reasons why, one is having more specific goals and intention behind the practice, this has really helped me from feeling lost and then losing motivation to even start. Second, honestly it being an actual assignment for a class helps me, although this is less flashy what works, works. Lastly, and I think arguably most importantly, I’ve simply been having fun while doing it. I’m actively getting to remember that I really enjoy singing even if I’m not the best at it, when we feel like we need to do things it can be hard to remember that we are here because we want to be and enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely guilty of "road kill practice." Reading this blog really made me realize that and made me aware of my need to think deeper about what I am really practicing. I also have not been perfect in my consistency, and even when I do practice I haven't been setting specific goals. I have my overall goals of wanting to sing with more ease and such, and I try to do that while running through my songs but I really want to learn more specific technical exercises to help me practice this rather than just singing through with the goal in mind. Need to find my resolve (noun, and verb) and really incorporate it into my practices starting this week. I'm excited to see how it goes!
ReplyDeleteI am feeling pretty called out by the whole “Roadkill Practice” thing. My practice time usually involves my warm-ups and then I shuffle the playlist that has my book songs on it. While I have been working towards my goals during my practice time, I have a really hard time giving my full attention to one thing at a time. I've found it difficult to be present lately, mostly due to some crazy life stuff going on. I need to find my own resolve for practice and use it as a way to channel some of this stuff rather than a distraction from it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this follow-up— it made me think about last week’s goals in a more concrete way. I definitely catch myself doing “roadkill practice” sometimes, just running through songs or warm-ups without really thinking about what I’m working on. This week, I want to pick exercises that actually help me build the rock sound I mentioned last time. I’m going to experiment with some new warm-ups for chest voice and edge, and really focus on the intention behind them. It feels empowering to know that even if it’s messy at first, just being intentional will help me grow drastically!
ReplyDeleteHailey A. Petersen
It is a great reminder to think of my resolve when practicing. Often times when I am practicing, I just sing through songs. It definetly would be beneficial for me to spend more time practicing techniques and building blocks for my voice. The other thing I should work on is warming up. I'll admit that I speed through warmups more often than I should. This week I am committing to warming up for at least 10 minutes before I sing as well as spending a chunk of my practice honing in my breathe and technique work. I also think I need to spend more time deciding what each song is doing for me. Is this a song that is stretching my range, character work, breath etc. I think it is great that I am being aware of my own resolve and I know it will be deeply beneficial down the line.
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking to a source with exercises that target specific goals. I think that’ll help a lot with picking a goal and knowing what to do. I feel like I have been pretty vague on my side, so finding a good goal would help me a lot. I wanna say something like “improving my breath control” or “improving how long I can hold my breath” but I don’t know if those are really specific enough to work. When I practice I tend to just do whatever exercises I’ve learned without much thought as to arrangement or purpose so I got a good amount out of this blog post.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to my comment on my first resolve comment, this type of information really puts it well together in my mind. Having that determination is good but how best to achieve that determination in the first place? This is a tough spot for me to work upon but I'm glad that we can work on it together. In your blog, I do exactly what you say when I "run over my music". Yes, it's a good drill to warm-up the vocal cords but it isn't necessarily a new skill. Anybody can sing along to their favorite music. What I propose that I will do to combat this and learn new skills is to open my mind to more essential questions like "How does my chest voice sound compared to my head voice? Can I tweak one or both of them to get the pitch that I need to sing a musical bar? What happens to my breath when I switch, in song, from different tones of voice? etc. Being curious and trying new things will not only stretch my mind but also my vocal capability. I'm very excited to see how far I can really go with solving these questions.
ReplyDeleteI like the reiteration of roadkill practice and how harmful it can be developmentally. I think being more intentional about specific targeted warmups is going to be the way to go for me this semester! Recently I have specifically been liking working on the Ay's and Ah's up and then down the scale in fifths while singing in the somewhat "twangy" place while not bringing too much of a nasal quality to the sound. That has proven to be a challenge for me and I love that those exercises are specifically targeted at that! those are the types of exercises I'm specifically interested in because I definitely think that when it comes to warmups I'm guilty on occasion of just singing through whatever warmup comes to mind without a specific idea of what it's really doing for me. I'm trying to target ALL of my warm ups throughout this semester using this method
ReplyDeleteAlec
For the last few weeks I have been exceedingly proud of myself for remembering and finding the will to do singing practice every day. That being said, the way that I convince myself to practice is by doing 10 minutes of warm-ups, running through “Always” once, and then spending the last 10 minutes singing something that’s fun for me. While this has made practicing something that I am doing often, it’s not really allowing me to get any better or even have any consistency with the practice that I do. I am almost never thinking about where the vibrations are or how my breathing is working. I think a goal that I’m going to have is to find a song that is both fun for me and challenging in a way that allows me to learn while I’m practicing.
ReplyDeleteScout
I find it very interesting that the steps you outline for making a plan for practice and forming your resolve is also very similar to the prep work we do for acting. Figuring out what a character wants, what they’re trying to accomplish, how they want to change the other person or situation, and what tactics they’re going to use. You’ve just put that into perspective for me that that is how we as real humans work, we just often don’t sit down and identify each step and impulse before doing, but all of the answers to those questions are inherently there. I also like how you address that as students we often don’t trust our intuition when practicing towards a certain goal and creating exercises. Often in the practice room, if I get stuck after just trying again over and over to complete one skill that isn’t clicking, I go “oh well I’ll just ask Brian.” I feel scared of trying to form my own solutions to the problem because I don’t feel qualified. I think there must be a magic trick that my teacher has up their sleeve and I should just wait until I get the wisdom imparted upon me. Really good food for thought, thank you Brian!
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