Eyes on the horizon

EDIT: A revised version of this post was printed in the NATS Inter Nos Newsletter in the 2018 - Fall Issue. Visit the Inter Nos website to access the issue.

Usually when I’m out in my kayak I find aquatic-themed song snippets pop into my head. “The River” by Garth Brooks comes up a lot. So does “Come Sail Away” by Styx.

One day this summer, though, I starting singing a one-line excerpt from IN THE HEIGHTS: “…with my eyes on the horizon.” Naturally, as I sang I found myself lifting my focus up from the water and gazing further into the distance toward the shore.

I gradually came to recognize parallels between kayaking across a lake and the process of setting goals for a new semester.

First, get into a rhythm. Steady progress in a kayak occurs when each stroke of the paddle is smooth and efficient. Establishing a regular rhythm, devoid of erratic motions, will consistently propel the boat forward. But if I get distracted and lose my focus, my paddling gets sloppy, and I stop making progress.

Look up frequently to see what is in the not-too-distant future. Once I have set a routine and a rhythm, I have to remind myself to look up and see what’s ahead. Maybe there is a log or an outcropping of rocks coming up that I’ll need to maneuver around. If I catch these obstacles when they are still a ways off, I can make subtle adjustments to get around them. If I don’t look up often enough, I sometimes have to take evasive action to avoid an obstacle that I otherwise could have avoided.

Every so often, look toward the shoreline to make sure you’re headed in the right overall direction. It doesn’t take much to get off track. When my head is down and all I'm focusing on is the water immediately in front of me, I don't always notice if I start heading somewhere other than where I intended. Again, the sooner I catch this change of course, the easier it is to make slight adjustments to get pointed in the right direction again.

Periodically, look back and appreciate how far you’ve come. A few times I’ve been paddling hard for what felt like a long time only to look up and find the far shoreline seemingly just as far away as it was when I had started out. It was only when I looked back over my shoulder to where I launched the kayak that I realized just how much distance I had actually covered. I had been too focused on the far-off destination to realize that I was, in fact, making significant progress.

Enjoy the ride. Even though kayaking is recreation, it can be a lot of work. Inevitably, some days are more enjoyable than others. Regardless, every time I get out on the water I’m struck by how lucky I am to be there, in nature, doing something I love.

Now that we are starting a new semester, what are your vocal goals for your daily routine? What are your short-term goals for the not-too-distant future? What are your long-term goals?

And how can you remind yourself to check in periodically to appreciate your progress and to make sure you are still enjoying the process?

Let’s have a great year.

Now go practice.

Sing your story

I recently finished the most recent book of the “So You Want to Sing” series sponsored by the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) called So You Want to Sing Gospel: A Guide for Performers by Trineice Robinson-Martin.

Throughout the book—alongside information regarding vocal technique, stylistic considerations, and breaking down the subgenres that fall under the broad category of “gospel”—Dr. Robinson-Martin emphasizes the notion that gospel singing should ultimately be approached as a ministry rather than a performance. As such, authenticity in expression is paramount. She writes:

“When picking songs, it is important to acknowledge and sing your own story. You should start with the topics you can best articulate so that when singing a song, you can sing your own words from a personal place rather than the words of someone else. Stop and take time to understand the message of the song. Some singers will default to simply imitating verbatim what the singer on a recording does with the song, hoping to evoke the same response from the listener. As a result, his or her performance is merely an imitation of stylistic expression and serves primarily as entertainment rather than true ministry. Everyone has a story, and each person’s story is unique and worthy of telling.” [p.163]

Of course, oftentimes in lessons we choose songs because of the specific technical elements involved so they can be used as vehicles for vocal growth. And sometimes we choose songs with characters whose personal journeys are quite different from our own.

But the idea of developing your own authentically personal performance within the provided text, notes, and rhythms is a crucial part of our process as music theatre singers.

The last blog was concerned with honoring your own sound and singing with the voice you have. The next step is honoring your own story and unapologetically bringing that part of who you are to your performances. Again, in one or two or five years, you will have a greater wealth of personal experiences from which to draw as singing actors. But you’re not there yet, so draw from who you are now. You are not some barely-no-longer-teenager neophytes waiting to arrive in the real world so you can have real experiences. You are all adults with significant backgrounds, experiences, joys, tragedies, triumphs, and failures that have formed who you are. That is what you bring to your art.

Be a person. Honor your own story and listen intently and empathetically to the stories of others. Then sing about it.

Thank you for a wonderful school year; I’m so proud of the work you all have done. Enjoy telling your stories in juries and your class finals.

Now go practice. And have a wonderful summer.

Sing as you can

When I was growing up, at any given time there was a stack of books—7 or 8 high—next to my dad’s reading chair. Rather than finishing one book and moving on to a new one, he would have a constant rotation and each night would read the book that interested him the most at the time. 

I have inherited that same trait. Right now my stack includes two books on singing, two magazines, a novel, a book about the 2004 Cubs, and two books on spirituality. 

I’m always fascinated by books on religion and spirituality and the philosophies they espouse, not only for the guidance they bring to my own life but as a window into what guides others in their lives. I’ve collected a lot of these books over time and on our shelves at home you can find the Tao Te Ching next to the Koran next to the Book of Mormon next to The Gospel According to The Simpsons, all of which have provided insights in their own way. 

Another reason I like to read books about spirituality is for all of the applications I find between spiritual practice and the act and art of singing. One of the quotes I came across earlier this semester that has stuck with me was from the author and Roman Catholic priest Dom John Chapman, OSB, who once wrote, “Pray as you can. Don’t pray as you can’t.” To me, that seems to imply that we should not blindly accept someone else’s spiritual practice just because it is theirs. Rather, we should each find what works best for us. 

Paraphrasing this quote, I considered, “Sing as you can. Don’t sing as you can’t.” What seems obvious on a first reading is not so easy in application. 

Despite our best efforts, so often our vocal studies stray from discovering and cultivating our own unique voices and instead devolve into developing an expected sound or the sound of someone else whose voice we admire. While it is important to work to improve our vocal capabilities, accepting our unique voices is as important as accepting who we are. 

Much as I love spending an afternoon listening to Wagner opera (or a whole day, which it sometimes takes), my phone isn’t exactly ringing off the hook with offers to sing the Ring cycle. It would be just as ridiculous for me to try to become a Wagnerian tenor as it would for me to try to be 6’5”. It's just not who I am. 

I bring this up now because often in preparations for performances (like juries and class finals), I see students growing increasingly frustrated that their voices are not everything they want them to be. I wish the opposite would occur. Performance is exactly the time when you should be embracing your vocal capabilities and using those capabilities to tell stories to the best of your current abilities. Sure, in another year or two or five, you will have greater capabilities and can tell those same stories in different ways. But you’re not there now so there’s no sense bemoaning what you can’t do at this point.

So this can be one last element to add to your practice in this last month before finals. Sing as you can, because you all can. But don’t waste mental or emotional energy trying to sing as you can’t. 

Embrace who you are.

Now go practice. 

Friendly audience

Hope you enjoyed spring break. I did. Now back to work!

Throughout the school year, this blog has served as a reminder to check in with the goals you have set to see how you’ve been meeting them. Now that we’re essentially six weeks away from the end of the semester, you may consider either adjusting your original goals or adding some additional short-term goals to keep you moving in the right direction over the homestretch. 

One obvious goal is to be well prepared for your jury or your class singing final. “Well prepared” means you are comfortably memorized, you have a thorough backstory for your characters, and you understand the emotional arc of each story you are telling. 

For memorization and character work, try giving yourself deadlines. Divide your songs into short sections you can thoroughly prepare instead of just working an entire song from start to finish. Write out the text and really make sense of the story as it appears on paper. Then go back to the music and apply your thoughts to the story the composer is telling through music.

Practice performing. Singing a song all the way through without forgetting anything is the first stage of memorization. But it’s not really internalized until you can do the same thing with distractions—and what is more distracting than performing a song in front of people?

Ask a friend or two to listen to you sing some of your repertoire (even without piano accompaniment). See if you can do the song all the way through and stay committed to the story. If it feels really awkward to sing for your friends, that probably means it’s doing the job of providing you a sufficient distraction. Sing it a second time for your friends right away before you get comfortable. Then sing it a third time and pick one or two things to do differently. If you’re not ready to sing for your friends yet, try singing to your mother over Skype, or someone else who will be a safe audience. 

Once you have performed in safe situations, you can slowly add “higher stakes” performances (like masterclasses) to see how your body reacts under those circumstances. Jumping right from the practice room to a jury or class final might be too far to go in one step. Put these songs in front of a friendly audience first. 

Being authentic and sticking to your plan in scary situations is one of the most important skills we are learning here. And it takes practice. So go find a friendly audience to sing for and then be part of someone else’s friendly audience. 

Now go practice. 

Inhalation

Breathing exercises are an important part of our vocal practice but are often neglected in our haste to get to repertoire. Taking just a few minutes to focus on breathing promotes efficiency of the respiratory system and also helps establish mental focus for our practice sessions.

Here is a simple pattern I have been using in my ATP Singing Classes:

1. Sit well (with a lengthened spine and a sense of looseness at the head and neck joint) and close your eyes.

2. Observe your breathing without trying to change or impact anything. Notice how the air feels as you inhale and notice where you feel your body expanding.

3. After a few breath cycles, shift your focus and begin intentionally lengthening each inhalation and exhalation. Slow down the entire breathing process.

4. After doing this for a few breath cycles, add a few seconds of pause after you have completed the inhalation but before you begin to exhale. Maintain a sense of openness in the throat (you are not “holding” the air, just suspending it). Notice again where you feel the expansion in your body, especially during the suspension part of the exercise.

While you do this, try to keep your entire focus on breathing. If other thoughts come into your head just allow them to fade away as you exhale. And continue to encourage looseness in your head and neck.

This week I read about a recent study that had some interesting implications:

http://neurosciencenews.com/memory-fear-breathing-5699/

Essentially, researchers discovered that when test subjects would inhale through the nose, there was an increase in brain activity in the amygdala and hippocampus that resulted in enhanced emotional judgment and improved memory recall. This brain activity did not occur during exhalation or when breathing through the mouth.

Besides all the other benefits we receive from focused breathing, it’s easy to imagine how improved emotional judgment and memory might also improve our work as singing actors. Try inhaling through the nose during your practice sessions or performances this week and see if you notice a difference.

How has your singing been? What would you like to accomplish in this last stretch before spring break?

Now go practice.

Reflux

In the last blog, I briefly mentioned GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and LPRD (laryngopharyngeal reflux disease), or—in more colloquial terms—reflux. These are common ailments that many singers have to contend with at one point or another.

Essentially, reflux occurs when stomach acid travels up the esophagus, around the epiglottis, and seeps into the trachea, reaching the larynx and vocal folds. This usually happens when we are lying down, especially when we are sleeping at night. It can cause redness and swelling that makes singing more difficult. Often the voice can feel weak, high notes require more effort, and tone may be rougher or breathier than usual.

Most people associate reflux with heartburn. However, many singers do not experience the expected heartburn symptoms, causing them to think that their vocal troubles must be from something else. Often it is only diagnosed, as many of you learned this past fall, through vocal fold stroboscopy (i.e., when someone from a voice clinic views your vocal folds with a small camera).

It is common for ENT’s to prescribe medications to help deal with reflux. However, there are also diet and lifestyle changes that singers should consider making part of their regular routines, as much as possible.

Don’t eat right before bed (ideally, don’t eat 3-4 hours before going to bed). Stomach acid is produced during digestion. If there is no food in your stomach to digest, acid will not be produced.

Don’t exercise right after eating. Ideally, this means avoiding coffee (which is acidic) right before dance class. Consider saving that caffeinated beverage for later.

Know which foods are reflux triggers and moderate them. Caffeine, chocolate, mint, carbonated beverages, alcohol, tomato-based foods, spicy foods, and fried foods are all believed to contribute to reflux.

It may also be a good idea to moderate or eliminate these foods and drinks as the day progresses and you get closer to bed time.

Of course, as with all things, you have to know your own body (while understanding that it will continue to change over your lifetime). Singers don't necessarily have to, for instance, immediately stop eating all tomato-based foods. But, knowing that they can be reflux triggers, start to monitor when you are eating them and how much of them you are eating.

As a vocal athlete, your entire body is your instrument. Understanding reflux and how to avoid it is another way we can keep our voices in top condition.

How has your singing been going this week?

Now go practice.

Liquid energy

Caffeine: the world's drug of choice.

Seriously. According to Dr. Solomon Snyder, director of the neurosciences department at Johns Hopkins University, caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance on earth. It's so popular, in fact, some people use "cups of coffee" as a way to measure a year in the life. (*groan*)

It's no secret why caffeine is so popular: It makes us feel better, gives us a jolt of energy, and helps us stay focused and awake for all that we have to do. College campuses seem to have a particular predilection for caffeine since their populations are chronically overtired from a lack of sleep. In the Department of Theatre this is partly because of your own lifestyle choices and partly because we keep you up late for rehearsals and make you get up early for dance classes (sorry!).

As I've discussed in this blog before, caffeine in all its forms (coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and even chocolate) acts as a diuretic and can dehydrate the body and vocal folds. It is crucial that the body stay well hydrated in order for the vocal folds to function optimally.

But I've learned some new information in reading a recently published book called Manual of Singing Voice Rehabilitation: A Practical Approach to Vocal Health and Wellness by Leda Scearce, who is a speech-language pathologist and singing voice specialist at the Duke Voice Care Center.

Scearce writes that caffeine may be getting a bad rap when it comes to how it impacts vocal health. According to recent studies, the dehydrating effect of caffeine kicks in at around 250 mg. For reference, a tall, 12-oz. coffee from Starbucks has around 235 mg of caffeine. A 12-oz. cola has about 45 mg and 12 oz. of tea has roughly 37 mg. (Don't worry, chocolate is significantly lower than that...depending on how much you eat!) She also writes that people who consume caffeine regularly and at these moderate amounts can develop a tolerance to its dehydrating effect.

You should consult the trusty internet to know what the caffeine levels are in the beverages you regularly consume. Take note that espresso shots have more caffeine than brewed coffee and the caffeine levels in energy drinks can vary widely.

For singers who regularly consume caffeine, Scearce does not necessarily advocate eliminating it entirely from your diet. Rather, she recommends singers keep their levels less than 250 mg. in combination with increasing their water intake throughout the day for general health as well as to offset the dehydrating effects.

However, she also counsels that caffeine can be a trigger for reflux. Singers who experience GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) or LPRD (laryngopharyngeal reflux disease) need to further monitor or limit the amount of caffeine they are consuming (especially coffee, which can be more acidic than other forms of caffeine).

And, of course, as with all foods, drinks, and drugs, they impact us all differently. Some of us who are more sensitive to caffeine may need to make different choices than those who are less sensitive to caffeine. Know your body, what it can handle, and what it can't.

How has your practice been going this week? How are you doing on the goals you set in the last blog?

Now go practice.