When I talk to new voice students one of the first things that I mention is my desire to offer students the ability to have the most versatility with their sound and voices. I don’t know how often other voice coaches talk about this…versatility. But for me it is one of the top aims besides students feeling their voices are healthy and free ( i.e. “feeling good” as Nina Simone sang:). And by good I mean that I want students to be injury free and able to connect with themselves on a whole body, emotional and energetic level. As a result hopefully, if they weren’t already, they will be loving their sound and the experience of making music.
So as much as I care about vocal technique and musicianship building, I also care deeply about self expression. Most of what truly touches us in music is the expression of a person’s spirit and that happens best when the throat/neck/body is not forcing or overworking.
For most of us self self-expression can be quite a varied thing..which is why being an artist (if that is something you seek) or fully expressing yourself can be sooo interesting.
Some days you may feel like kicking and screaming, you may need to get your Punk Rock on, other days you may want to soothe yourself, so a Jazzer’s croon or Bossa Nova may be your medicine of choice, and other days you might just long for spacial and physical connection through sound with no set melody at all. On those days free improvisation could meet your need. And THAT is why learning to sing can be so freakin fun! You can have access to ALL of those things and more. You can find musical and emotional expression through singing and hopefully even surprise yourself with what you thought your voice was capable of!
So how do you strive for true self-expression in your art or in your singing? If you are looking for more versatility and more fulfilling expression in your voice practice or music, let me know. Drop me a line to find out more about voice coaching lessons.