Singing and the Chakras Singing and the chakras When we sing, energy is flowing more than normal. You can probably feel it, even if you’re not sure how you feel about energy or chakras – there’s no denying that “buzzy” feeling through your head, or maybe chest or throat. There’s more air flowing, you’re hopefully …
What is Vocal Yoga? 5 Things to Know – #3 Might Surprise You. 1. I didn’t make it up. Although what I offer as a voice and yoga instructor is unique, there isn’t really much purely original material in my teaching bag of tricks. My primary teachers have been Linda Brice and Nancy Olson Chatalas …
What is Vocal Yoga? 5 things to know – #3 might surprise you. Read More »
Traversing Voice Types; My Journey from Mezzo to Soprano When I tell people I “used to be” a mezzo-soprano, and now I’m a high soprano, they are often very surprised that someone can “change” voice types. With good reason – you cannot, in fact, truly change your voice type without taking hormones. But that doesn’t …
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Register Awareness: a Practice in Integration Oftentimes, young singers are taught about “chest” and “head” voice. You might be familiar with those terms – whether a choir director mentioned it in 2nd grade, or a musical theater director told you to “belt it out,” delaying the switch into “head voice.” When I was young, I …
Sing from Your Core! Uttihita Chataranga Dandasana, Four-limbed staff pose or Plank pose, is one good way to stimulate the core. After I gave birth to my daughter, I had a hard time coming back into singing in a stable way. Looking back on that time, I realize that my core muscles had been stretched …
Ground Down to Lift Up How often have you lifted your shoulders and stood on your tiptoes when reaching for a dish on the top shelf? How often have you observed a singer lifting their chin to reach for that high note? Those kinds of behaviors are all too common, and can really get in …
Don’t Be Selfish: Share your Voice! I used to think it was selfish of me to pursue a performing career. By practicing for an hour or more every day, I am taking time away from my family or my teaching career. I could be earning money or cleaning the house, spending quality time with my …
5 Best Yoga Poses for Singers! Here are some of my favorite poses that help me physically and mentally prepare for my singing practice. Side stretches, forward folds with your chest open, twists, and backbends are all great ways to help prepare your body to be an instrument of song! Some deeper core work would …
Be Courageous! Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” – Maya Angelou We all need courage in order to undertake voice and/or yoga training. When we commit to the process of freeing our voice …
Find Your Balance “When we have a good balance between thinking and feeling, our actions and lives are always the richer for it.” – Yo Yo Ma Balance is a theme that runs through all of our lives. We struggle to keep an ‘even keel’ through the ups and downs of life, we strive to balance work …