A topic I
have found myself referring to with singers a lot lately, has been the early
part of "my" singing and teaching journey. So I thought I would share
some of my experiences with you in this blog, and hope that it may encourage
you.
I have
always been a shy and quiet person, and always loved singing. My Dad is a
singer, and my sisters grew up wanting to sing and perform like him. As a teenager,
something that was a very big struggle however, was not being allowed to have an
opinion about most things, nor being allowed to express it.
This made
the start of my singing lessons, a very interesting 30 sessions, for my vocal
coach, Danny Stone.
I never
started lessons wanting to be a performer or in the limelight. To be the centre
of attention was just not who I was. I always thought to be a "good"
performer", I had to be someone like Danny. eg Bubbly, chatting, joking,
full of laughs and lots of movement. If that is what it took to be good on
stage, you could count me out.
As I did my
practise at home, Dad would come in the room and to tell me his opinion on what
I was doing wrong. This then made singing in front of Danny, (my coach at that
time), even harder, as I was constantly waiting for him to criticize me, tell
me what I was doing wrong or judge me.
You
can imagine the obstacles that this presented.
Danny tells
me now about how "quiet" I used to be. He had to have the music very soft,
because he could "barely hear me". Thanks to Danny's constant
patience and encouragement, my general vocal skills developed, eg my breathing
control, tonal control, range etc. He likened my voice to "Karen
Carpenter" and would tell me that I didn't have to be a "loud
singer" to be a "good singer".
With time, I
eventually gained the confidence to participate in my first few performances. I
remember standing with both feet planted in the one spot on the stage, the mic was
in one hand and my head titled to the side. I dare say, I wasn't very
entertaining to watch. Never wanting to perform anyway, this proved to me that I'm clearly not good at
it.
Hmmm....
doesn't see me with a bright singing future?!
In the early
days of my "teacher training", we had a performance coach working
with Danny Stone Voice Production. She said something to me, that made the way
I thought of performing, change dramatically.
"All
you have to do is be yourself", she said.
It was about
this time that Danny and I were talking about "song interpretations"
and how to teach it. He would ask me to write a few lines next to the song
words, about what "I" thought my songs were about. Being guided by what the "song
words" were saying, and how they made me feel, became a way for me to start
expressing "my point of view".
I was
finally in a place, where I was "accepted" for just being myself. I
was encouraged to be me, and I was "allowed" to express my thoughts
and feelings, without being judged or criticised for it.
What a
difference to what I had been shown all my life?!
With these 2
tools, they became massive turning points in my performance and my singing. They
helped me to "discover my voice".
From such
humble beginnings, of being told what I am doing wrong, to now being able to:
-
Sing stronger than many "strong" singers.
-
Sing songs I never thought I could or would.
-
Sing duets and trios with amazing singers, with complicated harmonies
-
Sing in a 15 piece harmony ensemble
-
Participate in workshops with world renowned vocal coaches and singers
-
Perform at in-house concerts, corporate and private functions, community events
-
Be a senior voice coach at Danny Stone Voice Production
-
Record and produce EP's and albums
This has come
together with a lot of hard work, practise, determination, patience and
perseverance. It has always been my love of "singing" that has motivated
to get me here. If I relied on how I felt or how I sounded, I wouldn't be here
now.
If you love
singing, but have
-
been told you can't sing,
-
worry what people may think etc,
I can tell
you from experience, that these obstacles are possible to overcome, if "you"
want too. With your coach in your corner, you have nothing to lose and everything
to gain.
"It's
what is in your heart that makes good music"
Quote from
Soundbreaking- Stories from the cutting edge of recorded music.
If you believe
you have performance anxiety or are an introverted singer, check out this
article by Renee Grant Williams and try this "shyness survey". You
may surprised what you discover.
Article - http://www.myvoicecoach.com/blog
