Entry 01
Taking Care of
Being Taken Care of
Removing the care, Becoming ‘CARE-FREE’
I think about the implications of this for our singing and our voice. So often, during the lessons, we do place a load of attention to our voice. For one thing, It’s never too much to emphasise the importance of vocal hygiene and healthy vocal practices. As a vocal coach, I do highlight the importance of the vocal health, and how sensitive our voice to our physical and emotional state.
Also during the lesson, I see myself sometimes placing 200% of my attention to the intricacies of the students voice. Listening to the resonance, placement of the sound, control, pitch, dynamic, enunciation, tension, and it goes on and on and on. As much as I take pride in trying to provide students with the best guidance available from me, at times I also question myself - how would it affect the students.
A random thought, rather a question occurred to my mind today. (I think it was after reading the poem of Shel Silverstein a few days ago- Point of View_I’ll share below)
“What if our voice is actually a person or some sort of ‘living thing’ that has the point of view?”
How would my voice find the attentions and instructions and trainings that are coming from the voice owner (student), and even the 3rd party (vocal coach) who seems to have 100% confidence in it?
Being taken care of, being educated, being improved, being trained,, these would all be an awesome experience from ‘Voice’s point of view’ for sure. Receiving so much attention about details of the voice could even be flattering ❤️
Yet, if each time we place the attention to the voice, I think the voice would always stay conscious to the attention provided especially if the attention is really not requested nor appreciated.
In order for the voice to be completely free - we actually do need to lift the ‘careful’ attention.. This is when our direction of focus goes into the inner expressions and emotions and music. So in a sense - it should become a moment of carefree singing.
Believe or not, for professional singers and students - this could be more difficult work than a novice singer or karaoke lovers who are tone deaf.
Partly it is because we listen ourselves and our voices with the eyes (ears) of the strict teacher, or judge, trying to find the right and wrong, good and bad, week and strong elements in our singing. Partly it is because in the deeper part of our heart, we fear that ourselves will ‘fail’ to meet the expectations that we have set if we let go of the careful attention. The expectation for our singing voices to be perfect, or accurate, or in specific way.
So if one truly wishes to feel the freedom in singing and unlock a hidden potential that you are not sure how to bring out by conscious effort, s/he needs to first let go of the measuring tape inside head and believe that it’s okay to be just free - and believe that one’s singing / voice is ‘good enough’ for it to deserve some freedom of expression at this moment.
Setting aside such time to relax and open up the voice ‘as it is’ is so important as taking meticulous effort to improve the technique.
When was your last time of singing care-freely?
Thanks for reading 🙏
Point Of View
- Shel Silverstein
Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.
Sunday dinner isn't sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.
Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
'Til I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.
