Why should you sing?

Although this must seem a very banal question for people who sing naturally well, they are in the minority and there are many people in our society today who grapple with the stigma of feeling unable to sing. So, let me rephrase the question. Is there any reason why you shouldn't sing? That I find, is sometimes a good place to start. I have met hundreds of people in my life that received a negative comment about their voice, and made the unconscious choice to shut it down. Then later in their life, a longing rises to the surface: to retrieve the innate ability to express your deepest feelings, to live, breathe, explore and unfold your inner world through sound. To raise your voice with other voices and be heard.

People in the third world have no issues about this, as singing together is still a power that belongs to the people. Songs that gave the strength and courage to bring change, to be heard and counted, have driven social revolutions. Countless generations before us have transcended exile, social injustice, war and even death through the power of lifting up their voice.

In the west, we can still see remnants of this when we sing together at weddings, funerals, in worship, or to mark a special day or event. But for the most part a lot of westerners delegated this ability to the chosen few and see the singing world divided into two parts; people who sing and people who can't. When in fact if you can speak, you can be taught to sing. All that is needed is a voice.

Vocal health and individuality

Learning to sing well and taking care of your voice is really the outcome of developing the voice through the proper kind of work. As you learn to open up and provide the right kind of breath support, your true sound starts to shine through. Then, the unique timbre and range of your voice starts to settle. It's very important to know your vocal identity as it allows you to define what kind of song choices to make when looking for repertoire. You will choose songs that show off all the range and beauty of your voice. For example, if you are auditioning for a show, it's an advantage to discern which role is closest to your voice type, then orient your audition piece toward that specific role and sound great!

If you want your voice to stay well, the whole vocal range must be worked on a regular basis. I have worked with singers who were stuck in their chest voices thinking they were altos when they were actually sopranos. I have worked with baritones who thought they were tenors as they were singing with too much head voice. People are often surprised and delighted to discover how much potential sound, the extent of their range and variety they really have in their singing.

Here's a great piece of vocal trivia: the length and thickness of your vocal chords determine your voice type. No two voices are identical. That is why we can talk about the authentic voice. The length and thickness of your vocal chords, the size of your ribcage and the shape of your face all contribute to your vocal identity. As long as these basic premises are respected, you should not be vocally fatigued or experience strain. There can be organic reasons for voice trouble, but in general, most problems stem from improper demands on the voice. Take care of your voice and you will enjoy it for a very long time.

Developing your Authentic Voice

Working with the body and the voice is an exact science involving how the body works and how each individual person processes information. Over the past 25 years I have been immersed in the work of developing the human voice with people of all walks of life, with voices ranging from the injured voice to the beginner voice, to the professional singer. Each person has their own individual challenges and strengths and my job is to help bring all these aspects of the voice into a perfect balance and strength of expression. This can be done through one-on-one private lessons, or for people in the early stages of working with their voice, semi-private group lessons such as my Level One, Two, and Three Voice Workshops.

I come from a theatre background and am trained in the Alexander Technique which is a wonderful tool for singers to enhance their voice production while gaining a greater level of comfort in their vocal process. Here you can see more about my training and education, my performance history and biography, and the story of my own personal journey of finding my voice.