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SusanEichhornYoung.com

The blog is MOVING!

We are busy building and molding and carving the NEW WEBSITE!

ALL THINGS VOICE will happen on my new site - and the blog will migrate over there!

To get updates, and to be the first to find out when we launch officially and all news, sign up for info at  susaneichhornyoung.com


Check out web and digital design guru,  TONY HOWELL and his new site and new classes!

New photography for the site was taken yesterday with KALEIGH RAE PHOTOGRAPHY.


New blog posts will begin SOON!


#allthingsvoice

#liveyourvoice

#authenticvoice

Stepping Out with new branding and new website this fall!

I am thrilled to be working with digital designer Tony Howell on my re-branding and new website!

Please go to the new landing page and sign up to get updates and new information!

The blog will be available there as well!

New photography for the new site will be by JJ Ignotz Photography in NYC.


I am SO excited to be re-branding and designing the next stage in all things

  #SEYVOICE

#LIVEYOURVOICE

#AUTHENTICVOICE

Singers,  Speakers,  Actors,  Podcasters,  All things VOICE!

Join me HERE for all the updates, and information and exciting new opportunities 

Tips, Tricks, and Magic Sprinkles

Sunday morning musings...

So what are the magic tips and tricks for singing?

Lean in...
Closer...

Guess what?

There are none.

There are no tricks or magic sprinkles to immediately fix or find something vocally.

Just like the quick weight loss and quick muscle gain are hoaxes,  so are the snake oil promises in vocal technique.

There is nothing glamorous,  or bright and shiny about the WORK.  And that is what technique and voice building and vocal behavior is.  WORK.

There is nothing glamorous about getting to the gym and sweating it out.

There is nothing glamorous about bleeding feet in a ballet class.

See where I am going with this?

Creating behavior,  creating technique,  creating knowledge, is EXCITING.  It's worth the sweat equity,  it's worth the focus,  it's worth the investment - only if you believe it is.

As a teacher,  I can't believe it for you.  I am there to give you the tools,  to find you where you are,  to figure out what you need and how to get you there.  However,  YOU are the one who has to do the actual WORK.

"Methods" and "quick fixes" are usually a "one size fits all" mentality.  They never last.  It's a patch job in desperation.   Will it work for minute?  Sometimes.  Does it last?  No.

When something new is accessed in the voice studio,  it doesn't make it behavior.  It means you can ACCESS it - which means the possibility now exists to create the full behavior!  Doing it once, hoping it works,  doesn't make it work.

Your WORK and your FOCUS and your COMMITMENT will give you an opportunity to create it fully and allow you to summon it at will.

If you call yourself a singer,  then sing.  That means honing, learning, discovering, re-discovering, creating, focusing,  asking questions,  and working at it every day.

Whatever you ARE,  DO that.  It is action-oriented not hope-oriented.

Whatever you HAVE,  DEVELOP that.  Saying you have it,  isn't enough.

If all you want is glamour,  without the sweat equity,  then I suggest you take a look carefully at Mr. Sondheim's lyric from "Ah, but Underneath":

Sometimes, when the wrappings fall,
There's nothing underneath at all...


Dare to make mistakes.  Dare to ask questions.  Dare to recognize where you are.

Dare to ask for help.

Dare to ask why.

Dare to be more than a trick or a hope or a wish.

Dare to have substance, and clarity,  and focus.

My hope for you is that you find truth through your technique.  That you keep exploring MORE to allow your artistry to have a place to reside fully.  That you can access it,  summon it,  and CREATE magic.

Magic DOES happen.  It happens BECAUSE, not in spite of;  it happens in action,  not in fluke;
it happens when you have done the work,  and it has SO much more power and portent than you would even imagine - because, it's YOU.

So,  as your fairy godmother,  I do not wave a magic wand.  I see you.  I mirror what I see.  Now get sweating and find your truth & your honesty!

  Create your own magic.

Then, OWN IT.

Where, What do I sing?

Sunday musings...

Where do I sing?  What do I sing?

These questions come up regularly.  They aren't black and white.  The answers aren't always easy, and they are often fluid.

There are so many variables and being in the right place at the right time;  being ready;  subjective responses and who is hiring and on and on.

What are you in charge of?

More than you think!

You are responsible for your own craft,  and your development of said craft.

You are responsible to learn about the business,  if you are indeed pursuing a career.  Every angle of the business is a different business.  It's up to you to figure that out and find out what the parameters are, and how you negotiate the landscape (or the land mines as the case may be!)

You are always going to get tons of opinions.  Some people will love what you do;  some will be lukewarm.  It's life.  Opinion is only a sampling and can't be given too much weight in the overall aspect of things.  Let it inform your bullshit detector:  as in, are you clear in your own pursuit?  Can you look at the opinion objectively to inform where you are,  what you are trying to do,  with information that is helpful as opposed to delusional or destructive?

Where should you be?

Obviously I can't answer these questions for you.  Nobody can.  Nobody can guarantee you are going to have a career.  Nobody can dismiss you and tell you that you WON'T have a career.

What does having a career mean to you?  It doesn't mean the same thing to everybody.

What do you want?  Why?

What fulfills you?   What gives you joy?   What makes you happy?

These answers may or may not put you on a career track.

Who is telling you "you should",  or "you shouldn't"?

Not everybody has a world class voice.  Not everybody is a prima donna or leading lady.  It's okay.  Theatre is created for MANY MANY different voices and characters.  If everybody is a leading lady, then nobody is!

Theatre is available at every level.  And, guess what?  It can be absolutely fulfilling at every level.

You can find committed, talented,  professional and fantastic theatre from community theatre to fringe theatre to pop up theatre, to small regional houses,  to larger regional theatre to A houses and Broadway.

You can also find absolute shit in all those places too.

There are no absolutes.  If you look hard enough,  you'll find the gems everywhere there is theatre!

Sometimes you'll hear an exceptional voice or see a brilliant actor in a place you wouldn't expect.  Sometimes they are there because they simply want to be;  sometimes they are there because the business has just found them there, or they have found a place there.


Whether you are a leading lady,  a leading man,  a side-kick, a secondary or tertiary character,  a "character" character,  right through to a strong chorus member:  YOU MATTER.

Figuring out where you fit will allow you to thrive in that environment - from genre, to level, to character type & fach and more.

If you realize that no,  you aren't a leading man but you make a great character actor - then figure out what you have to have and have to do to create the best character actor you possibly can!   What does that demand of you in craft and knowledge?  Where are you best seen and how you do you get infant of those people?

You go where your talent takes you.  If you keep hitting walls,  perhaps it's time to simply sit down and have an honest discussion with yourself to review your goals and your dreams.  Adjusting the focus of those goals and dreams doesn't mean you give up!  It means you adjust the realization of where you actually are,  and what you can do to truly inhabit that reality.

Dream big, big for YOU.  Then, breathe in the present. Where are you?  Why are you there? What brings you there?  How do you inhabit that?   Surround yourself with a FEW trusted professionals (professionals - not friends, not family) that will give you a firm anchor and will help you understand where you are now,  what you have to offer,  how you could be seen,  and where.  Nobody knows where that leads.  Only you,  taking the reins,  committing to your passion and your craft,  learning how things are structured and what the business does,  can discover that.

If you find out that you are over the moon and happy creating theatre in small spaces,  and that you play the "second banana" and can NAIL it and it gives you a sense of accomplishment - then that is a WIN!

It isn't always all or nothing.  It is finding out WHO you are,  WHAT you have,  and WHERE it can be realized.  It is claiming the truth of what you DO,  not just what you say you want to do.

If you lead with the truth and authenticity of what you are truly about and what you honestly can do,  then you have a clearer understanding of where you could be, as you pursue where you can play!

Take a few seconds with that one.  It's gotta stay present,  and the honesty of that within you will morph as you and your craft continue to evolve!

Keep asking questions.
Keep your peripheral vision open.
Keep seeing the spectrum of the rainbow,  not right or wrong;  not black and white.
Stay present.
Pursue.
Find joy.
Know the difference between making music,  and making a living making music.
Breathe your passion.
Know the business you are in.
Trust few,  and nod at the rest.
Look at a closed door or a "no" or a "don't" as an opportunity to find another door that opens, a "yes" or a "do it!"

There is no failure if you pursue.

There is no failure if there is passion.

There is no failure if you are content.

There is no failure in falling down,  tripping or trying again!

What you DO with it gives you momentum or stops you.  How you respond will give you more answers than you realize!

Be where you are.  Inhabit it.  Stretch into it.  Enjoy every second so it gives you opportunity to grow!

Don't make excuses.  Just do the work.  Hone the craft.  Gather knowledge and be as informed as you can be.

Where you sing and how you sing and when you sing and what you sing, will then continue to reveal what you want to be bothered with,  and what you can release without angst.

Your success is knowledge.  Be bold to find it, and live it!

#liveyourvoice
#authenticvoice

Why study?

happy weekend!

Conversations with the singers that work with me always bring me to further thought - and often it ends up here on the blog!

This one came up several times this week.

Why study?

I am always flabbergasted - and probably shouldn't be given our social climate - that so many think, in portions of our business - that their undergrad is done,  and so,  why study anymore?

Or  - there are some who have begun a professional career but don't further their studies.

The reasons why those attitudes and decisions are made aren't the point of this blog post.

More to the point,  why study?  why continue to study?  why pick up your study?  and most importantly,  why wouldn't you?

We are athletes are singers and performers.  We need to keep that physicality in the best shape.  Great athletes are constantly honing their craft,  their physicality,  working with coaches on all levels of their work.

As singers,  our physicality and metabolic life is continuing to change, morph and develop.  If we don't work with it and develop it fully,  and allow for it to be realized,  how can we call ourselves professional?

If we are asked to be part of the equipment - doing 8 shows a week - wouldn't it be the natural realization to keep working on the technical behavior so that instrument and equipment can do its job well?

If we are just at the beginning of a possible career,  wouldn't it make sense to keep exploring and studying what the physicality and technique can develop into in order to access it more fully and more specifically?

If you are in your career - wouldn't a regular tune up and 2nd set of ears be the thing you'd need to keep you aligned, balanced and healthy?

We have trainers at the gym;  we have life coaches;  we learn to eat well;  we take dance classes or yoga classes or pilates classes;  we may even take a performance class or two;  we keep getting new head shots;  we keep updating our websites;  we keep auditioning...

but do we study?

Do we learn how we do what we do?  how we need to re-approach what we thought was working and maybe isn't anymore?  do we know how we access that voice? that physicality?  with specific knowledge and action,  or just by the seat of our pants?

Finishing a program doesn't mean you know.

Being cast in a show doesn't mean you know.

You know when you know.  And the more you know the more you want to know.  Because knowing reveals how much there is to continue to learn!

Why study?  Because you must to truly reveal what you have,  what you need to hone,  what you need to develop,  in order to summon your talent at will.

If you call yourself a performer,  or an artist who performs,   then you are connected to the journey of KNOWING.  Knowing requires enquiry;  enquiry requires getting real;  getting real reveals truth; truth reveals authenticity.

Study.

It comes in many forms.

It morphs,  and it changes shape depending on what you need, when you need it.

It doesn't have to be weekly lessons,  although it can be.  It could mean intensive work in the voice studio over a short period of time and then a longer period of allowing that information to wash through you,  and for your technical behavior to catch up physically in order to access things fully.

It could be regular "check-ins".  It could be a combination of intensives and check-ins.

Nothing is in stone.  How you study is reflected on why you study.

I often ask my singers,  "why are you here?  What do you feel you need today?  What do you feel you are here to do?"

Sometimes they know,  sometimes they don't.  Sometimes they think they know,  and as we start to work,  it is revealed what they really need!

So,  why study?

Why wouldn't you?

Even if you are fully formed from a physiological perspective within the singing mechanism,  are you aware of all the micro-shifts and metabolic changes?  Do you know how to access it fully,  freely without issue?  Is your talent easily summoned without restraint,  at will,  because your technical behavior is so ingrained it needs nothing more?

 If you say you are an artist,  or a performer,  then your craft DEMANDS study, observation, changes, adjustments, tweaking, and an honest and true place to explore.

Take on the study - and commit to the lifelong exploration that allows you to access YOU!

What's in your book?

So,  what's in your audition book?

Why?

Where are you?

Why are you?

Who are you?

The audition book,  regardless of your genre - Music Theatre or Opera - is an important part of what you are doing.  It will morph and adjust as YOU do.

I see the excuses "my book is such a mess" regularly.

I see the automatic pilot "but I need this for xyz"  regularly.

I am daring you to re-think ALL of this!!

Look at your audition book as your closet.

Some of us are packrats and can't let go of things;
Some of us wear things that are too old,  too big,  too small,  too last season...
Some of us just keep putting stuff in that closet and can't find anything.


See where I am heading with this?

The audition book should,  first and foremost,  reflect where you ARE.

What are you able to DO vocally and dramatically?
Where is your voice NOW?
What roles would you be considered for NOW?
What do you want to reveal about YOU right now?

Little secret:  nobody does YOU better than YOU.  So it's up to you to find out what that is.

Another little secret:  YOU is constantly morphing so your audition book needs to catch up with that!

When you leave your Music Theatre program your book weighs about 8,000 pounds and you have every possible genre/sub-genre in a 16 and 32 bar cut.  Why?  Because you were in school and you had learn about all of it!!!

When you are in your undergrad/grad studies as a classical singer and you are on a Young Artists Program track,  your audition book will have at least 5 languages and many eras of opera and art song contained.  Why?  Because you were in school and you are still determining your fach!

So,  where are you now?

Are you becoming an emerging professional?  Are you beginning to be seen and auditioning for professional work?

Guess what?  The audition book has to change.

What is your technique ready to handle NOW?  the audition book has to change.

What roles are you ready to take on NOW? the audition book has to change.

What do you actually DO well?  the audition book has to change.

What do you want them to see about you in the room?  the audition book has to change.

What do you actually LOVE SINGING?  the audition book has to change.

Scary?  sure.

Liberating?  absolutely.

It is up to YOU to figure out where you are and how you reveal that in the room.

Holding onto that 8,000 pound book or "my 5 in 5 languages" either says you are still there or says you don't know where you are now.

Time to clean out that book and start fresh.

In Music Theatre,  all the coaches and conductors I know and respect say you often only need 6 - 8 songs in your book.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Why?  Because you aren't going to be right for every genre/sub-genre of theatre.  You need to be aware of them,  but you don't need to waste your time and theirs by going into an audition you simply aren't right for.

You are not going to audition for everything.  You need to figure out what you are best suited for vocally,  technically and dramatically and concentrate on THAT.

What are you going to be hired to do?  What can you reveal in the room that you DO?  Find those songs that reveal that.  Find those song that have multi-purpose so you can change your dramatic intention and make it work for another call,  or choose to reveal something more specific or different to give the repertoire an opportunity to be multi-functional.

"Yes, but I need an operetta piece."  Why? Are you going to sing operetta?
"Yes, but I need an R&B piece."  Why?  Are you an authentically charged R&B singer?

See where I am heading here?

You need to know WHAT YOU DO WELL.  RIGHT NOW. Not what you wish you did.  Now what you'd like to do.  You need to do YOU.

No wishing, hoping, wannabe...

You have to figure out what you do.  Vocally,  technically,  dramatically,  physically,  emotionally,  psychically.

If you don't know why you are doing what you are doing,  then you are simply back in school jumping the hoops and not creating a professional mindset that you need.

That reads in the room.

When you are asked "what else do you have?" that question is often to find out more about what YOU DO.  It doesn't mean they want something else that is show specific.  Or,  it could mean,  what you just offered didn't reveal anything authentic and they want to know if you really know how to do YOU.

Quit trying to please, to second guess,  to "cover all the bases" and never really reveal yourself and what you do well.

In opera,  same things apply.

Do you know what you DO?  Does your repertoire reflect that?

If you sing Mozart brilliantly and could sing those roles forever then why aren't you offering it?

If you are a bel canto singer,  why don't have you have THAT in your book?

If you aren't any good at modern opera and dislike it,  why are you offering it?

"But I need a German aria..."  Why?  Are you going to be offered a German role?  Are you sure?

"...and there just isn't a lot for my voice."  Doesn't that answer things for you?

What do you love to sing?  What roles and basic fach are you living in right now?  What are you going to get considered for,  or hired for NOW?

If you are past the YAP then lose the mentality and claim your new emerging professional focus.  You aren't a "baby" fach anymore - you need to reveal what you DO.  What you LOVE.  What you can inhabit fully without reserve or technical difficulty.  We want to see YOU embody the aria,  and the joy that allows!  We want to see your list in an audition that reveals what you do right now,  in fach, voice, in technique,  in dramatic embodiment. If you have 3 Italians, and 2 moderns in English, so be it!!! That's what you DO!

So,  give yourself a minute.  Take a breath.  Sit down and begin to really focus in on what you do,  what you love,  what you choose to reveal and why.

Then begin to go through that book and ask yourself why it's there.  If it doesn't reveal anything authentic about you, if it doesn't give you joy,  if it is a struggle,  or a "have to",  or even a "meh" - toss it.  And if you have anxiety about tossing,  then put it in the "other" binder.

Your audition book will be lighter.  It will reveal room for something new,  something more real,  something more you.  It gives you permission to explore what else you can add,  or maybe what doesn't need to be added in.

Suddenly there's more clarity.  It may mean more focus about what you actually DO instead of just jumping hoops.  It may mean it's time to work on your technique and get some clarity there.  It may mean some dramatic work.  It may mean something else.  It may create confusion which is an opportunity to grow and find the right clarity for now.

So what's in your book?  Why?
What does it reveal about YOU?

Start your spring cleaning and see what possibilities you come up with!!!

Don't dread it - look at it as an opportunity to grow and become and discover.

Only YOU can DO you.  I dare you.

Inhabiting Your Craft

Happy Sunday!  Happy April!

I was tagged in a post on Facebook this morning...which got me to thinking...

The post was very complimentary: “…XYZ is a wonderful actress…BUT, her voice needs the tender and intelligent ministrations of SEY.  Her voice is in pieces - you could hear her move from one register to the next, and the “high” notes would crack in between.  It was painful to hear.”

I thank the person who wrote this - I am honored.  And it broke my heart. 

Why do we do this to ourselves?  Why do we neglect or reject a portion of our craft, thinking or hoping or praying, that another aspect will make up for it?

It breaks my heart for many reasons.  One is personal.  I have done this.  I have relied on my acting intelligence when my voice was a mess.  I knew it was a mess.  I knew WHY it was a mess.  I was stubborn (my best and worst trait!) and made myself get through.  Did it work dramatically?  Yes.  Did it work vocally?  Oh hell no.  Was it reliable?  absolutely not.  Was I in survival mode only?  Pretty much.

So, I get it.  I get it more than you will ever know.

This is why I am vehement as a teacher to try to instill the absolute NECESSITY of CRAFT.How does one inhabit one's own craft?What does it demand of you?What does it reveal about you?These are the big questions we have to be strong enough,  stubborn enough,  willful enough,  to ask - and then to ANSWER.

It directs us from opposites.  The "actor" feels the story telling is enough to mask the lack of vocal development.  The "singer" feels the voce will supersede any flaws that the lack of acting intelligence may have.

WRONG.Both, and I do mean, BOTH are crucial to truly inhabiting your craft.

It doesn't matter what genre you are in - music theatre, opera and all its manifestations - CRAFT is CRUCIAL in order to fully inhabit what you say you do and who you say you are.

FEAR is a big obstacle.  I get that.  The "but what if..."  can often be truly in the way.  But what if I can't?  Hey,  but what if you CAN?What scares you?  failing?  or succeeding?

So what are you doing to inhabit your craft?  Where are the weak spots?  Are you just doing a patch job, or are you truly looking at it objectively and seeing it fully - big picture - and are you ready to work on the overhaul?

Craft as a singing actor is CONSTANT.  We work,  we discover, we hone, we physicalize,  we gestate,  we incubate,  we "ah-ha!",  we create behavior,  we create consciousness,  we observe,  we step away,  we internalize,  we materialize...

It's a lot.  It is.  I know that.  But we MUST.  We must honor the craft we say we do.  

I see great actors simply not discovering what they can do for a HEALTHY singing voice.  That's a choice.  A choice NOT to.   We see all their commitment into their acting craft,  and even their SPEAKING voices - but then not what is needed to sing with the same level of authenticity.  The study and discovery has to happen in order to create a fully realized characterization.  The voice doesn't have to be amazing.  An actor who sings may not have a beautiful voice,  but they can create beautiful technical behavior to access what they DO have,  and access their talent at will.

Study doesn't just happen when you book a show.  Study happens in the in-between.  However, when you BOOK,  you better be studying in order to have that 2nd set of ears and eyes keeping you healthy in order to do your work!  The maintenance is KEY.  Maintenance cannot happen if the behavior has not been achieved.

The same goes for singers who act.  I have heard incredible voices and as soon as I see them on stage - I can't watch.  They are awkward.  They have no idea what to do with their bodies,  how to move,  how to physicalize their voices with any dramatic choice.  We lose how magnificent the voice is,  because we SEE the awkwardness or the self-involvement with the SOUND and the craft of acting doesn't exist.  A character is not realized.  This isn't inhabiting the fullness of craft either.

With both singing and acting -  you must look at each specifically before you can integrate fully.  You need to discover the physical behavior of EACH in order to embody BOTH.

"It's good enough" my darlings, is bullshit.  It's your stress management talking.  Trust me, been there, done that, have the tattoo.

Inhabiting your craft takes time,  perseverance,  tenacity,  stubbornness,  willingness,  desire,  passion and drive.  

It's not over till it's over.  It will be enough when you aren't over thinking and overcompensating and aren't making excuses for something.  And then,  the muses will reveal what more you can do!Inhabit because you MUST.  

Your craft demands all of you.

Exploring the Consciousness of the Body

No matter the level of study or development you are, I hope you have a teacher you check in with regularly that has a strong understanding in the physical instrument.

What we all need to do, on a regular basis, is check in on that physical function of our fully body instrument. In other words, the ABCs.

We can do some of it ourselves, as we become more aware of what to watch for and observe, and then having a teacher who can diagnose or re-adjust what you cannot see or sense is crucial for keeping the physicality aware and awake for your voice to find an authentic place to reside!

Observing these tangible elements is really an ongoing and daily practice for those who are pursuing craft effectively!

1.    Body Posture

How are you moving? How are you standing or sitting while you speak? Where is there hyper-extension? Is there slumping or compression? Any locked spots? Any pressure spots?

2. Energy Centre

What position of energy do you "lead" from? High in the chest wall? Collapsed through the solar plexus? Compressed or pressed through the pelvis?

3.    Head/Neck/Jaw

We deal with what has been referred to “text neck” as a general issue in our current smart phone society. Is the head balanced on a long neck or does it push forward? Is there chin tucking or jutting forward? Is the jaw tight? Is the speaking voice in fry or is in buoyant? Is there range of motion in the complexity of the neck muscles or is there compression?

4.   Singing Posture

As you begin to vocalize, how is your posture affected? How is the breath engaged? Is there ease or are you struggling?

5.    The Breath

How are you accessing the breath? Can you find ways of engaging more elasticity in the body in order for the breath to have more buoyancy and release without adding voice or vibration to it yet?

6.    Body Basics

As you engage breath movement with the voice, how is your body responding to the athleticism of those intangibles? Is there fatigue? compression? tightness? collapse? grip?

7.     Voice Onset

What happens on the onset of the voice? Are you paying attention to that initial and crucial onset for balance?

As a teacher, I am paying attention to ALL of this with every singer when they walk in. As a singer, I am paying attention to all of this when I begin to stretch and workout my body, breath, and voice during a practice session.

In the study of voice, one size does NOT fit all. We have to learn to recognize where we are and begin there. Learning to observe without criticism (!!) gives us permission to not judge and simply recognize the habits and behaviors that are not always conscious. This can then lead to more conscious CHOICE of changing habits and behaviors to better serve us.

Consciousness.  Awareness.  Willingness.  Clarity.  Focus.  Pliability.

All of these are crucial to the singer, as well as the teacher, in order to discover what you need on any given day.

I am returning to the Laurie Beechman Theatre in April

after a sold out performance in November, to public and critical acclaim,  I will be returning
to the Laurie Beechman Theatre,  at the West Bank Cafe in APRIL!

"WHY?"  returns THURSDAY APRIL 13, 2017 at 7 p.m.

Laurie Beechman Theatre, West Bank Cafe

directed by Trent Armand Kendall
music direction by Steven Ray Watkins
bass, John Miller
drums, Don Kelly

tickets available NOW

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/962188
or call: 212-352-3101 

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Can't, Don't, Won't

welcome to March!

Auditions are in full swing in the Music Theatre community...
Auditions continue in the Operatic community....

It can be a very busy and overwhelming time of year.

How are you doing?


This is the time of year I often re-visit how I am talking to myself,  as I see all kinds of psyches in the studio!  I see the can't, the don't, and the won't...

As artists,  we have an incredible ability to self-doubt.  That's not a criticism, it's an observation, because I DO IT TOO.  Self-doubt doesn't have to be a negative:  it gives us permission to find more, and achieve more, and push ourselves to reveal more, if we allow the doubt to motivate us, not debilitate us.

Our "self-talk" is crucial and it also it important to acknowledge it and see if it needs tweaking or changing.  Behavior can't be "stopped",  but it can be replaced.

Deciding how we are going to self-speak without delusion  (WAAAAAY above my pay grade) is always an important discussion.

What are you saying to yourself?  What are you saying out loud?  What do others hear?

As I challenge myself,  I challenge every singer that walks in the studio with their self-language.  We often don't realize how we self-sabotage just with a word which then becomes a thought, which then becomes a behavior,  which then gets in our way.

How many of us have been told to get out of our own way?  Hmmmm.

"Can't" easily is an excuse.  Remember, this is not exclusive,  but more a way to discover HOW you speak to yourself and when it happens, and why it happens.

"I can't get out of bed to get to that audition call."

Well, unless you are sick or dying,  yes you can.  CAN'T is the excuse of something else.

Maybe you don't want to.  Maybe you're exhausted.  Maybe you're scared.  Maybe you're confused.

What would happen if you took a step away from "can't" and got to the crux?

"I can get out of bed,  but I don't want to."

Fair.

Do you HAVE to?  Is there something that relying on you to DO that task?

Each statement reveals another question that gets you to the real answer that you need to claim and then DO something with.

"I can't learn all this music."  

"I can't decide what to sing."

"I can't decide what to wear."

Unless you honestly CANNOT,  this is stress management talking.

That's okay.  We ALL DO IT.  Move past the "can't" to figure out why that word?

As you move past "can't"  we get to "don't".

"I don't wanna."

okay - that's honest enough.  But, WHY?  Never settle for the can't, don't, won't.  Figure out why the dismissal.

"I don't have time."   "I don't have the money."  "I don't have the aria/song prepared."  "I don't...xzy"

Why don't you?  And you cannot answer with "can't"!!

Do you WANT to?  If your answer is no,  then that is something you can work with to find out what you want and what you DO have time/money/energy/passion for!  If the answer is yes,  then what is in your way for that time/money/preparation/action/energy/passion?

Won't.

"I won't audition for them again."
"I won't sing that again."
"I won't use that monologue."
"I won't..."

Again,  why?  "Won't"  is beginning to claim a decision.  A decision can be unconscious but if you say it out loud, it becomes conscious.  When the conscious CHOICE allows you to create a boundary that is positive,  "won't" works if you know why.  When you know why,  you can claim the choice and create a behavior that replaces the one you aren't going to do again!

Our vocabulary reveals much about where we are.  It's not always easy to look into that particular mirror,  but if we choose to explore the artistic nature of who we are, and if we choose to embark on the passive/aggressive love affair of the business of show,  then we must DEMAND of ourselves that check in, and that honesty.  It isn't about being hard on yourself;  it is about being HONEST.  The honesty can be tough,  but it will give us direction and clarity.

That doesn't mean if you self-speak light, love and glitter bombs that you are being honest with yourself either!   Stress management and delusion live on either side of the veil.  The truth is somewhere in the middle.

I can't....why?  Answer it immediately so there's no time to meddle.  Then continue to riddle it through to a logical end for that question,  on that day.

I don't...why?

I won't...why?

These words need to be there for each of us to find our boundaries and our behaviors.

Claim them;  answer them;  laugh at them;  take a big breath and DO YOU.

Sometimes it turns into:

I can...
I do...
I will....

The singer neurosis

What is the singer neurosis?

If I truly knew the answer to that,  I would be living in a villa in the south of France!

I am not a medical doctor and the truth of neurosis is well above my pay grade,  however, as a teacher of voice and a singer, I am very aware of what I shall call "the singer neurosis".

here a definition of Neurosis from the dictionary:

1. a functional disorder in which feelings of anxiety, obsessional thoughts, compulsive acts, and physicalcomplaints without objective evidence of disease, in various degreesand patterns, dominate the personality.

2. a relatively mild personality disorder typified by excessive anxiety orindecision and a degree of social or interpersonal maladjustment.

Again,  I have no medical degree, but I do deal with the neurosis of the singer daily.

For those singers who truly have psychological issues larger than what a voice teacher can handle,  this is a disorder that needs medical attention.

HOWEVER,  a mild case of neurosis as a singer is not uncommon!

We hear, or have said at some point in our singer life, a we clutch our throats wrapped in a large scarf,  "there is something wrong with my voice!"  or  "Where has my voice gone?"  or  "I have phlegm, or dryness, or post nasal drop,  I cannot possibly sing!"

A friend and colleague who has often collaborated with me on the piano and conducted me,  told me the story of the singer walking onto stage with her pianist saying "darling, my voice is feeling a little fatigued, can we take the recital down a tone today?"  To which the pianist replied,  "Of course Diva,  your wish is my command."  (insert eye roll here)  and commenced to play the recital in the keys that were on the page.  She didn't know the difference, and of course, sang perfectly well.

Ah, the singer neurosis.

We have developed an over-ripe stereotype because of it.  We need to own it and discover WHY.

I am not making excuses for it at all,  nor am I simplifying real psychological issues,  but part of the issue is simply this:

As singers,  we have to discover how we embody INTANGIBLES.  This is where the basic neurosis can be linked.  Intangibles.

We do not have the luxury of looking into the mirror,  making an adjustment and continuing to dance.

We do not have the luxury of having our instrument on the outside,  so when things aren't working we can tighten or loosen a string,  use some rosin,  change a mouthpiece or reed,  or simply stand up and walk away until we are in a better head space!

We work in intangibles:  breath,  and vibration.  We work with a physical athleticism that is intrinsically impossible to see while working.  We cannot simply stand up and walk away or replace a string, or a reed or add some rosin.  We somehow have to take all those intangibles and discover how to make it tangible without getting so emotionally involved that we cannot function.

That's our job.

That's what we have to work out.

How do we discover this intangible/intangible and intertwine it with craft and mind and thought without it driving us insane?

I share with you how I speak about things:

The voice herself/himself (and I speak of the voice in 3rd person to not involve self ego/self sabotage) is FINE.  Where she/he chooses to RESIDE (your physicality) is not always optimal.

So what is our job?  Discover the FUNCTION of the physicality.  Allow for the tangibility of that physicality and why it works or what it needs to work optimally so the voice can move in, and feel like it can reside fully.

WHY isn't the voice working?  That's for YOU to discover and if the focus is physical first - your emotional energy doesn't have to get involved in the production.

The body is your instrument.  The sound and the resonance and the breath is shaped by how you use your body.  The focus then needs to be on discovering how to access that body,  intrinsically and extrinsically. 

I often ask singers,  not what they want to change or fix,  but rather,  what they love about their voice.  This is most often met with hesitation,  shyness,  and sometimes wariness and excuses.

Why?  Just like body image,  we often can great a litany of reasons and a list of things we dislike/want to change/don't understand,  but we are not often allowed to speak about what actually gives us joy when it feels good!

This does not give you license to be delusional!  However,  it does give you permission to slow down and discover when things are working,  what is actually happening!!

So,  don't blame your neurosis on "being a singer".  I don't buy it.

Yes,  the discovery of intangibles can be daunting.  Yes, it takes more work.  Yes, it takes time.  Yes, it takes commitment.

If you say you are a singer,  then I dare you to BE one.  Don't fall for the stereotype and let that define you.  Let YOU define you.  Dare yourself to discover your physical function and let the intangibles have a real place to reside and be discovered consistently.

Dare to fight the singer neurosis just by knowing what you are doing,  instead of making excuses for what you don't know, while pretending that you are.

SING because you MUST.

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I just don't know what to do with you...

It's Saturday!

"I just don't know what to do with you..."

Ever heard that before?

I could have had that on every t-shirt as I was actively auditioning and learning how to manage the mine-field.

My answer of course was: "HIRE ME DAMMIT!"

However,  alas,  not so much...

Why?

Why was I told they didn't know what to do with me?

Why was I told how talented,  how musical,  how beautiful my voice was,  how skilled I was,  and then .... crickets?

It's about that damn audition room again.  It's about being an artist,  and having to negotiate that audition room.

We do too much.  Yes, we do.

We see the same people getting called back or hired.  What are they doing they we are not?

They aren't.  They aren't doing so much.

Too simple?  Perhaps,  but consider this.

Auditions are an opportunity to be hired.  Too much information in a short time,  even if the person on the other side of the table has imagination and knowledge,  is just too much information.  No time to sift through all that of that - so - NEXT!

So,  now the question is:  what do YOU do with you?

Quit trying so hard.

The perkiness,  the eager to please,  the desperation...way too much.

Quit trying so hard to look or seem indifferent.

The playing around with "I'm not impressed" doesn't work either.

What do you want to show them in the room?

Don't answer so quickly.  See?  That's part of the problem.  You have TONS to show them and that's why they don't know what to do with you,  if YOU don't decide precisely WHAT you will show.

You do not reveal everything.  You do not reveal most things.  You invite them to see one,  maybe two things during that audition/interview that intrigues them enough to call you back:  where you show them a little bit more.

Always leave them wanting more.

Do not leave them confused.

Often, as artists, because our internal lives and therefore our craft process is very complex,  we don't realize how to simplify.  It seems ridiculous to us.  It doesn't seem as if it's enough to be that simplistic in the room.

Really?  That's IT?!  That's ALL I have to do?

Yes, darling,  pick ONE thing to reveal in the room the first time.  Don't angst.  Just focus and do it.

When I began to figure that out and actually do it,  they finally knew what to do with me!

AND I wasn't exhausted after the audition like I had been.  I actually had enough energy to stay present in the room,  do my work,  simplify and leave and have energy to pick up the rest of my day instead of blinding wander back into the street and figure out how I could catch a nap.

Start exploring how you simplify for the audition.  What do you want to reveal?
Start with 3 or 4 things.
Then decide out of those 3 or 4 things what are uniquely you.  Narrow the choices to 1 or 2.

How will you execute those choices?

How will you stay present as you walk into the room with those choices?

How will you breathe in those choices as you prepare to sing?

It feels too simple doesn't it?

But it's not,  yet it is precisely right.

Not too much,  not too little,  but just right.

If you've done the work - if you can rely on your craft,  on your skill,  on your technique in all areas of your work:  voice,  acting,  presentation,  professionalism  - then there is nothing to hide or nothing to hide behind.

This gives you many choices that you can enjoy deciding from.  It isn't about throwing out ideas;  it's about deciding what to reveal today.  You may choose differently tomorrow depending on the call,  the opportunity,  the song choice and your energy!

These are not tricks.  These are decisions.  Decisions can be made because you are committed to craft.  Craft allows you to access more of what YOU will offer.

Offer what you have in small doses.  Give them something they will know what to do with,  instead of throwing the bag on the table and looking up and expecting them to choose.

The rest will follow.

All of your artistic "burn"  will find a place to unfold when you have an opportunity work a callback and then book the role and embody that!

Let's turn "I just don't know what to do with you"  into  "I know JUST what I can do with you"!

but can you belt that?

Happy New Year!

Here comes the audition season in full swing!

So - how's your terminology?

This is why I ask:  there is a great deal of terminology in craft, and singing is no different.  We toss around words like "belt",  "mix",  "placement",  and hear "breathe low",  "project" and on and on.

Do you REALLY know what these mean?  Or are they just getting in your way.

First thing,  you have to know your instrument.  Your physical instrument.  Where are the damn parts?  What do they actually do?  How are interconnected?  How athletic do you have to be to access what you need?

Second thing,  you have to figure out how to translate what you are being told.  Many of the words we use, or the words we hear,  are not literal,  but as singers, many of us translate literally.  At least I am guilty of that.  It got me into lots of trouble.

Then I studied anatomy and acoustics and said "DUH".

I am not saying you have to do that - but I am saying that if you say you are a singer, you better know some stuff,  not just toss around the words.

So many of the terms we use as ass-backwards anyway.  Just like stage direction.  Until you really understood "down stage right"  you went the wrong way and had to think about it!

The "terms" are thrown around by singers, teachers, coaches, casting directors, directors - everybody in the industry.  You are not going to tell me that they all have the same definitions.  They don't.  After 30 years in this business, THEY DO NOT.

So,  what's a singer to do?

You MUST find the reality of your instrument.  What happens physically?  How do I translate that?  How do I access that?

You ask questions:  of your teacher  (you DO have a voice teacher, yes?),  and then translate with your coaches and then further translate when you are in the audition room and a casting director, or music director, or director asks for something and you have to be present enough to figure out what they are asking and then what they are REALLY asking.

You have a set of vocal cords.  One larynx.  Resonators that are shaped by YOUR body structure and soft tissue.  Breath.  Physicality.

You don't have a bunch of "different" voices to "put it into".  YOU HAVE ONE VOICE.  You have numerous registers,  but ONE VOICE.  Until you fully discover how to access this,  you can be frustrated when you are asked to sing in different styles.

Style informs tone.  Your voice FIRST.  Wrap the style around that.  Don't think you have to change your voice to access a style!

Learning to find this authenticity gives you authority in your audition and in your performance.

So,  I dare you to toss out terminology that is getting in your way;  embrace terminology that allows you to access YOU fully and consistently;  Develop the physical awareness of HOW you sing;  Explore what defines a style as opposed to "putting it into an xyz voice" to sing a style.  The stylistic definition will then give you permission to still sound like YOU!

When you are given an adjustment or asked for something in the room,  be present enough to figure out what you are REALLY being asked to do.

Industry/Casting are not pedagogues.  We cannot expect them to have the detailed knowledge of how a voice functions or how it develops or how it works.  So guess what?  YOU have to have it.  You have to know how to translate casting language,  which often uses the same words pedagogy does,  into the language YOU understand to access the end result they are looking for.

An ongoing issue is being asked  "can you belt that?"

What do they really mean?  Really belt?

Not necessarily.  If you try to do what they SAID,  you will often be met with "no, that's not what I wanted."

So, guess what? YOU have to figure out how to translate what is being asked.

Often times,  "belt" is associated with a vocal INTENSITY.  If the voice is lacking energy/intensity/vibrancy,  casting or a coach will say "you gotta belt that more".  They don't know what they are asking, but they know it if they hear it.

YOU have to translate that,  figure out how to discover that intensity and vibrancy,  and adjust to show them you can translate it.

And on and on it goes...

Make a list of those "terms" or those "adjustments" you are told or being asked for;  then see if you can explain them out loud or in writing for yourself.  If you can't, take them to your teacher and riddle it out together.

You aren't in this alone!  We all want you to succeed!  Casting wants YOU to be the person they can hire - they really do.

If you aren't prepared,  if you can't translate,  if you haven't found your authenticity yet,  you need to keep discovering that.  You must learn to KNOW YOU; to DO YOU;  to BE YOU in the audition room and in the coaching studio and in the voice studio.

Learn to listen;  learn to translate;  learn to stay present;  learn to see exactly where you are, and
what you need to do in access everything you are growing into.

Your voice and where it resides is all about YOU.  It's not about mimicking a voice;  it's not about putting it into a voice;  It's about finding YOUR voice and how your voice can begin to inhabit the styles you wish to sing in.

Do you and keep committing to that while you study and discover,  while you audition and discover,  while you perform and discover.  Don't dial it in - stay present and engaged!