It was
Friday, around 3:30, sunshine streaming in through the windows of my home
studio. There my student was, sheet music (I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out
of My Hair from South Pacific) in front
of her on the music stand.
Her voice
was ringing out, and then one little thing happened. And another.
Our bodies
are our vocal instruments, and any little thing that goes wrong with technique can
stop the flow of breath or resonance – even in trained singers. I asked my student to raise her chin, so her
head was level. I stood by her as we virtually threw our voices, together, at
the wall beyond an imaginary ten rows of people. I helped her correct her
onsets, get back into the mask/forward focus, and use her hands on her belly to
keep the breath flow going…at one point, knowing how frustrating this can be….I
just said, “And why don’t I also throw in to please helm a boat while sewing a
lined jacket at the same time?”
We both
cracked up and had a hearty laugh.
Yes, this
is how complicated it can be.
Yet it’s still fun.
Since then, we’re all taking steps to be healthy. If you have symptoms, just don’t feel well, or have a fever (take your temperature, please) don’t come to your lesson, and your teacher will do the same. Of course you won’t be charged for any lessons you cancel even at the last minute. (Usually I request a 24-hour notice.) Voice students always have the option of having lessons via Zoom, which works great.
April 11 Vocal Superpowers workshop cancelled due to health and safety concerns regarding COVID-19. If we are able to reschedule, we’ll be sure to let you know.
Thank you for your understanding.
Please spread the love and pass this
along to a friend!
Love Your Voice and Voice Your Love,
Laura
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational
Voice® is a
registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
Get Confident and Feel Empowered:
Develop a More Intimate Relationship With Your Voice
The delightful Paula Vail, whose essay happens to show up in the same
book as one of Oprah Winfrey’s (https://www.wellnessinspired.com/books-and-film)
interviewed me for her Seattle radio show, Choices: Finding Your
Joy, in August of 2018.
I listened to
the interview again recently and was struck by how Paula’s questions pulled out
gems of information about not just our physical vocal instrument/body, but the
inner voice/message within wanting to come out and play in the world.
Here are some highlights to help you develop a whole new loving relationship
with your voice.
Think of your breath as a
river or conveyor belt carrying the sound of your voice. Understanding breath
flow (including breathing with a relaxed core/abdomen) will rock your world.
Resonating, so your voice
carries effectively and efficiently, is easy to learn and can be the number one
factor in whether or not people can hear you.
Way too many people speak in
too low of a pitch, so their voice sounds gravelly. Don’t be one of them.
Great vocalization often
equates to breaking bad old habits.
When you develop confidence
with your voice and feel more comfortable speaking and singing in public, your
inner message and what you want to say will become clearer. The more you feel
confident and comfortable vocalizing, the more relaxed and clear your physical
voice will come through.
When you are passionate and
emotionally invested as a vocalist, and your inner and outer voices are congruent
and aligned, you will connect with your audience and bring them along on the
journey.
Please spread the love and pass this
along to a friend!
Love Your Voice and Voice Your Love,
Laura
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational
Voice® is a
registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
Perfectionism
is self-abuse of the highest order. -Anne Wilson Schaef
A few months ago, I had a
trial piano lesson with a man, probably in his mid-40’s, who described himself
as a beginning piano student. I came to the lesson prepared to show him where
middle C was on the keyboard, a bit about reading music, and perhaps an
introduction to the C major scale.
I learned to play piano
and read music from lesson books by the likes of John Thompson, John W. Schaum
and Michael Aaron. Typically, these books graduate in complexity from grade one
to grade five. As a senior in high school, I had gotten through most of grade
four, after 10 years of lessons.
My “beginning” trial
student that day pulled out a grade three book and played a classical piece
beautifully, making one mistake in the middle of the second page. He was
frustrated that he continued to make mistakes at all…and that they were always
in different places.
I gently explained my
definition of a beginning student (has never read music and doesn’t know where
middle C is), that he was far too advanced for me to be able to teach him…and
inquired if he might be a bit of a perfectionist…? He took a breath, paused, and said, “You
could say I’ve heard that before.”
At
it’s root, perfectionism isn’t really about a deep love of being perfect. It’s
about fear. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of
failure. Fear of success. -Michael
Law
One of my regular students
at Lake Music, a 12-year-old, is one of the most dedicated students I’ve had.
I’ve only had one other student who has worked as hard as “Karen”, as I’ll call
her, and has learned piano so quickly. Karen will soon be starting voice
lessons as well. Yet, I’m concerned about her – because she is so hard on
herself. I’ve interacted extensively with her father, who sits in on most of
Karen’s lessons, and I don’t feel the pressure is coming from her parents. I’ve
learned in casual conversation during lessons that Karen is the eldest of four
siblings.
I don’t know where Karen’s
drive comes from. She’s a joy to work with. Yet I wonder if the need to excel
is robbing her of her own joy in the process of discovery and growth.
It’s healthy to commit to
learning, growing and becoming the best musician or speaker you can be. I want
to become the best vocalist and voice teacher I can be. But that’s not the same
thing as perfectionism. The need to be perfect can either stop you dead in your
tracks or make the path you’re traveling toward any goal or dream tense and
miserable.
I mentioned this to one of
my other piano students, a 38-year-old adult, who readily shared with me that
the scourge of perfectionism lead him to seven years in therapy and
prescription medication. One of my fellow certified Transformational Voice®
Teachers, Maire, describes herself as a recovering perfectionist. She once
shared with the apprenticeship training class how when people would “accuse”
her of being a perfectionist, her response was, “How can I be a perfectionist?
I never do anything perfectly.”
And it wasn’t a joke. This
was her reality at that time. Breaks my heart.
Thankfully, Maire, a classically trained soprano, decided to become gloriously imperfect as a voice and yoga teacher, singer, songwriter and recording artist with the other half of The Boston Imposters, her husband, Davey. I love their debut album and shudder to think of a world without it, had Maire allowed perfectionism to keep her from expressing her beautiful authentic voice in the world.
Perfectionism
doesn’t make you feel perfect; it makes you feel inadequate. -Maria Shriver
To uncover your authentic
voice, (no perfectionism allowed!) join me and Brenda Bryan’s Be Bold, Be
Brave, Be Powerful Speaker’s Club at Swaha Studios on April 11th,
1:00 – 4:00 for The Four Vocal Superpowers Most Pros Don’t Know. Register
by emailing info@LauraHandke.com. $97. $75 for Speaker’s Club
members.
Please spread the love and pass this
along to a friend!
Love Your Voice and Voice Your Love,
Laura
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational
Voice® is a
registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
I hope you’ve escaped the crud going around this winter. I was sick the third week of January, sicker than I’ve been in quite a while. My lungs were congested, fever had my teeth and limbs chattering, and all I could think about was getting more sleep. I spent upwards of 18-20 hours per day in bed for three days, with an increasingly sore back, because I was spending so much time prone.
I had to postpone most of
my student appointments and my personal voice lesson with my teacher as a
result. Guess what? When you’ve been sick like that, coughing and coughing, it
may take up to two weeks for your poor throat and vocal folds to recover from
the inflammation. I’ve been on partial vocal rest since.
One thing about being
sick, it sure makes you feel grateful for your health, doesn’t it? Once I felt
well enough to get out of bed, the nesting instinct set in and all I could
think about was cleaning and cooking. I showered for the first time in three
days and washed my bedding. Cleaned house and lit a candle and brought it from
room to room. Made a broccoli cheese soup, a big fresh green salad with red
bell pepper and cucumber and picked up a frozen French baguette at Albertson’s
to brown and bake. Got a craving for dessert, for some reason, and reached out
to my friends on Facebook for easy recipes that don’t require grocery shopping.
Try this one, from my friend,
Jackie, the next time you have a sweet tooth. It’s simple, yummy, and you can
ignore the sifting suggestion, as Jackie and I do.
Sift
flour (or not) and mix with baking powder, salt, cocoa and sugar in a mixing
bowl. Add the milk, nuts, butter and vanilla; blend well. Pour mixture into a
greased 9-inch square baking pan.
Topping:
Combine
¼ C sugar, ½ C brown sugar, 3 TBSP cocoa, ¼ tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla.
Spread
topping evenly over the first mixture. Pour 1 cup boiling water over all. Do
not stir.
Bake
at 350 for 50 minutes to an hour, until slightly crusty on top and firm. A
pudding will form on top with a fudge sauce layer below. Serve hot with plain
or whipped cream.
This illness also reminded
me of how very important books are to me.
Before I got sick, I had
picked up three fiction books in a row I couldn’t get into. So disappointing. I
forced myself to finish one and brought all three back to my favorite local
little library. Where I found one more…and went back to the Tigard Library,
too. There I found one I will quote this much of:
Fireflies
twinkled in the tall grass, a big yellow moon was rising out of the sea, and Paradise
Ice Cream was hopping. Twenty-eight flavors and a short-order grill were housed
in a small white cottage on the edge of a marsh, with beach traffic meandering
past on Shore Road. Bright, colorful lanterns swung from a wire above the
packed parking lot. People sat at picnic tables under a willow tree, gazing
across the mouth of the river towards the lighthouse on the other side.
-from SANDCASTLES by
Luanne Rice.
I’m so happy to have a
good book on my nightstand again.
Let me know if you have a
favorite author – I’d love the introduction! The same goes for your favorite
uber easy dessert-to-bake recipe.
For your Calendar: April
11th – Swaha Studios – The Four Vocal Superpowers Most Pro’s Don’t
Know!
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
Love Your Voice and Voice Your Love,
Laura
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational
Voice® is a
registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
American country singer Johnny Cash (1932 – 2003) sits with an acoustic guitar in a still from the film, ‘Road To Nashville,’ directed by Will Zenz, 1966. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
A Few
Minutes a Day with Johnny Cash
Just a few minutes a day with
your instrument can make the difference between becoming your best vocalist/musician
or not.
My voice students have
been coming along by leaps and bounds, and I sing every day – I’m always
warming up and demonstrating with my students. Right now, my students,
including piano students, are between the ages of 6 and 77. Korean, African
American, Caucasian, young girls, middle-aged men…I could not have imagined
this kind of diversity and joy when I left Corporate America and the cubicle
environment in 2014.
What a blessing!
And yet of course I have a
different set of struggles as a teacher and entrepreneur.
Perhaps you have personal
experience with the struggle I’ll discuss today. Even though I sing virtually every
day, I still suffer from performance anxiety when I sing solo in public. Not
when I teach or speak, but when I sing.
This isn’t an easy thing
for a voice teacher to admit.
I’m making steps to walk
through this fear and become a competent public solo singer…updates will be
coming!
In the meantime, I want to
acknowledge dearly departed Johnny Cash, one of my favorite country singers. I
learned to sing Folsom Prison Blues with my now-husband playing the guitar.
One of the first times we practiced the song, I felt Johnny in the room with
us. I mentioned it to George, and he did, too.
I have a two-pronged theory about why Folsom Prison Blues seems to be the only song I can sing well in public when I’m nervous and my body tenses. Here’s a clip of me singing the song last May at the Lake Music Recital. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow6fAsgYzeI
One: This song is all in
my first and low, full second register – I’m belting the blues and my larynx
doesn’t tilt as it would if I went into light second register. So, I have
plenty of breath, resonance, and a relatively stable larynx that will operate fairly
well even when I have performance anxiety and tension in my body. That’s the
physical part.
Two: The emotional/spiritual
part, and connection with the composer on the other side. I call goosebumps angelbumps.
When I felt Johnny in the room with us during those early rehearsals, my arms
and legs were covered with angelbumps. Somehow, I feel I’m being supported by
Johnny Cash every time I sing this song.
You want to hear something
spooky? The very night after I wrote the above, I watched the movie The
Soloist on television. (I highly recommend it.) Jamie Foxx’s sensitive, riveting,
soul-stirring performance as mentally ill, homeless musical genus Nathaniel
Ayers knocked my socks off.
In one moving scene,
journalist Steve Lopez (played by the wonderful Robert Downey, Jr.) takes Ayers
to hear a symphony rehearse Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3.
As the music closes, Ayers
whispers, “He’s in the room.”
“Who is?” Lopez asks.
“Beethoven.”
I get angelbumps just remembering.
And I’ll remember this as I rehearse other songs in my first register by Carole
King, Stevie Nicks and Mary Chapin Carpenter – all of whom are alive and well
on planet Earth.
Please spread the love and pass this
along to a friend!
Love Your Voice and Voice Your Love,
Laura
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational
Voice® is a
registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
Wishweavers Circle 2020: a Mastermind Experience is beginning! I’m excited for our first meeting with women who’ve recently accomplished such things as opening a new store and writing a one-woman-play.
There are many
ways to reach our dreams and define our goals. My friend and colleague, Lisa
Marie Platske, has found a unique way to help you take your bold and daring
vision for making a bigger difference in the world, and fully using your gifts,
talents and experiences into firm possibility this year.
No, it’s not
crazy. Lisa knows from experience, as do I, with the right vision and support,
anything is possible in 2020.
Lisa has extended
a generous special offer because of our
connection! How cool is that?
For just $297 a ticket, you can bring a friend for free; that’s
$1697 off the ticket price. If you’re near Manhattan Beach, California (or want
to be) the weekend of January 23rd-25th, jump on board to
Design Your Destiny with Lisa Marie Platske.
Please spread the love
and pass this along to a friend!
Love Your Voice and Voice
Your Love,
Laura
Lake Oswego’s Transformational
Voice® Teacher (Transformational
Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute,
LLC, and Linda Brice.)
