Reagan in the Lake Music Lobby (Photo by Donnell Plumlee)
Lake Music Recital Saturday
I hope you’ve had as great a month as I have. May brought sunshine and warm temps to the Willamette Valley, and then rain just when it was needed. I planted a little patio garden with cilantro, basil, cherry tomato and jalapeno pepper plants. The roses in the front yard are starting to bud and blossom already.
Our voices can bloom
just like the plants. If you’re
interested in an introductory group voice workshop, I have one coming up June
15th in Sellwood…details to come!
Today, I have a
special announcement. Lake Music’s recital is this coming Saturday afternoon,
1:00, at Lakewood Theatre, 368 S. State Street, Lake Oswego, OR.
I’ve been teaching at Lake Music since last August and this is the first recital I’ve had the pleasure of participating in. We’re all really looking forward to it, and – if you’re local— you’re invited to attend! Here’s a photo of my 7-year-old piano student, Reagan, who will be playing in the recital. Approximately 30 students – from 5-year-old youngsters to beginning elders – will be performing, and the snack table will be nicely filled.
Guess
what? The teacher will be singing, too! A Johnny Cash song I’ve always been
fond of.
Come
on down if you can, and – if you can’t –
think well wishes for all of the students! And for yourself, in your own vocal
practice.
Remember,
there is no such thing as failure. The only failure is not trying.
I have
missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26
occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I
have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
-Michael Jordan
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC,
and Linda Brice.)
All the vocal training in the world can’t help with one
not-so-small thing, and that’s the inner critic. I call my inner critic
“Carla.”
Yes, after all my years of vocal training and teaching, that
critic still kicks in from time to time, especially when I have a musical
audition. Still, far less, these days.
The best way to combat the critic is to remember we’re just
playing. Playing with your voice is fun – you don’t need to be perfect. Music
is fun; music is healing and joyful!
Sing like your critic isn’t looking, and have fun! The
critic will start to know it doesn’t have as much of a hold on you. Especially
if you giggle. Please do giggle with great vocal technique.
Please spread the love and pass this along to
a friend!
Laura has helped me
find my true, authentic voice. She’s given me music I didn’t know I could sing
to help me realize I’m truly a singer, not just a person who can sing.
-Kenyon A.
Lake Oswego’s Transformational
Voice® Teacher (Transformational Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training
Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
Did you know you can breathe “wrong?” If not, don’t worry –
most people don’t even think about it. When you speak and sing, you should be
taking deep belly breaths. Check out this less than 2-minute video for more
details.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QU1I6AGFcI
Deep belly breathing while vocalizing can be
counter-intuitive for many of us, because we’re unwittingly accustomed to
clenching our abdomens, especially when we’re in a situation that makes us
nervous…like public speaking or singing can.
Try this exercise – head into your bedroom or bathroom,
wherever you have a large mirror – and take a deep breath. Does your belly
expand when you inhale? Do your shoulders go up? Ideally, when vocalizing, your
belly should be relaxed and expand when you inhale while your shoulders and
chest remain relatively stable and movement-free.
If this sounds, or feels, confusing – know you’re not alone!
I’ve worked with people from 9-16 year-old students to attorneys to
professional speakers/trainers who find deep, relaxed belly breathing baffling
at first. It took a while for it to become second nature for me, too.
The good news: incorporating healthy and effective vocal
technique is like learning a sport. All it takes is repetition, time and
patience while the process becomes ingrained in muscle memory. Then, your body
simply knows what to do – and you don’t even have to think about it anymore!
Very good news, indeed.
Mother’s Day is coming up May 12th. Do any
mothers in your life love to cook? You
can order COMFORT FOOD FROM THE
HEARTLAND: Recipes from a South Dakota Farmer’s Daughter here: http://laurahandke.com/books/ The
cookbook is a benefit for Salem Friends of Felines, where I adopted the most
awesome cat, Lady Jane, in 2007. Lady is 15 now.
Please spread the love and pass this along to
a friend!
I
came away with a much better understanding of how to do, and effectively use,
belly breathing to speak confidently, efficiently and effectively. -Caroline M.
Laura
is a skilled teacher and observer of her students. -Anita E.
Supportive,
fun, safe…and immediately applicable tools and skills. -Barbara M.
Lake Oswego’s
Transformational Voice®
Teacher (Transformational Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training
Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
A dear friend and fellow Transformational Voice apprentice teacher, Maire Clement, is raising funds for her first album. I absolutely love Maire and Davey’s music (think folk with a Gaelic flair.) Would you consider contributing? I have! I can’t wait to hear their first album, and you could be a part of creating it!
Lake Oswego’s
Transformational Voice®
Teacher (Transformational Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training
Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
If you’ve never thought about vocal pitch when you’re
speaking, here’s a video to get you in the pitch groove!
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher is also a pretty good
cook!
I picked up a marinated garlic herb beef tenderloin from
Trader Joe’s.
I washed, cut, and boiled four russet potatoes (skins on) with
garlic. Drained after cooking, and added mall amounts of butter, grated sharp
cheddar and parmesan cheeses, a dollop of sour cream, dried chives, thyme, dill
weed, dash of seasoning salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and snips of
fresh parsley I had on hand. After whipping with a mixer, spread it into a
small baking pan and sprinkled with paprika.
Then put parchment paper on a large baking pan before adding
cut broccoli, baby carrots, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Sprinkled the vegetables
with olive oil and freshly ground salt & pepper – roasted at 400 until the
veggies were tender.
What a delicious dinner – with leftovers!
Mother’s Day is coming up May 12th. Do any mothers
in your life love to cook? You can order
COMFORT FOOD FROM THE HEARTLAND: Recipes
from a South Dakota Farmer’s Daughter here: http://laurahandke.com/books/ The
cookbook is a benefit for Salem Friends of Felines, where I adopted the most
awesome cat, Lady Jane, in 2007. Lady is 15 now.
Until we get together next, happy vocalizing and happy
cooking!
Laura has helped me
find my true, authentic voice. She’s given me music I didn’t know I could sing
to help me realize I’m truly a singer, not just a person who can sing.
-Kenyon A.
Laura
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
Some people want to be professional singers, or professional speakers. Some want to perfect a TedX speech.
Many other people just want to know how to vocalize better.
Some of my best experiences as a voice teacher have been working
with people who simply want to speak or sing better in their everyday life.
Here is one example. My colleague and friend, Katie Ramseur, and I presented our third Speak Up! workshop for the amazing women of Dress for Success Oregon last Wednesday evening. https://oregon.dressforsuccess.org
Here we are with just under half of the women who came to the presentation. Every woman owned their authentic voice and let it ring out! What an amazing experience!
Here is another example, for professional speakers. I gave a 35-minute training for the Portland Chapter of the National Speakers Association https://nsaoregon.org/ Speaker Performance Lab Monday evening. The audience was so engaged and present, asking so many intelligent questions, I actually went over time a bit, asking permission to continue.
We want
to share our authentic truth, in our authentic voices. The more I teach, the
clearer this becomes. One woman at the NSA event asked me if I’ve ever run
across speakers with apathy.
What an amazing question.
I’ve run across many people with “vocal fry,”
letting their voices fall into the back of the throat without resonance or conviction
and too low of a pitch. One master-mind partner called that being ‘lazy.’
Yet what else can apathy mean, when it comes to public speaking?
Sera’s question lead me into my heart.
Anyone can read lines, even if they suffer from
stage-fright; the clinical term for the fear of public speaking is glossophobia.
But speaking from your heart requires vulnerability,
allowing yourself to experience emotions while you’re speaking. When you’re in
front of an audience, speaking or singing, and feeling something…your audience
will feel it, too. If you’re not feeling it, your audience won’t either.
I believe that’s the best answer to the question about
apathy.
Be present. Be real. Feel something. Let your audience go on the emotional journey with you, as you are sharing your message with great vocal technique.
Next up! The Four Critical Pillars For Healthy
and Effective Technique Every Speaker Should Know
The voice lesson affected me in ways I never
imagined. I feel so much more inspired now. Thank you! -Lennon R.
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend! And let me know if you know of an organization that needs this message.
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
