It happens every week. Often several times a week. I’ll have been working with a voice student at Lake Music for half an hour. She’s singing on the breath, with resonance, has good onsets, and we’ve worked out pitch and enunciation issues. I mention a couple things to work on over the coming week, open the door, and say “Great job; see you next week!”
The student’s mom, or dad, greets her warmly, saying, “Hi, Honey! Hope you had a great lesson. Let’s get home and start dinner; how does spaghetti sound?”, sounding just like this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abjdsJAIUf4, in vocal fry.
It’s a little like what I imagine a healthy eating coach would go through if she had to drop her clients off at the McDonalds drive-through after each session.
So, I’ve started talking to the parents and inviting them in to take part in lessons as often as I can. I describe what each student is working on and what healthy and effective vocal technique means. I let them know I want to take this training into public and private schools.
I explain what I’m telling you right now: Even if you rehearse the breathing and other vocal techniques for at least a few minutes daily and regularly attend lessons…then slip into vocal fry in your everyday conversations…the technique won’t get into muscle memory.
Once healthy and effective vocal technique gets into muscle memory, it becomes second nature and you don’t even have to think about it anymore.
My students who’ve gotten to that point consistently tell me they get compliments on their voices. People hear them better. Sometimes it’s just a simple question, like “What is different about you? You seem more confident or something…”
I’m not sure when I went from being “just” a voice teacher to a champion for the healthy, authentic voice of the American public, but somehow it’s happened.
Please let me know who I should contact in your favorite school or organization.
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.)