Acknowledging your voice is like acknowledging your self.
It's your vibrational signature!
Do you like the instrument you use to speak with?
Does it sound good to you when you hear it played back on a recording?
What is your secret opinion of your voice?
What is a secret opinion you have about yourself?
What have you decided you should NEVER do with your voice?
What would you really like to do?
Speaking up and 'showing up', in life, are proactively similar.
Many people, after taking voice, show up more and are 'seen' differently.
They are risking being heard for the first time in their lives.
Not only on stage or in a classroom but everywhere!
It generally pays off in cuter dates, bigger paychecks, more sales, being able to write clearly and more social influence.
When you work the voice you magnetize the tuning fork of the body.
You then attract so much more!
The sound of your voice does it for you.
What SECRET OPINION do you have of your voice?
Let me know and I'll help you with that as best I can.
This is Divy Nelson
AustinVoiceLessons.com
for
The Singers' Daily
((answer some of those questions n I'll write back to you!))
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Entire Family
Re-educating families is part of my job. In this big city whole families, from all over the globe, arrive together on the first session if they are dropping off a child or teen. Its quite a celebration!
The technique I created (The Six Point Vocal WAV Method) is very athletic and the exercises can be loud and non-traditional.
So the entire family needs to support the student. Whether that's Mom or Dad or one of the children.
Those are some LOUD and FUNNY noises (along with the usual, recognizable scales and songs)
Much Kindness is required....and no joking around! No answering back through the bedroom door or calling out moo-ing sounds from the backyard! You gotta work with me people!!
Nothing that isn't totally obviously innocent support!
You can tell I am ADAMANT ABOUT THIS.
And people from ANY culture get it. And feel safe and secure because of it.
I will protect them from each other if I have to. With much glee and eye winking.
Everyone gets it.
So, I retrain families to respond with support and tremendous positivity.
I prepare the student as well.
Asking them to stand up for themselves and their voice.
Asking them to protect this vulnerable process until they feel confident.
Or at least until they can come back from dumb questions with snappy answers.
Or better yet educated answers that are about technical voice
and why they sounding the way they do at present.
The pulling apart process is awkward at first. Old speech pattern habits
coming apart at the seams can sound funny and even the
speaking voice begins its transformation.
So, in summery, today was a really great day.
I am finding my way to retrain, or just explain to them what is required for
someone in the family to really learn how to sing.
Today they were from India, Japan and Germany.
(Though I suspect the Germans have been here a few generations!!)
I love my job.
Gratitude for you and your beautiful voice.
Get it working! You may really need it!
Check out AustinVoiceLessons.com
If you read this blog regularly and get someone into my studio
I'll send you some FREE stuff (cd's)
This is Divy for
The Singers' Daily
Stay cool in this heat, all you Texans!
The technique I created (The Six Point Vocal WAV Method) is very athletic and the exercises can be loud and non-traditional.
So the entire family needs to support the student. Whether that's Mom or Dad or one of the children.
Those are some LOUD and FUNNY noises (along with the usual, recognizable scales and songs)
Much Kindness is required....and no joking around! No answering back through the bedroom door or calling out moo-ing sounds from the backyard! You gotta work with me people!!
Nothing that isn't totally obviously innocent support!
You can tell I am ADAMANT ABOUT THIS.
And people from ANY culture get it. And feel safe and secure because of it.
I will protect them from each other if I have to. With much glee and eye winking.
Everyone gets it.
So, I retrain families to respond with support and tremendous positivity.
I prepare the student as well.
Asking them to stand up for themselves and their voice.
Asking them to protect this vulnerable process until they feel confident.
Or at least until they can come back from dumb questions with snappy answers.
Or better yet educated answers that are about technical voice
and why they sounding the way they do at present.
The pulling apart process is awkward at first. Old speech pattern habits
coming apart at the seams can sound funny and even the
speaking voice begins its transformation.
So, in summery, today was a really great day.
I am finding my way to retrain, or just explain to them what is required for
someone in the family to really learn how to sing.
Today they were from India, Japan and Germany.
(Though I suspect the Germans have been here a few generations!!)
I love my job.
Gratitude for you and your beautiful voice.
Get it working! You may really need it!
Check out AustinVoiceLessons.com
If you read this blog regularly and get someone into my studio
I'll send you some FREE stuff (cd's)
This is Divy for
The Singers' Daily
Stay cool in this heat, all you Texans!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Singing Is Natural: Learning To Sing Can Be As Well!!
If no one told you not to, you'd be singing. If you'd seen other people in your family singing, like as not, you'd be as well!
Why?
Its fun, fulfilling, sexy and performing for other people ROCKS! So...if its such a natural thing how come more people don't feel comfortable doing it? Even in the shower?
Well (said Dr.Divy, clearing her professional throat...) I believe everyone WILL!
Eventually.
Its one of the most natural expressions of being alive. Birds do it, bees humm it...
even educated fleas...etc etc
If you were left to your own devices creatively and were raised around really relaxed, relatively enlightened usually positive people you'd have learned to sing easily.
People even learn under stress and duress!
They're just not that happy when they're off stage. Can be a problem.
Anyway, every problem I've ever had the honor of helping to"fix" has come down to some habitual
contraction. And once relaxed and all atrophy aside (vocally muscling up) everyone learns to sing quite well!
Now, they may have some residual vocal side effects from being vocally contracted for however many years,
but they learn to relax and get stronger and they love it.
What if you'd been instructed to sit in a straight backed chair for 35 years?
When u finally stood up what do you think you and your body might go through?
What if you'd been denying yourself swimming? What's it like to learn later in life? What do you go through?
And if you're a kid (or know one) and you are strong and flexible and willing to learn how long do you think
learning to sing might take you?
((I've had kids grasp the basics and use their new voice naturally in a matter of HOURS!))
When you relax your fist what's left? An open palm, a helping hand, a lift up, a great handshake, a high five and a pat on the head for doing your rehearsal CD just like I asked!!
ITS WORKING!!!
Love you all and thanks for reading
The SIngers' Daily
This is Divy Nelson
AustinVoiceLessons.com
Why?
Its fun, fulfilling, sexy and performing for other people ROCKS! So...if its such a natural thing how come more people don't feel comfortable doing it? Even in the shower?
Well (said Dr.Divy, clearing her professional throat...) I believe everyone WILL!
Eventually.
Its one of the most natural expressions of being alive. Birds do it, bees humm it...
even educated fleas...etc etc
If you were left to your own devices creatively and were raised around really relaxed, relatively enlightened usually positive people you'd have learned to sing easily.
People even learn under stress and duress!
They're just not that happy when they're off stage. Can be a problem.
Anyway, every problem I've ever had the honor of helping to"fix" has come down to some habitual
contraction. And once relaxed and all atrophy aside (vocally muscling up) everyone learns to sing quite well!
Now, they may have some residual vocal side effects from being vocally contracted for however many years,
but they learn to relax and get stronger and they love it.
What if you'd been instructed to sit in a straight backed chair for 35 years?
When u finally stood up what do you think you and your body might go through?
What if you'd been denying yourself swimming? What's it like to learn later in life? What do you go through?
And if you're a kid (or know one) and you are strong and flexible and willing to learn how long do you think
learning to sing might take you?
((I've had kids grasp the basics and use their new voice naturally in a matter of HOURS!))
When you relax your fist what's left? An open palm, a helping hand, a lift up, a great handshake, a high five and a pat on the head for doing your rehearsal CD just like I asked!!
ITS WORKING!!!
Love you all and thanks for reading
The SIngers' Daily
This is Divy Nelson
AustinVoiceLessons.com
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Vocal Workshop Offering Quick Fix = Totol Bull!
Why waste your time and money? Would you go to a one day workshop about Karate and expect yourself and/or your body to retain it?
Would you give the thrill of surfing a one day chance and then judge the measure of your surfing abilities by that day?
Would you try speaking Spanish using a ONE day workshop and really expect to have it down?
NO!! So.....
Please do not go to some workshop offering the one time 'discovery' of your voice. Not unless you use it to kick-start a term of study that will actually last for a lifetime! Even a six week program in my vocal studio will change your vocal trajectory permanently.
If you can learn to run faster you can learn to sing.
If you can learn a language you can learn to sing, and well!
But someone offering you something impossible is just that: impossible. Or very very very very UNLIKELY, lets just put it that way. Just so I don't sound so negative. Wouldn't want to squelch the magic!!
I have facilitated thousands of people with their voices over a 30 year period of time.
There are only a few things to fix or relax or be aware of really!! But that awareness takes a certain amount of attention and
focus to grow. The body takes time to retrain and do what you'd like it to when its under pressure (i.e. people staring at you while they listen to you sing!)
It takes a bit of patience, some skillful coaching....and yes, you can have a great voice.
Being able to sing, with a nice vibrato, on pitch and on key, in rhythm and in front of people ONE TIME
really doesn't mean that, from then on, you'll be able to do it ever again.
That is one of the MAIN points of frustration for semi-professional singers or a really good amateur.
Repeating the performance!
SO, my point again is, get with a good coach. Study voice for a stretch of time. Get measurable results that you and everybody else can appreciate and have fun with it the good old fashioned way. By applying yourself.
I had a very excited note on Facebook today about something one of my students "got!" technically.
So much JOY and enthusiasm makes it all worth it!
This is Divy Nelson for
The Singers' Daily
AustinVoiceLessons.com
Would you give the thrill of surfing a one day chance and then judge the measure of your surfing abilities by that day?
Would you try speaking Spanish using a ONE day workshop and really expect to have it down?
NO!! So.....
Please do not go to some workshop offering the one time 'discovery' of your voice. Not unless you use it to kick-start a term of study that will actually last for a lifetime! Even a six week program in my vocal studio will change your vocal trajectory permanently.
If you can learn to run faster you can learn to sing.
If you can learn a language you can learn to sing, and well!
But someone offering you something impossible is just that: impossible. Or very very very very UNLIKELY, lets just put it that way. Just so I don't sound so negative. Wouldn't want to squelch the magic!!
I have facilitated thousands of people with their voices over a 30 year period of time.
There are only a few things to fix or relax or be aware of really!! But that awareness takes a certain amount of attention and
focus to grow. The body takes time to retrain and do what you'd like it to when its under pressure (i.e. people staring at you while they listen to you sing!)
It takes a bit of patience, some skillful coaching....and yes, you can have a great voice.
Being able to sing, with a nice vibrato, on pitch and on key, in rhythm and in front of people ONE TIME
really doesn't mean that, from then on, you'll be able to do it ever again.
That is one of the MAIN points of frustration for semi-professional singers or a really good amateur.
Repeating the performance!
SO, my point again is, get with a good coach. Study voice for a stretch of time. Get measurable results that you and everybody else can appreciate and have fun with it the good old fashioned way. By applying yourself.
I had a very excited note on Facebook today about something one of my students "got!" technically.
So much JOY and enthusiasm makes it all worth it!
This is Divy Nelson for
The Singers' Daily
AustinVoiceLessons.com
Thursday, July 2, 2009
What Does Singing "Clear"??
Singing clears the emotional self. The physical action of singing has profound effects on every body system!
You also can't think about much else besides what your singing while you're singing it! You become instantly centered in the present.
Its a yoga, a martial art.
Strength, agility, laser focus, flexibility, practice! confidence, relaxation, being present... its the same travel path.
But then you add people watching, judging, comparing and applauding....this bumps it up a notch.
How the hell can you prepare for this much multi-tasking?
What you really learn to do is handle, from total relaxed presence, eveything at once: allowing your voice to continue working under pressure.
Its a knack.
So , to master the voice one must be able to master it under pressure which brings us to performing.
There are SO many benefits to learning to perform I won't list them all but just know its worth it!
Performing can give you a confidence you never thought possible. And that confidence can be applied to everything in your life.
I'm writing this today, after teaching for the last few hours, watching as my students allow themselves to begin the process of desiring to perform. That desire, if allowed, fuels the mastery process beautifully. Whatever the real motivation it doesn't seem to matter. I'm grateful the desire is born because it makes my job so much easier!
So then, in a performance class, we'll sing for each other. Support each other and be VERY very positive with our feedback.
And we'll watch each other bloom with expression, with newfound confidence and relaxation expanding into vocal mastery.
Its such a blast.
Have a great today and tomorrow.
This is Divy Nelson for
The Singers' Daily
Visit AustinVoiceLessons.com
hugs
Divy
You also can't think about much else besides what your singing while you're singing it! You become instantly centered in the present.
Its a yoga, a martial art.
Strength, agility, laser focus, flexibility, practice! confidence, relaxation, being present... its the same travel path.
But then you add people watching, judging, comparing and applauding....this bumps it up a notch.
How the hell can you prepare for this much multi-tasking?
What you really learn to do is handle, from total relaxed presence, eveything at once: allowing your voice to continue working under pressure.
Its a knack.
So , to master the voice one must be able to master it under pressure which brings us to performing.
There are SO many benefits to learning to perform I won't list them all but just know its worth it!
Performing can give you a confidence you never thought possible. And that confidence can be applied to everything in your life.
I'm writing this today, after teaching for the last few hours, watching as my students allow themselves to begin the process of desiring to perform. That desire, if allowed, fuels the mastery process beautifully. Whatever the real motivation it doesn't seem to matter. I'm grateful the desire is born because it makes my job so much easier!
So then, in a performance class, we'll sing for each other. Support each other and be VERY very positive with our feedback.
And we'll watch each other bloom with expression, with newfound confidence and relaxation expanding into vocal mastery.
Its such a blast.
Have a great today and tomorrow.
This is Divy Nelson for
The Singers' Daily
Visit AustinVoiceLessons.com
hugs
Divy
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