Touching Speech: How Helen Keller Learned to Speak (And what we can learn from it!)

This rare video not only gives us a glimpse into the ingenious process that allowed Hellen Keller to learn to speak, but also offers an interesting way of looking at and organizing how we all speak. The intuitive and practical methods that Anne Sullivan demonstrates can be used when we, as students of voice, are learning to speak and sing with more awareness and clarity.

Try this!

1. Place your fingers on your face and neck as Helen placed hers on Anne’s: Thumb on the front of the neck, forefinger on the lips and middle finger on the nostril. (Find a way to make this as comfortable as possible–without straining your arm and hands).

2. Make various consonant and vowel sounds–noticing the different movements and vibrations associated with each one.

Middle Finger:

Nasal Consonants [m, n, ng]

Forefinger:

Frontal Consonants (Lips, Teeth, Tip of Tongue) [b, p, t, f, z, d, s], etc.

Lip and Jaw shapes for vowels [i, e, a, o, u], etc.

Thumb:

Consonants made with the back of the Tongue [k, g, r, y], etc.

You can also feel the vibration of the True Vocal Folds beneath the Thumb! as in [s] vs. [z]

3. Speak a text slowly, sensing each sound and movement. Go slowly enough to aware of the details.

4. Do the same thing while singing! What’s different? When singing, it may be helpful to place the thumb by the root of the tongue (under the chin and back toward your throat) and bring your other hand to rest on your larynx. You’ll probably notice how your larynx moves up and down as you sing. As you continue, notice if your text is less clear when you sing or vice verse. Ideally, both should be equally clear: easy clear singing tone/clear, deliberate text.

5. For a novel sensation, try the same exercise with your OTHER hand!

Over time, this will not only improve your vocal awareness, but also your intelligibility when singing and speaking!

Have fun exploring!! Let me know what you find.

Robert

www.singingself.com

How to Avoid Vocal Trauma #3: “Hard Shell, Soft Middle.”

You know the candy I’m talking about…crisp chocolate shell on the outside, ooey-gooey center (imagine your favorite filling). Mmmmm mmmm!

Oh yeah! So, what does this have to do with good singing?

Well, once your breath is free (How to Avoid TVF Trauma #1) and your True and False Vocal Folds are better organized (How to Avoid TVF Trauma #2) now it’s time to find your “support” where it actually counts!!

In Estill Voice Training™, we make a distinction between the muscles of breathing and the muscles of “support.” The muscles of true support are known as the “anchoring” muscles: Torso Anchor™, Neck Anchor™ and Head Anchor™

Torso Anchor: Engage the Lats, Pecs, and Quadratus Lumborum Muscles by

1. Standing as if you were about to walk backward.

2. (standing with your hands at your side) pretending to lift two heavy suitcases–one in each hand!

3. Imagining there are small balloons under your armpits then squeezing them.

See Anatomy

Neck Anchor: Engage the Sternocleido-mastoids and muscles at the nape of the neck by

1. Bringing the back of your hand to your forehead. Without throwing off the alignment of your head and neck, pressing your hand against your head and your head against your hand, equally. (Notice the muscles engaging at the sides of the neck–the SCMs–and the back of the neck.)

2. “Shivering” your head quickly left and right–with a very quick, but small movement as if your were actually cold and shivering to keep warm.

See Anatomy

Head Anchor: Engage the muscles above and behind the Soft Palate by

1. Snorting! Feel that lifting up sensation behind your hard/soft palates. Maintain that feeling and breathe in and out normally–without snorting.

2. Sneering and flaring your nostrils while breathing in and out normally.

See Anatomy

With each of these exercises, be sure that your breath stays free, easy and soft, that your face and throat stay relaxed and that you can use varying degrees of effort (Low/Medium/High degrees of effort)!

The muscular regions targeted by these Anchoring exercises ARE the regions of muscular “support” that actually make the difference when singing AS LONG AS the breath remains boingy and pliant below!

Once you get the feeling of these and the previous exercises, try putting them all together while you speak and sing:

1. Release the belly, and reduce the air pressure

2. Retract™ the False Vocal Folds

3. Add Head, Neck and/or Torso Anchoring™

Remember:

Hard Shell (Anchoring), Soft Middle (Easy Breath and TVFs)! = Healthy Singing and Speaking!!

***If it doesn’t feel right or good while you are doing these exercises, you are doing something wrong! Check your breath. Retract the FVFs. Slow down, be gentle and stay aware! Try doing it a bit differently next time!! OR stop and rest.***

Enjoy!

Robert

www.singingself.com

Unintentional Singing

Have you ever been singing when all of a sudden some unusual, unintentional sound comes out of your mouth? Maybe it manifests as a fluctuation in pitch, a sudden gasp when you breathe, or a surprising shift in voice quality? Where do these sounds come from? What can you do with them? You could use these idiosyncrasies as yet more fuel for self-criticism OR perhaps you could use them to your personal and vocal advantage!

A case study:

Several years ago, I worked with a young student who had a particularly poignant case of ‘unintentional singing.’ Every time she sang, her voice began trembling uncontrollably. This was troubling to her, but she was used to it after years of singing in this way. I was curious about it, so I asked her to exaggerate the pulsing in her voice rather than just gloss over it. When she did, she noticed a curious sensation in her chest and abdomen. I then asked her to exaggerate that feeling and what started out as a pulsing in her diaphragm grew to a violent heaving throughout her entire torso. Suddenly, was as panting with panic. As she stayed with this intense movement, she realized that she felt this kind of panic all the time when she sang in public as a young girl. She recalled that, back then, singing was strongly associated with fear. Even on that day, that fear was still expressing itself through the trembling in her voice. She began to cry. Soon, she was able to alternate between the panic-filled breath pattern and a relaxed, easy sensation in her torso–with and without tone. Eventually, she was able to find a sense of easy confidence and choice while singing (and breathing) and felt greatly relieved!

Here’s how you can work with YOUR unintentional singing:

1. Stay open to noticing anything unintentional while singing and speaking. It can be a very tiny tonal detail or blatant vocal eruption. You just have to notice it when it happens!

2. When you notice something unintentional repeat it consciously and purposefully several times. Get to know it!

3. Begin to exaggerate the unintentional sound or feeling slowly, deliberately and gently. With each iteration, exaggerate it a bit more.

4. You will likely notice some new details as you exaggerate each new detail. Follow and exaggerate whatever arises. Keep your awareness diffuse–scanning throughout your whole self–so you can notice all of the rich details of your new experiences.

5. You might be surprised where this process can take you. Follow the unintentional trail like a sleuth following clues until the process comes to a natural end. You will be amazed by what feelings, thoughts and images are lurking in your unintentional singing!

Keep learning!

Robert

www.singingself.com

The Lost Art of Beginnings, Middles and Endings

An important, yet under-appreciated, part of mindful learning is the artful use of beginnings, middles and endings.

"Learning is turning darkness, which is absence of light, into light. Learning is creation. It is making something out of nothing. Learning grows until it dawns on you." - Moshe Feldenkrais, The Case of Nora

Beginnings:

What is a real beginning to learning? Where do you start? How do you start in such a way that you can go anywhere in an easy, unpredictable and organic way? Does it really matter where you start?

Middles:

Middle. Even the word can make some of us feel uncomfortable. It’s amorphous, groundless and that’s how it should be! If you are really learning something new it will be inherently ‘unstable.’ The trick is learning to stay with what’s new and allow it to unfold without reverting to something more habitual and “comfortable.”

Endings:

The End of the learning process is about grounding and integrating your new learning into your overall sense of self as a singer and person. Then, you must let it go and let the intelligence of your body/mind take over!

So, what could this look like in terms of a singing practice?

Beginnings:

Often, warmups are used as a beginning in practice and rehearsal. When warm-ups are the same every time, however, they can become very mindless! The secret would be to create a “warmup form” in which the content changes each time! One could begin with meditation (see previous post) then move to a breath exploration, a tuning exploration, a vocal exploration, etc. Each session the content can change based on what you are interested in or working on at the time. Or, it could be spontaneous! Keep it FRESH! See where the warmup takes you. Maybe today your voice feels tired, sharp or very resonant…maybe you get curious about a certain interval. Any of these could become the theme for the rest of your practice!

Middles:

Take what theme has arisen in your warmup and apply it to repertoire you are learning or working on. If you are interested in a certain interval find each instance of that interval in the music and string them all together. If you feel a new sense of full resonance after your warmup see if you can find that same fullness of resonance on every note and every vowel in your piece. Go slowly. Be deliberate. Use your creativity (you could start at the end)! As this comes to a close begin to mix things up. Throw in some new variables. If you’ve been working on intervals and resonance now add attention to your posture (try it sitting, standing, moving, etc.)

Endings:

With all of that attention payed to intervals, resonance and posture (as examples) begin to sing the whole song through–without stopping–while integrating your new awareness. Each time, notice how easy it was to do what you want (without judgement) and aim to be more precise next time. Do this for 3-7 runs through (if not the whole piece than at least a whole section). The goal is to be as aware as you were when exploring slowly, but at “performance speed” (or close enough). You can get creative here too! Perform it “silently” a few times making all of the movements for singing but without the sound. Imagine feeling and hearing the sound as clearly and precisely as you can–perfect it in your imagination! Then return to singing aloud. You’ll find that you’ve improved! Then, most importantly, let it go. You can meditate briefly or just rest before returning to the rest of your day!

See, practicing can be an art in itself as can ANY learning!

Robert

www.singingself.com

Singing Practice and Meditation

Meditation is a great way to begin any learning or practice session. It allows one to settle one’s mind and arrive–simultaneously “clearing the slate” while preparing one for the new learning ahead. It is also very useful if you are plagued by critical self-judgement when learning and practicing singing.

The form of meditation that I practice comes from the Shambhala Buddhist tradition and is called shamatha (sha-ma-ta). It is a simple, secular and basic approach to mindfulness meditation. And, since the breath is used as the object of the meditation it is a great way to begin a singing practice.

The links below are recordings by Susan Piver (Certified Meditation Instructor) that guide you through a meditation practice. They cover the posture and technique and can be used at the beginning and end of each of your practice sessions to facilitate mindfulness, calmness, patience and openness.

20-minute Practice

http://www.susanpiver.com/01ShamathaFull.mp3

10-minute Practice

http://www.susanpiver.com/shamatha_brief.mp3

Robert

In Singing as in Life…

…Learning is not Performing!

I was recently reading an article by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (originator of the Feldenkrias Method) entitled “Learn to Learn” in which he lists and expounds on ways to get the best results from your learning to move with more ease. I can’t help but see how related to singing they are as well!

Here’s the list:

“Do Everything Very Slowly”

“Look for the Pleasant Sensation”

“Do Not ‘Try’ to Do Well”

“Do Not Try to Do ‘Nicely’”

“Insist on Easy, Light Movement”

“It’s Easier to Tell Differences when the Effort is Light”

“Learning and Life are Not the Same Thing”

“Why Bother to be So Efficient?”

“Do Not Concentrate”

“We Do Not [Know] at the Start What the Final Stage Will Be”

These are all thought-provoking and warrant further exploration (which I may do in the future) but the one that interests me, right now, in relation to the study and practice of singing  is “Learning and Life are Not the Same Thing.”

Here’s what he has to say about that one:

“In the course of our lives, we may be called upon to make enormous efforts–sometimes beyond what we believe we can produce. There are situations in which we must pay no heed to what the enormous effort entails. We often have to sacrifice our health, the wholeness of our limbs, and body to save our lives. Obviously, then, we must be able to act swiftly and powerfully. The question is, wouldn’t we be better equipped for such emergencies by making our efforts efficient in general, thus enabling us to exert ourselves less and achieve our purpose economically.

Learning must be slow and varied in effort until the parasitic efforts are weeded out; then we have little difficulty in acting fast and powerfully.“

The Mobius Strip can be seen as an analogy for this type of learning as it has a non-orientable, one-sided surface.

In relation to singing, this approach is important because we are often asked to perform in “big ways” that require much effort–i.e. a solo recital, a full Opera or show, a 3-hr rehearsal, to sing in a loud, effortful voice quality. Somehow, we think that learning and practicing with comparable effort is what will give us the stamina for such vocal feats but, paradoxically, it is learning in a relaxed, easy, mindful way that allows us to reduce the excess tension in our singing. And then, once we’ve “weeded out the parasitic efforts,” any vocal task–big or small, loud or soft, long or short–can be easy and sustainable!

The premise is that when you endeavor to make what is easy and successful even easier and more successful that ease spreads throughout your entire voice and will make everything easier and more successful even what might have seemed impossible just moments before! It’s amazing how it works!!

Robert

This video helps illustrate some of the fascinating properties of the mobius strip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bcm-kPIuHE

www.singingself.com

How to Avoid Vocal Trauma #2: Freeing the True Vocal Folds

Once your breath is free and relaxed and the pressure is reduced from below your true vocal folds now you can release any pressure above or throughout the folds themselves.

Here’s some basic vocal anatomy first:

This is the view as seen from above and behind the larynx.

Often, when we are straining at the level of the true vocal folds we are squeezing in on them from just above in the false vocal folds. This happens naturally when we swallow and cough, but when it happens when we are singing it can be detrimental–either immediately or over time.

What is Estill Voice Training?

…and why haven’t you ever heard of it?

"Everyone has a beautiful voice, it's just a matter of learning how to use it!" --Josephine Estill (EVT Founder)

Estill Voice Training is a state-of-the-art, comprehensive approach to voice training for singers, speakers, actors, voice teachers, voice clinicians–ANYONE interested in voice! Based on the the most current voice research, EVT is a simple and direct approach that not only allows one to identify and control (with learning and practice) the various parts of the voice that create ANY sound in any style (Classical, Pop, Opera, Folk, etc.), but also debunks the many myths that have surrounded voice training for the past 400 years!

Benefits of EVT:

-Replaces mystery with knowledge

-Reduces performance anxiety, increases confidence

-Empowers students to take charge of their own learning, technique and choices

-Allows for vocal versitility

-Brings consistency to your vocal performance

-Leads to a balance between vocal health and aesthetic freedom

Estill Voice Training is broken down into two components:

Level 1: Figures for Voice ™

Breaks the voice down into it’s components or Figures and allows each student to feel, hear and see how each movement directly effects voice quality. Some of the Figures explored are: True Vocal Folds, False Vocal Folds, Velum, Tongue, Thyroid Cartilage, Aryepiglottic Sphincter and Head, Neck and Torso Anchoring.

Level 2: Figure Combinations for Six Voice Qualities™

Puts everything back together again by showing how we can combine the Figure options to create “recipes” for Six Basic Voice Qualities: Speech, Falsetto, Twang, Sob, Opera and Belt and BEYOND!

For more info about EVT, Estill teachers and Estill courses and events in your area visit:

www.trainmyvoice.com

EVT has been invaluable in my career as a singer and voice teacher! It has turned out to be the missing link in my training that allows me to synthesize voice understanding, movement and learning in new and innovative ways!

Check it out! It’s FANTASTIC!

Robert

www.singingself.com

Investigating the ‘Myth of Talent’

I find that so many people hold themselves back from enjoying an artistic and creative life because of a belief that they aren’t “talented enough” or “talented at all!” And, this belief can be strong enough to keep them from attempting even the simplest of artistic endeavors (singing or otherwise)!

What is this all-powerful ‘talent’ that we think one just has or not, anyway–as if it weren’t something learned?!? Is it real? Why are we so quick to give up on our own (and others’–especially children!?!) ability to learn something new in the creative arts? What would life be like if we all engaged with creativity in this way?

Do you think talent is something one just has? Do YOU have any? If so, what is it you think you have?

Do you think it’s about knowing what you’re doing before you do it? (Do you think Picasso knew what he was about to paint each time?)

Could you consider that what we call ‘talent’ is just a set of learned habits that just happen to be useful in a certain field?

If you can, then allow yourself to identify, learn and apply those habits more skillfully?

Could it be that simple?

Dr. Ellen Langer (Harvard Psychologist) performed a simple study involving artists and non-artists. All were asked what they thought it took to be a successful artist. The non-artists could only give a short and vague list while the artists gave long, detailed and specific lists. Seems simple to me! Artists have more awareness of the requisite skills for their art and apply them regularly! If all of this is and can be learned by anyone then why not get to it!

So, ask yourself: What does it take to be a successful singer? How specific can you be about it? Make a list. If it’s vague, do some research and begin to learn the skills on the list that you aren’t proficient at yet–slowly, patiently–maybe even joyfully!

Please share your list(s) here. Perhaps we could compile a master list for the skills needed to be a successful singer (of any sort) and we can take it from there.

Hint: For learning purposes, break the items on your list down to their simplest components–forms that anyone can work on and learn in a simple way. In other words, what are the ‘mini-skills’ that add up to vocal success?

Let’s let the cultural myth of talent go once and for all and instead start creating creativity ourselves in our own minds and lives through learning!

Robert

www.singingself.com

If at first you don’t succeed (vocally)…try WHAT again!?!?

We’ve all heard that we should “try and try again!,” but what and when do we try it in order to truly succeed?

Answer: It depends!

When Learning: Real learning is a time to play and experiment with the intention to uncover something new! So here, success is something of a surprise, and thats how it should be! If you aren’t able to find anything new while learning here are some things you can do:

You can always vary the experiment! Do it backwards, try the opposite, add a totally new variable! And see what happens! When learning a song, or working on your sound this can be as simple as closing one eye or nostril, or changing the pitch, trying an arbitrary sound quality, or a different emotional approach (happy song…sing it sadly, etc.)!

When Practicing: Practicing is about the repetition of desired skills! The aim of practice is easy consistency, reliability and conditioning of the skills you found to be desirable in the learning process. If this is NOT going successfully, thy this:

Break it down into smaller parts that are easily and consistently repeatable. If it is a long phrase, just work on the first few notes/words then slowly add the others. Or, start at the end and work backward.

It is VERY important not to fixate on “getting it right”–without being aware of the whole of your self. This adds tension to your practicing! You can observe your breathing while practicing (keeping it easy), the weight on your feet, etc. AND, once it feels successful, make sure the skill you practiced can be successful in different contexts: different speeds, volumes, with movement (add choreography, expressive movements, etc), without movement, sitting, lying down, etc. Each position will show you something new about yourself and then, when you encounter something new in performance, you WILL have learned it in such a way that is adjustable! (This is KEY! A lot of performance anxiety arises because we’ve learned something only one way and in one context and then when things change we’re lost and have no way out! So, the whole thing is shaky to begin with!)

When Performing: Success in performance is about doing what you want to do in the moment–on the spot! It is where your learning and practicing processes come to fruition. But, it is crucial to keep the sense of play and experimentation alive during performance, attending to your whole self and the environment while doing what you know you can do! If something doesn’t go “as planned” (as it will! i.e. the mic cuts out, someone forgets the words, the lights are too bright, etc.) then keep going and keep playing and paying attention! It’s also important to remain kind with yourself regardless of how it goes! When it’s like this, performing is fun!