Many families have been preparing for Back-To-School. Some of you who start school in August are already fully back into «school mode». I am putting 20 years of school and vocal coaching wisdom under my belt this September to ponder on more innovative ways to engage children and support singers in becoming the best version of themselves. My job is to adapt my teaching to YOUR learning style because I want to see you thrive.
I am noticing clear learning patterns from watching both age groups learn the two completely unrelated skills of singing and writing and wonder; which is easiest?
Both singing and writing develop from the need for self-expression.
Babies are born with a powerful voice that tell mom and dad at the very first cry, that they are alive and well. It is the beginning of a lifelong compelling bond between the infant and parents. A baby communicates by crying and even screaming at the top of his/her lungs to express needs without ever injuring his/her vocal cords. Indeed, you have it in you to rise to the occasion of making yourselves heard. To have a voice. To voice yourself!
Can you recall your very first day at school? Were you anxious? Excited? Scared? Happy? How have your own children handled it? Considering how much time children spend at school, it's fair to say that classmates and teachers, especially the homeroom teacher, become a child's extended family. A strong bond develops from the very moment they meet. Year after year, writing is at the centre of academics. It is almost certain that within hours of arriving to school on your very first day and for the rest of your student career, you were asked to write something. Either through drawing, writing your name or writing something about yourself or what you know.
Indeed expressing yourself never stops evolving as you grew up. If you picked up singing to do so along the way, how fast you have been able to expand your skills depends on your inclination to accept feedback and implement changes. This behaviour begins at home and at school.
For example, when teaching children to hold a pencil correctly between the thumb and index, most children willingly take this advice and with a little bit of practice, quickly see their writing going from the letters having a party on the page to being neat and legible. Bam! Next thing you know these kids can write a full sentence!
I see this with singers too. Many receive feedback from loved ones or fans that something is off with their singing. Some act on it. Most get stuck in their old ways and eventually give up.
Don't resist change. Be the change you want to see.
When working together during private singing lessons, I tell you exactly what you are doing wrong and how to correct it. Vocal problems usually originate from breath management, placement, tension, etc... If you trust in my process and welcome new strategies, a little bit of practice will take you a long way. You will be singing like a pro in no time at all.
Another reason children and singers stall is fear of performance. Children see that their writing isn't as good as their friends or perhaps parents have criticized or pressured them to improve faster. Does it sound familiar? We continue experiencing this at a different level with singing. Except that the one putting the most pressure on yourself is often YOU. It's natural to want to do well. To want to impress. And so should you aim high and try your best to gain your peers' accolades. It's also vital to let yourself be vulnerable to mistakes as a learning experience and accept failure as an opportunity to grow.
Identify whatever is holding you back and do something about it! The best way to increase confidence is to understand your voice 100%. Pure vocal freedom paves the way to unleashed emotions and powerful, captivating singing.
Nowadays, handwriting is becoming obsolete, a lost skill replaced by the use of the keyboard. In the same way, any flaw in the human voice can be engineered to sound better. But computers cannot generate genius ideas or mimic emotional creativity the way a real human does. It's only by understanding your voice that you will fully make your heart sing and reveal your INFINITE talent.
I teach Junior and Senior Kindergarten this year. On the other hand, most of my vocal coaching clients are adults. Not everybody learns the same way it's true, but what I have concluded over the years is that there is one commonality. Whether young or old, we all yearn for success and success comes faster with the right guidance.
Practice is still needed to get there but it is the ability to take action and carry out a plan that will determine the likeliness of a successful outcome.
Neither writing nor singing are easy. You are most likely great at writing now because you spent years working on it and got the help of your parents and teachers to guide you through the process.
How satisfied are with your singing? Do you ever think about the places you'd go if you could have the voice that you always wanted to have? Just imagine how AMAZING it would feel to put a band together or have the confidence to finally record your songs in a professional studio... To release your work and grow a fan base... To be asked to perform in your community... To be picked up by a record company... To tour the world singing in front of an adoring audience...
I see it HAPPEN all the time!
You have a choice. Keep singing the way you do and miss out on only God knows what... Or make it EASY for yourself and reach out for help.
Getting the voice of your dreams is to DARE to DREAM. To be unequivocal about following your bliss. Even if you just want to do it for yourself. Because you LOVE to sing.
I believe in the power of knowledge. If you know that your singing is flawed and that you are interested in turning your situation around, I can absolutely teach you all that you need to know to reveal your most EXQUISITE and UNIQUE voice. I can help you get the voice you DESERVE.
Take back what has always been yours.
Get started by watching my free masterclass: https://youtu.be/PzBWPG-KOnQ
Or set up your FREE consultation with me today: https://www.voiceyourselfsinging.com/apply
Just do it,
Val