Echoes from Home
I recently had the pleasure of hosting three mini-workshops focused on introductory vocal warm-ups, stretches, simple song refrains, and mutual exploration of what we bring to our relationship with our voice.
The feedback I received from participants included
surprise at how new this exploration felt
how curious some were about what their authentic voice sounds like
awareness of deep relaxation while focusing on the voice and its felt vibration
awareness of where one’s voice lives in the body, where sounds come from
awareness of the voice as part of the whole body
awareness of breath as integral to voice, air
the strength of the emotional resonance of the voice
how moving allowing the natural voice to express felt
My experience with this first round of short workshops is showing me that this is fertile ground to explore if you:
want to embody with confidence your speaking voice
want more relaxation with your voice, both speaking and singing
want to feel grounded in the power of your natural voice
want to expand your vocal capacity, range and spontaneous expressiveness
are curious about what you might learn by growing awareness of your authentic natural voice
Keeping a vocal journal is a great way to deepen your awareness of your voice throughout the ups and downs of your day. Reflection topics might include: noticing when you feel grounded in your voice versus uncertain or wavering, noticing how your voice changes with different people or in certain environments, observing what you sound like when you feel relaxed versus stressed. Also, observing the effect of others’ voices on you throughout the day. What moves you? What intimidates you? What inspires you? Begin to observe vocal details in yourself and others and you will gain vocal intimacy ...
Stay tuned for another upcoming workshop on the natural voice in the new year, and be in touch if you’d like to be notified of the next one via email!
If you are curious about exploring your voice in the meantime, try out some of these practices for fun and learning:
set aside time to hum and sing, this could be in the shower, in the car, while doing dishes, or walking down a hallway—the more we practice the more familiar we become with our voices, and the more details and nuances begin to distinguish themselves for us
record yourself speaking and singing at different energy levels and in different emotional states—easily done with voice memos on your smartphone—, wait a few days, and listen to the replay: what do you notice?
keep a journal about what you notice throughout the day with your voice: writing down your observations will reinforce your awareness and make deepening your awareness easier
relax and have fun exploring you body’s gift: your authentic voice
I’ve been enjoying familiarizing myself with the work of the late Kristin Linklater!