The Artful Voice 
(December 2008 & June 2005)
By Laurece West

#1: Free Yourself to Sing!

   Welcome to the debut of this column! Over the next few months I will discuss the art of singing, songwriting, musicianship, music theory, artistry, and whatever else the editors and I fancy along that vein of creativity. 
   As a voice teacher, I spend 20-30 minutes on the initial phone call with prospective students. Several have asked me if I would tell them, after hearing them sing, if they are any good or have any talent. On one hand this makes sense, why spend all the time and money for singing lessons if you can’t sing or you’re untalented? On the other hand, this is an insane request, opening up the singer’s delight and hope to be dashed by an insensitive or uneducated teacher. Would you give your baby to a stranger? Cherish your artistry similarly; only placing it in the hands of someone you have determined is capable and completely trustworthy.  
   I always tell the singer that I won’t decree if they have any talent. Besides the fact that we study something to learn it, not after we already know it, I believe that if there is a passion for singing, there is an inherent gift. Additionally, singing is a human activity. We would all be singing everyday if we hadn’t been socialized out of it. Imagine if someone said: “You don’t walk like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, so you might as well give it up.” You’d be insecure about walking, maybe have a complex about it, and might quit altogether if you heard criticism a few times. What if you sat around for years not walking, secretly desiring to, admiring famous walkers, and wondering if you really had any talent for walking? It would be a daunting prospect to try to learn at age 20, and even scarier at 67. After all, your parents and relatives didn’t walk much. To make it worse, other stifled walkers had discouraged your efforts at various times to break out and fulfill your innate desire to walk. Would you be frustrated or resigned? This almost seems like a ludicrous analogy because we all walk. Everybody on earth has agreed as a concept that we all should walk, unless there is a physical problem, in which case parents seek much help to remedy it. What if everybody on earth agreed to sing everyday, that it was normal and expected human behavior? 
   What if we sang to communicate with each other instead of speaking? We would all admire those famous talkers with recording contracts! At The Rudolph Steiner Schools, also called the Waldorf Education, the children are sung to by their teachers throughout their early education for often-repeated directions and during roll call. The children sing their names back repeating the melody the teacher used while calling their name. Sigrid Mitchell, the Great Barrington Steiner School’s music teacher, says that they believe “the beautiful sound of music connects to the inner being of the child.” One of my friends educated her son there and remarked that he totally knew who he was by eighth grade. For many of us, knowing and understanding our true selves is a process that takes us into our forties and beyond. 
   In our culture we have a collective blinder on to the fact that everybody can sing, should sing, and would be happier if they did! We all have vocal equipment and I never met a person who dislikes music. There are many cultures where everybody sings. When I went to Jamaica, the 10 boys leading our horseback ride were all singing, not in a showy way but each for himself. It was magical. There are church and indigenous cultures where everybody sings. If you grow up in one of these groups, or with musical parents, singing becomes a natural part of life. The singers I work with from those backgrounds come to me for technical tweaking, healing bad habits, improving vocal health, tone, strength and flexibility. Their artistry, and the connection between their heart, their emotions and their voice are well developed. For everyone else, learning to sing and expressing emotional passion in the voice is both terrifying and thrilling. 
   Helping singers to free their voice is sacred work to me. Besides the above societal issues, and lack of knowledge of how to sing, there are numerous reasons why people aren’t singing freely They are: the inability to cry and grieve, the inability or fear to say one’s truth, speaking at the wrong pitch for one’s body for emotional or social reasons, poor physical health, drug use, smoking, other addictions, being told not to say or feel certain things in one’s family, traumas, shocks from people criticizing one’s singing, including “well-meaning” teachers, unaware of the effect of their comments or blocked artists themselves, or internalized criticism and fear creating self-editing or blocking. The list goes on, but that gives you an idea of the complexity, and the layering over the years, of the tightening down of vocal expression. I will continue to explore these issues in future columns. 
   When a singer studies with me I don’t dig into these areas, since it could be invasive, uncomfortable, and freak the singer out. I provide a safe container for the release of these issues if and when they surface, whether with me, or elsewhere. How these issues heal or what it looks like is not up to me. We focus on technique, songs, and artistic expression.
   Vocal vibrations, creating sound, are produced by air passing through vibrating vocal cords. The size of an almond, the vocal cords are two muscles that vibrate together, like a rubber band stretched and plucked, or the opening of an inflated balloon you pull to make sound. Initiated by impulses from the brain, in conjunction with exhalation, and tendons that adjust the degree of opening (producing a certain pitch,) the vocal cords are cased in a protective cartilage shield. The whole apparatus is called the larynx, commonly known as the Adam’s Apple. The larynx is located near the top of the trachea, or windpipe. Technically, we focus on finding where the vocal cords are and learning to sing there with ease, releasing the muscles fighting for control in the tongue and mouth, while developing coordination and strength in the cords. We develop the skill to produce the vowels in the larynx and not in the mouth where we usually produce them when speaking. We want the vowels, what we elongate when singing, to be in the larynx, on the cords, so we get the resonance of both the chest and head, making us a bigger instrument. We also want the tone and power made possible by singing the vowels as well as the pitch with the vocal cords. The pitch or note is always produced in the larynx, but many people sing by producing their vowels in their mouth. This necessitates tension to simply form the vowel with the tongue, tightening and significantly weakening the sound, and the mouth has to be fairly closed to do it, limiting volume. Try to talk with your mouth open wide. We don’t do it because it wastes energy, is hard and looks stupid. But singers have their mouths open. So we need to sing from the larynx, unless choosing other tones artistically, so we can free the mouth and face to resonate and allow maximum volume for our effort. 
   Speaking on the larynx develops the singing voice, since it is the same instrument. But in the beginning do for only ten minutes a day. Say “ah” with an open mouth, as if a doctor had a tongue depressor in your mouth, and you’ll have the vowel on the vocal cords. Listen to good radio announcers, TV commercial announcers and Shakespearean actors; they speak on their larynx. But don’t lower your pitch like some macho announcers. Just speak from there in your normal pitch. Once you get a feeling for where the sounds are vibrating, try to sing there with a very gentle and easy exhalation. This takes time and repetition, and can be challenging. A billion times we have spoken with our vowels in our mouth and the consonants, which form in the mouth, can pull us up off the cords. So we are learning a new neuro-muscular skill. It is of course far easier with the feedback of a good teacher but if you are not so inclined, do what you can by yourself. The idea is for everyone to be singing. 
   Resistance comes up with my students through not singing at home; thoughts of quitting; depressive and negative thinking about their voice, artistic delivery, or my teaching; or just plain fear. This recreates the original issues that caused the singer to be blocked. If understood, and if they can ride it through, being gentle on themselves, they will have a break -through, resulting in a dramatic improvement in ability and a surge of energy and emotion. Love yourself as you begin to explore your voice. The boogey people and their boogey ideas surface over and over as each layer of blockage is about to be released and the voice and person become freer. They say all sorts of mean and ugly things because they are scared of everything, including that you’ll leave their nasty boogey selves behind, as you reclaim and reintegrate yourself and your aliveness! 
   Be prepared for the time of your life as you free your voice. I have had singers tell me they speak up for themselves more at home and work. Some cry as blocked energy or emotions release. Singing is fun, artistically cool, and it communicates all emotions, especially love when we sing with our children. It feels good; the vibrations energize and warm the heart, the chest and the whole body. My favorite part of freeing the voice is that it brings more laughter: louder, easier, giggling, raucous and rolling laughter - the kind kids have. So go a safe place (your bedroom, bathroom, car, in the woods, etc.,) find your larynx, make sound, talk, sing, emote and move your body. And until next time, sing with your heart, be alive and laugh away!
c 2005 Laurece West (413) 229-7731

2009: Current number: 919-383-4876.

The Artful Voice
(April 2006)
By Laurece West

#7: Self-care for Singers: Good Hydration 

   Since singing is a basic human ability, like walking, everyone can and should sing for health and pleasure. Albeit, there are many personal and societal reasons why people aren’t singing, (see June 2005, or contact me.) Last month I began a discussion of good self-care for singers. I summarized the self-care concepts: “The basic three cover it all: Diet, Sleep and Exercise. And for the finishing touch, add several methods to calm and center oneself as well as to regain a sense of humor and laugh. Oh, let’s not forget…good vocal technique and well developed artistry.” The last sentence is for those singers wanting to be professionals. For everyone else, just sing…easily, without any pushing (ever,) with complete acceptance of how you sound, and enjoy yourself. You’ll keep getting better the more frequently you sing. 
   Over the next few months I will go into detail about each area of self-care. Generally, each singer has to be their own chemistry experiment, finding what works best for their system. But there are concepts that work for most people in each area, that you can try and evaluate the efficacy for your body. 
   This month, we’ll look at hydration. Essentially this involves staying moist enough internally to maximize vocal production and healthy brain activity. The lungs and vocal cords are happiest in a moist environment. 
   The lungs need moisture to easily expand and contract. With every breath we need internal moisture for easy lung movement. We lose humidity with each exhalation. Think of the fog we create exhaling on a cold day. Most people breathe 10 - 18 times a minute. That translates into losing small amounts of internal moisture 14,400 - 24,960 times each a day. 
   The relative humidity of the air has a great impact on how much moisture we lose through breathing and our skin. During the summer, or outside in the winter, (due to rain or snow,) the relative humidity may be high. But inside, with the heat on, the air becomes significantly drier. (With a wood stove the humidity can be even lower.) Who hasn’t awakened to a dry nose and throat in the middle of winter? Whose skin isn’t dry? 
   If you recall, last summer was extremely moist, causing mold growth in some houses. Over Labor Day I went to a family reunion in Chicago. I was consistently thirsty. I felt as if I couldn’t get enough water. Only two hours away by plane, they were in the middle of a drought. In half a day, my body (respiratory, digestive, nervous and circulatory systems) went from comfort to slight distress. Think of the changes one would go through traveling from a moist area to the southwest or a desert climate. 
   According to the Mayo Clinic, the air on an airplane is at 10% humidity, drier than the Sahara desert! Thus U2’s Bono breathes humidified air through a mask on airplanes. When travel took days, the body could slowly accommodate to climate changes. These days, a professional singer on tour has to prepare for climate changes to maintain peak performance. 
   Medical experts say that most people are in a state of chronic dehydration. We lose 10 cups of water daily through sweating, breathing and elimination. Those eating plenty of vegetables and drinking enough non-caffeinated fluids are fine, but most people do neither. For a very comprehensive explanation of the profound effects dehydration can have on all the body functions, including mental stability, please check out this site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dehydration/DS00561. It is a quick read and vital for students, athletes and active persons. Singers are indeed athletes - of the vocal muscles, and extremely active on stage.    
   The brain uses an enormous amount of blood (and fluid) to function properly. If we are dehydrated, the fluid goes to the brain first, and the rest of the body has to make due with what is left. In the process water is taken from tissues and essential organs and the heart has to work harder to pump more viscous blood. (I’m sure they are hoping this is a temporary situation!) Good hydration is absolutely necessary for the sharp mental activity necessary to singing on pitch (not flat or sharp for each note) and in key (keeping true to the melodic pattern of the song.) After all, even if you know a song, the nerve impulses must get to the vocal cords, and they and lungs have to function efficiently. 
   So what is a singer to do? 
   1. Drink plenty of water, a cup an hour. Drink at the top or bottom of each hour if that will help you to remember.  For good digestion, wait an hour after each meal and stop an hour before your next meal. 
   2. Begin to cut down on alcohol and caffeinated drinks. It takes 8 oz. of water to re-hydrate the body after drinking 1.5 oz of alcohol. For every cup of caffeinated beverages we may eliminate more than a cup and a half. 
   3. Investigate herbal teas, as some support throat and respiratory health, a great aid to singers in distress. But some herbs can be dehydrating. Monitor your body’s response and general hydration with #4. 
   4. The Mayo Clinic says the best way to tell if you are well dehydrated is by observing your elimination, not by thirst, which is inaccurate (and can signal you too late.) When well hydrated, urine is light in color and bowel elimination is easy, a good volume and moist enough to float (as suggested by an Ayurvedic Doctor, see #7.) Once you become well hydrated you will have a standard by which to measure yourself. 
   5. To maintain electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc.) that are so necessary for heart, muscle and brain functioning, drink “Recharge,” “Emergen-C,” (my favorite as it comes in portable packets,) both are available at the Co-op, Gatorade (too sweet,) or use a tiny pinch of Celtic Sea Salt, which has 80 + minerals, (available at Guido’s,) in your water. 
   6. Buy humidifiers. Run them in your major living spaces during the winter, and especially in your bedroom. These need to be kept clean. I used to use the cold water, sonicated, mist humidifiers but I haven’t been able to find them locally. The wicking filters are prominent but beware – last year unbeknownst to me, mine grew mold after a week or two letting it sit, not using it, and for the first time in years I had a respiratory infection. 
   7. Last summer I saw the Ayurvedic practitioner, Doctor Shekhar, at Kripalu. He prescribed Sesame Oil nose drops with special infused herbs to balance my body. I was amazed to never have dry nostrils this winter. See him, or buy Organic Sesame Oil (food grade.) Use a dropper and inhale a quarter of the dropper into each nostril in the morning and evening. I went in spates, sometimes once or twice daily, and sometimes nothing for a few days. Sesame oil is antiseptic. This kept my nasal passages and sinuses clear, healthy, and moist. 
   8. Be aware and keep drinking after using anything electric, as electric energy fields can be dehydrating. Hair dryers and electric blankets (eliminate use if these if possible,) electronic music equipment and especially computers are the most common for singers. 
   9. Ayurvedic practice also recommends self massage with warmed oil before a shower each morning. This is not yet established in my routine. However, whenever I did this I felt great; the blood is circulating well through the muscles, you have lovingly rubbed yourself and the skin is well nourished and supple. For good hydration, our largest organ, the skin, needs to be well hydrated. We westerners are used to showering and then using lotion. At the least singers need to do this, men also. But applying oil before the shower apparently binds up toxins we have sweated out during the night and minimizes the dehydrating effect the water can have, (yes this seems funny,) by washing off your natural body oils. 
   And really enjoy those showers and baths! Think of how much singing we do in the shower. That small tiled room creates great acoustics. Using a bathroom as a vocal booth has been a trick of many recording artists, including myself. But in addition to a great sound, it is the moisture and warmth that really loosens us up. (Maybe the playful associations of childhood bath time put us in a good mood too.) And the skin is undergoing a chemistry change, as the water changes the charges on the skin we not only feel free of the obvious dirt, but cleansed, lighter and freer. What an ideal conditions for singing!    
   Call me for singing lessons or drop me a line at (413) 229-7731 and Laurece@LaureceWestStudios.com.
Sing with your heart!

c 2006 Laurece West

2009: Current contact info:  LaureceWestStudios@gmail.com.  919-383-4876.