The Engaging Performer

In today's episode,Tara chats with vocal teacher JoAnne Hart who specializes in integrating fitness and mental wellness into her instruction. We discuss how a fitness routine, including yoga can benefit you as a singer!

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JoAnne started her musical journey around age 3— she always has loved to sing from an early age. And she started taking voice lessons in 7th grade. She got her degree in the music biz and then her grad degree in vocal pedagogy.

JoAnne got her personal trainer certification her sophomore year of college because she had such a great interest in fitness as well as singing!

"Just like every professional athlete has a coach…I think as you become a more advanced singer…having someone there you can check in with…is really important."

JoAnne had been told that weightlifting wasn't very good for your voice. So she started researching that for grad school. And in the process also started falling in love with yoga.

There is a huge focus on breath in YOGA.

"When I started learning about bandhas I realized…this is breath support."

"Through bandhas, we create some stability in the body in a yoga practice to maintain better alignment and make sure we don't get injured."

The pelvic floor lift and the stomach floor lift are just like having breath support for singing.

Some type of physical activity improves phonation.

• If cardio exercise is done prior to a vocal warmup, it can improve airflow and will make singing easier.

Physical therapy helps muscles fire effectively—being able to turn off and on.

• "The more that you exercise a muscle with proper recovery, the more that muscle will be able to turn off and on when you need it to."
• "You are more likely to develop tight stiff muscles when you aren't using them."

If you want to help your breathing with your abs to be able to release and help breath support, there needs to be some abdominal training.

JoAnne encourages "Finding a physical exercise that works for you…find something you enjoy and can stick to."

"In yoga, you are putting your body in so many weird positions while staying connected to your breath." That's why yoga can be so good. It uses your body weight and can help you specifically in musical theater or something similar where you are moving around in different positions.

You can find JoAnne here:

@joannehartsings on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube

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In today's episode,Tara chats about the question "What advice do you wish you had been given when you first started teaching?" She gives some of her thoughts as well as shares some tips from other music teachers!

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Tara's background included "playing teacher" as a child but didn't know that it would be a part of her life as a musician.

In some ways, her first students like for many teachers was a total learning experience.

Teaching is far more about simply knowing something that others don't and then you can share what you know with them.

1. You don't have to get through every song in a lesson.
2. Don't think that what works for you will necessarily work for your students. (Egita)
3. It's okay to give students a song that they may not like at first.
4. Some students just want to have fun and not be a pro. (Sam)
5. Don't be afraid to go back to basics with a student.
6. It's okay to admit you don't know the answer to something. (Nate)
7. Don't take a student just because you need the money.
8. It's important to have policies in place and let people know them upfront. (Kristen)
9. Don't be afraid to change how you structure your teaching.

Guest teachers who shared: Egita Gielen, Sam Reti, Nate Lee, Kristen Budde

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Sometimes in teaching, we can run out of ideas or get stuck and what do we do?

1. Take lessons with a voice teacher. It will keep you accountable and give you new ideas.
2. Watch masterclasses. These also give you tons of new info and helps and ideas for what to do with different types of students.
3. Read books on the subject of singing and the voice.
   • The OHNI Voice Book— by Dr. Reena Gupta
   • Set Your Voice Free—by Roger Love
   • The Structure of Singing—by Richard Miller

4. Reading and studying books about voice and singing related topics like warmups, vocal diction and sight singing.

• Building Beautiful Voices—by Paul Nesheim with Weston Noble
• Diction for Singers—by Joan Wall, Robert Caldwell, Tracy Gavilanes, Sheila Allen
• Sing at First Sight—by Andy Beck, Karen Farnum Surmani, Brian Lewis

5. Performing at a concert or recital. It can help you relate to your students and gain their trust because they know you are doing the same thing. Having their trust builds confidence for you too.

"When I have to get ready for my performances…I'm going through some of the same things that they are going through in getting ready for their performances…it can gain their trust a little more because they know that I'm in the trenches with them."

"One of the biggest things we can give our students is helping them find their own confidence as well…that giving them confidence helps us build our own!"

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There are great reasons to look at a mirror to watch yourself singing.

With a handheld mirror:

1. It can allow you to see if there is any tension in your face.

2. It allows you to see your face and what expressions you are creating visually.

"With video…you often times are seeing very little of the person's body and far more of their face and you want to make sure that it's coming across—the emotion—whatever you are expressing."

With a full length mirror:

1. You can check out your posture of your whole body when you are singing. You can see if there is any tension in the rest of your body.
2. In performing, you can check out what needs to be done with your hands or if you want to do some kind of body choreography or expression.

With recording yourself singing on video:

1. Watching yourself back lets you see yourself from the side view or the back view.

2. We can see on our performance if we are being consistent with our technique and your emotion—especially with a LIVE performance.

"This isn't about being critical in the sense of saying "look at everything I did wrong"—what it is is to say 'let me critique myself and see what things I was doing really well and what are some improvements I can make'. "

"A lot of singing healthier is simply that—being able to analyze what's going on when something's wrong, reset, and then make the change."

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In today's episode,Tara talks with music biz coach Lynz Crichton all about how she got into the world of virtual shows and why they can be a part of any artist's performing journey!

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Lindsay wasn't from a musical family but was still influenced by the music she heard played in her home. She was given a guitar from her dad, which started her down the path of loving music. Combined with going to concerts of Brit Pop and other music, she was hooked on the performing world!

She studied languages (German) and politics instead of music. But around the time she had children, she was brought back into the world of music again and loved it!

At the time, she saw other women online who were encouraging being an indie artist. She started down that path and invested her time and money into that journey!

"You can have a music career at any age—it's all about finding your tribe online."

"There has never been a better time to be an independent musician."

Lynz started live streaming before the pandemic and she started learning fully how to do the audio well so it would sound professional.

"This is the girl that did not take "no" for an answer and chipped away at things."

"There are always going to be barriers—there are always going to be things that you've got to jump over and you just have to figure it out." (On being your own CEO)

Lynz decided to go LIVE every week on Tuesdays through multi-streaming because it fit her lifestyle better than touring or doing in person shows. She found a way to connect with others online and encourage people.

"It showed me that music lifts people up. We know this…right then, right there, they needed it."

Lynz addressed some of the biggest barriers of people performing and singing live:

Fear—fear of failure, that people won't show up, that you aren't good enough and more

Overwhelm—with the tech, doing the rest of your music biz jobs

Her favorite things to do in performing:

Picking up a guitar—it lets her get into the moment of the music

The connection with LIVE audiences—getting feedback is a buzz for her! Getting people to "feel something"!

"Focus on how you make people feel…they are feeling low—they put that track on that makes them feel amazing…they put that track on that makes them feel like they've got a hug through their headphones."

Lynz helps others with overwhelm, shiny object syndrome and doing the step by step processes needed for the music biz.

You can find Lynz's program online at:

www.musicmarketingmethod.com

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In today's episode, Tara gives you tips and tools for picking and figuring out the best songs that will help you connect with your audience whether you are doing virtual or in person concerts.

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What is so important about song choice?

Listen to what Tony Bennett said: "So I make it a point to seek out quality songs that provide that kind of powerful emotion."

Here are some things to consider:

1. Pick a song key and genre that fit your voice.
2. Try to remember that you grab people's attention in the first couple of minutes of singing at a concert.
3. Who are the songs for? Remember they are for the audience!
4. Include cover songs sprinkled in to help others recognize them. If you do your own original songs, tell the story behind them
5. If you use a cover song, don't do one that is super obscure.
6. Make sure to have a variety of song tempos and song keys.
7. Make arrangements that are interesting instrumentally as well as vocally.

Putting some real thought into your performance and songs will help you keep and grow fans! "You actually respect people by taking care to choose the songs that are going to speak to them."

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Why are warmups important?

"As we age, warmups are becoming more crucial…and the type of warmups you do and the time of day—those things can all affect how we do and what kind of warmups we do."

There are exercises that build and help the vocal folds be ready to sing.

"Warmups can really help your voice get ready to tackle the gig…in a way that sets everything free so there's not going to be tension happening."

Doing warmups intentionally with an order that builds on the previous ones will help you warmup more gracefully.

• Start with simple phonation.
• Add SOVT's.
• Try some slides and scales.
• Add agility runs and melisma.
• Add exercises that stretch your range.

Don't forget cool downs too!

Warmups have a definite purpose to keep you singing at your healthiest and best!

Check out episodes 10, 19, 26, 35 and 77 to sing along with warmups here at The Engaging Voice.

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Exercises:

1. Vv-oo, Vv-oo, Vv-oo oo oo, Vv-oo, Vv-oo, Vv-oo oo oo,
2. Bubba-loo, bubba-lee, bubba-lay
3. Ziba, ziba, ziba, ziba, zoo zoo zay
4. (Hold your jaw still) Sing a La or a Yah— la la la la la la la la la (2x)

You can also sing harmonies with these if you find them too high!

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Confidence can be learned!

Some ways to learn how to have confidence:

1. Knowing about your vocal technique helps you to have tools to use during moments of a performance.
2. Developing a repertoire specific to your voice and singing in a genre that fits you gives you that boost you need to do well. It can capture the essence of your voice.
3. Having verbal encouragement from someone else also builds that confidence—through fans and a voice teacher.
4. Having a plan for what and how you are going to perform can elevate your confidence.
5. Being prepared through lots of practice helps you be able to go on auto pilot because you have done it so many times. You know what to expect from your voice and how it will perform and it lets you emote well because you can be in the moment with the audience. You are not distracted by what you don't know.
6. When you are at a gig, find a smiley person in the room. Coming back to them time and again will give you the courage to know that you are performing and someone is liking it! You are not alone.

If you try these things over a period of time, you will not fear so much and will have mastery over your emotions in performing!

And making mistakes doesn't mean the end of performing or not having the confidence to do it again. Making mistakes is part of being human. Keep going!

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(Music for commerical by:

Zakhar Valaha)

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Different types of voice teachers:

1. The Technician—someone who teaches about the physical structure of the voice and the physical body and how they work together.
2. The Performance coach—someone who is all about the performance itself. They help prepare you for those concerts, whether emoting, singing a style, dealing with nerves or connecting with your audience.
3. The Foreign language/diction coach— someone who helps you fine tune how to pronounce languages or accents, as well as understand the context of the language or the dialect.
4. The Physical body and alignment coach—someone who helps you know how to get your body have a healthy foundation—alignment or posture or the way you move.
5. The Mental and emotional wellness or therapy coach—someone who helps someone with the mindsets or emotional well being so they don't become a block and hinder their singing.
6. The Public speaking coach—someone who focuses on the oration of a speech, technique to help it stay healthy but also being expressive.

If you are a student, take time to pick a teacher. And if you are a voice teacher, take the time to assess your strengths and hone in on those.

Please rate/review this podcast wherever you listen! Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeart radio, Radio FM, Amazon Audible, Spotify and more.

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