Conquering Flying Cows

I was at a voice student's dress rehearsal for a recital and she was having major memory lapses. As the rehearsal went on, she just got worse and worse. The more upset she got, the less she could remember and actually sing through. Her flying cows were winning.

What the heck do I mean by flying cows? Do you remember the movie, "Twister"?I may have changed some things in my memory of the film, but the scene I have in mind goes something like this... The two main characters are scientists who study and chase tornadoes. In this scene they are going to drive across a bridge, over a large expanse of water, with wild winds all around them and with a tornado bearing down on them. Suddenly, a cow goes flying past their vehicle, grabbing their attention.

Here is where my analogy begins. We all experience forms of "flying cows" - something that is unexpected and grabs our attention. It can be a word slip, phlegm, someone rattling a program - anything that can potentially distract the performer. Well, had our movie characters been totally focused on the cow, they would have driven off of the bridge and plunged into the water and drowned. Instead, they noticed the cow and then kept driving straight down the road toward their destination, thus avoiding disaster. My poor student got so focused on her mistakes, her "cows", the she crashed.

Learning to focus on what is coming up ahead is one of the most valuable skills a performer can learn. It can also be one of the most challenging. However, any distraction, whether it comes from within (one's thoughts) or from the outside (a wrong note in the piano, a crash outside, etc.) will kill one's performance, if one lets it. For example, as soon as my attention is on the word I missed, I am out of the present moment. I am trying to retrieve a word that it is already too late for. The moment is gone and if I try to recapture it, I forfeit whatever still lies ahead in my song (or speech). Instead, I need to stay focused on the phrase coming up next.

Practice letting the cows fly past. Yes, you will notice them. But they don't deserve any focus. Concentrate on the phrase you are going to sing, not the one you have already sung. With enough experience and practice, one can learn to stay on task.

Your Voice on Drugs

As voice teachers and singers, most of us are aware of the side effects of at least some medications. What may not be common knowledge is just how many drugs, supplements, and even foods can have a detrimental effect on one’s voice. Here is just a short list of substances of which to be aware.

Alcohol is both dehydrating and causes swelling of the tissues (not to mention
impaired coordination). Best to have that glass of wine after a performance!

Aspirin. Aspirin causes platelet dysfunction and can lead to vocal fold hemorrhage. If used for pain, a safer alternative is ibuprofen (motrin). However, if one is prescribed aspirin for coronary artery disease or heart disease, taking a child’s dose daily is considered to have a low chance of jeopardizing the voice.

MAOIs (used in treatment of depression). Many of these drugs have been associated with speech disorders, hoarseness, and loss of voice, among other possible symptoms. Discuss possible side effects along with alternative drugs with your physician.

Antihypertensive (blodd pressure) Agents tend to dry mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. They are often used in combination with a diuretic that promotes dehydration. If mucosal drying and a dry, nonproductive cough persist, discuss using a different hypertensive agent with your physician.

Sleeping Pills. Avoid diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Warner-Lambert), an antihistamine that is a common ingredient in many sleep aids. It is a safe drug but produces excessive drying of mucosal membranes.

Cough Medications may be drying to the mucous membranes. Be sure that the one you use contains Guaifenesin, a mucolytic agent (provides moistures).

Supplements and Common Ingredients

Dandelion acts as a diuretic; can cause dehydration.

Echinacea
Used to treat upper respiratory infections. Short term, it can have an immune stimulating effect. Usage for mare than 8 weeks, though, may suppress the immune system and cause liver damage.

Elder acts as a diuretic; can cause dehydration.

Goldenseal may elevate blood pressure and cause allergic responses.

Melatonin Used by many as a sleep aid; it has hormonal activity and can also cause immune dysregulation.

Ginkgo May cause bleeding, GI upset, palpations. Do not take with blood thinning medication, insulin, antidepressants. One of the more worrisome, potential side effects is excesseive spontaneous bleeding with reports of spontaneous brain hemorrhage.

Ephedra Used to reduce weight, it has been known to be fatal. It may cause heart attacks, strokes, seizures, hypertension, or death.

Ginseng May cause agitation, insomnia, nervousness; may cause vaginal bleeding. Avoid using with caffeine, blood thinning, and antidiabetic medications.

Kava Liver toxicity, GI upset, headache, dizziness. Avoid using it. Several European countries have banned its use.

This is by no means a complete list and please keep in mind that these are possible side effects. Any questions or problems should be discussed with a qualified medical professional.

Sharpening Your Musicianship

Want to challenge yourself? Here are some fun exercises to try to hone your skills as a musician:

1. Sing a familiar melody in a different mode. For example, if the song is in a Major key, try singing it in a minor key, flattening the 3rd and raising the 7th.

2. Sing 7 notes in whole steps. For example: A, B, C#, D#, F, G, A.

3. Try singing a melody with accompaniment, but one 1/2 step higher or lower. This one will drive you crazy!

4. Write down a random series of numbers (such as 1, 2, 7, 3, 6, 4) and then sing them.

(For more suggestions, check out Judy Rodman's "All Things Vocal" blog).

Memorizing Music

Having trouble memorizing your pieces? There are several ways to go about this effectively. Here is just one method that I've found useful:


Write out the words.
Write out the text, a sentence or phrase at a time, repeating the words out loud,
and memorizing the translation (if in a foreign language) at the same time.

Do this over and over until you can do most of the song without getting stuck.

Then, for the places where you do forget, take the last few words of the previous line and "link" it to the first few of the next line.

Example:
Line ends with "And I will pledge with mine."
Next line is "Or leave a kiss within the cup..."
You would then write (several times) "pledge with mine or leave a kiss".

The act of using several senses: sound, sight, and touch, plus thinking of the meaning, will really help cement the words for you.

When you get to the point where you can "rattle off" the words, without punctuation and without stopping to think, then you truly know your words!

Becoming a Vocal Athlete: Part II

How Much Should I Practice?

Recently one of my students posted a note on FaceBook about being so pleased with his vocal progress. When I asked him about it and to what did he attribute it, he replied, "Well, I am practicing every day now." That's in addition to whatever singing he already does.

As teachers we emphasize the importance of regular practice, but singing every day is not enough. For a singer's body to transform into an optimum singing "athlete", he/she needs to delicately push the limits of the voice. One needs to create the physical demands that will cause the body to adapt and change. At the same time, one must not push the voice too much.

So, how do we know how much is just right? Singing and practicing until the throat begins to feel tired is a good guideline. One will feel that the voice is less flexible in dynamic levels, range, and color. The voice may feel heavy. It should not, however, feel strained or begin to sound edgy or hoarse. That's pushing too far.

Aim for a "good" tired in each practice session. Depending on your body and the level at which you are at on any given day, the length of time will vary for each individual and from day to day.

Next: How to use the principle of "Muscle Specificity."

Becoming a Vocal Athlete: Part I

Why do we need to practice? One can look to exercise physiology for some of the answers. Conditioning the body for singing is like conditioning an athlete's body for any sport. One must "build up" one's body through time with repeated and specific exercises in order to achieve optimum singing ability. This is the first in a series of posts on how principles from exercise physiology can be applied to the voice

The body wants to conserve its current state. Before the body will make physiological changes it must "believe" it is going to need those changes for a long time. It yields its current state only over time and with repeated demand.

Here are just some of the physical changes that occur with regular singing and the time it takes for the body to begin those changes:

• 3 months: The body begins to transform the processes that inhibit the signals that stimulate the muscles. This allows muscles to respond more readily when called upon.
• 6 months: The Body begins to increase the number of mitochondria (microscopic "energy factories" that supply muscles with fuel to contract).
• 12 months1: The body starts to increase the ability to circulate, deliver, and use oxygen during intense muscular contractions. This help to develop extended range as well as sostenuto, intense, and continuous singing.
• 15 months: The body beings to grow more capillaries that reach teh muscles used in singing over time, increasing the blood supply and the oxygen available for the muscles to process energy and ward off fatigue.

Not only do we, as singers, need to practice regulary, but we must continue to do so over a long period of time to even begin to affect change! So let's get going and sing!!

(Excerpted from Excellence in Singing by Robert Caldwell and Joan Wall, Caldwell Publishing, 2001, Vol. 3).

Going Backwards for Success

Feeling clueless on how to proceed towards your goals? Don't know quite where to start? Or feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of what needs to be done? Use this plan to take you, step by step, towards acheiving your goals. It's planning backwards and here's how it works...

Start by stating, in writing, where you want to be in, say, five years. This can include your career goal, financial goal, fitness goal, really anything you want. For each one of those goals you will work out a backward plan. For example, let's say that I want to be twenty pounds lighter and able to run a marathon. In this case, I might want to work backward from a one year goal (since it is doable in that amount of time). Okay, now where do I need to be in six months? Maybe it's ten pounds lighter and able to run a half-marathon. What are the steps I need to take me there, in three months, one month, one week, and one day at a time?

By breaking it down into smaller and smaller units as well as daily tasks, I no longer feel whelmed by it all. Plus, I can have a sense of accomplishment with each mini-task that I've completed. Before you know it, I've arrived at the destination!

Where do I want to be (to have accomplished) in 5 years?
What has to happen this next year to get me there?
What do I need to do by the end of 6 months?
3 months?
1 month?
This week?
Today?

Map it all out on a large calendar or chart and place it where you can readily see it each day. Be sure to check off each item that you've done to show your progress. By starting backward, you can move forward and end up right where you want to!