Creating A Voice Ritual For The Season
Some people crochet, some people knit and some like myself choose to sing. Just like Yoga or meditation, running or walking, practicing music can be a healing and centering balm amidst the chaos of news headlines, flooding inboxes and holiday stress. So this time of year as we are just a day away from the winter solstice, I invite you to deepen your vocal practice as a means towards dispelling negative/anxious energy and creating more lightheartedness, peace, and joy.
To begin creating your voice ritual for the season, first think about what it is that you may be needing or what you want to create more of. Remember your energy and intentions are truly magical!. Do you need an emotional pick-me up? Do you want to send someone who is grieving comfort? Do you want to create a sense of playfulness and joy in your home? Once you have your intention, you may come up with a phrase or word that sums up this feeling. This word or phrase can become something you use at the end of your ritual.
Next begin to connect with your body. Start with some slow breathing exercises and or stretching in order to drop into your body as an instrument and to release some of the mental chatter you may be experiencing. Next start to vocalize. Ideally you want to do vocal warmups everyday. (I offer a monthly vocal warm up to help you develop healthy exercises to release and strengthen your voice and smooth out your “break” or transition). If you get a good routine routine going with your vocal warm-ups, will make all the songs that you want to sing, improvise or write so much easier to express. One of my NYU students recently shared that he initially feared private lessons might take away his unique sound but after a semester of private voice he actually feels more much in control of his pitch and emotion in order to express himself.
Once you have fully warmed up your upper register and lower register and sung between the two, it’s time to sing something meaningful to you. This might be a song you have been wanting to learn, a composition you are writing or maybe even that phrase from before that you chose for the day. Trust your instincts on this.. Set a timer and sing for at least 5-10 minutes and then notice how you feel. You may feel more energized, less scattered, your voice may actually be louder, and you might feel inspired to do something that is calling you next.
To gather more ideas like these for your music practice, order a copy of my book Lost & Found: Finding The Power In Your Voice and sign up for next month’s Vocal Gym to prioritize music making your way:). And Happy Winter Singing!