RK Vocal Studio

Singing - A Mind, Body & Spiritual kinda thing

Thursday, March 14, 2019 by Rebecca Keogh | Uncategorized

It is useful to think of singing in a holistic sense connecting mind, body and spiritual aspects of yourself. Becoming aware of these things is a good place to start. You may find that vocal technique alone is not enough to get you over every singing hurdle. This post touches on elements of mind, body and spiritual aspects of singing and why it is important to connect with each one and is jammed packed with resources for you to explore.


Mind

Imagine picking up a lemon from a fruit bowl. Cut it in half and lift it towards your mouth. Imagine what it tastes like. You will probably find that your taste buds go crazy and start salivating. You were able to imagine something which caused a physical reaction. Knowing that, you can see how negative thoughts and emotions might have a negative physical reaction in your body, including your voice. It might be useful to incorporate some mindfulness or relaxation methods into your routine such as listening to calming music, or writing down or saying some positive affirmations. Singing is also known to help improve your memory!





Body

Similarly, bad posture or stiffness in the body can have a domino effect on the voice. Last year at the Vocology In Practice Seminar one of the speakers gave an example where a singer was having issues with their voice and after a lot of exploring they discovered that the singer actually had an issue in their foot that had worked its way up the body and had actually twisted the larynx slightly over time. This was amazed me.


By including some simple stretches or yoga into your vocal warm up time, it can really help free your voice from tension that may exist as well as helping to calm any nerves that you may have. I often do some stretches with students who seem stressed or cold as it can help calm them down and release any tension they may be holding from the day.


Neil Dennehy, a physiotherapist from Clonmel has put together a short video with some simple stretches that you may find useful. Take 2 or 3 ideas and start incorporating them into your routine. Even just 5 minutes of stretching can make a huge difference. I do head & shoulder rolls, side to side motions, and back to front motions for example. 


Simple stretches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=645rVzRNm8A


I've included some exercises to reduce extrinsic muscle tension (muscles surrounding your larynx and neck area;

  • Jaw movement: (Side to side, open and close, chewing motion)
  • wow wow wow wow: (Say wow in a really over exaggerated way widening the mouth as you do.)
  • Lip thrills/bubbles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ8CGNAxCbg
  • Tongue stretches: (In and out of your mouth, round & round, side to side etc) Check out this video by Dr. Dan for further info and some more tongue exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwk3It813z8
  • Shoulder rolls: Front to back and back to front motions.
  • Oral Resonance: Focus on the tip of your tongue when speaking to help reduce strain in your larynx (voice box)


 .                                                                                                          Photo: This guys got the hang of it!




Spiritual

Singing is known to have healing abilities, helping to reduce stress and anxiety, promote group bonding and relaxes the body. Anyone who sings will know how good it makes you feel inside, or will have gotten butterflies or tingles when hearing another singer deliver a beautiful vocal performance. Singing will often evoke tears of emotion, having a kid of cathartic effect on us. I know I’ve often arrived home from a long day in work and had band practice which I didn’t really want to go to as I was so drained from the day, but after 10 minutes singing, all the stress and anxiety melted away and my energy had returned, every time. It is often a kind of therapy for us. Find music you love to listen to and sing and it will enrich your life.




Useful Resources

Here are two links to spotify playlists that I listen to;

Peaceful Music

https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWZqd5JICZI0u?si=I5HPG1SKRtqMXI4Jfgu8Wg

Focus Music

https://open.spotify.com/album/4MmTwjP7bqA9zy7FsFyPBe?si=6pQa_HQfT821gCWpUOIFsQ


El Greys vocally lead meditative music

https://m.youtube.com/c/InfinityCalling


Yoga Classes in South Tipperary

10 Tips for better crowd banter

Thursday, February 28, 2019 by Rebecca Keogh | Uncategorized

We all know that feeling that comes over us when your guitarist needs to change a string or tune up and you know you should say something to fill that awkward silence but your mind is blank, you have no words, the tumbleweed is rolling across the floor..you feel eyes boring through you waiting impatiently for the entertainment to commence. It is after all your responsibility to make sure everyone has a good time right? This is something I have struggled with but have started to find ways to combat it. It all comes down to preparation. Below I have shared a few ways to help improve your crowd banter.


10 Tips for better crowd banter


  1. Energy and enthusiasm will keep your audience interested. Don’t leave moments of awkward silence. In these moments, have a something ready to talk about. Prepare what you want to say. Don’t just leave it to chance. We practice our songs, and we should practice our banter also. Study other artists, comedians and public speakers and take note of things that work well for them. Bullet point this information on a flashcard and leave it somewhere that you can glance at it when an opportunity arises.
  1. Mention your band name, and when you are playing next. It is also a good idea to have business cards ready for anyone who shows interest. You will often have people come up to you during or after the gig asking where they can find out where your next gig is.
  1. Find out what the drink promos are on the night and tell the crowd what they are. The bartenders might appreciate this as well. You could say something like ‘It’s time to get another round of drinks in because we’re about to take it up a notch and you won’t want to miss it.’ (This is not usually done at original gigs.)
  1. Enjoy yourself! The audience will pick up on your energy. If they see you enjoying yourself, they will too. If you are having a bad day or are feeling a bit anxious, have a plan in place to get you in good form (like listening to feel good music on your way to the gig or when you’re getting ready.) I talk about having a ritual in another blog post which can apply to gigging also. You can check it out here: https://rebekahsvocalstudio.mymusicstaff.com/Blog?PostID=54074
  1. Speak clearly, stand confidently, make eye contact. (Again, if you are an original artist, lack of eye contact could be part of your stage persona, so not always necessary for you.)
  1. Talk about how great the crowd is tonight, and how you love playing in this venue.
  1. Interact with your bandmates (if you have any). It is intriguing for an audience to watch musicians smiling, laughing and rocking out together.
  1. Engage with the people who are reacting positively to you. If someone or a group of people are singing along, acknowledge them in some way, maybe just a wink, a smile or thank them for singing along.
  1. Announce your ‘last song’, make it a good one. But always have a couple more because you WILL be asked to play on! A quick google search will bring up a list of songs that go down well at pub gigs. But you will discover your own as you gain more experience. An encore can also work quite well for original artists but generally only headline acts do this type of thing.
  1. If the crowd are singing along, wave your hand back and forth or clap for them! Hand gestures can be a good way to communicate.Anything you can do to make your gig more streamlined and entertaining is worth working on. Happy gigging!



College Audition Tip! Making a checklist.

Thursday, February 21, 2019 by Rebecca Keogh | Uncategorized

Make a checklist of everything you need to prepare for your audition. Below I’ve included a few examples of the type of things you could put on your checklist;  


 ✔️Reply to any emails you get regarding audition before indicated deadline, including all information requested like including your CAO number and dates you will not be available to audition.

 ✔️Prepare your songs and make sure they fit any criteria requested by college.

 ✔️ Read audition guidelines & include any important details on your checklist. Like whether you
need to arrange accompaniment, bring a backing track, or choose songs from a prescribed list.

 ✔️ Practice any technical exercises you might also be asked to perform such as scales, harmonising, or music theory.

 ✔️ Research your course choice and be prepared to talk about why you are are the right student for the course.

 ✔️ Bullet point any info you want to talk about in your interview like why you chose the course and any goals you have for the future.

 ✔️ Mark audition date in your calendar and make sure you request the date off work if you need to.

 ✔️ Choose your outfit a couple of days BEFORE audition day.

 ✔️ Plan your journey a few days BEFORE audition and give yourself plenty of time to get there. As a rule of thumb, I usually plan to arrive an hour before I’m due to audition. During this time, I'll sit in my car or find a quiet corner and go over my notes for interview, listen to music to get me in the right head space & grab a tea or a bottle of water. This is your time to get in the zone.