11.01.07
Posted in Uncategorized, Performer Resources at 6:34 pm by Administrator
As a budding performer it can be frustrating to know how to get your music heard. As cliché as it may seem, Open Mics are a great place to get your “performance feet” under you. Open Mics can be, depending on the venue, very relaxed like a living room setting, or more performance oriented. The only way to know for sure about a certain Open Mic dynamic is to visit the venue during an Open Mic and check it out.
A list of Open Mics for the Seattle-area can be found at
www.songspace.net
And how should you act during an Open Mic? Here are some general guidelines:
Check out the venue before you perform. Most Open Mics are weekly. If you want to perform at one, stop in the week before and get a feel for the space and their audience - are they the right age group and dynamic for your music? Does the venue only feature acoustic music? Is there a sound system you can use - and who do you need to talk to if you do want to use it? Is the Open Mic just for music or does it include poetry and spoken word?
Don’t assume the venue will provide anything. Obviously, if you need a sound system and you don’t have your own you will stop into or call the venue beforehand. Just because they have a system, however, don’t assume they’ll have all the cords and hookups you need. Also, if you need other accouterments like a table or music stand bring those, too.
Arrive early to sign up. There will be a sign up sheet, often near the stage, that will open usually 15-20 minutes before the Open Mic is to begin. If you can’t find it, ask around. Most Open Mics have a Host who will answer questions and MC throughout the evening. While some Open Mics will do random selection to determine the order of performance, many will give you time slots to choose from. Getting there early ensures that you won’t be stuck with the unpopular “first time slot.” Make sure to print your name clearly, don’t leave them guessing on what to call you.
Be polite and listen to the other performers Open Mics are a good networking opportunity with other musicians - don’t shoot yourself in the foot by being rude to possible future collaborators. With this in mind, give the other performers the same listening courtesy you expect. Don’t hum along, practice your song, or snicker under your breath. And try not to split as soon as your set is done - stick around and hear what everyone else has worked hard to put together.
When your name is called, go to the stage and set up quickly. Open Mics are, ultimately, time-sensitive. Everyone is waiting for their few minutes in a set block of time. Lollygagging up to the stage cuts into yours and other people’s time slot. Be considerate - get to the stage and set up.
Keep speaking to the necessary minimum. Obviously, some songs need some background introduction - just keep it short and sweet.
Have a few songs ready. The number of songs you will perform is directly related to how many people sign up. If there are two people playing that night you’ll probably be able to play for a while. If there are 20 people signed up, you’ll get 3 minutes. Be prepared for anything in between.
Keep calm and relax! Sure it’s a performance, but Open Mics are purposefully casual. If you mess up it’s not a big deal, just keep playing. Most of all cut yourself some slack - at least you’re up there doing what you love! Do you have a voice or performance question that you would like to ask Rebeqa?
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10.30.07
Posted in Uncategorized, Vocal Health at 9:51 pm by Administrator
I have many voice students who smoke, and several who have quit smoking since I started working with them. While it is possible to sing while you smoke, I can tell you that those students who quit experience a drastic increase in vocal range. And although the first month or so is tough with the “smokers cough” acting up - eventually the “gunk” clears out of the lungs and lung capacity is increased and breath intake becomes quieter and easier.Here is an excellent blog posting I came across on www.answerbag.com that sums up the effects of smoking on the singing voice:
“One of the greatest singers of all time, and the most recorded musician of all time, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, was a smoker. Not that I would suggest three packs a day based on this, but it can be done.
“The vocal folds are folds are sheathed when not in use, so as long as you don’t speak or sing while exhaling smoke, you won’t do much direct damage to them.
“The biggest effect of smoking on the singing voice is a drastic loss of lung capacity. I once knew a smoker-singer who experimented with this. She quit smoking and monitored her lung capacity by timing long notes. Within two weeks, she had literally doubled her time. After six weeks, she caved in and started smoking again, and her lung time almost immediately dropped back to what it had been before.
“The brief explanation of this is that nicotine is a sedative. It deadens the nerves which control the support musculature, and does not allow the proper use of the lungs. The effects of tar in terms of congesting the lungs are also significant, but this is a complex problem.
“The primary issue of tar in the lungs is that the nicotine deadens the cillia in the bronchioles and bronchial passages. These tiny, finger-shaped bits of tissue serve two purposes: they increase the surface area of the bronchioles, allowing more oxygen to pass through to the capillaries behind them. Under normal circumstances, they also sway gently back and forth to move the mucous and phlegm around, preventing things from getting clogged up in there. Nicotine deadens the cillia, allowing tar and phlegm to coat them. This congestion reduces lung capacity. It also reduces the body’s ability to guage and react to irritation from smoke.
“In the morning, after not having had a dose of nicotine for eight hours, the cillia begin to awaken and sway again, moving all the stuff around. This is what causes “smoker’s cough,” the only effective cure for which, is of all things, a cigarette to deaden the cillia again. The cough, of course, irritates the vocal mechanism, and that’s a problem, too.”
What I can add to this author’s insight is that while the smoke itself may not directly damage the vocal folds, dehydration from continual exposure to heated cigarette fumes as well as daily abuse from “smokers cough” can indeed cause considerable damage to the delicate vocal folds. While not everyone will experience this, thankfully, it is a fact these combined factors can lead to permanent damage such as vocal nodes, polyps, and obviously, cancer.
Having said all of this I do realize that many singers smoke and have fine careers. So obviously smoking does not rule out professional singing. However, quitting will yield not only better overall health, oxygen intake, and decreased chances of permanent vocal issues, but will also increase lung capacity and vocal range.
The choice is yours.
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10.27.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:46 pm by Administrator
“Art is not about perfection, it is about expression. The key is simply to love it.”
Sometimes when I try to write a song I wind up abandoning the project before it’s even begun. My logic usually goes something like this: “Well, I’m not in the right mood, so if I write the song now it won’t be quite right and then it’ll be a mediocre product so I’d better do it later when it’s the ‘perfect’ moment and then I’ll write the ‘perfect’ song.”Interesting.
We all know what happens next: the perfect moment never comes and I rarely get around to writing that song. And, even more importantly, I rarely get around to expressing the thought that originally inspired me - and so I wind up quashing my own expression. (Sabotage, anyone?)
And at this point I ask myself: “what’s so bad about mediocre expression?” Without those songs that lack the luster I will never get to those that are at once fresh, honest, and timeless (ie. that ‘perfect song’).
I think perhaps it’s time my priorities were re-stacked with “expression” on top and “perfection” left on the back shelf to gather some dust. I can’t change the fact that nothing I create will be perfect beyond any opportunity to be improved. Expression, however, is inherently valuable simply for the fact that it took place.
The key is simply to love it.
Do you have a voice or performance question that you would like to ask Rebeqa?
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08.13.07
Posted in Uncategorized, Updates at 3:16 pm by Administrator
When you stop and consider the connection between your voice and your general wellbeing, the co-dependancy is sobering. Vocal change is an early telltale sign of sickness, exhaustion, sadness, excitement, or even nervousness. We invent terms like “a frog in the throat”, “choked up”, and “tongue-tied” to explain the vocal affects of our bodies and emotions.
Vocal training is not just memorizing scales and do-re-mi’s. It is primarily realizing and respecting the interconnection of the voice with the rest of the body and mind. My method of holistic vocal-awareness simultaneously trains your voice, while helping you discover the benefits of stress-release, proper breathing technique, and the exilleration of singing with your true voice. Of course, the best benefits of understanding the body-voice connection is finally releasing your vocal strength. Plus, understanding the body-voice connection is the first step to vocal health.
I experienced the body-voice connection firsthand. During Music Conservatory in Chicago my instructors assigned yoga along with singing exercises. The body awareness I learned fom yoga colored every aspect of my life and my voice: my breath became deep and well-supported and I noticed the absence of body-tension.
Many of my students have come to me as professional performers who had hoarsness or vocal pain after performing. Clearly, by choosing today to overcome unhealthy singing habits and implement healthy singing technique these singers have extended their careers by a matter of years.
This month I am pleased to announce the opening of a second voice studio in West Seattle. I now teach from Pioneer Square on Mondays and Tuesdays, and out of West Seattle on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Time slots are limited, so contact us today to see about availability.
Rebeqa
NoteWorthy Productions, Director of Music
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