A peek behind the scenes! An actor in a play I am vocal coaching got very sick and therefore hoarse. They asked for suggestions, and I wanted to share them with you.
continue readingWhat’s all this about using a straw for voice?
Using drinking straws to enhance voice has become quite a trend. The exercise can have many benefits for voice, which we will discuss in future posts.
For now, I want to drop a short audio file here to get you started playing with the straw kazoo exercise, with more details to come. Enjoy!
If you’d like personalized instruction on working with the straw, or anything else relating to voice, speech, or presence, reach out for a session!
Busting a myth about vocal injuries
When a pro athlete has a knee injury, fans don’t jump to the conclusion that they must have poor running technique. Yet when a professional singer gets a vocal cord injury, it’s a different matter. Let’s shed a little light about what a vocal injury does and doesn’t mean.
contine reading3 tips for projecting your voice
Being heard over background noise, or in a large or outdoor place, requires specific techniques. Surprisingly, loudness is only one component of projection. A well-placed voice can be heard better than you might think, with a couple extra tweaks.
continue readingNo, a hoarse voice isn’t normal
A friend recently messaged me saying her voice was changing, and had become raspy. She wanted to know if that was normal for someone in their mid-50s.
Nope.
continue readingYou are working too hard: The Zen of great voice
It’s an old saw: Less is more. As with many clichés this one can sometimes be true, especially when it comes to how we use our voice.
Did you know it takes about 100 muscles to utter a phrase of speech? Given that many of these muscles are tiny and impossible to isolate, it’s shockingly easy to be using them with more tension than is necessary.
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