Three Tips for the Non-Singer
Before I became a music therapist, I thought there was no hope for me as a singer. My primary instrument before college was piano. I pushed a key and the right note always came out. Singing did not prove so easy. In my Intro to Music Therapy class I could feel that my voice tired easily and was breathy. I didn’t even want to think about hearing a recording of myself. In my first practicum placements, the same feedback was always offered: Brea doesn’t project her voice enough. All this caused me to become so nervous about my voice I put off my beginning group voice class until the spring of my sophomore year. I just didn’t know how to deal with this instrument built into my body.
Though starting internship and singing everyday helped me gain confidence and strength in my voice, I’m always looking to improve my voice. Without years of formal training I need to be especially mindful not to injure my voice (as I’ve done in the past). And while I’m not a vocalist in any classical sense, here are three practices I’ve found helpful to build up my voice for the functional day-in, day-out schedule of a music therapist.
1. Get help… on the cheap. While I realized my voice needed support, I was reluctant to enroll in individual voice lessons because they were so expensive. As if an answer to my prayers, I saw a poster offering free voice lessons from vocal pedagogy students in my conservatory. These future voice teachers needed individual students on which to practice their vocal coaching skills. I signed up and started to get the one-to-one attention I needed from someone who knew a lot more about the voice than me. My “teacher” was able to listen to my concerns and perception of my voice and started me on the path toward a healthy voice.
If you’re a music therapy major, chances are your college offers a music education major and has student teachers who are required to give lessons at some point of their pedagogy classes. As another option, YouTube also has plenty of voice tutorials though these may not offer consistent advice.
2. Record yourself for feedback. With smart phones, iPads, and GarageBand, there are plenty of ways to record your voice. Once I got my iPad, I found that using a free voice memo app (like iTalk) was a great way to get feedback about my voice in the privacy of my apartment. To this day, I still practice and record myself. Listening back, I can match what I’m feeling in my throat to what I hear on the recording and adjust accordingly. When I’m alone I have the freedom to experiment and sound absolutely horrible because no one is around. Without exploring what your voice can do, you won’t discover what it is capable of.
3. Sing everyday. I was practicing the above pieces of advice my last two years of college, but didn’t “find my voice” until I started my internship. Singing everyday helped me build my voice as a muscle. Steady use of my voice helped build upon the successes of the week before and really got me over the hurdle of fear I had built up in my head while singing. My voice, though, is always a work in progress. Today, I often run through simple vocal warm-ups to stretch my range and keep my voice sharp.
While I’ll never be on American Idol, that’s not the goal I have for my voice. My voice is a tool to reach people and provide structure and leadership in my sessions. While these tips are of my experience, the most important part is keeping your voice healthy. As music therapists, we will need it for the rest of our lives!