In my opinion, the act of singing is 75% psychological and 25% body mechanics. Voice teachers around the world may disagree with me, but in my nearly 20 years of coaching, I've seen a singer's confidence shattered often enough by their own self-loathing that it shuts them down physically. I've seen people's throats close off to the point of choking because of their negative self-talk! Because of this, I'm a big believer that what you think becomes what you feel becomes what you experience in your daily life.
When a singer has doubt or fear about their voice performing a piece of music well, they don't sing it well. When I can get them to verbalize their negative feelings and then utilize body exercises that break up this tension and disconnect their inner critic while they are singing, suddenly their voice is able to perform freely, without constraints. It proves to me daily the power of your thoughts. They can make you or break you. Literally.
I am fascinated by the way high performance, high endurance athletes prepare for their races and the like. It is interesting to note that the very best of the best build their confidence by speaking positive, affirming words to themselves. They watch their self-talk very carefully. They run their race or rehearse winning the match in their minds before the event even occurs. They take this 'thought' business very seriously. It is literally their livelihood on the line in most cases. They have a lot to lose if their thoughts go down the tubes.
Scientists and researchers have measured the brains of elite athletes while they have thought these thoughts. They have found that the brain experiences the athletes 'rehearsed' race no different than a real race. This is amazing to me!
How is YOUR self-talk? Constantly critical? Does your inner dialogue sound like a Greek chorus trash talking tragedy? As we push past our negative norms towards ABUNDANCE, try this: Speak UP! It might be a foreign language to you, but with a little practice you can be fluent in no time.
1) Recognize that your thought life might need a makeover.
2) Replace the negative things you say about yourself and others with positive words. This will feel fake at first. Maybe pick one area in particular that you most struggle with. Take away the negative line you always feed yourself. Be sure to replace it with a positive one. If you are negative about yourself as an artist, you might replace the "I stink at this, I should just give up" with "I love doing my work, and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially."
Yes. I'm serious.
3) Smile! Even if you are gritting your teeth, smiling tells your brain you are happy. Fake it 'til you make it, people.
4) Practice makes perfect! Just like whatever art form you do, there is no magic pill you can take to make you better at it, darn it! You have to practice. In the same way, you have to practice speaking UP! If this sounds like an exercise in futility to you, consider the question of the day:
How badly do you want change?
Artists, worldwide! Get your submissions ready! Our theme: ABUNDANCE. All art forms are welcome! Your first draft must be submitted for the jury process by 9pm on Monday, April 12th, so we can start pulling a cohesive presentation together by May! Thanks for considering being a part of this! ------------------------ OUT OF THE BEDROOM IS THIS FRIDAY NIGHT @ WPAA, 7P! with Special Guest, Singer/Songwriter ARIA SOUDER!!! Minneapolis-based musician Aria Souder will grace our stageless stage on April 2 with her keyboard. She’ll be doing a classic OOTB mini-gig. For the rest of us, things are as usual with one exception: We’ll be plugged in! Yes, it’s still original tunes only, 3 songs max each, and you may use the keyboard. It will be interesting to experience our little room with a PA. So … something different. I predict you’ll love Aria’s music, too. Christi says: This open mic night, for ages high school and up, is a great opportunity for you to bring what you are working on for the ABUNDANCE collaborative. Take your work for a spin before a live audience and see how it goes! And, this is not just for songwriters! Writers! You get five minutes to read your stuff! Weee-hoo! Visual artists! PLEASE, the walls of OOTB need your work! Get cracking, people. Check out OUT OF THE BEDROOM'S new website! 
I just posted my song "Abundant Design" on my youtube & FB pages. I'm smiling about what I just read here - about negativity closing off vocal cords, because you (C.Bovee) and I both know that has been a life long struggle of mine. But! my lyrics pulled straight out of Isaiah keep my mind focused towards my goal - "keep singing!" old habits die hard.... but my mind is on a pathway of peace.
Posted by: CJ Diachenko | April 21, 2010 at 05:33 AM
Singing can be so helpful for people with mental problems. I've read about it in Times
Posted by: online jobs | November 08, 2011 at 04:46 AM