Can't Wait to Hear You

Many of my students report being embarrassed about singing in front of an audience, whether it’s around the house or on stage. Yet some people can get up at karaoke and murder a popular tune without feeling a flicker of shame. Why do so many of us feel self-conscious about the way we sound when we sing? And what can we do to get past that inner cringe? This time, we’re digging into: The developmen...

How we sound is so connected to who we imagine ourselves to be that it’s natural and expected to find ourselves full of doubt, fear or resistance when we try to change our singing or speaking voice.  Managing these emotional hurdles is essential if we’re going to make vocal progress. In fact, when we tackle the physical and the emotional work together, we usually sound better so much faster.&...

Practice makes perfect. It’s the mantra invoked by parents and teachers to encourage us to keep at it when we’re grinding through the discouragement of learning how to do a new thing. It’s meant to remind us that improvement is a matter of hard work and perseverance, and of what we can achieve if we stick with it. It’s also a trap. I’ve heard countless students, who should have been proud of how f...

When you’re nervous or stressed out and you can’t calm yourself down, taking a deep breath is maybe the most common advice you’ll get (maybe even from yourself!). And it can make a difference. But the experiences of my students make me think that it’s not always as effective as we think it is. Why is that? Often it’s because the image of a deep breath we have in our minds makes a lot of noise and...

Last episode, I shared about how I’ve been dealing with something called Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion. It’s one of a whole class of functional disorders that can affect the body. We call them functional disorders because the actual body parts (the throat and vocal cords in my case) are perfectly fine. But for some reason, my brain and body are reacting to my environment in a way that keeps them f...

The question of whether change is possible is fascinating. On one level, the answer is an obvious yes. Things change around us all the time. But when we’re asking about intentional change, change within ourselves and our abilities, suddenly the answer can seem a lot less certain. What I know from experience – my own and my students’ – is that there is a simple, doable process for changing your voi...

The way the world feels now, we could all benefit from more joy, more comfort, more solace and sanity. In fact, to take effective action in the world, we need to be as strong, calm and grounded as we can possibly be. Even ten minutes of listening to music can restore you to a better state. Not just having it on in the background, but really sitting and listening will allow your mind to rest, your...

There are a lot of reasons to feel angry and frightened by the state of the world. A lot of us are struggling with the frustration of not knowing what to do or where to start. Raising your voice - in anger, in resistance, or in defense of those you hold dear - is one way to make a difference. But if you’re not prepared for them, the raw emotions we’re all wrestling with can get bound up in your bo...

Many of my students, especially the ones who are just starting to explore their voices, tend to think of singing and reading music as parts of the same skill. I don’t think that’s exactly right. They’re related, of course, and they’re both great things to learn. But knowing what the dots and lines on the page mean is a very different thing from getting in touch with your whole body instrument and...

How do you manage stage fright? Do you have calming rituals, or ways to pump yourself up?  Do you try to ignore it and power through, or are you channeling the energy of that anxiety into your performance? Maybe more importantly, when are you managing your performance anxiety? Do you plan for it in advance? Or is it something you only face when you can feel the racing heart and sweaty palms?...

Change is scary. Even when it’s change you’ve chosen, embraced, achieved through hard work and dedication. Changing something as personal and intimate as your voice can raise fears of rejection, abandonment, disappointment, and the worry that you won’t like the sound you’ve worked hard to develop. In my experience, the best way to manage that anxiety is to give ourselves something more specific to...

This morning I woke up with a sharp, stabby pain in the back of my throat, the kind that feels like you’re gargling with tiny knives every time you speak. I was tempted to skip recording, but it occurred to me that you’ve probably woken up with the same kind of pain, and thought there was nothing you could do but not speak until it went away. Let me show you some easy ways to (gently) exercise you...

This week, I’m giving myself permission to rest, to be patient with myself, and to resist the feeling that I’m not doing enough. I want you to tell you why that self-generosity is so important, and share some ways you can manifest it for yourself.   To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses/view/1189528 Michèle Voillequé is a singer and a voice teacher...

Few things are both as universal and personal as our breath. Everyone needs good breath support to sing or speak effectively, and we all describe what that feels like differently. In this episode, I share some physical practices and ways of thinking that will help you figure out what "breath support" means for you.  To Register for A Singer's Advent https://mvmusik.mvsite.app/products/courses...

Different genres of music make different demands on the voice. But no matter what style, era, or canon you’re singing from, communicating the emotional energy of a song to your audience is all about using your body well and managing your emotions. Here is my take on how genres differ from one another, and three basic skills you need to bring any song to life. To Register for A Singer's Advent http...

You can learn a lot from singing in a good choir or chorus, and having one-on-one lessons will more effectively show you how to make the most of your instrument. This time I want to talk about why your voice is worth the investment of private lessons, and how taking the time to explore your unique needs and capacities will make the time you spend singing in community so much more rewarding. T...

The title of this episode, dear listener, is an actual sentence an adult man said to me recently. We were talking about what was preventing him from performing music, despite the passion he has for listening to it. Like a lot of people, he had internalized the belief that he was missing something, some innate talent or capacity that enables other people to make the music he loves. With love, he is...

When life is a difficult place to be and the world feels fraught, it can feel like nothing is ever going to get better. We all manage that discouragement in our own way, but we have to work at it. Because giving up is the surest way to lose all the progress we’ve made. This time, I want to tell you a personal story to illustrate that we have, in fact, made real progress. It reminds me to be thankf...

Your whole body is your instrument, and that doesn’t just mean when you’re performing. The memories you carry in your body are powerful tools you can tap into when you’re learning and practicing and growing your voice. When I’m singing long phrases, I lean on a vivid image from my childhood, of a massive truck sharing the narrow mountain highway with my family's tiny car. That memory helps me acce...

Change is scary! Developing the voice you want to project requires time and effort, but it also requires faith – confidence that you have the capacity for growth, and certainty that the work you’re putting in is moving you in the direction you want to go. But holding tight to that belief in yourself can be really hard. What to do on those days when you’re just sure you’ve come as far as you can, a...

When you’re looking at a piece of vocal music, what’s the most intimidating thing you can imagine? For a lot of my students, a single note that gets held for 4, 8, or 12 beats is right at the top of the list. But why is that? What is it about a long note that makes us feel vulnerable or unsure of our vocal abilities in a way that shorter notes don’t? Let’s talk about where that anxiety comes from,...

Strengthening your voice is a lifelong journey, but when you’re trying to learn something new - a technique, a piece of music - it can feel especially long and arduous. Changing old habits of using your voice can leave you feeling like you don’t know anything at all anymore! But take heart. Every one of us who wants to use our voice more fully has to deal with this untethered feeling once in a whi...

We’ve talked before about how nervousness is a normal, even positive, part of performing with your voice. We’ve talked about practice strategies to help you manage and harness your nerves. But what about when you’re in the moment, feeling your heart racing so fast you can’t focus? This week, we’re talking about two simple things you can do to help reign yourself in. Whether you’re about to go on s...

The stage at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago was packed with people who’ve built careers on their ability to give stirring speeches. But they didn’t get there by accident. They practiced techniques to help them speak louder, longer, and with more emotional resonance. You can learn a lot by watching and listening to people who’ve developed strong vocal delivery, so let’s put poli...

A number of things affect the voice as we age – our hormones, our physical fitness, our attitudes about aging – just to name a few. I’ve worked with many students experiencing age-related changes to their voices and I’ve experienced plenty myself. In this episode, I talk about some of the changes you can expect throughout your lifespan along with strategies for navigating them. To Register for A S...