I love this photo of me leading Harbour Lights in a sea shanty (and I bet I racked up the activity points on my very visible Fitbit!), but it really isn't good posture or singing practice. Look at the tension in that neck! My jaw doesn't look very relaxed either.
Over the last 18 months - prepare for a cliché - I have had time and space to take stock of my own singing and the advice I give to others, and really make sure I both believe in and practice what I preach. It's been somewhat enforced, of course - out of the blue, in March 2020, singing became dangerous (or so it seemed at first) and my usual day-to-day routine evaporated. Like yours did, I know!
Singing online is very interesting. You see yourself alongside the student or choir members and have to model a bit more carefully.... throw in a shoulder injury and pain and everything becomes much more self conscious. Physio and yoga have been a tremendous help and enabled me to keep active, keep choir and Soup & Sing going online and find a new space to teach in.
As some of you know, I have been running Stretch & Sing workshops for years now alongside the wonderful Becca Poremba, but it has only been in the last year that, thanks to my oldest friend, I have been doing yoga every day. Along with the enforced long, long period at home, yoga has become as essential to my day as singing.
If you are thinking 'yeah, it's not for me', don't worry, I'm not too evangelical about it in individual lessons. I have always taught from a position of whole-body singing, and tension remains the enemy, but we generally get to a relaxed singing posture by chatting, laughing, and warm ups, so I won't be making you stand on one leg! Unless you want to.....
Singing lessons begin early in September, and I am staying online for the time being, with the exception of workshops. I'll be sending out a mailing soon with more information about everything I will be doing in the Autumn. In the meantime; relax the shoulders, take a nice deep breath in, and a nice long breath out. Maybe a noisy yawn. Hum a low note..... off you go, have a Singing Summer.
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