​Recently I was working with a young student whose faith in themselves was minimal at best. I know that for new singers, singing in front of others, especially voice teachers can be very daunting. I work hard to make sure my students feel safe, supported and valued. I do not EVER tell someone they can’t sing, because I don’t believe that. All I focus on is the potential, and everyone has potential.

This lovely student was singing through a song I had never heard them sing and stopped themselves at a certain point in the song. They said, ‘I can’t sing this bit,’ and tears welled in their eyes. I’m sure you understand how vulnerable it can be, firstly to sing but also to connect to a song emotionally, thus making yourself even more vulnerable.

I had never heard them sing this song, I didn’t know if they could or couldn’t sing the part, all I could see was their self-doubt and fear and honestly maybe even a little shame. I encouraged them to continue. They picked the song back up, and it was beautiful.
 
Now why did this moment happen? Maybe they just felt shaky in this section of the song? Maybe their throat felt tight? Maybe their larynx was too high? Maybe they were singing over a break in their voice? Maybe they just didn’t like the sound of their voice in this section? Maybe all of the above? OR just maybe someone who had heard them sing this song before had told them that it didn’t sound good. Guess which one it was?

So now as I work with this beautiful person and their voice, I need to undo the damage of someone else’s opinion (a completely invalid one at that) I need rebuild their confidence and help them reach their highest potential. I want them to know how amazing they are, I want all my students to see how brilliant they are all in their own unique ways.
 
When I was a very young singer, before voice lessons, I asked someone,
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'Do I sound good or am I just loud?’ They said I was, ‘Just loud’ I laugh now because I am loud, ask any audio engineer I have worked with! But imagine if I had listened to that person and stopped? I wouldn’t have lived my life exploring my passion. I wouldn’t be helping others do the same. I wouldn’t have lived my life filled with the joy of performing, recording, writing and singing.

​The point is, don’t do this. You know the old saying:
 
‘If you don’t have something nice to say, say nothing,’
 
No one has the right to squash someone else’s joy, to mess with their confidence, their dreams. Just get busy living your own life. An aspiring singer might only want to get better at singing in the shower or they may want to sing to their spouse for their birthday or maybe kill it at karaoke and that is bloody brilliant!
 
If you want someone in your corner supporting you and cheering you on, then reach out.
 
I’m here to help.

One of my first headshots. :)

​In the midst of the slow down of school holidays, the pause in work commitments, I have taken the chance to watch the latest season of The Bear (Season 3) It is one of the best shows to hit television of late, and if you think it is just a drama about running a restaurant, you are mistaken. It is funny, moving, and exhaustingly brilliant.

​Everyone in this show is exceptional. Every single actor brings so much charm and depth to their roles that I find it captivating. But for me, the absolute stand out is Jamie Lee Curtis, even though she is a minor character in terms of screen time. Jamie, perhaps most well known to some as the scream queen in the Halloween franchise, plays the matriarch of the Berzatto family.

​Now superficially, her face carries the lines and stories of her years and trauma, and it is brilliant. Donna Berzatto has lived, a hard life and carries a lot of emotional weight and with her, which she often unwillingly dumps in the rest of the Berzatto clan.
 
And that brings me to the reason for my post.
 
She is so immersed in the role, in being Donna, that you forget she is Jamie. She is an actor who commits with every inch of her soul. Without words you will see every thought, (this is the point) every emotional moment of turmoil, etched painfully into her face as she struggles to contain herself. She has left me stunned, tearful, and heartbroken. Season 2- Episode 6 Fishes, was one of the best dramatic episodes of a show I have ever seen and that is largely due to Jamie Lee Curtis, but the ensemble work was also exceptional.
 
And now in season 3, Episode 8 Ice Chips, again she brought me emotionally undone, even though it didn’t carry the same prolonged intensity of Season 2’s episode.

It is this commitment, this emotional vulnerability and connection that we as performers, singers, actors, must allow ourselves to sink into. It is what our audiences deserve.
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When it comes to singing, having a beautiful voice and technique is one thing, a good thing for sure, but if you stand up and sing with no connection, no emotion, no vulnerability.  Your audience will get bored. They may feel something is missing, although they may compliment you on your lovely voice, it goes no deeper than this. It is a missed opportunity and your audience and you deserve more.
 
This is one of the reasons I focus on more than just vocal production in lessons, I work with students to help them reach deeper levels of connection so they become well rounded and outstanding performers.
 
Taking some acting classes is something I would recommend for singers/performers. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable, choosing repertoire that you can connect too, or finding the common threads between the words and your motivation. It is all essential.
 
Be brave lovely ones.