Singing and Homeostasis

I never thought I'd get into science.  It was not my "thing" in school.  Dissecting frogs, learning the names of the bones of the body, trying to solve [impossible] chemistry equations--not my cup of tea!

However the older I get, the more I appreciate science because it actually has everything to do with singing well.  How do I know this?  I've experienced it firsthand.

This past weekend, I had my first performance of a song off my new album, Make Something Happen.  All day on Friday, leading up to the performance, I determined to practice so I would go into the performance feeling completely confident and fully warmed up.

Around noon, I was driving in my car and practicing the song along with the recording.  Only, my live performance was not coming out well.  I couldn't sustain the high notes, much less gather the energy to reach them in the first place.  I was a bit scared that I was having an "off" day with my voice, which is a totally normal thing, by the way.  I just didn't need to have one on a day I was performing solo.

Lo and behold, I found myself remembering a word from 6th grade science class: homeostasis.  I instantly realized what my issue was.  I stopped practicing because there was no use in frustrating myself even more and I arrived home and immediately made myself a sandwich and fruit for lunch.  The reason I wasn't singing well?  I was hungry.

Now, all the people who know me are laughing right now because they realize how true it is that I'm "off" when I'm hungry, but I have the science to prove it!

Wikipedia defines homeostasis as "the property of a system in which variables are regulated so that internal conditions remain stable and relatively constant".   In other words, the human body is constantly trying to balance itself to make it more efficient.  That's why you need so much food each day, but not too much food or you'll start to gain weight.  That's why you need so much sleep but not too much sleep to provide energy for your day.

Here's what happened after I ate.  I let my food settle and then went into my music room to resume practicing my song.  I practiced 4 times before the actual performance, and they were some of the best practices I'd had.  Before the show, I made sure I ate another nutritious meal, this time dinner, and then I had a cup of tea and honey and some water.  My performance turned out great!  I felt energized and my voice held up beautifully.

Here are some quick tips to think about if you're practicing for a performance and your voice is not holding up:

1.  If you feel faint, do you need to eat something?  Try eating a light meal and be sure to include some fruits or veggies, both of which contain vital water and nutrients.

2.  Are you completely satiated from your last meal?  Wait to practice singing for an hour or so to allow your food to settle.  Otherwise, you'd better practice alone because you'll be belching through the whole rehearsal.  Gross!

3.  Are you just worn out?  You may not have the luxury of a two hour afternoon nap (who does anyway?), but can you fit in a cat-nap?  My absolute favorite naps are between 15-30 minutes long.  They get me over the mid-day slump and I wake up much more energized and ready to take on my day.  If you don't think you'll wake up after half an hour, set a timer beforehand, then snooze away.

4.  Are you stressed?  In my book Ten Weeks to a Better Voice, I talk a little about the effect of stress on singing.  And yes, stress definitely affects singing.  One of my favorite ways to combat stress is to get some fresh air.  Lucky for me, I live in Florida and can usually get in a walk outside most days.  If you're not able to get outside, take a ten minute break from your music and walk inside.

All of these tips will help you reestablish homeostasis in your own body and hopefully help you practice and perform at your peak!

(Don't try to sing when you're hungry!  Go eat a quick snack or meal, then get back to practice.  Your body will thank you.)

Week One: The Biology of Singing

(This post is part 1 of 10 in my series highlighting my new book, Ten Weeks to a Better Voice, available here .)

Biology was not my favorite subject in high school.  In fact, anything science or math-related was not my favorite.  Yet somehow, my tenth grade biology teacher was always able to make biology fun.  Anytime we were watching a video that had the potential to be gross, our teacher always passed out BlowPops.  I used to think he was trying to gain "cool points" by doing that, but later realized that a student was much less likely to throw-up if he or she was sucking on candy.  Clever, clever, Mr. Biology!

Anyway, fast-forward to now, and would you believe that my first chapter in Ten Weeks to a Better Voice is mostly focused on biology?  I didn't realized how important it was until I began the quest to understand how exactly a person forms a single sound.

"Every sound you make starts with a breath.  You must have adequate air to produce an adequate sound.  When you engage your diaphragm (a muscle below your chest that aids in breathing), the lungs pump air up to the vocal cords (also known as the vocal folds), which then vibrate and form an audible pitch.  Then the articulators (the tongue, soft and hard palates, cheeks, and lips) share the sound as it flows from the mouth.  This is how a single sound is produced every time.  Now you can see how inadequate breath support will fail to produce the desired tone in singing.  If you were to take a shallow breath, not engaging the diaphragm, your vocal cords would not have enough air to produce a quality sound.  Then you might try to 'help' yourself by tensing the neck or lifting the tongue.  This type of singing, occurring repeatedly, would eventually cause you to lose your voice, because your throat is not meant to take on the work of the diaphragm.

The vocal cords are located in the larynx in your throat.  The size of the vocal cords determines the range of pitches that a person can sing.  The size also varies, depending if you're male or female, with men having deeper voices because of deeper, thicker folds.  Your genetics and gender determine which voice part you can comfortably sing." --An excerpt from Ten Weeks to a Better Voice

The first step to becoming a better singer is to gain knowledge on how your voice works.  In the paragraphs above, I refer to the diaphragm, the "singing muscle".  Even though you cannot physically feel the diaphragm,  you can imagine it as a horizontal band that lies just beneath your rib cage.  When you are practicing, imagine contracting and releasing that muscle as you inhale and then sing on the exhale.

In my study of the voice and in the years I've spent teaching lessons, failure to fully engage the diaphragm is the single most common problem I've observed from the singers I've worked with.  If you don't engage the diaphragm fully, you don't get adequate breath support, and then the sound of your singing comes out thin and weak.

This week, think about the different vocal problems that you deal with.  Can being aware of how your body produces sound help you with them?  Can you practice deep breathing and stretching before warm-ups to increase awareness of the diaphragm?  I hope this little biology lesson will help your singing this week!

Week Two will focus on stretches and warm-ups that will help you have more productive practice sessions!