On the long game perspective of voice training: the gift of time
Can we talk about the bandaid approach to teaching and learning voice?
There are countless teachers who embrace this methodology. “If you have problem X, just slap this exercise on it, and all your vocal problems will be solved.” Proponents of this type of teaching use this bandaid mindset to “fix” just about anything.
This type of voice teaching and singing is REALLY tempting, because let’s face it, in today’s society we have the patience of a gnat.
And some of these quick fixes may actually help your sound improve. Sometimes a lot. In a really short period of time.
So, what’s the problem with that?
If my voice sounds better, then it’s good vocal training, right?
Well, unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Remember when your dad used to say, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Or “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” Or my personal favorite “Slow and steady wins the race.”
Ugh. Sorry to be a buzz kill, but, your dad was right. Ok, actually I’m not really sorry. Someone has to say it, so it might as well be me.
When we approach voice training with the mindset that vocal inefficiencies are easily corrected with magic bullets, it’s like putting a bandaid over an infected cut.
The wound may LOOK a lot better, but it doesn’t really fix the problem. If you’re REALLY lucky, the body will figure out how to “fix itself”, but more than likely all you’ve done is cover up a small problem, which will almost certainly resurface as a much larger problem in a matter of days. So, not only aren’t you going to get better, in the long run you may actually end up worse off than before you put the bandaid on.
The problem with voice training is, the band aid may work for a while. Instead of hiding the issue for days, it may be weeks or months. For a lucky few, the voice may hold in there for a period of years. Especially if you keep slapping more bandaids on. I picture the infection traveling up the arm and you just keep putting bandaids on it until your arm is covered with bandaids. But inevitably, the “bandaid” will eventually fall off and what started as a little inefficiency has now grown into a big stinky puss filled issue that refuses to be denied (sorry for the visual, but hopefully I got your attention).
Here’s a variation on this theme: the performer turned teacher, who doesn’t really have any training on how to teach the voice, but knows how their own voice works. So, the “tips and tricks” they have in their toolbag are limited to their own experience. It’s the one size fits all mindset of “If it worked for me, it should work for everyone.”
Of course not every performer-turned-teacher has this problem. There are a good number of fine teachers who are also performers, or were performers and transitioned to teachers. But in my experience, this is the exception, not the norm.
So now we have an extra layer of inefficiency on top of the previous layer. The performer turned teacher may be using the same quick fixes that may or may not be working for them. If we go back to our previous scenario, now the original person with the cut starts playing doctor, prescribing the same bandaid therapy that was prescribed to them. Of course we can all see how this could lead to a big problem. I mean it’s cute when little children play “doctor”. But not so much in real life. And what if it’s a bigger issue than just an infected cut? Eek!
This is such a bitter pill to swallow, because we all have vocal goals, and we want them, now! Picture the iconic scene from Willy Wonka where Varuka Salt demands of her father “Daddy, I want a squirrel and I want it now! I want THAT squirrel.” In the voice studio this translates to:
I need to learn how to belt for this audition coming up….
NEXT WEEK!
I have to learn how to hit this high note so I can sing this song...
TOMORROW!
The formula goes like this:
Vocal need + urgency = demand for vocal product
And this formula isn’t likely to lead to long term growth and success. In actuality, it pretty much ensures you will never really understand your voice, and be dependent on your voice teacher for the rest of your career. And you end up with a stack of crusty old bandaids that eventually stop working anyway.
So then what happens?
Well, at some point in your singing career, things that used to be easy are now hard. You may have to change keys, or add breaths, or space out performances for more rest between, or go on vocal rest between performances, or maybe just stop performing altogether, because you just “don’t have it anymore”. So, the natural next step is to transition to teaching, and the cycle starts all over again. (sigh)
Usually this gradual or sometimes sudden decline is attributed to “aging”, and yes our body changes as we age. Sometimes there are some real medical issues that do impact vocal health that we have no control over. But. Please believe me when I say: losing your voice as you grow older is NOT a natural progression. Especially not in your early 30s.
Think of all the other areas of your life--when you were in your late teens and early twenties, you could stay up all night, eat all the fast food you wanted, scream at parties and ball games, and feel fine the next day, or maybe need 1 day to recover.
My 16 year old daughter the other day even said to me “my voice is invincible!” (ummmmm…ok).
As you age, you realize your body will not tolerate what I like to call “the nonsense” anymore. You actually have to sleep, hydrate, eat a vegetable now and then, and be kind to your voice, just like all other areas of self-care. I would contest that for the vast majority of people, what feels like the natural decline of the voice is in reality the body finally saying, “I’m fed up with your nonsense--these bandaids aren’t working anymore”.
So now what?
Well, if you are one of the fortunate ones to be at the beginning your vocal training, you have a choice. Find a teacher that understands the science behind the art of singing. And who understands YOUR voice. It may take a little longer in the short term, but always, and I mean always, it will pay off.
In my own studio, I start at the beginning, no matter how advanced the student is. We go back and fill in the gaps--we get to the bottom of the cause of the vocal issue. We don’t just throw a bandaid on it. It takes some patience and a long game perspective. But here’s the crazy thing. If you spend a little extra time making sure your voice is truly functioning, once the foundation is there, the growth rapidly accelerates, and almost always the student ends up growing exponentially faster than the student who’s still slapping bandaids on their voice.
But what if you are an experienced singer who’s got ALL.THE.BANDAIDS.
And….the bandaids stopped working.
Your voice is a mess. The great news is, it’s never too late to get to the root of the problem. I was in my 40s when I finally realized I’d been living in the world of bandaids, and that there was a better way to teach and learn singing. It took me some time, but I can honestly say I sing better today than I ever have. I’ve worked with singers in their 70s who thought their time was over and they should just give up, only for them to regain their range, clarity and stamina from young adulthood. It takes some patience, and a commitment to dig in and examine your voice in a functional way, piece by piece. But it’s worth it, I promise you.
Slow and steady wins the race
Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? When I was younger, I was 100% the hare. I had no patience for anything. I had a voice teacher tell me once that I was like a race horse and she wanted me to be more like a contented cow, chewing my cud. Bless her soul, I must have been quite a challenge for her! I didn’t quite understand what she meant at the time, but I do now.
I’m naturally wired to move fast, tick things off my to-do list and move on. Being slow, thoughtful and deliberate was never in my wheelhouse. It is something I have to cultivate. One of the things I say to my own children when speaking to them about character development: Feed and water what you want to grow.
Well, I had to feed and water my patience (still do if I’m being honest). It is a lifestyle choice to slow down, take the long game artisan approach, and build true and honest vocal function to support my singing for a lifetime.
Ready for some good news?
Once the results start to happen, this long game mindset is incredibly fulfilling and dare I say, addictive. It is so much easier to trust the process when you start to feel the transformation.
The gift of time
Strangely enough, amidst the horrors of COVID-19 to date, one of the gifts it has given singers is the gift of time. Time to invest in the long game mindset. Time to take a deep look and see if there are any bandaids that just aren’t working anymore. Time to take those bandaids off and get to the root of the cause of whatever the vocal inefficiency might be.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the long game perspective in singing and teaching. How are you using the time we’ve been given?