VOCALS
THE MARATHON OF VOCAL DEVELOPMENT | Renée Maranan
Worship singers don ’ t often have the luxury of time to grow their voices privately . Their singing is put on display every weekend , and every worship service can be a test of skill , endurance , artistry , and more . And while some vocal skills can be learned and improved just in time for the weekend service , most others require time , repetition , and experimentation .
The way I see it , worship singers are often sprinting from one worship service to the next .
On the other hand , vocal conditioning and development is a marathon .
WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG ? Learning is more than just an intellectual process or an act of will . It ’ s a neurobiological process . And whether we ’ re toddlers just learning how to walk or we ’ re adults trying to learn how to belt , the process of learning remains the same . Our brains fire an electric signal to trigger an action , and when we repeat that same action we promote myelination , which strengthens the connection between our neurons . If a singer comes into a voice lesson wanting to improve their delivery of a certain song , a vocal instructor may be able to guide them through adjustments that improve their performance for the moment . But to take that improvement from momentary to permanent , a singer needs to do more than adjust . They need to learn . And learning requires the application of adjustments , repeated over time .
PEELING THE ONION Singing isn ’ t just an artistic , intellectual , or spiritual act , but also a bio-psycho-social event . On the surface , the process of singing may seem simple – we breathe , we make sound , we filter the sound through words , then we apply pitch , volume , and other stylistic elements . But under the surface , the act of singing is quite nuanced , layered , and interconnected with our physiology , psychology , environment , culture , and more .
Consider the way that your singing changes when you ’ re relaxed compared to when you ’ re nervous , or how you might struggle to sing while playing an instrument because of the way it affects your posture or rhythm . Think of how you physically can ’ t sing when you ’ re crying , or how you might struggle to control your tempo and volume when you ’ re playing with a live band in front of a full house .
Our development as singers depends on our ability to be attentive to all of these factors , to interpret what our bodies are telling us along the way , and to give ourselves the tools to meet our needs for the purposes of enhancing our vocal performance . I call this peeling the onion – the process of experiencing our voices through the many layers of our lived human experience .
EVOLVING WITH AN EVOLVING INSTRUMENT A lot of what we do in vocal conditioning is also about teaching singers to evolve with their voices – to “ roll ” with what our bodies present to us on any given day , in any season of our lives . Our bodies adapt in response to changing stimuli in our environment and even within ourselves . Allergies , illness , stress , motivation . Nutrition , hormones , exercise , injury . These are just some of the countless factors that can impact a person ’ s body , and by extension , a person ’ s voice . As a result , our voices behave differently most days , and our progress will hardly ever be linear . And the real mark of an advanced singer is not that they never experience setbacks or challenges with their voice , but that they have learned how to respond to those setbacks so that their vocal performances remain consistent , in spite of the internal or external changes that may be happening .
Advanced singers have bad voice days , too . They have challenging vocal seasons just like the rest of us . They get sick , they get injured , and they have days when they don ’ t want to practice . What makes them so effective at their craft is they have accumulated enough tools to get themselves through the rough patches – and they have accumulated enough experience to trust and relax in the process , knowing that the rough patches are temporary and part of the journey .
SO HOW DO I MAKE THIS WORK FOR THIS SUNDAY ? It ’ s simple : commit to what you can , and then let your voice be what it is when you get in front of the mic . Warm up your voice daily and before practice , nourish and hydrate your body , invest in vocal training , and practice your vocal conditioning exercises , be mindful of your vocal load when speaking and singing throughout the week .
And when it comes time to sing for worship , let the Lord work through you , just as you are .
With consistent practice , your voice will improve over time . The Sunday service may be a sprint and the vocal journey may be a marathon , but you move forward in the same way – by putting one foot in front of the other , one song at a time .
Renée Maranan Vocal Instructor | Life Coach Ambassador for the Institute for Vocal Advancement www . ReneeMaranan . com Instagram @ reneemaranan
44 March 2024 Subscribe for Free ...