The importance of committing to being a welcoming singing space

June is Pride month, and this year I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that while the arts world has long been a place where queer people are out and proud, not every singing space is friendly and/or safe for all. It is something I have witnessed myself and spoken out against, and will always speak up about.

I want you to know that GL Voice is committed to being a welcoming space for queer singers.

It is very important to me that everyone can come and be their whole selves in our space.

GL Voice has always been LGBTQIA+ friendly, and strives to be a safe space for queer folx. 

I say strives, because creating a safe space requires working through our inherent biases and accepting that we’ll never get it perfect.

Five ways GL Voice is committed to being a queer friendly space

I acknowledge that as a cis-het-white female, I cannot know the lived experience of my queer clients AND I can listen and learn and do my best to ensure our space is friendly, welcoming, and a safe place to be queer.

1. I will ask you your pronouns, and use them correctly

How you identify and what name you want me to use is yours to share, and mine to get right. That’s it!

2. How much you share of yourself, is your decision

Singing is vulnerable, and often a place where we can be quite introspective. We ask ourselves a lot of questions and reflect a lot, but I will never expect you to share all your answers with me. You do not have to justify or explain your decisions of what or not to share.

3.Our work together is confidential

I’m serious about your privacy, and everything that happens in our work together is confidential. I have a whole policy about it! Your sensitive data is protected with care.

Equally, what and how much you share in our shared spaces – Studio Class, Karaoke Parties – is up to you. And I expect all Studio Members to adhere to the studio values, which include being open and respectful of everyone’s individuality. We’ve never had any instances of bad behaviour between members in the Studio, (because you’re all great!) but you can be sure that if it ever happened, I would shut it down immediately.

4. You choose what you sing, and how.

Finding something that rings true for you, so you can be your full self as you sing, is important. You can bring literally any music to our work, and we will work together to adapt it to you, your voice, and your skill level.

Part of adapting to you, includes gender-bending, changing pronouns, changing keys and even changing the odd lyric if we need to.

That said, we will always honour the origins of the song too, and sometimes that will end up with you deciding not to sing it because you cannot sing it with integrity. It’s a nuanced discussion that requires openness and humility.

5. We celebrate diverse music together

One of the joys of a diverse space where everyone is choosing their own music, is how much music we all get to explore from each other. I don’t think we’ve ever had a group event with only white-cis-het-male composers. Not by design, but organically because we love our diverse music at GL Voice.

What music are you rearing to sing? Book a discovery call and join our Voice Studio.

Share this list with a singing space near you

These are things I strongly believe should be industry-standard, but sadly I know they are not. Still, we can bring about change if we start at home. If you are in another singing space, and you don’t think all these things are normalised in that space, talk to the person in charge and ask them about it (if it is safe for you to do so).

Georgia Aussenac

Georgia Aussenac is a Voice Coach specialising in fostering confidence, joy and fun for adults looking to make singing a part of their lives.

Georgia also coaches English-speaking singers and voice teachers on French diction.

With a particular passion for everything vocal health, Georgia offers Vocal SOS coaching to anyone who uses their speaking voice professionally and is struggling to keep up with the demands of their job.

You can work with Georgia online from anywhere in the world, as long as your schedules match up!

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The Whole Story

There’s nothing particularly remarkable about my story – I know many people who have experienced versions of the same beginnings.  I share my story here because I think it’s important to talk about the whole story, not just the highlights. We are whole people, whole singers, and we have complex stories. Everyone has their own singing story. This is mine. (Well, the edited-for-the-internet version).

Part One: Growing up as "the singer"

"The singer"

Growing up, I was “the singer”. As a child I would sing all the time. I have vivid memories of playing CDs on my walkman over and over to learn the lyrics to a song. I sang at church – my first solo was unplanned at age 7 when a whole group of us were supposed to sing “The Rainbow Connection”, but everyone else chickened out, and after a pause and a nod of encouragement from my mum, I went ahead.

I begged my parents to let me stop violin lessons and sing instead, and eventually, they found me a teacher. Highlights included helping me and a friend sing a duet for her Dad’s wedding – I’m sure we were adorable. 

At high school I started getting ‘serious’ about singing. I auditioned for the choir, started sitting Classical singing exams, and soon found myself singing solos for important events, directing choirs and with lead roles in the school musicals. I lived and breathed singing, and I was known as “the singer”.

Early signs of conflict

Still, in amongst all that singing success, there were some signs that things didn’t feel quite right.

My choir director wanted me to blend my voice and make it smaller, while my singing teacher was working on finding my bigger voice. I ended up quitting the choir.

I joined a barbershop quartet and had SO much fun, until my singing teacher told me I could hurt my voice. (Reader, she was well-intentioned but also completely wrong). So I stopped.

In my lessons and practice I was singing classical technique exclusively…but I was also a teenager into pop songs and felt ‘naughty’ singing in my speech register, playing around with other sounds. I didn’t dare do it too much though, because I had been taught the ‘right’ way to sing, the ‘best’ way to sing, and this wasn’t it.

Full steam ahead

Nonetheless, I was really good* at singing. I got top grades in my singing exams. I auditioned for things and got roles I wanted. People in the industry told me I had ‘potential’. And so I decided to study voice at university.

I auditioned for several programmes, got in everywhere, chose my path. I was on my way!

*Reader, please note that what you and I were taught to be the definition of “good” singing is Westernised elitism and we are all trying to unlearn that lie.

 

No longer the big fish in a small pond

University was hard. I was a diligent student but the environment we learned in was rough. Competition, comparison and perfectionism were encouraged, as was the “master-apprentice” relationship, where the teachers knew everything and what they said, was truth.

I constantly felt like I was sprinting but making no headway. My inner voice was being taught to be ultra-critical, while externally I was being told I needed to toughen up because this was the real world. My voice got gradually smaller, thinner, unreliable. I got terrible stage fright (previously non-existent), and I often felt like a failure.

I know now that none of that was my fault.

I did have some good times – I competed in competitions, wore beautiful dresses, sang some incredible songs, and made some friends for life. I got to understudy the lead role in an opera. (This means I was the backup person!). I excelled at languages and I loved the academic side of my studies (ask me about my essay on a sushi parody of Beethoven’s 5th).

But then…

Part Two: Redefining what it means to be a "singer"

Sticks and stones

In my final year of study, a teacher I really looked up to told me that I didn’t have what it took to be a singer, and that I wasn’t likely to pass my final exams.

While I knew they were wrong, and they were wrong to be saying this to me, I wasn’t in a position to defend myself.*

I was devastated. I lost my voice (literally!), and fell apart. Thanks to friends and family, some treasured other teachers, and some sheer determination, I did pass my final exams.

But all the joy was gone and I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to sing again.

Reader, no one else gets to decide if you are ‘good enough’ to be a singer. Even in an academic setting. You sing, therefore you are a singer.

Safe spaces and fresh starts

It took me a long time to build my confidence back up, and reclaim my identify as a singer. 

The first steps were singing in spaces that felt safe. I sang at my church that Christmas, for my community. I joined a choir where no one knew me, and I could just sing with no expectations from anyone else. I found some joy and freedom in my voice again.

Then, I moved to France, partly to get away but mostly to join my then-boyfriend. 

Initially, I studied singing privately, which did help me discover new things about my voice, but after a year I realised that my priorities had changed and I no longer wanted to be a professional singer…and that perhaps that had never been MY dream at all.

 

Taking a break from singing

Going online

When transport strikes, and then the pandemic, made teaching in person impossible, I moved my studio online. People said it couldn’t be done, but I’m a problem-solver at heart and we made it possible! 

I started working with clients in other countries, which I loved, and ran group classes with my Voices in Flight programme. We learned how to do online recitals, karaoke parties, and master classes, and I adapted my studio model more and more to my clients. Ironically, having an online studio brought the studio community closer together.

Part four: Listening to Your Voices

Finding messy harmony

Things didn’t go to plan coming back from maternity leave.

My well-oiled machine of a business model didn’t fit my new life, and my new needs.

I waded through the messiness of teaching with a baby on my lap, writing social media posts while breastfeeding in the wee hours, and timing my productivity with nap time.

But through that messy time, I found clarity too. I am a whole person – and so are my clients. Some weeks we are rearing to go, have done all our prep, and are firing ahead. And sometimes we got no sleep, we don’t know where the time went, and we don’t want to put aside our love for singing but it doesn’t feel possible to show up the way we’re expected to. So, it was time to find a way to ditch the one-hour-a-week lesson model, once and for all.

I redesigned the Studio model to include ways of learning together that didn’t involve showing up on a live camera. We experimented with different forms of communication, and found what worked best for each individual. We got really good at shifting the goal posts, adapting on any given day to any given circumstance. And the singers thrived, and grew in confidence, because they were in charge and the pressure of *have tos* and *shoulds* was lifted.

I also listened to what my clients wanted. That’s how the Karaoke Parties were born, and why we made Studio Class a fixture for our Kea singers. And honestly, they are some of my favourite parts of what we do at GL Voice.

Welcome to GL Voice

In 2023 I rebranded as GL Voice.

GL Voice is the umbrella for all the voice work I do, in front and behind the scenes.

The Voice Studio is about putting the singer at the centre of our work together: celebrating the music you love, coaching you in the way that works best for your brain and your lifestyle, adapting to your needs as they shift and change. I get to guide, coach and cheer on as my clients make singing an easy and constant part of their lives.

GL Voice has also allowed me to expand my work with the voice, finally bringing out in to the open my love of French (obsession?), and my desire to make Vocal Health knowledge accessible to everyone who uses their voice professionally, not just singers.

I also do work for other Voice professionals – helping to make their voices shine through branded documents, streamlined business processes, and facilitating continuing education.

I am proud to have clients who stay for years, and become an integral part of our community, and leave because they don’t need me anymore – they’re ready to fly solo!

What comes next?

Only time will tell! But if you want to be in the know, the best place is to subscribe to Voice Notes, the GL Voice newsletter. Make singing an easy part of your life, right from your inbox!

Epilogue: I am a singer

My journey as a singer has still got lots of road ahead. I don’t know where my voice will take me! But I do know that it’s mine to choose.

Right now, reader, I sing for me and the people who are important to me.

I sing to my baby to soothe him and teach him and entertain him. I sing with my husband on road trips. I sing for big family events – special moments that need music to say the things words can’t say alone.

I sing for and with my community – at my church, and in my studio.

I’ll never say never to getting back on a stage, but when I do it’ll be on my terms.

About the Author

Georgia Aussenac

Georgia Aussenac is a Singing Coach specialising in fostering confidence, joy and fun for adults looking to make singing a part of their lives.

Georgia also coaches English-speaking singers and voice teachers on French diction.

With a particular passion for everything vocal health, Georgia offers Vocal SOS coaching to anyone who uses their speaking voice professionally and is struggling to keep up with the demands of their job.

You can work with Georgia online from anywhere in the world, as long as your schedules match up!

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Part One: What are seasonal allergies?

Seasonal allergies are caused by the histamine* response in the body, as the result of an immune trigger. Tree pollens, flower pollens, grass pollens, and new dust particles as the season changes are usually the cause. When these particles come into the body, and your body mistakes them for a life-threatening condition. As a result, the immune system kicks into gear and sends histamine racing through your body to protect you. (Thanks body!)

*The science bit!

Cara explains: “Histamine is an inflammatory chemical released from the mast cells in response to an immune trigger. Immune triggers can include viruses, pathogens and allergenic foods. When the invading particle comes into the body, the body mistakes it for a life-threatening condition, and it releases an antibody called IGE. IGE then goes to the mast cells and degranulates them, releasing histamine. Histamine is an inflammatory chemical, and it is always released with other inflammatory chemicals as well. It’s these inflammatory chemicals driven by histamine that cause the allergy-like reaction.”

What does a seasonal allergy reaction look like?

Any allergic inflammatory response like this is going to impact your whole overall health of your body. Everyone’s exact reaction is unique to them, but common symptoms include:

• Scratchy, raspy, itchy, inflamed throat
• Constant throat clearing
• Husky voice, or even voice loss
• Post-nasal drip
• Running, itchy nose
• Watery, itchy eyes
• Itchy, sore ears
• Sinusitis pain
• ‘Brain fog’, inability to concentrate
• Fatigue

The Histamine Bucket Analogy

Let’s imagine that your body has a histamine bucket, and as long as your histamine bucket doesn’t overflow, you won’t get any allergy symptoms. Everyone has some level of histamine active in their body at any time, and when seasonal allergies come along, that histamine bucket level rises. If the histamine bucket overflows, that’s when the symptoms will appear. (Note from Georgia: I love this analogy from Cara, it’s such a clear way to picture it!).

Why do some people get worse symptoms than others?

Different people have different levels of histamine in their bucket day-to-day, depending on how their immune system works. This is why some people are more susceptible to seasonal allergies, while others can walk through a field of grasses and not sneeze once. (Note from Georgia: Who are these lucky people?!)

For example, two people in the same environment can have different reactions if they have different base levels of histamine in their bucket. However, two people in different environments with the same base level of histamine in their bucket can have different reactions. This is why there are multiple ways to go about treating symptoms!

Atopic people: the itchy, scratchy, sneezy, wheezy crowd

Seasonal allergy reactions are more likely to happen in people who are characterised as atopic. Atopic is just a fancy word for people who are itchy, scratchy, sneezy, wheezy.  Atopic people tend to have eczema, asthma, seasonal allergies and food intolerances. There tends to be a family history of atopy, so your parents, grandparents, and siblings likely have similar reactions to you if you are atopic.

On the other hand, for a non-atopic person, or someone who has no immune upregulation, their histamine bucket is sitting at a quarter full on a standard day. So when the seasonal pollens arrive, their bucket does fill up, but as long as it doesn’t overflow, they won’t experience any symptoms. 

However, an atopic person might have their histamine bucket sitting at three-quarters full as their standard day-to-day level. Along come the seasonal pollens, and they fill up and overflow the histamine bucket, because there just wasn’t much room left. Once it overflows, that’s when your seasonal allergy symptoms start.

Part Two: Treating seasonal allergies: Lower the histamine bucket levels

The best way to treat seasonal allergies is to find ways to lower the histamine bucket level.

There are two main ways we can do this:

1. Limit your exposure to the seasonal allergens in your environment
2. Support your body to lower your histamine levels

1. Limit your exposure to the seasonal allergens

Firstly, you can limit your exposure to seasonal allergens by being aware of where and how you are being exposed. Outdoors, you can protect your airways through masks and nose breathing, and monitoring the pollen count to time your outings with the lowest levels. Indoors, you can use an air purifier, and remove allergens from your skin and clothing.

Outdoors: Minimise the pollen entering your body

Monitor the Pollen Count

Avoid going outdoors at the worst times of day for pollen: when the pollen count is at its highest. Check your local weather service for pollen count information, as it varies based on the season, plants, weather, temperature, and location.

Pollen count is generally lower in the morning and rises through the day, worse in dry windy conditions and better when it rains – but can be worse after a period of rain.

Protect yourself from Pollens

Did anyone else notice their seasonal allergies were better during the pandemic? 

If you have to go outdoors when the pollen count is high, wearing a mask can help reduce how much pollen enters your system.

You can also naturally filter the air going in to your body by breathing through your nose (your built-in air filter) rather than your mouth. This is called nose-breathing and is well documented in its effectiveness for filtering out allergens.

Protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses.

Tip! Put vaseline around your nose to trap the pollen on the outside.

Indoors: Reduce seasonal allergens in your home

Remove pollen from your body

Pollen is sticky and it stays on the surfaces it comes into contact with.

When you come indoors, remove your outer layers and wash your hands and face to rinse off any pollen directly clinging to your skin.

Practicing nasal rinses, or nasal douching, along with gargling, can help remove any allergens that have collected in your respiratory system. Use a saline solution, several times a day and especially when coming indoors and before sleep. This can also help relieve soreness and inflammation, so that’s a double win.

Before bed, it can be good practice to have a shower and wash your hair so that you can wash away any pollen that’s accumulated on you throughout the day. Above all, you don’t want to be sleeping in a bath of pollen all night!

Reduce pollens in your home environment

You can reduce the pollens and other seasonal allergens in your home environment by:

• Investing in a HEPA filter air purifier
• Airing your house at night rather than during the day, when the pollen counts are lower, to reduce how much pollen is coming indoors
• Covering your pillow with your bed linen during the day so that no pollen can gather on it
• Vacuuming regularly and dust with a wet cloth (this traps the dust without releasing it into the air)

2. Support your body to lower your histamine levels

Secondly, there are many ways you can support your body to lower your histamine levels during allergy season, from flushing them out naturally, to processing them faster. Medications are an option too, and can be very effective, but it is important to be aware of possible side effects that can be particularly noticeable for singers.

Hydration will help!

Jenevora Williams reminds us: “Use your natural in-built cleaning system and help your body flush away all those seasonal allergens by staying well hydrated.” The body’s response of the running nose and watery eyes is to remove the irritating allergens, and it will be able to do so more effectively if it is well hydrated and has plenty of fluids to do the flushing with.

Staying hydrated will also help your voice recover faster from any inflammation too, because as we know, the voice likes to stay lubricated!

One way to think about if you’re staying on top of your hydration is, for example, if you usually drink X amount of liquids per day, you’ll need to increase that to replace all the fluids you’re losing through the natural flushing out process.

“Use your natural in-built cleaning system and help your body flush away all those seasonal allergens by staying well hydrated.”

Jenevora Williams

Vocal Health Specialist

An Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Help your body process the allergens

Cara Redpath shares her top tips for building an anti-infllammatory diet to support your body during the allergy season.

Protein with every meal

“Firstly, make sure that your diet is anti-inflammatory in nature, so wanting to make sure that blood glucose is balanced. That’s the most important thing, and that requires protein at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a breakfast that is not high in refined carbohydrates.”

Cara taught me you can never eat too many eggs, and that porridge was traditionally eaten for supper, before bed, not for breakfast. Who knew! Thanks to our chats, I now reach for high-protein snacks like hummus, cheese, nut butters and greek yoghurt.

Brightly coloured vegetables

Cara says “Make sure you’re getting between 8 and 10 portions of brightly colored vegetables and a variety of colors every day. These vegetables contain antioxidants, polyphenols, and micronutrients such as Vitamin C and B vitamins, which help your body’s immune system process the allergen and deal with histamine better.”

One way to make sure you’ve got a large variety of vegetables is to buy frozen vegetables as well as fresh vegetables. They keep well, and they don’t lose any of their precious goodness during the freezing process. Plus, it’s a good way to eat veggies out of season without a large carbon footprint!

Anti-inflammatory foods

Include lots of anti-inflammatory foods in your diet, throughout all your meals.

Omega-3 Rich foods: cheese, seeds, walnuts, and oily fish. 

Culinary herbs: rosemary and thyme. 

Aromatics: ginger, garlic, turmeric 

Healthy fats: avocado and olive oil.

Cara tells us: “Thyme is especially good when it comes to dealing with seasonal allergies and the throat and voice. I do recommend that people drink thyme tea if they are particularly prone to their seasonal allergies affecting their voice as thyme is very good for removing any infections or specific attacks on the throat and vocal cords.”

“I do recommend that people drink thyme tea if they are particularly prone to their seasonal allergies affecting their voice as thyme is very good for removing any infections or specific attacks on the throat and vocal cords.”

Cara Redpath

Nutritional Therapist

Nettles: The magic of quercetine

Nettles contain a lot of quercetin, a natural antihistamine. Nettles also have the added bonus of being very rich in vitamin C. Again, vitamin C and a vitamin C-rich diet helps to reduce the histamine in the body.

Cara says “Nettle tea is very good as a natural antihistamine. It will never take the place of antihistamines but it can be very helpful to use preventatively and through allergy season. Ideally, nettle tea will be made from spring nettles, as spring nettles contain the most potent nutrition and potent particles.”

Other quercetine-rich foods include onions: all onions including spring onions, red onions, and shallots, and also apples, especially stewed apples with their skin on.

What about supplements?

“There are loads of supplements that can support an anti-inflammatory diet. It depends why the inflammation is there so what’s causing the histamine bucket to be high and they are personalized and individualized to the unique person.” We cover a few of them in our Podcast episode: essentially it would be high dose omega-3, quercetin, and potentially berberine but again very very specific to the individual.”

The best way to find out what supplements can best support you is to work with a registered nutritionist.

Listen to Cara Redpath’s Podcast, The Joy Pod, here: The Joy Pod

3. Medication options

If you haven’t found any relief with natural remedies or diet and lifestyle interventions, or it’s dramatically impacting your activities of daily living for example your job, your work and your sleep, then you should go to see your doctor. 

Depending on where you live, and what is available over the counter, a pharmacy can also be a good option.

What medications are used to treat seasonal allergies?

The main medications used to treat seasonal allergies are:

• Antihistamines
• Eye drops
• Nasal Sprays

They are all designed to either block the body’s response to histamine, or reduce the discomfort of the symptoms caused by the histamine.

Jenevora Williams reminds us that as singers it is VERY important to know what the possible side effects are. It is always important to share with the doctor or pharmacist what other medications you are on, and know that everyone’s responses are different so you may be fine on one and not on another. (See more about antihistamines below!).

What about allergy desensitivity regimes?

An allergy desensitivity regime (also called immunotherapy) is where a specific allergen is identified as an immune system trigger for you, and you are exposed to small amounts of the allergen over a long period, basically building up an immunity to it.

Cara says “Typically allergy desensitivity regimes take a long time, so they will not help you this allergy season, but could help in the future. It’s going to be effective in so far as an immune trigger will have been removed or better tolerated so there will be less histamine in your histamine bucket. However, it can only ever be part of the solution, as the root cause of the allergic reaction is not the allergen itself, but the upregulation of the immune system essentially overreacting to the allergen.”

Why antihistamines can be problematic for singers

My colleague Sarah Algoet from SingSing! Kindly shared this information about antihistamines and how they affect singers with me. Sarah has a bunch of webinars on this subject in her online library for singers.

Antihistamines and dryness

Antihistamines can dry out the mouth and the voice. 

As Sarah explains:

“They don’t really dry us out in that we’ve decreased water. The glands that lubricate our vocal folds are a combination of serous glands and mucinous glands. The serous glands put out thin, watery fluid. The mucinous glands produce thick fluid, and we mix the lubricant to get the right viscosity. With antihistamines, they shift from serous to mucinous predominance. It’s like thickening the oil in your car engine. It doesn’t let your vocal folds come together and especially pull apart efficiently, so it increases cell damage on the surface of the vocal folds.”

“With antihistamines, they shift from serous to mucinous predominance. It’s like thickening the oil in your car engine. It doesn’t let your vocal folds come together and especially pull apart efficiently, so it increases cell damage on the surface of the vocal folds.”

Sarah Algoet

Voice Educator

Finding the right antihistamine

It is best practice not to introduce antihistamines immediately before a performance. Some antihistamines have a reasonable balance between effectiveness and undesirable side effects, and of course everyone will respond to them slightly differently. Most importantly, try them out when you’re well, and you don’t have an impending performance.

Older antihistamines like chlorphenamine (Piriton), cinnarizine, diphenhydramine (Benadryl), hydroxyzine and promethazine can include side effects such as:

• dry mouth & voice
• sleepiness (drowsiness) and reduced co-ordination, reaction speed and judgement
• blurred vision
• Benadryl is also dangerous* for singers because of its topical anesthetic effect

Modern antihistamines like acrivastine, cetirizine (Zyrtec), fexofenadine (Allegra) and loratadine can include side effects such as:

• dry mouth & voice
• drowsiness – although this is less common than with older types of antihistamines
• headache
• feeling sick

*Note: It can increase the risk of vocal injury to sing through pain, and medications that have a topical anaesthetic effect can mask pain in your voice. Always let your medical team know that you are a singer, and what performance commitments you have.

Sarah says: “The modern ones don’t make you too sleepy and don’t dry you out too much, but on the other hand they don’t work as well. There’s a reasonable balance. Allegra is the least likely to make people sleepy. It is the only antihistamine approved for use by commercial airline pilots. So it’s a good place to start.”

Source: NHS & Dr. Robert Sataloff (edited) 

Part Three: How to support your singing through seasonal allergies

So, how do you keep singing when you’ve got all these symptoms, despite your best efforts to keep your histamine low?

Maintaining good vocal care habits can help, along with implementing more vocal rest, prioritising silent practice, and minimising your performances where possible.

Vocal Care

Prioritise the three pillars of vocal care: Rest, Hydration and Energy.

1. Vocal Rest

Your voice is likely to get tired faster, and as a result it might be uncomfortable or even sore. Voices recover through rest, so making sure you are getting enough rest is key to being able to keep singing through the allergy season.

• Ensure you get enough sleep – you may find you need more than usual.
• Be mindful of how and how much you are using your voice. If you have a lot of speaking to do over the phone or in person, consider if a text or email could replace that engagement. 
• Choose quiet environments to speak and meet with others, so that you are able to speak at a normal volume and not overuse your voice.
• Be very intentional in your singing practice: prioritise ‘silent practice’, such as visualisation, memorisation, research, character development, and listening exercises
• Trust you gut and listen to your voice: if it’s telling you to stop, stop!

"Be very intentional in your singing practice: prioritise ‘silent practice’, such as visualisation, memorisation, research, character development, and listening exercises"

Georgia Aussenac

Voice Coach

2. Hydration (Again!)

Yes, hydration has made it into this article twice. Why? Because so many people don’t drink enough water, and it’s a free and relatively easy change to make to your day. 

Try to hydrate regularly throughout the day by drinking at meals, and keeping water with you between meals by using a drink bottle. Here is an example of how I spread out my hydration to ensure I drink enough when I need to replenish fluids:

• Breakfast: two glasses of water
• Morning: a big milky coffee, and a big bottle of water
• Lunch: two glasses of water
• Afternoon: a second bottle of water and a cup of herbal tea
• Dinner: a glass of water 

And that gets me to over 3L (6.3 US pints) easily! The trick is to fill up the bottles first thing and put them in my bag or at my desk, and to always have a jug of water at the table (the French taught me that one!).

Additionally, steaming with not-too-hot water can also help support your voice to recover. The studies aren’t clear on how much steam can help with hydration, but it can definitely help with soothing inflammation, so along with throat gargles and nasal rinses, add it to your routine. Not sure how? Check out this video.

To be clear, any way you can add more water to your day is a win for your voice.

3. Energy and Warming Up

Energy is a less-obvious element to good vocal care, but that doesn’t make it less important. 

The way I like to explain it to my clients is that when we are tired, or feeling unwell, we tend to under-energise our voices, and disconnect our voices from our bodies. That feeling of only singing from your throat? That’s what I’m talking about!

So when you’re feeling low during allergy season, when you ARE singing, it is super important to make sure you are well connected to your body, energising your voice, and using your best vocal coordination.

Start by moving your body – put on some music and groove. This will get you out of your head and your worries about how your allergies are affecting your voice! And it’ll get your body warmed up and ready to support your voice.

SOVT (Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract) exercises can be a great place to start for finding your optimum coordination without tiring out your voice. Lip trills, ‘vvv’, ‘mmm’ hums and ‘blowfish’ are my favourites!

If your voice is tired, limit your warm up time to a few minutes before you perform.

"Start by moving your body - put on some music and groove. This will get you out of your head and your worries about how your allergies are affecting your voice! And it’ll get your body warmed up and ready to support your voice."

Georgia Aussenac

Voice Coach

4. Performing

If you have to perform when your voice is affected by seasonal allergies, once you’ve done all the things above, the only thing you can do is trust. Trust that your muscle memory will be there for you and carry you through. 

• Don’t ‘make sure’ it’s there by singing your performance through multiple times, ‘just in case’, especially if your voice is feeling tired. Save it for the show!
• Reach out to your voice coach or singing teacher for support, and for ways you can possibly adjust your repertoire to your current vocal constraints.
• If your voice is telling you not to sing, trust it, and cancel or postpone the performance. No single performance is worth pushing through on a voice that doesn’t want to sing, and risking injuring it.

Jenevora reminds us: “You may know that for a couple of months of the year, you’re really not going be as good at singing as you are for the rest of the year. Are you able to shift gigs around so that you are singing more in the times of year when you don’t have those allergies? The main thing is to know your own body and to know your response to these things, there aren’t any overall rules for this. Everybody’s different and you need to know what your body needs right now.”

“The main thing is to know your own body and to know your response to these things, there aren't any overall rules for this. Everybody's different and you need to know what your body needs right now.”

Jenevora Williams

Vocal Health Specialist

Final Thoughts: How to manage the seasonal allergies as a singer

To sum up, there are so many ways to support yourself as a singer during the allergy season, that it can feel a bit overwhelming to know where to start.

My recommendation would be to choose one place in your lifestyle to start, and see what changes you can make there. Introducing new habits can take time, and a lot of patience with yourself!

1. Lower your histamine bucket

Remember, the goal to treating seasonal allergies is to lower your histamine bucket! You can do this through:

• Removing allergens indoors
• Reducing pollen exposure outdoors
• Hydration
• Building an anti-inflammatory diet
• Medications

Working with a professional to support you through implementing these changes, or helping you identify the things that would have the biggest impact for you, can speed up this process. 

For support with diet, you can contact a Nutritional Therapist such as Cara Redpath, who you can find here: https://www.cararedpathnutrition.com/ and on Instagram @cara_redpath_nutrition.

For support with medications, please visit a pharmacy, and/or book an appointment to see your doctor.

2. Support your singing

To support your singing during allergy season, be very intentional with how and when you use your voice, and practice all the good voice care habits you can!

• Rest
• Hydration
• Warming Up and Energy
• Practice strategy

Work with your voice coach or singing teacher to plan your performances and get the most out of your voice, while also protecting it and caring for it.

And always, always listen to your voice and if it’s telling you not to sing, don’t.

For support with your singing, you can book a Vocal SOS session with myself, Georgia Aussenac, or any other voice coach or singing teacher knowledgeable in voice care. 

Jenevora Willams is specialised in voice rehabilitation and can be found here: www.jenevorawilliams.com and @jenevorawilliams, and also at www.vocalhealth.co.uk and @thevocalhealth where she is the Director of Education.

About the Authors

Georgia Aussenac

Georgia Aussenac is a Singing Coach specialising in fostering confidence, joy and fun for adults looking to make singing a part of their lives.

Georgia also coaches English-speaking singers and voice teachers on French diction.

With a particular passion for everything vocal health, Georgia offers Vocal SOS coaching to anyone who uses their speaking voice professionally and is struggling to keep up with the demands of their job.

You can work with Georgia online from anywhere in the world, as long as your schedules match up!

Cara Redpath

DipCNM, Dip Child Health, MBANT, CNHCreg

Cara Redpath is a Certified Nutritionist, based in Oban, on the west coast of Scotland, and working with clients in person and online. She specialises in chronic health conditions and fertility, pregnancy and women’s health.

After experiencing a physical injury that triggered a whole host of other health conditions, Cara felt let down by traditional medicine. While she has great respect for every medical practioner and the challenges they’re faced with daily, her own experiences left her feeling unsupported and misunderstood.

Her role is to connect the dots: to create a supportive, clinically effective space for you, to uncover the root cause of your symptoms, and then to work alongside you to develop a nutritional and lifestyle solution to bring harmony and joy back into your life.

Cara regularly runs retreats, and hosts the Joy Pod with her colleague Ashley Roy.

Jenevora Williams, PhD

Dr Jenevora Williams is an expert in the fields of vocal health and singing teaching. After a successful career in Opera, Jenevora turned her attention to investigating healthy and efficient vocal function. The combination of academic study and practical experience has resulted in a unique perception for understanding the human voice. She was the first singing teacher to be awarded a PhD in voice science in the UK, and won the 2010 BVA Van Lawrence Prize for her outstanding contribution to voice research. Her book, Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults, has been enormously popular with singing teachers throughout the world.

She is well-known for her imaginative and rigorous international training courses for singing teachers and voice professionals. She now runs Vocal Health Education and Evolving Voice, training the first generation of Voice Rehabilitation Specialists worldwide. As a teacher of singing, she works with professional singers of all ages in both voice rehabilitation and career mentoring.

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Cet article How to survive seasonal allergies as a singer est apparu en premier sur GL Voice.

Do you feel like you don’t really know how to warm up your voice to sing and so you generally skip a warm up? Like, you know you should probably do something, like some hums or sirens, but you’re not sure what to do? You know your singing practice goes better when you are warmed up first, but you don’t know how to do it by yourself? Let me help! Writing your own warm up routine for singing sounds scary, but it doesn’t have to be.

The most important thing about warming up for singing is knowing that everyone’s voice and needs are different depending on the day or task ahead. When you’re creating a singing warm up, think about why you’re warming up and what you’re singing. Does the song you’re singing have a lot of jumps? You might want to use different intervals to warm up that part of your voice. Are you singing mostly in chest voice? Then you probably don’t need to warm up your entire range. As always, customize a singing warm up based on what you and your voice need in the moment. Follow the steps outlined below to create your perfect warm up for singing.

Step One: Warm up your body

The first step, make sure your body is ready to support you in your singing practice. Starting at your feet, work your way up your body checking your alignment. Relax and release your knees, pelvis, shoulders, neck, and head. It’s helpful to move these joints a bit as we might not realise they are tense without some movement.

Step Two : Warm up your breath

Next, we want to warm up our breath. Take a few inhales and exhales. It might be helpful to put your hands on your ribcage while this happens to feel your breath enter your body. On the exhale, try a consonant! Try exhaling on an ‘Ss’ sound. If you don’t like ‘Ss’, you could go for an ‘Ff’ or an ‘Hh’ sound instead.

Step Three: Warm up your mouth and lips

Then we will want to warm up our mouths and lips. I like to warm up my mouth and lips with hums, lip trills or using a straw to practice soft consonants. Sounds you can make are Z, V, M, N or R. After consonants, you can move to gently singing open vowels; A E I O U on a scale or on one note.

When open vowels are feeling good, start playing around with your consonants – add on a consonant to the front of one of those open vowels, some of my favorites are T, G, L, B, J, D, P, K, W and if you’re feeling more ‘vowely’ a Y in front of those open vowels can be a fun way to get your tongue moving.

Once your mouth and voice feel nice and warm, you can move to intervals and melody. The 1-5-1 interval is a classic singing warm up exercise but if you’d like to do a bit more jumping, you could choose to try out the 1-8-5-3-1 interval.

Happy singing!

Cet article Create a custom warm up for singing est apparu en premier sur GL Voice.

About the Author

Georgia Aussenac

Georgia Aussenac is a Singing Coach specialising in fostering confidence, joy and fun for adults looking to make singing a part of their lives.

Georgia also coaches English-speaking singers and voice teachers on French diction.

With a particular passion for everything vocal health, Georgia offers Vocal SOS coaching to anyone who uses their speaking voice professionally and is struggling to keep up with the demands of their job.

You can work with Georgia online from anywhere in the world, as long as your schedules match up!

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Cet article How to Get Back Into Singing After a Long Break est apparu en premier sur GL Voice.

Confidence is a tricky thing. Confidence doesn’t come easily to everyone and certainly isn’t something that can just spring up inside you overnight. Building confidence, whether in yourself, your singing, or in other domains, takes time, patience, and effort. Are you a confident person? Do you think I am?

Honestly? I’m not, a lot of the time. More often than most people who interact with me would guess.

That’s the thing about confidence. Most of the time when you feel like you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, that you’re rubbish at something, that you couldn’t possibly achieve that thing, that you sound simply awful…everyone else is like, “Whoa she’s incredible, look at her go! What a great voice she has, wow she’s got such stage presence. She’s totally owning it.”

Not convinced? Keep reading to learn more about building singing confidence.

Building Singing Confidence: My Own Journey

I was a very confident singer growing up. If there was one thing I knew how to do, it was sing. I gained confidence through lessons, assessment (ahh scary exams!), performance opportunities, singing in choirs, leading choirs, leading school singing, passing on my knowledge, and helping friends.

When I finished University, the framework that had supported that confidence was gone. I also didn’t have a great final year, and lost a lot of confidence in myself. Not having that framework to keep my confidence up, I had to rebuild my singing confidence from a pretty low place.

Fast forward to now and I have gained a lot of that confidence back. Working with a new teacher when I moved to Paris completely changed my perspective on my voice, which I absolutely needed. Singing in shows and performing for special occasions for people I cared about helped me remember why I love to sing. But mostly, I gained confidence from ditching the “rules” I had learned around who I was as a singer, and finding my own voice and how I wanted to use it. I did this by singing what I wanted to sing and allowing myself to experiment and try new (and sometimes scary) things. Having the right support around me to encourage me and catch me before I fell was essential and allowed me to figure out the two main components of confidence.

The two parts of confidence building :

Part 1: Building singing confidence by doing a thing.

If you know you can do something, you’re more likely to be confident in doing it. (Equally, if you know you can’t do something, you’re probably right to have a lack of confidence).

This is why practicing – and knowing what and how to practice – is an important part of building your confidence as a singer (or musician, dancer, artist, baker or human in general).

Knowing what and how to practice can be tricky though, which is why it’s helpful to work with someone who can help you identify those things. (A singing teacher perhaps?) It’s also why I believe strongly in singers learning how their instrument works, and how to identify the sensations we feel when we sing, and what they mean. This can be translated into other areas; for example, bakers need to know how to use their machines, how to read a recipe, etc.

Identifying what feels right and what you are good at is an important part of this process, but can also be hard, especially if you’ve got low confidence. Trust someone else’s ears and get a second opinion. We tend to be our own worst critic, so don’t just listen to your own opinion on this one.

Part 2: Building confidence by actually believing you can do that thing.

This is trickier. Part of believing in yourself will come from the actual doing of the thing. The old advice of ‘fake it until you make it’ does tend to work. The more times you do something successfully, the more proof you have that you can do it, which will help you believe you’ll be able to do it again.

But, that probably won’t be enough. You might also need some validation from others. It’s why, when it comes to singing, performing in front of an audience can actually build your confidence. As singers we can get very tied up in not being perfect, and we forget that that’s not what the audience came for – they came for the emotional, musical connection with you, as you tell them a story or share a beautiful moment with them. They really don’t care about that one note that was a bit less than perfect, and being reminded of that can be very good for building confidence.

So, what if you started truly listening to the other voices around you? What if you could take that feedback and say to yourself, “hmm, I don’t think everything I’m saying to myself could be completely opposite to what everyone else is saying. Maybe, just maybe, I am good at it.” When you start to realise the impact you’re having on other people, your confidence starts to grow. From there, no one will be able to stop you. You got this!

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Cet article Building Singing Confidence est apparu en premier sur GL Voice.

Do you trust your gut when it comes to your singing? (Let’s focus on singing here, so it doesn’t get too existential!) Ask yourself what feels good for your voice and what doesn’t. Do you know what you enjoy, and what you don’t when it comes to singing? Do you listen to yourself sing, and know what is working for you, and what isn’t?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You might not know all these answers (that’s what you learn in voice and singing lessons!) but you should trust yourself that you do know when things are going well, or not when it comes to your singing. ⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you are looking at these questions and thinking ‘No, I don’t really know any of these answers, that’s ok too. One of the things we do in voice and singing lessons is work on learning to pay attention to your own body, understanding what you notice, and trusting your senses. Learning to trust your gut is an essential part of being a singer.

An easy way to start learning to trust your gut when it comes to singing is to start asking yourself; why?

An easy way to start to trust your gut when it comes to your singing is to ask yourself; why?

If you’re finding yourself not practicing *enough* or *as much as you should be*, ask yourself: Why? Really try to be truthful and listen to yourself – there are no wrong answers, and no one is going to be upset with you!

– Is it because you’re scared of the goal you’re working towards, so you’re self-sabotaging by making sure you fail because you didn’t do the work, rather than because you weren’t good enough? (Ooof, we’ve all been there. Ask for help!)

– Could it be because you have lots of other things to deal with and singing just can’t be a priority right now? (This is valid, please cut yourself some slack. Singing will still be here when you’re ready).

– Is it because you don’t know where to start with singing, or how to practice, or what to focus on? (I’ve got you, and I can help you create a sustainable practice strategy that works for YOU).

Listen to yourself, trust that you know what is best for you and your singing practice and most importantly, be kind to yourself.

It can help to keep a journal of what you discover when you start asking yourself why. Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two about what feels good and what doesn’t, and then you’ll be well on your way to trusting yourself and your gut when it comes to singing. You’ve got this!

Cet article Trust Your Gut When It Comes To Singing est apparu en premier sur GL Voice.

COVID-19 and Singing

Factors to consider when assessing the risk of in-person singing in the time of COVID-19

I believe strongly in people being able to make their own choices. Personally, for my studio, we aren't singing in person. This is because the risk level is too high for me and my business, personally, based on the evidence, and the current situation where I live.

Singing in person isn’t high risk for everyone, everywhere. For some people in some situations, the risk will be low enough to make singing in person possible for them. However…

I believe in evidence-based decision making, and also in correct use of language. There is no such thing as safe (= zero risk) singing in person in relation to COVID-19 – a word I’ve seen bandied around a lot. There is risk reduction, and assessing what level of risk you are comfortable with. I put together this resource to help make what we currently know as accessible and easy to share as possible. I hope you find it helpful in making decisions.

Disclaimer: This is not a scientific article, and I am not a researcher or a scientist. Instead it is a layman’s collation of information that is readily available, summarised in a very simplified format. For more information, please go to my sources, which are listed in each section. Special thank you to Dr Heather Nelson for compiling resources on this topic on her blog, so they are easy to find for other people in the industry.

1. Aerosols

Singing produces more aerosols than speaking or breathing (1)

There have been several small studies that have come to this conclusion, and it’s one of the reasons singing is more dangerous than other activities when it comes to transmission risk with COVID-19. Researchers in one study found that singing and speaking loudly can produce “36 and 24 times the mass of aerosols respectively as generated by breathing”. They also found that singing quietly produces fewer aerosols than singing loudly, but still produces more than breathing.

We don’t know for sure that aerosols are responsible for transmitting COVID-19. But many scientists suspect this is the case based on the circumstances the virus has been seen to spread in, and agree that aerosol transmission poses a risk.

Sources: – https://chemrxiv.org/articles/preprint/Comparing_the_Respirable_Aerosol_Concentrations_and_Particle_Size_Distributions_Generated_by_Singing_Speaking_and_Breathing/12789221

– https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/20/performers-could-sing-or-play-softly-to-reduce-covid-risk-study-shows

– https://www.drheathernelson.com/singingandcovid19

2. Social Distancing

1-2 metres isn't enough physical distance, especially when it comes to singing

The 1-2 metres recommended by most governments for social distancing is not enough when it comes to singing, as discussed in this article in the British Medical Journal: “Breathing out, singing, coughing, and sneezing generate warm, moist, high momentum gas clouds of exhaled air containing respiratory droplets…[and] can extend their range up to 7-8 m within a few seconds.”

This makes singing safely in groups difficult, as it requires a huge space. Most singing groups do not have the resources to meet in huge spaces – do you have the room to put more than 8 metres between each of the singers in your choir? If you cannot maintain social distancing, it increases the risk of transmission of COVID-19. One way you can lower that risk is by everyone wearing masks.

Source:

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3223 – Two metres or one: what is the evidence for physical distancing in covid-19?

3. Wearing a Mask

While not necessarily very comfortable to sing in, wearing a mask can reduce risk of transmission

It’s pretty clear that wearing a mask can make a big difference in reducing the risk of transmission, so this is an important factor to take in to consideration – will everyone be wearing masks?

As you can see from the research, you should definitely consider wearing a mask, particularly if you aren’t able to maintain social distancing of more than 8 metres. There are masks that are adapted to singing, sitting further away from the face so that breathing is a bit easier and the jaw is free to move. If you are needing to sing with a mask, I would look in to finding a suitable one so that you don’t get in the way of your instrument!

Side note – the MOST important time to be wearing a mask is when you would be producing the most aerosols and droplets: when you are singing or speaking loudly. So don’t fall. in to the trap of wearing the mask when you aren’t participating, and then taking it off to improve communication when you are ready to speak or sing.

Read more about this:

https://www.drheathernelson.com/covid-research

4. Ventilation

All ventilation is not created equal.

The different levels of ventilation, from outdoor airflow to indoor enclosed spaces with no mechanical ventilation, pose very different levels of risk in transmitting the virus. Outdoor airflow is preferable, but difficult to achieve with weather considerations. Mechanical ventilation can be anything from an air conditioning unit, to hospital grade ventilation designed to completely renew the air in the room on a regular basis.

Ask about whether windows will be open, what kind of mechanical ventilation is installed, and how often the air is completely changed per hour. If there is no ventilation, then other barrier methods are all the more important (masks, social distancing).

Read more about this:

https://www.drheathernelson.com/covid-research

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/07/why-arent-we-talking-more-about-airborne-transmission/614737/

5. Other factors to consider

This is not an exhaustive list but it should get you thinking

On top of these things, other factors to consider are:

–  The size of the group (especially in terms of the size of the space)

– How long you meet for (15 mins and 5 hours carry different risk factors)

– Individual health risk factors (if you personally, or someone in your household, has a higher chance of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms)

– Age of the group (we know that over 65s are more likely to develop severe COVID-19 symptoms) 

– How present the virus is where you live (you can find this through local and national government data)

You may also want to consider how much you trust the people you are singing with to:

– Be responsible and not come to rehearsal if they have any symptoms,

– Be aware of the health of all the people in their bubble,

– Notify the group if they test positive for COVID-19 so that you can all self-isolate and prevent any further spread.

There’s a really useful risk assessment template from NATS (The US singing teachers’ association) here: https://www.nats.org/_Library/docs/DecisionAssistReflectionToolFinal.pptx

If you want to learn more about COVID-19 and singing, check out this page on the NATS website – they’ve done some amazing public webinars on important topics, inviting field experts to share what they know in an easy-to-understand format. One thing I haven’t mentioned about is the risk of the long-term effects on the voice as a singer if you do catch it. If you want to know more about this, NATS have a webinar on this particular subject. Fair warning, it’s a bit scary.

https://www.nats.org/cgi/page.cgi/_article.html/Featured_Stories_/NATS_COVID_Resources_Page

5. Questions to ask about COVID-19 and singing

This is a list of questions I would ask to help assess the risk of a particular situation for myself

Before you decide to sing in person, ask the organiser:

1. Where is it taking place? What size is the room?
2. How many people will be there?
3. What ventilation is there?
4. Will everyone be required to wear a mask?
5. How long will we be together?
6. What’s your protocol for contact tracing and protocol in case of a suspected case?

Here’s a useful infographic from the British Medical Journal – use it to help assess your risk based on their answers.

Adapted from: Figure 3, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3223 – Two metres or one: what is the evidence for physical distancing in covid-19?

 

Conclusion: Make an informed decision about what level of risk is tolerable for you

Do your due diligence so you know the risks of what you're signing up for

Everyone has a different level of risk they are comfortable with. That’s human! It’s why some people love jumping out of planes with a parachute, and why some people would never even consider the idea. COVID-19 brings a new and very serious level of risk to singing in person and one that impacts us not just individually, but also as a community.

With a new danger, the risks are less obvious. Remember when we thought that disinfecting every surface would be enough? The more we know about COVID-19, how harmful it is, how hard it is to treat, and how it is transmitted, the better we are able to make informed decisions about risk. Understanding what factors to take in to consideration, and why they are important, can help you ask the right questions and decide whether singing in person is for you.

In this day and age, there is a lot of misinformation about, so please look to the scientists for guidance, and check the sources of the information you find. One day it’ll be safe (no risk) to sing again together, but until then there will be a level of risk that varies based on all the factors (and possibly more) discussed in this post. Either way, happy singing to you all! 

Thanks for reading!

Georgia

About the Author

Georgia Aussenac

Georgia Aussenac is a Voice Coach specialising in fostering confidence, joy and fun for adults looking to make singing a part of their lives.

Georgia also coaches English-speaking singers and voice teachers on French diction.

With a particular passion for everything vocal health, Georgia offers Vocal SOS coaching to anyone who uses their speaking voice professionally and is struggling to keep up with the demands of their job.

You can work with Georgia online from anywhere in the world, as long as your schedules match up!

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Cet article COVID-19 and Singing Risk Assessment Guide est apparu en premier sur GL Voice.

I never thought I’d be singing at my own wedding. When people asked me about it, I always said “Oh no, that’s too much pressure! I’d prefer to not be in performance mode on my own wedding day.” I had every excuse in the book as to why it wasn’t something I wanted to do. But when I actually got married, it became very clear to me that it was something very important to me. Singing is the way I communicate my emotions, and I knew I couldn’t say what I needed to just with words. I’d like to share my story with you, so that hopefully you too can find the confidence to sing for a significant occasion. Spoiler alert: it’s not about a perfect performance.

1. The inner voice telling me I couldn't do it

Singing "I Could Have Danced All Night for the bride and groom at a wedding reception in full 'performance' mode, playing a character (Eliza).

Photo: Emma Brittenden

I told myself so many reasons why I couldn't sing at my own wedding. I convinced myself it wasn't possible.

I’ve sung at weddings before. Many times, actually. It’s a very emotional occasion to perform for, and I consider it an absolute privilege to bring something extra special to a couple’s wedding day. But because of this experience, I was sure I couldn’t do it for my own wedding. In no particular order, these were my main worries:

Warming up

I worried about being too busy to warm up and ‘prepare’ on the day – I thought I knew enough about weddings to know that I would be very busy on the day of the wedding. Getting ready takes a lot of time, and I’d be surrounded by my close family and friends whom I’d want to spend time with. And performing without warming up? Without going over my words, or test-running the backing track? Inconceivable!

The Dress

I worried about not being able to sing easily in my dress. I don’t like singing in outfits that are very tight/restrictive to the ribcage. We were always told how important it was for the breath to be free. But I chose a wedding dress that was exactly that – tight around the ribcage with not much wiggle room for deep breathing! (It had a stunning open back and V neckline that I LOVED, which seemed more important!).

I was more than correct about the emotion - read on to know why I'm bawling at a phone screen on my wedding day...

Photo: Loïc Bourniquel

The Emotion

Being overcome with emotion was a big fear. You know that feeling when you’re holding back emotion, and your voice chokes up? It’s really hard to sing with that feeling. I’ve had a couple of family weddings I’ve sung at where I’ve really had to steel myself and shut off my emotion to be able to get through a performance without my voice cracking. I didn’t want to feel like I had to close off my emotions on my own wedding day, but I also fully anticipated that if I felt emotional singing at someone else’s wedding, I would DEFINITELY be emotional at my own wedding!

The Pressure

I was sure that the pressure of singing in front of so many important people would be too much. We originally planned to have a very big wedding, with around 250 guests for the ceremonies.* The thought of singing in front of so many people, on such an important day, and screwing up, was not something I felt great about. I’ve sung to much bigger audiences, but the stakes have never felt so high. This of course says a lot about how much I care what others think, which is a whole other conversation…it’s something I’m working on!

* In France, Church and State are separate, so you have to get married at the town hall first before going on to a second ceremony (if you wish) at a church or other place of worship (or for a non-religious ceremony! Hence, ceremonies plural!

2. Realising how much I wanted to sing at the wedding

Singing is about communicating emotions bigger than words can express

As we got closer to the big day, I started to realise that I needed to sing if I was going to be true to myself on my wedding day.

I’ve always been a singer. I’ve always used song to express emotions that are bigger than I can communicate with words. If a friend has a family death, I’ll send them a song rather than a card. If there’s a new baby, I send a lullaby. When there are family events, I sing a favourite song of the person we’re celebrating. It’s my way of saying, I love you, you’re important to me. So, how could I not sing for my husband?

One day, as I was doing my daily #singforyourself challenge, I realised I’d stumbled across the song I wanted to sing to him. The lyrics were right, and the melody felt so right that even thinking about it now I’m full of a warm glow feeling. (Does music do that to you too? Or is it just me?). 

I didn’t know when on the wedding day it would make sense to sing, and I was terrified about doing it so I didn’t tell anyone I was even considering it.  But the more I tried to push away the idea, the more it kept coming back.

It was time to address the obstacles, and make it feel like a safe possibility.

3. How changing my mindset made it possible

My view of what singing at my own wedding "should" be was getting in my way

I had this image in my mind of my performing at my own wedding being the same as singing at someone else’s wedding. A certain standard expected, a perfect, well-prepared performance, with a controlled level of emotion. Basically, a ‘professional’ quality, the same as if someone was being paid to perform. It seems silly to write that now, knowing what it ended up being, but I was definitely stuck in this mindset. 

However, as I was doing my own #singforyourself challenge during the months leading up to the wedding, I made some really big discoveries that really helped shift my mindset around singing and performance.

Ways I Shifted My Mindset

1. I reconnected with my voice, and started to regain my trust in it that had been damaged through years of competition and comparison. This helped me let go of the need for ‘perfect’ preparation

2. This confidence was built even further by working with a singing teacher (Eryn Street) who encouraged me to sing what I loved, and coached me with a gentle and encouraging hand. We had so much fun exploring different corners of my voice I hadn’t dared to before.

3. I stopped caring so much about ‘perfect’, zero-mistakes, singing. I sang because it made me happy, instead of striving for perfection. Years of academic classical training had sucked this out of me, so this was a big thing to get back.

4. I broke away from the box of thinking that requires a comprehensive warm up with the perfect exercises before performing. I got creative, played with my voice, and got to know it so much better. Instead of expecting my voice to do what other people told me it could or couldn’t do, I learned to trust it to do what I asked it to.

It's all about your mindset. I warmed up singing along to my favourite love songs while getting my hair done. Conventional? No. Was it enough? Yes. Was I having fun? Absolutely!

Photos: Loïc Bourniquel

4. The obstacles that went 'poof'

The circumstances around our wedding changed significantly, which made it clear what was important...and made the obstacles seem smaller!

Thanks to the global pandemic (cheers, COVID-19), our wedding changed significantly. My family and bridal party weren’t able to come at all, we were whittled down to 20 guests, and we cancelled our big reception in favour of a lunch on a family farm. It was stressful and hard, and things were constantly changing even up to the last day when it was finally confirmed that we would be allowed to have all our guests at the town hall.

Finding our priorities

All of these challenges made it very clear what was important, and even clearer how important it was for me to sing on the wedding day. To tell him how much I loved him, to tell him that I was literally prepared to do anything (even get married without my family) for him and for us, and that I was ready to commit to our lifetime together. We don’t speak the same mother tongue (he’s French), and music has always been a way we’ve connected when language barriers got in the way. It felt easier to sing than to speak.

You're allowed to cry at your own wedding!

Photos: Loïc Bourniquel

Taking charge

I realised that I could make time to warm up – it was my day! I decided that I trusted my voice enough to cope with the restrictive dress. The song I’d chosen is one I’ve known for years and could sing in my sleep. I did practice it with my singing teacher and we talked through a couple of strategies for dealing with a few harder notes. She also reminded me and encouraged me to sing with authentic emotion, even if it meant my voice cracked. You’re allowed to cry at your own wedding! The number of people being so reduced helped me get over my nerves too, and I knew that holding my husband’s hand would be a way to reassure myself if I started to feel overwhelmed.

5. Singing at my own wedding

It wasn't a professional performance...but it wasn't meant to be.

I had grand plans to warm up in the morning before my hair & makeup artist arrived. It didn’t happen – I had time to do about 2 mins of humming and vocal fry. We had music on while we were getting ready, and I sang along and used that as a warm up (see above). I also made sure I was hydrated enough.

When I was dressed, I did a test run with the backing track so the person who needed to press ‘go’ knew what they were doing. I barely made it through the song without melting into a puddle of tears, but it reassured me that my voice was warm enough. It would have to do!

 

I decided to singing during our civil ceremony. We’d postponed the church wedding, so we chose to exchange our rings at the town hall. When we got to that moment, the music started, and I started singing:

For you, there’ll be no crying (cue ironic voice crack, threatening tears, and a reset…I can do this)

For you, the sun will be shining (big smile, because he’s my sunshine)

Cause I feel that when I’m with you, it’s alright (he squeezed my hand)

I know it’s right (I knew I’d made the right call to sing)

I made it through the whole song, and even gave him his ring and said my words in French during the instrumental between the verses. He joined in singing with me in the second verse, which I wasn’t expecting at all, and it was probably one of my favourite memories of the whole day.

Everyone told me afterwards that it blew them away, and was one of the most perfect moments of the wedding day. It was authentic to us, and to who I am. And it was the best gift I could give to my husband – he was completely surprised!

What I learned about myself

(Because my teacher hat is always on!)

That I can trust my voice because I have spent time getting to know it and learning to ask it to do what I want.

I had practiced, but there’s something about emotion choking you up that throws a lot of that out the window. While I was singing, I followed my instinct about how much support, breath, pressure, volume I needed, and what dynamics I could pull off. It was a lot harder to sing quietly, so I didn’t.

 

That it is ok to be vulnerable and show raw emotion in a performance – and it won’t ruin it, it’ll make it real.

Did my voice tremble? Yes. But not as much as I thought it was at the time! And it was a memorable moment that my voice cracked with emotion on the phrase “there’ll be no crying”.

 

That I am a lot braver than I thought.

I was more nervous than I think I’ve ever been for a performance. It was really difficult – holding myself together took everything I’ve got. But I did it, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a memory I’ll cherish forever.

Final thoughts

I'm so grateful I found the courage to sing at my own wedding

I enjoyed my wedding day even more because I was true to myself – singer and all – and overcame a huge amount of self-disbelief. My motivation was wanting to gift something special to my husband. I was able to do it through changing my mindset on what I considered to be ‘a performance’, and shifted from a professional to personal attitude, which is what was appropriate for the occasion.

A key aspect of preparing for this was the help of working with a singing teacher. I am a singing teacher myself, but even teachers need teachers! Eryn helped me prepared the song vocally of course, but the real preparation was in my headspace, and she was able to coach me through that too. This is something that is very important to me in my own teaching, and it was an amazing experience to be able to receive this kind of coaching from someone else. 

(Is it weird that I’m telling you about another singing teacher? I don’t think so! We have very similar value systems, but we’ve got different strengths, and working with the teacher who’s the right fit for your personality and needs is key).

If singing something special for someone you love is one of your goals, get in touch with me. I would LOVE to help you achieve your goal!

Credits:

All photos by Loic Bourniquel unless otherwise indicated.

The dress: Sally Eagle Bridal

Hair and Makeup: Sabrina from L’Art et La Matière Coiffure Mixte et Conseils

Flowers: Auréline Fleuriste Albi

About the Author

Georgia Aussenac

Georgia Aussenac is a Singing Coach specialising in fostering confidence, joy and fun for adults looking to make singing a part of their lives.

Georgia also coaches English-speaking singers and voice teachers on French diction.

With a particular passion for everything vocal health, Georgia offers Vocal SOS coaching to anyone who uses their speaking voice professionally and is struggling to keep up with the demands of their job.

You can work with Georgia online from anywhere in the world, as long as your schedules match up!

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Cet article Singing at My Own Wedding est apparu en premier sur GL Voice.

1. Take a step back

You don't have to sing to start reconnecting with your voice ​

Take a step back from actually singing. Instead, start with reconnecting to music. It doesn’t even have to be music that you like to sing usually – just start somewhere! Go back to music you love and spend some time enjoying it.  

• Put on an album that you love.
• Listen to an old playlist – or make a new one.
• Watch a movie that has a great soundtrack.
• Watch music videos or your favourite covers on YouTube.

You may even find yourself singing along…

Singing and mental health

You might also want to go have a watch of my chat with Jo Hooper from @getwildlyfree. We talked about what might be going on with your brain during a stressful time (such as a pandemic!) that gets in the way of your singing, and what you can do about it. I highly recommend watching it – it’ll hopefully make you feel less alone and help you understand how your body and mind are responding to stress.

Take me to the chat about singing and mental health

2. Start in your comfort zone

When you're ready, make it fun and easy

Reconnect with your singing through doing stuff you love, right inside your comfort zone.

• Sing along to songs you love (I have a playlist specifically for this).

• Sing something you know well and enjoy singing – don’t pay attention to how it sounds or what you should be working on, just have fun. 

• Find a karaoke track online for a song you like, and sing along! 

3. Make it a daily habit

Make time to reconnect with your voice every day

Making time to reconnect with your voice every day is about making time for yourself. In shifting the expectations on yourself, and taking the *performance* pressure off, you give yourself permission to reconnect with your singing and why you love it in the first place. You’ll not sound great every day, but that is fine! Singing for pleasure, and not just for results, is important too.

Personally I find that the days that I take the pressure off, and just “play” with my voice, are the days I have the most fun. But they are also the days that I discover the most about my voice, and gain the confidence to try new things. 

So, what does singing every day look like for me?

Some days I’m feeling great, motivated and excited about the work I’m doing. I might easily lose two hours of my day in singing practice, working at and experimenting with my technique, after a healthy warm up, before having a big sing through the songs I’m working on.

But to be honest, sometimes those days are pretty rare! So I keep singing by changing the expectations to match my mood. I might:

• Put on a soundtrack and sing along while I’m doing housework.
• Spend just 5 mins singing some warm ups so I know I’ve taken care of my voice that day.
• Choose a song to sing, not warm up*, sing through it a couple of times and call it a day.

What do you notice about all of these activities? They are all about singing for yourself, not anyone else. Not even your teacher!

I also love to sing for other people, so I might choose a song and record and send it to a friend or family member to say that I’m thinking of them. I particularly love to do this for friends with kids!

 

*If you are choosing between warming up and getting disheartened and not singing, or not warming up and enjoying singing for a short while, then I think the second option is better! So I’m giving you permission to skip the warm up. Of course, if it hurts or you are straining, please take a few minutes to warm things up a bit so that you can also sing tomorrow! (smiles)

Try the #SingForYourself Challenge

Use the daily prompts to help you create a daily singing habit. Make it your own, and go at your own pace. You don’t have to perform every day – just use it to reconnect with your voice.

Download your free copy of the #singforyourself challenge

4. Don't rush yourself

Know yourself, and don't force yourself back into "performance" mode

Singing work requires a certain level of mental capacity. We need to be patient with ourselves, and have the ability to self-critique without it taking a toll on our self-confidence. Wait until you’re feeling brave or back to normal for this kind of singing:

Doing longer warm ups and/or technical exercises:

Working on your voice can be hard work when you’re feeling emotionally all over the place. You’re much better off to go straight to the song that puts a smile on your face, and come back to warm ups if you feel like singing for longer than a few minutes. Don’t thrash your way through a warm up if it’s not working well – skip over it and try something else. 

Practicing new repertoire or doing dedicated technique work.

See above – it’s hard work when your emotions are all over the place, because your voice is the instrument of your emotions. You know that feeling when you’re trying not to cry, and your voice gets all choked up? That’s not a good feeling to be doing technique work on! Unless you’re very experienced with working on your voice (and even if you are), we’re our own worst critic and can be very hard on ourselves. This can be great for helping us improve our singing, but it can be really difficult on our self esteem when we’re already feeling low. 

5. Your voice is yours

At the end of the day, your voice is a part of you

If singing is something you love to do, not wanting to sing could be a sign that you’re not quite yourself. I know it is for me! But if you can get past the hurdle of not feeling like singing, and find a way to reconnect with your voice, you can also have a positive impact on your mental health (as I discussed with Jo!). Your voice is a part of you, and if you’re anything like me, a part of your identity. So reconnecting with your voice will also be inherently tied to reconnecting with yourself. Personally, as a singing teacher, my goal is to help my students gain confidence in their voices, and this is very much tied to them gaining confidence in themselves. 

I will add, if you are struggling with your mental health, you should reach out to a health professional and get some help. Equally, if you are struggling with your singing, tell your singing coach as they will be able to help you. And if you don’t have a voice coach, maybe it’s a good time to get one!

 

Georgia Aussenac

Georgia Aussenac is a Singing Coach specialising in fostering confidence, joy and fun for adults looking to make singing a part of their lives.

Georgia also coaches English-speaking singers and voice teachers on French diction.

With a particular passion for everything vocal health, Georgia offers Vocal SOS coaching to anyone who uses their speaking voice professionally and is struggling to keep up with the demands of their job.

You can work with Georgia online from anywhere in the world, as long as your schedules match up!

Instagram Linkedin

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Cet article Reconnect With Your Voice est apparu en premier sur GL Voice.