Thursday, September 25, 2008

Voices

I had a conversation recently with a friend about voice training. It struck me that maybe it's something everyone should have or at least try out, not just singers or musicians or actors. Your voice is so connected to who you are, and I think, in the past, I have actually been kind of afraid of my own voice. Not because the actual voice was weak, but because of how psychic-ly connected (as in, to the mind) it is to your person.

My viola teacher (hi catherine!) once made me sing each note out loud before I played it. How excruciating that was...but mostly because it was something I hadn't done. I hadn't exercised that part of my body. Sure I sing along with songs and all that, but I hadn't ever had to try to hit notes, with just my voice, alone.

Imagine if every child, while they were still forming ideas about who they were or how they fit in, gained complete mastery of his or her vocal chords, it seems to me it would make a much more secure, confident, person in the long run, knowing how they can sound, and having the confidence to do so outloud.

Of course that wouldn't account for temperment or habit, you would have to actually choose to use it. But it seems like a positive step in that mind-body connection.

1 comment:

inwatermleonsugar said...

I agree that the exercise and mastery of the vocal chords can be essential to self-confidence in communication...and I think it's often forgotten that the voice is, quite literally, how we are heard. It is how we present ourselves, as well as how we are perceived.