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As with any profession, the more experience gained, the more knowledge possessed. After seventeen years of working as a professional vocalist, I have picked up quite a few tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy voice. Singer Sundays is my means of passing on this information and hoping it will serve useful to those who enjoy sharing the gift of vocal music.

Tip#3 — Stretch it out!

For any of you that have taken voice lessons or vocal masterclasses, you have undoubtedly heard how important it is to stretch out your neck muscles and probably participated in some teacher-guided tension-releasing stretches for your neck.  The importance of this seems so obvious to me when someone else is leading, and even enjoyable when a group is participating. The problem arises when I have a weekend like this past one.  I worked on a keyboard project until late Friday night, sang a three-hour gig on Saturday night, and then woke up early Sunday to sing in a classical oratorio for Easter.  When I am racing between different projects with little sleep, stretching is the last thing on my mind and even when it does enter my mind, I find there is no time for it.  But this morning, as I was warming up my voice, I realized the vocal tension was not coming from my cords but from tense muscles so I MADE time to stretch not only my neck, but my shoulders and back muscles as well. After about ten minutes of stretching, I went back to my vocal warmups and there was an ease that was not there ten minutes earlier.  For those in weekly vocal lessons or in an academic setting, this reminder seems foolish, but for those of us who use our voice on a regular basis while struggling to balance life, stretching is an oft-forgotten gem.

A few years ago, I challenged myself to run a half marathon.  While training I began to see the necessity for stretching when I started running five miles.  From five miles to thirteen, pre and post stretching was a part of my training routine, and if I did not stretch, my muscles would pay me back with tension and soreness.  The voice is a muscle and in order for endurance and longevity to be gained, it must be treated as other muscles that are worked strenuously.  If you make time to do a few tension releasing stretches in your neck, shoulders, back, and even legs before singing, the results gained will be well worth the ten minutes spared.

As with any profession, the more experience gained, the more knowledge possessed. After seventeen years of working as a professional vocalist, I have picked up quite a few tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy voice. Singer Sundays is my means of passing on this information and hoping it will serve useful to those who enjoy sharing the gift of vocal music.

Tip #2
Stress is a factor that affects many of us, and the effects of stress are generally negative. This is especially true when singing. A high percentage of people hold stress in their neck, shoulders, and back which greatly impacts vocal cord and jaw tension. A good massage is a definite solution to some of this stress, but there are times when a massage cannot be booked or cannot be afforded. Ibuprofen is another go-to for a quick fix when muscle tension is negatively impacting the voice, but this can be a dangerous fix because it masks the fatigue or hoarseness in the voice, allowing a vocalist to sing over the strain (often incorrectly) and cause further vocal damage. A natural remedy I have found to ease shoulder and neck tension is Lavender Essential Oil. It is a staple in my gig bag. If I am feeling muscle tension and strain, and it is affecting my voice then I dab a few drops on the back of my neck and shoulders and in a few minutes I feel the tension easing. Lavender oil works double duty by also serving as a calming remedy so if performance anxiety is a problem and is causing nerve tension then lavender will calm the nerves as well as relax your muscles.

Note: not all oils are created equal. A higher grade oil will contain a high percentage of pure lavender oil and be less diluted. The cost will be more expensive, but the results will be more obvious. When buying lavender oil, inquire as to the purity, whether there are other oils blended in, and the amount of dilution.

As with any profession, the more experience gained, the more knowledge possessed. After seventeen years of working as a professional vocalist, I have picked up quite a few tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy voice. Singer Sundays is my means of passing on this information and hoping it will serve useful to those who enjoy sharing the gift of vocal music.

Tip #1
Spring is one of my favorite times of year but is also one of the most dangerous to the voice. Viruses and germs from the winter linger and pose a potential threat to vocalists gearing up for Easter and Spring concerts. If you are struggling with phlegm, allergies, or stuffiness, Starbucks offers a sinus opening drink called the Medicine Bomb. It is on their secret menu so you must ask and oftentimes tell the Barista the recipe, but the effects are surprisingly effective. It not only soothes the throat but opens up the sinus cavities. It also contains little caffeine and a good dose of honey so the vocal folds do not dry out. The downside is the steamed lemonade contains sugar which can irritate the vocal cords. If you try to avoid sugar, then ask for the recipe minus the lemonade and add additional honey. I now make my own Medicine Bomb as daily morning drink and have found it not only helpful but also delicious. The recipe is below. If you find yourself struggling before a performance, give this drink a try. It won’t fix your voice, but it will ease and provide relief for a smoother warmup and performance.

Starbucks Medicine Bomb
Venti cup w/ a bag of Jade citrus mint tea and a bag of Peach tranquility tea – add half hot water, half steamed lemonade – add a little honey for its anti-microbial effects – optional add a pump of peppermint. If you need caffeine free, exchange Jade citrus mint with Mint Majesty.

The past three months have been quiet for me. In a world of constant social media connection and activity, I am reminded that appearing “inactive” can be detrimental to an artist’s career. But on the other hand, as an artist I don’t want to always be active. In fact, quite often I prefer to remain “inactive” because that is where I create — in solitude, surrounded by silence, and with an empty calendar.

“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.”  ~Michelangelo

And that is the road I have been journeying the past three months — the road from artistry to mastery. In order to achieve a greater sense of understanding and creativity, I spent the past month on a music/spiritual pilgrimage to the deep south. Beginning in Nashville, I spent a few days with one of my best friends and closest creative partners, Mark Alan Peters. After a few days of contemplative conversation, delicious food, and a “tire changing” tutorial, I drove onto the Natchez Trace Parkway headed to New Orleans, LA.

The Natchez Trace can be done in a day or two, but I decided to take my time and enjoy it, learn from it. I spent a few days in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, hearing music by legends, eating at catfish fries, and spending time with some of the friendliest people I have ever met in my life. And the greatest thing was camping right by the Tennessee River and listening to the songs that came out of it.

  
 With songwriters Dan Penn & Donny Fritz                              Tennessee River                             With Will & Janet McFarlane

Hesitantly, I left Muscle Shoals and drove on to Tupelo, MS where I saw Elvis’ Birthplace.The next day I drove onto Vicksburg where I stayed at a plantation front the Civil War Era with a cannonball from the Battle of Vicksburg still lodged in the wall. I also spent the day at the Vicksburg Military Park which was beautiful and unexpectedly emotional.

                                
                  Elvis’ birthplace                                                                     Cannonball in plantation wall        

          
 Vicksburg National Military Party       

Then on to New Orleans where I spent two weeks with another dear friend and talented musician, Pete Rose. What can I say? The music satisfied all expectations. The food was delicious. I was creatively inspired. And my company was stellar 🙂

After NOLA, I headed up to the Mississippi Delta where I heard the blues played as they truly should sound. What amazed me about the Delta was how they utilized their resources — the art, the buildings, the landscaping all utilized the materials right around that area. There is a creativity there that is birthed from nature. What they lack in material possessions they create from their surroundings. Now I see how a new genre of music came out of the Delta. The creativity there is contagious and quite gritty. This is the famous “Shack up Inn” where I spent the night. Despite the fear as I looked at my “cabin”, the inside was quite cozy and cute.

After the Delta, I headed to Memphis for a few days where I was privileged to attend B.B. King’s memorial service. I spent a few days soaking up all the music I possibly could there and traveled back to Nashville where I ended my trip with another set of close friends, Shari and Red Martin. I had three days of quality time with them and then the pilgrimage was over.

I have spent the past three weeks remembering the people I met & contemplating their words, experimenting with the different music and sounds I heard, and practicing gratefulness for the opportunity to take such a trip. While my online presence may appear to many as inactive over the past three months, the truth is my soul, life, and spirit have been richly active and bettered both as an artist and as a person.

Welcome to my new website! Many thanks to Biljana Stojovic for designing it. www.facebook.com/biljana.stojovic Please browse the site, listen to music, send me a message or do all three. Updates are coming soon!