| Vocal Tip of the Month! |
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Being Perseverant and
Letting the Ego Go!
The voice is intricate and works in mysterious ways.
For my vocal tip this month, I want to encourage you to continue
educating yourself about the voice this summer and try different
approaches to find and maintain your natural dynamic speaking or singing voice.
Surf the net, take a couple private lessons with a vocal coach or join a
choir or a band. Practice, practice, practice and have fun with it!
There is a lot out there to help you achieve the goal of beautifying
your voice. It is important to keep working at it with an open mind.
What works for me might not always work for you and what works for you
might not always work for somebody else. Be perseverant. Whatever
happens, discovering by trial and error is always a good way to learn when it
comes to the voice. However, be kind to
yourself with that approach. It takes a lot of inner strength to step on
the ego and accept the voice as imperfect at times. The voice is
very personal and for some reason, people feel legitimate in criticizing it
more openly than they would other instruments. That is wrong and it
creates a fear of expression that is paralyzing in different degrees, whether
consciously or not. To overcome this factor, one has to stop caring about
making mistakes and what other people might think of them and just go with the
flow. Be yourself and do the best you can. Listen and feel your
voice to know what is right for you. Be
resilient. Trust your intuition to find the path to vocal satisfaction.
"Our
greatest glory lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we
fall."
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Interesting
Facts
The Ego
According to Freud*, the ego is that little voice in your head that argues with
the id (what you want) and the superego (moral) to decide what's best for
yourself. The ego is tricky and powerful. Beware: it doesn't always
succeed in establishing balance… and that can be very compromising!
Before you know it, the ego can turn you into a selfish being, an
arrogant man, a self-absorbed individual, or in a completely different
game, take away your self-esteem with feelings of insecurity and
inferiority. It keeps you from bettering yourself, taking risks, getting ahead
in life and ultimately, being happy.
Between the needs and desires and the beliefs for what is right and
wrong, the ego has to find intellectual and emotional equilibrium. That
is a healthy ego! Self-confidence is important and lovable. In her
new song, Beyoncé sings:
Usually I'm humble, right
now I don't choose
Some call it arrogant, I call it confident
I've got a big ego, such a huge ego
But he loves my big ego, it's too much
I walk like this 'cause I can back it up*
Focus on your strengths and work on your weaknesses to
embrace the ego and bring it to the forefront of the conscious mind. Keep
it under control. Keep it positive and fun!
*Sigmund Freud. The Ego and the Id. W. W.
Norton & Company. New York. London.
*Ego is
written by Knowles, Beyoncé Gisselle; Lilly, Harold; Williams, Elvis
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| What's Happening? |
Summer is Just Around the Corner!
Yay! But first the report cards: you can
do it! Just one more sprint before the finish line and the race is over.
There are so many things I want to accomplish this summer, finish my
book, record my songs, take a summer class, paint, travel; I cannot wait!
Did you start making plans yet?
Voice Yourself in The Classroom
is taking a break for the summer. I do have homework for you though:
Rest, have fun and come back fresh! Have a wonderful summer,
everyone!
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Relevant
Links
Voice
Yourself in the Classroom
Valerie Bastien
The Voice
Connection |
| Inspiring Quotes and Stories... |
A Rare Find...
I want to share this story
that happened to me recently. I was taking a walk in St. James Park
(downtown Toronto) a few days ago reflecting about the ups and down of my
current life and wondering if I will ever find what I have been looking
for. Honestly, I was feeling a little
lonely. I have been reading a book called Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl: a holocaust survivor. He talks a lot
about inner freedom to make decisions—the one thing nobody can take away
from you and so I decided that I can't let things get to me.
I arrive at the fountain. I sit down to admire the reflection of the
lights in the water (it was a little dark).
It's beautiful but unsatisfied; I feel the urge to move. I get up and I start walking around. Despite the black of the night, I spot
something in the water. Wow! It's a bouquet of flowers. Pretty purple and yellow flowers!
Curious, I pick them up... Images of a kneeling man asking for
forgiveness, flowers in hand appear in my mind followed by the angry girlfriend
throwing out the poor flowers! They
were abandoned and I don't have the heart to let them die alone. I pick them up and start walking. I hold on to them like a crucifix (Leonard
Cohen).
On my way back to my place, the bodyguard of a gentleman's club shouts at me:
"Put those flowers in water fast!"
I smile back at him. I keep walking,
smelling the flowers from time to time: a delicate but refreshing perfume is
comforting. Closer to my final
destination, another man tells me, "Those flowers are beautiful!" I agree.
I walk into my home where my workers are fixing my house. I'm not sure if I can find a vase for my
flowers. I tell my friends how I found
the bouquet. "It's destiny!"
one of them says. He leaves to make a better effort at finding a pot for
the precious find. He comes back with
an empty container now filled with water.
Perfect! I unwrap the flowers
and proudly give the bouquet a home on the living room's mantel for everyone to
see.
I feel joy. Everybody standing in the
living room is happy for me too! What
nobody knows is that I secretly believe I am those flowers. They called me to pick them up so I keep
faith that I, too, will soon find a home. That made my day!
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