Blog – Jennifer Waldron, PhD

Vocal Improv: Much More than Singing

January 20, 2011 – 5:05 pm

“Vocal improvisation is more than singing,” said Rebekka Goldsmith during our recent Vocal Improvisation Singing workshop, “it also teaches you life skills”. At the end of our workout, I knew what she meant.

Most of us improvise all the time: figuring out what kind of meal to make from leftovers, giving an unplanned speech, or putting together scraps of wood to make a birdhouse.

In vocal improvisational singing, musical rhythms, harmonies and patterns are created without a plan. It’s spontaneous, in the moment, and organic. So you must listen, be flexible, take risks, and know when to lead and when to follow. And those, dear reader, are valuable life skills. The kind Rebekka was talking about.

Vocal improv, made popular by Bobby McFerrin, is inventive, playful, and magical. “With no words or music, what comes forward is the sound and the essence of beautiful you,” says Terri Crosby, a vocal improv leader. But bringing your beautiful essence into the group can feel like a “huge stretch,” said one person in our workshop. It takes courage to leap in and let your intuitive voice sing. Life skill #1: Take risks.

At one point in our workshop while waiting for my turn to join in, I was “thinking” about what I could try vocally. But when that moment came for me to join in, my “thinking plan” went out the window. It didn’t fit. How silly of me. I must have forgotten that this was “improv”! Life skill #2: Stay loose and be flexible.

After a few rounds of simple exercises, you could feel the trust and joy we created. Rebekka pushed us to be more inventive and explore the connections with others. “Whatever the other person sings, find your way into it, around it, under it, or through it.” Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. The sound is continuous, an ebb and a flow. Life Skill #3: Know when to lead and when to follow.

One of the most essential skills vocal improv teaches is listening. You simply have to listen. Only then, do you know where you fit, when to add, when to lead, when to follow, and when to risk. Listening keeps you in the moment and connected with others. Life Skill #4: Listen.

If you ever get a chance to try vocal improvisation, jump on it. Notice what’s easy and what challenges you. Then, go further and see how those play out in your life. Then, let me know.

By admin | Posted in Acting, Authentic Voice, Education, Sacred Voice, Speaking Tips, Teaching, Uncategorized, Voice Tips, broadcasting, psychology and speaking | Tagged Acting, Authentic Voice, Bobby McFerrin, breathing, broadcasting, chanting, communication, conversation, free the voice, impromptu singing, improvisational singing, intention, natural speech, nonverbal communication, organic speech, real speaking, Rebekka Goldsmith, speaking voice, Terri Crosby, vocal warm-ups, voice exercises, voice personalty | Comments (0)

BEGIN

December 22, 2010 – 9:07 am

Now what?

That’s me staring at a blank canvas. Lately it’s been harder than usual to start a painting, writing, or learning a new song. It’s the “blank” that happens before I begin which can seem like days or weeks. It’s a weird and uncomfortable place and an opening for my Critic to step forward: “Hey, come on! Let’s go! Get crackin! Do something!” But the more gentle part of me says “Hey, it’s okay to wait!”

A few years ago I visited the home of a calligrapher who did gorgeous, exquisite work. In her studio, she had a piece that simply said “BEGIN” and it touched me deeply. Looking at the beautiful, careful script I felt peace, support and encouragement.

When I get stuck, the image of that calligraphy brings back those feelings. All I have to do is “Just show up,” my art teacher, Amy, says. That is the key. I’ve watched her come to the art studio and never touch a paintbrush. She may do a crossword puzzle instead. “It doesn’t matter that I might do puzzles,” she says, “what’s important is that I’m here.” Lately, I just show up and become one-with-the-blank-canvas. “Showing up” is an excellent beginning.

In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield says “There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t and the secret is this: it’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.” So, if you’re a writer, composer, painter or musician, just show up each day.

Let’s face it, there are times when we don’t have the luxury of beginning something as I describe. For instance, an important time-line at work; food needs to be put on the table NOW; or a decision needs to be made quickly. But there are those occasions when stepping back from the start line might be more helpful. It gives the Muse a chance to show up and do her magic.

Amy may do crossword puzzles and I may sit and stare at the canvas, but eventually we do pick up a paintbrush and BEGIN. How do you begin?

By admin | Posted in Authentic Voice, Education, Stories, Uncategorized, art, psychology and speaking | Tagged art, art gallery stephen pressfield, beginning, being quiet, blank canvas, communication, creative, creative spirit, creativity, free the voice, how to begin, jennifer waldron, organizing your ideas, paintbrush, painting, waiting | Comments (1)

Changing Stories

October 4, 2010 – 1:00 pm

Changing Stories

Last time, I wrote about the stories we carry and how some of them can be beneficial while others are no longer useful. Recreating or canceling useless stories that keep you from expanding can be powerful and challenging.

My colleague and friend, David Emerald, writes and speaks about making change happen. The image David presents in his book, The Power of TED*, is you in the role of creator instead of victim. (I put that in small letters because that’s how it seems inside when you take on the role of a victim: Ever so teeny, tiny.) Imagine yourself in the bigness of the creator role, or in the midst of huge possibilities, or in a sea of voices singing “OM”; allow yourself to be the powerful editor of your story.

Like all changes, the first step to rewriting your story is awareness. It’s easy to forget that the story is there for a reason. So the first step is to acknowledge with gratitude how an old story has helped you. Writing down some of the “facts” that you “know” about yourself brings the story into better focus. Take time to hear, feel, and understand it. Then, let your awareness move you gently toward a new story.

When I work with a client who believes they are not a good speaker, I have to nudge them away from their story. To do this, I use guerilla camera work: I record them speaking when they think the camera is off. What we get is a visual and auditory recording of their most authentic, natural style. When they see what’s been recorded, they get new evidence that they can speak successfully and their story begins to change.

Make a commitment to re-story yourself. Whatever you can do to “upgrade your personal operating system,” as David calls it, means your life will keep moving closer and closer to imagined possibilities. Change your story, change your life.

By admin | Posted in Acting, Authentic Dialogue, Authentic Voice, Education, Sacred Voice, Speaking Tips, Stories, Teaching, Uncategorized, Voice Tips, broadcasting, psychology and speaking | Tagged Acting, authentic speaking, Authentic Voice, broadcasting, communication, conversation, creator role, David Emerald, drama triangle, free the voice, intention, jennifer waldron, natural speech, nonverbal communication, organic speech, personal stories, power of TED, public speaking, real speaking, Speaking Tips, speaking voice, speech coach, Teaching, victimhood, voice, voice exercises, voice personalty | Comments (1)

Stories We Carry

September 8, 2010 – 7:36 pm

Everyone loves a good story. We tell them to our children, our friends, and ourselves. They are an integral part of each of us and society. Stories give us context, and help us make sense (or nonsense) of our lives.

In my work, I hear stories all the time. “You know,” one client told me, “I never have been a very good speaker.” Another said, “I’m really shy, like my father, so I don’t know why I’m asked to speak.”

Stories come to us in many ways. Some are inherited, “No one in my family listens very well”; some are given to us by others, “Please just mouth the words because you can’t sing”; and some are, consciously or unconsciously, self-created, “I can’t draw even a stick figure!”

My teacher, Fabeku Fatunmise, believes that our stories influence what we think is possible. He talks about how they affect our inner dialogue and how they govern what we say to others. From his Shamanic perspective, Fabeku shares how stories are carried in our bones and teeth; telling a story over and over vibrates our teeth and weaves it further into our being. The small bones in our ears are stimulated, pushing it deeper until it becomes so much a part of us that we no longer hear it or feel it as our story, but rather, we carry it as our truth.

Our stories are deeply ingrained and got created to serve a purpose. If I tell everyone I’m shy, then I won’t be asked to speak in public and I won’t have to risk failure and humiliation that might accompany that experience. The problem comes when the story outlives its usefulness : When NOT speaking means that you won’t get that promotion, won’t share your creativity, and that you will remain invisible.

Consider the “facts” you know about yourself. For instance, “I always get lost,” “I can’t sing,” or “People can’t be trusted.” Ask others (trusted friends) to help. What do they “know” about you? Monitor your reactions. Write down your thoughts and feelings about those stories. Then, imagine a three-dimensional image of yourself with all your stories floating around on it . . . which ones would you want to keep? Which ones would you want to shed? Which ones are missing?

The story of you is always evolving. Let yourself be seen and heard. If you need some help hearing your own voice, exploring old stories, or creating new ones, contact me and we can begin. You deserve a happy ending!

By admin | Posted in Acting, Authentic Voice, Education, Sacred Voice, Speaking Tips, Stories, Teaching, Voice Tips | Tagged Acting, authentic speaking, Authentic Voice, broadcasting, communication, conversation, free the voice, intention, jennifer waldron, natural speech, organic speech, organizing your ideas, personal stories, public speaking, real speaking, speaking, speaking topics, speaking voice, speech coach, Teaching, voice, voice personalty | Comments (0)

Sound Grace: Becoming Aunt Betty

August 11, 2010 – 4:00 am

If you’re lucky, you’ve had at least one teacher who impacted your life on a deep level. Pat Moffitt Cook of the Open Ear Center (where I participated in the Certification Program for Music and Sound Healing) was one such teacher for me. Pat started our first session with a humming exercise designed to give maximum effect to the mind, body, and VOICE. This simple and profound exercise has made a huge difference in my voice and my spirit.

Unlike the simple “wake up” exercises called “mouth yoga” I outlined in my last blog, I recommend that you get out of bed for this one. Find a chair or sit yogi fashion on the floor; this will make the effect stronger and more meaningful.

Take a breath and hummmm it out. You don’t have to push or strain your voice, just relax your jaw, close your lips and hum. Keep your entire face soft and relaxed. At first, you may feel a little silly, but close your eyes and put yourself into this state of sound grace you deserve. Be bold and gradually get louder. Notice how energy builds, intensifies, and recharges your personal light as you hum.

Humming is a gentle way to release the real sound of your voice and train your ears to hear that beautiful, authentic, natural sound.

Humming is a drug-free way to overpower your “monkey mind”. Daily humming starts your generator, warms your voice, and keeps the bears away. My Great Aunt Betty was a hummer and she lived into her late 90’s. She hummed all the time. My siblings and I used to laugh because to us, she was like a walking sound machine. Now I think her humming habit might be one reason why she lived so long!

With a regular practice of humming, you can affect your physiology. For example, a 2002 study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that humming makes your breath more efficient; it helps oxygenate your blood which can lead you to feel more relaxed and energetic. So if you start to feel better, it’s not just your imagination!

Try it. Reserve ten minutes day and you’ll begin to feel dramatic effects: a clearer mind, stronger voice, and more energetic body. You might even get hooked! Hum on! Notice the difference. Tell me about it.

By admin | Posted in Authentic Voice, Education, Sacred Voice, Speaking Tips, Uncategorized, Voice Tips, broadcasting | Tagged authentic speaking, Authentic Voice, build resonance, communication, free the voice, hearing yourself, jennifer waldron, mouth yoga, natural sound, on air voice, physical effects of voice, recharge voice, release voice, sound of your voice, speaking voice, speech coachingvoice tips, train your ears, vocal energy, voice trauma | Comments (7)

Awaken Your Voice

June 17, 2010 – 5:00 pm

This morning, my yoga teacher called to ask if I would lead chanting before we began our yoga practice. Quite frankly, I was in a grouchy mood and not feeling much like an en-Chantress. I considered saying no, but the word-for-the-day card I drew said OBEDIENCE. Seemed clear that I needed to say YES.

Now, I love my yoga class, but I would be lying if I said I always arrive with a burning desire to hold downward dog for six loooong breaths. Mostly, I arrive and depend on the gentle warm ups to ready my body and my brain for the more demanding positions.

It works the same way for your voice. A good vocal warm up will gently loosen your muscles, rouse your voice, and move you from a quiet, grouchy, introverted, or the-cat’s-go- your- tongue mode to something more freeing. Let’s call this “yoga for your voice.”

I thought about how my yoga teacher always begins our regular practice with an intention. So, why not do the same before voice yoga? Perhaps something like, my intention is to speak kindness today. But since I was feeling a bit cranky, I settled for: my intention is to hear my words before I speak. Much better. Right. Now you try. You don’t even have to get out of bed. Pick a vocal intention and hold it in mind as you follow this simple voice yoga warm up.

SWALLOW. Do it two more times. Now move your mouth around like you’re chewing gum. Swallow again. This time chew as if you have a big gum ball in your mouth. If that doesn’t click with you, imagine you’re Bessie the Cow chewing your cud. You may feel a little silly, but your mouth can get stiff during the night, especially if you grind your teeth, have bad dreams, or think too much when you should be sleeping.

YAWN. Don’t get in a big rush to do this. Wait a minute; take your time. If you’ve ever watched a cat do this, they don’t rush the yawn. First close your eyes, pull your lips slightly forward and as you begin to inhale, gradually begin to open your mouth as the air rushes all the way in. Listen to that rushing sound. Breathe in your intention. Do two more and bring your arms into the action (remember this is yoga!) Move them either out to the side (don’t hit your bed partner), up in the air, or over your head – just MOVE! Wiggle your toes.

SIGH. This should be your first morning sound: a big, deep, full, awesome sigh. The kind that will wake up all the animals sleeping with you. Do it again and stick your tongue out. Shake your head and shoulders. Have a sip of water. (Okay, you’ll want to get out of bed for that one!) “Take it further,” as my yoga teacher would say. This time, gargle some of that water.

NOTICE. Now close your eyes and notice the difference. As we’re taught in yoga, noticing the difference after you wake up your voice leads to heightened awareness of what makes you, YOU. Tell me what you notice.

If you are ready for more advanced voice exercises, sign up for the next blog. For the opportunity to get wild and crazy with voice yoga, check out my website in August for fall classes. In the meantime, “don’t forget to breathe,” as my yoga teacher would say.

By admin | Posted in Acting, Authentic Dialogue, Authentic Voice, Education, Speaking Tips, Teaching, Voice Tips, broadcasting | Tagged Acting, breathing, broadcasting, chanting, free the voice, intention, mouth exercises, on air voice, sigh, speaking, Speaking Tips, swallow, Tags speech, Teaching, vocal stretch, vocal warm-ups, voice, voice exercises, voice yoga, yawn, yoga | Comments (17)

Notes on Notes

May 26, 2010 – 5:00 am

A client of mine, we’ll call her Christina, is preparing a major keynote address. She calls in a panic. She is doing some final touches and wants to get the words “just right.”

Christina is a professional writer and therefore wants each word carefully chosen and laid to rest on the page. This is important to her. It helps ground her in her topic and reduces her anxiety.

I try to explain that one of the joys of speaking is that it’s so organic; it changes as you go along and each time you “speak the speech”, it will never comes out exactly the same way, unless, of course, you read it from a script.

So often I get asked about speaking notes. “Jennifer, what’s the best way?” The short answer is: the best way is your way. That’s right – your way! It may be a script or it may take some other form. What matters is that it reminds you of more than just the message, but also of the emotion behind the message.

I remember years ago at an academic conference, the speaker’s message captivated me and although he was using notes, it seemed that he wasn’t. I had to know his secret. So while others mingled, I snuck up to the lectern and peeked at his notes. What did I find? Pictures! Hand drawn pictures with a word here or there.

I’ve never forgotten the lesson from that moment: There are no rules. Do what works for you!

For me, scripts are out. I don’t like them. If I use notes, I like them to be messy with scribbles here and there. Christina, on the other hand, likes a clean copy. I like to handwrite changes on my notes. Christina re-types them so they are clean and fresh.

It’s okay. There is no Speaking-Note Police in the next room; we are all free to do what works for us as individuals. What is important is that the speech comes from a passionate place and is organized to hold the audience’s attention and help them remember what you said.

Trust that whatever notes you choose will support your passionate ideas. Whether, like Christina, you are most comfortable reading from a script, or, like me, you prefer to doodle, scribble and scratch; come see me before the big day. I can help you make a scripted speech sound organic and fresh or a free-flow, off-the-top-of-your-head speech sound well-reasoned and organized.

Contact me and let’s play with your ideas.

By admin | Posted in Authentic Voice, Speaking Tips | Tagged authentic speaking, natural speech, notes as pictures, organic speech, organizing your ideas, public speaking, real speaking, scripts, speaking notes, speaking topics | Comments (1)

Authentic Dialogue, Part 2

May 6, 2010 – 8:17 am

Authentic Dialogue, Part 2

In my last Blog, I described true, authentic dialogue. This topic continues to interest me because it describes such a powerful, essential part of our humanness: how we connect with others.

One person responded: “Your essay started me thinking. I have come to realize what you said…about an emptiness in dialogue sapping strength or a vitality…That emptiness is one of the reasons that even when I know there are people I could call, I don’t because time with them saps rather than renews my strength. Instead, I gather my dogs and cat around me and we have a wonderful jam, words from me, jumping and licking from them -but it is a conversation.”

I think for many people, some of the best conversations they have are with their animals. It’s a coded, unique language acquired slowly over time that includes simple but profound utterances and gestures. The same could be said of conversations between long-time partners or spouses; words may make up only a small portion of the communication.

Another reader’s response to the concept that authentic dialogue is like a container with useful empty spaces was this: “How does being quiet differ from ‘creating a useful empty space’ where authentic dialogue can emerge?”

I had to consider that for a moment. The difference depends on the intention. Quiet can be withholding information from the other out of shyness, fear, indifference, or anger. Quiet can be mysterious and leave an empty space that feels uncomfortable and secret. Quiet can mean an absence, a “tuning out.” Quiet can scream what is being left unsaid and thus create stress.

On the other hand, quiet can be part of the empty space in conversation where the next idea, thought, or word forms. It can be listening to the other breathe or watching their face and body to see if they have more to say. Quiet can be a time-out together, or a chance to reflect on what has been said. It can gently signal that there is no hurry and no agenda.

In an authentic dialogue, quiet is like a rest in music. Although the sound stops, the piece continues. The rest is part of the phrasing of the music, part of the rhythm: the silence is part of the song.

You can tell when a dialogue is authentic; the quiet will seem appropriate and real. Its effect will be positive for everyone and the “empty space” will feel natural, not mysterious or threatening. This kind of quiet will form the container in which the treasures of authentic dialogue can be revealed.

So, how do you handle “quiet” in conversation? I’d like to know what works for you and what bothers you. Drop me a line.

If you’d like to join with others to practice “authentic dialogue,” contact me for more information.

By admin | Posted in Authentic Dialogue, Sacred Voice | Tagged being quiet, communication, conversation, nonverbal communication, pauses in speech, real speaking, silence | Comments (15)

Authentic Dialogue

April 13, 2010 – 3:04 pm

AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE

The other evening as I sipped my tea and listened to friends talk, I began to consider space as it relates to conversation. The dialogue that night wasn’t the kind that invites participation and my mind wandered to a few lines of poetry by Lao Tzu:

Thirty spokes meet in the hub.
Where the wheel isn’t
is where it’s useful.

Hollowed out,
clay makes a pot.
Where the pot’s not
is where it’s useful.

from The Use of Not
-Lao Tzu

As I listened again, their words seemed to push me away. Now it isn’t easy to get up and walk away in a situation like that, and so I reflected on Tzu’s idea that usefulness resides in empty space; “My tea, as I sip it, fills the empty space of the cup where it is most useful.”

It struck me that true conversation, what I call authentic dialogue, creates a container with a useful empty space. It’s like as conversational Feng Shui*, where language, emotion, passion, and thought move freely in and out of empty space to create energy. So, how do we begin?

First, we must leave our own personal agendas. In order to learn another’s truth, we must let go of our stranglehold on talking and quiet our minds enough so that we really hear. Connect. Only then, we can generate a space beyond you and me where “Us” (with a capital U) is foremost and lovingly held.

Think about what happens to your energy during a conversation. For me, when I’m being “talked at,” I become tired and listless; I go away mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. But in authentic dialogue, my energy rises; I am alert and interested as we walk the talk together.

The next time you’re in a conversation with someone, check out your level of participation and that of others:

Are you standing alone in the spotlight? Or are you on “vacation?”
Are you willing and interested in hearing the other? Are you willing to share?
What is your energy level like? And the other?
Most of all, are there empty spaces for true, authentic dialogue to emerge?

We all rely on conversation to form meaningful connection. Why not explore and enhance your conversational skills? Contact me for a private consultation.

By admin | Posted in Authentic Dialogue | Comments (3)

Darn Good Reasons to Chant

March 3, 2010 – 10:10 am

The most natural and obvious way you have to express yourselves is through your voice. You reveal much about your culture, education, emotions and vitality just through the sound of your voice. The word, “personality” comes from the latin “to sound through”. Our voice and our personality are inextricably linked. So, is it possible to alter your personality through your voice? A client recently answered this question.

Judy (not her real name) describes herself as having “voice trauma”. She was one of those kids who was told to “mouth the words” in her grade school singing class and her own children asked her not to sing around them. Not only did she stop singing, but her speaking voice was quiet, just above a whisper. I suggested she consider a chanting class to give her voice strength, volume, and resonance using sacred sound. After our first class, she described chanting as “really hard for me – my ears were ringing, my jaw was stiff (which it usually isn’t) my throat tired. Worst of all — I had to listen to myself!”

By the second week, Judy’s voice amour melted: “I found I had a little more tolerance for my voice and didn’t take it so seriously. The sound of the group was so dynamic and beautiful, I went away with every cell of my body humming ecstatically. I loved the chants to the Hindu gods and picked Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of speech, creativity and enlightenment to chant every day. I got into just belting it out: on my meditation cushion, in the shower, in the car, and on my walks. It seems that Saraswati heard my voice and she did not run the other way, she came to help.”

In two weeks Judy went from a fear of singing even “Happy Birthday” to chanting in the forest. Her story is a profound statement about how our voice can release fears and become an instrument of personal power. Maybe. . . even change your life.

You can begin chanting and experience your voice in a new way next month. Sign up for the upcoming workshop, Chanting, and empower your voice too!

By admin | Posted in Authentic Voice, Sacred Voice, Voice Tips | Tagged chanting, saraswati, speaking voice, voice personalty, voice trauma | Comments (1)