After our car accident, I didn’t sing for a long while. People would ask “did you injure your voice?”

No. My voice was fine. Where she chose to RESIDE was not optimal.

The physicality, the athleticism, the anchoring, the pliability, the elasticity, the tenacity, the endurance - it wasn’t there yet.

We, as singers, work in intangibles a great deal: muscles we can’t see; vibration we can’t see; breath we can’t see. The neurosis definitely can be real. But what if I told you that we need to discover the FULL athleticism realization of what we optimize in order for our voice to truly reveal itself?

We don’t go into the gym and know we are tired or a muscle is tight and say “OMG! I will never be able to work out again!!!!” We simply acknowledge how we are feeling, what is tight or fighting us, what is sore, and adjust accordingly.

How many times have you said “OMG! My voice isn’t working!!” and then go into the neurosis spiral?

What if I told you that your voice is FINE, but she (or he) is trying to get your attention to let you know that the space she/he is residing in isn’t optimal? What if we paid attention to how our voices are trying to GET our attention and learn to create more physical and athletic optimization in order to allow her/him to reside?

The larger athleticism and the intrinsic athleticism is always a balance. Using athletics as an analogy to what we do as singers is often helpful to begin to get into the mindset needed.

If you have never run a marathon before - what makes you think you could without preparing for it? And yet, as singers, we often think we are ready to sing 8 shows a week, or take on a role, without the true preparation. Without the optimization of physicality and endurance and the mindset that accompanies it.

Not all physicalities in the sports world are optimal for all sports. Certain body composition is more suited to certain sports over others. It’s not good vs bad - it is about optimization.

Some voices, by composition are more suited to certain genres, styles, ability. Those voices are informed by physicality. And the physicality is informed by training. Cross-training; mindset;

Athletes have trainers. They have coaches. They work on their skills daily. They assume nothing. They stay present and focus on the detail and the big picture. They are not all or nothing. They hone in and they back away to see how they are integrating their skills.

We are no different. We are simply in a different arena of play.

Without our bodies we have no physical vocabulary to house our voice. As we hone our craft and our skill sets, we begin to see how we fit, where we fit, what we fit. What can we wear and be seen in comfortably in order to do the work, create the art, be of service to telling a larger story to an audience?

Work it from the larger picture and from the nuanced detail:

An example:

Large picture: I want to perform regularly - on broadway, regionally, on tour.

Detail: does my technique and my physicality have the athleticism to achieve this?

Most answers might be: kinda. I think so. I don’t know. Maybe.

So, now, how do you hone in and optimize in order to build your technique and athleticism so you would be a viable contender to book that show, that tour? What will it take? What are you willing to commit to? Who do you trust to help you get there? What needs to happen to find those teachers, coaches that will be on your team in order to keep you authentic on this journey?

A beautiful voice doesn’t mean you are ready. A great story teller doesn’t mean you are ready. A natural instrument or a musicality doesn’t mean you are ready.

Don’t throw your hands up in frustration. You have skills and talents. You just need to stay present with them, and then begin to create the training to allow them to be everything they can so they can serve you fully.

Optimize where you are RIGHT NOW. What is lacking? What needs more strength? What is some of the feedback you are getting in classes or in the audition room?

What are your goals? Your artistic goals? Your craft goals? Your technical goals? Your physical goals? Your business of you goals?

Guess what my next question is?

Why?

Why is empowering, even if you can’t answer it! Not being able to answer is an answer that creates more questions and helps you find more tangible answers.

No blame. No self hate. Also no delusion.

What are you willing to optimize in order to begin to be ready - and I mean, REALLY READY, to pursue your goals even further? What are you ready to optimize to discover the full authenticity of what you bring to the table?

Wishing and hoping doesn’t cut it.

Mindset and action do. And guess what? Those of us our your team - currently or in the future - are going to reflect to you what you need to see in order to get there. You just have to be willing to see it, do the work and achieve it.

Here’s to optimization in every way to finding what you ACTION onward!