The Design & The Rolodex
I truly believe in “never one size fits all”.
We have all tried to fit into the “one size fits all” - be it pantyhose (!!!), clothing, be it someone’s view of us, be it what we feel is expected of us, be it vocal technique.
It is NEVER “one size fits all”.
Now, before you start saying “yeah, but, Susan…”. slow your roll.
Yes, we all have bodies, breath, vibration. Yes, there is a design that allows us to access the action of those things. HOWEVER, the design that allows the authenticity of YOU to be revealed happens when you are willing to be unique, and the people you are working with are willing to learn what that uniqueness is and how to access it.
As a teacher, that’s my job, my calling, my honor. I get to reflect back to you, your uniqueness, and in turn, guide you into designing and developing that unique authenticity that is technical behavior for YOUR body, YOUR breath, YOUR sound. That unique authenticity is shaped by your physicality, but it is also developed & influenced greatly by your psychology, your cultural references, your personality, your spirit and your motivation.
The design must be Couture. Unique. ONE of a kind.
One of the singers in my studio asked me last week “how big is that rolodex in your head to find just the right exercise for me in that moment?”
I laughed. I can’t find where I put my house keys, but I can draw on an exercise idea that I have developed for a singer, or create a new one in the moment!!
Why is that? Well, part of it is the magic sauce - because everything has specificity. Everything has design. I know why I use those exercises, and for whom. I know often, who I developed them for in the first place and why. I have learned how to embrace the “pivot step ball change” in a moment’s notice. And, the singers that called SEY VOICE “home” inspire me. Inspiration goes a long way!
Every singer in the past 30 years has inspired an exercise that was created specifically for them. That doesn’t mean I don’t use similar exercises for more singers: but those exercises are helping to create the specificity of technical behavior that the singer needs at that moment, ongoing, and more.
During this time, I have begun writing out more thoroughly that “rolodex in my head”. It’s daunting, I won’t lie. However, the design, the specificity, and the development are accessible as I sketch out the possibilities. Different tessitura, different pattern, different onsets, different vowel choices. Different reasons, different balances, different and unique…everything.
One size will never fit all.
Thank goodness the Rolodex & file drawers never lose space to contain more!
Your technique needs to fit you like it was built for you, because guess what? It should be. If it’s not, it just a watered down version of one size fits maybe someone kinda sorta.
Your uniqueness requires nothing less than couture.
With fierceness & fondness,
Susan
