Continued from January…

5. Sing in the shower- Raise your hand if you sound good in the shower.  (Everybody!) A couple of things are happening here.  First, you are distracted by shampoo.  Second, you are singing more powerfully than usual because of the background noise created by the water. Third, your vocal folds, sinuses, and throat are benefitting from the warm, moist air.  Fourth, you may be half asleep, so you are less inhibited.  Notice that none of these read, “You are totally focused on technique and soft palate position.”  Sometimes the big picture (singing because it’s fun!) is more effective than the minutiae of rightness.  Sometimes doing something for the joy of it renders better results than trying to do it perfectly.

6.  Communicate the text- Singers get to use words, often in the language they themselves speak.  It seems obvious, but it’s one element most easily forgotten: singers are communicators!  To put things into perspective, I ask myself, “What is the cosmic, eternal purpose in my singing this song?”  Let’s be honest here—never in the history of the world has a singer sung a song perfectly.  But there have been millions of hearts touched by the beauty, tenderness or angst of a song communicated by a singer.  In any type of ‘performance’—a presentation, a speech, a dance, an interview, an audition—we are tempted to try our hardest to gain approval, and we evaluate our success based on that.  I say that each of us is an artist with something unique and beautiful to offer.  Whatever we do, we have the freedom to offer it with authenticity, beauty and order. (Yes, accountants and demographers, you are included in this, too.  I think your spreadsheet is an exquisite manifestation of data artistry.)

7. Give yourself the gift of giving— Everyone except for psychopaths and babies has experienced the lovely sensation of nervousness.  Tip #6 covers some of what I’m about to preach, but it bears repeating.  When beset by nerves, it’s time to re-evaluate your ultimate purpose.  Are we here for others’ approval? Or can we accept that the elusive alchemy of favor is beyond our control and all we can do is our best?  I had a cool conversation with one of our singers as she prepared for an audition.  She worried that her pitch would suffer due to nerves, a well-founded concern as most singers struggle with this issue.  This young lady is one of the most dedicated singers I have had the pleasure of working with, but her true gift lies in her ability to personally engage with folks and put them at ease.  I reminded her of our recent event at Hospital Hospitality House here in Richmond where our singers sang carols, then assisted the residents in completing various holiday crafts.  Her genuine kindness shown so brightly that evening and she left having made friends with a number of the folks she’d sat with.  I asked her to tap into those emotions for her audition, to view the audition as a gift of song offered humbly to her audience.   “It is what it is,” I said. “Your voice is either the kind of voice they are looking for, or it isn’t.”  Once you have prepared to the best of your ability, then you must offer your gift and let go.  Nothing to be nervous about!

I have often been struck by the allegorical elements contained within the discipline of singing.  As a person learns to sing, more is learned about everyday life than first realized.

In this month of resolution and optimism, I find myself ruminating over various singing tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years, unearthing their metaphysical nuggets to inspire and empower everyday life.

1. Open your mouth-This is my number one Most-Often-Shouted-at-Cowering-Voice-Students phrase. (If you know me at all, you know there is actually neither shouting nor cowering in any of my lessons, but ‘most-often-exuberantly-reminded’ just didn’t have the same ring to it.)  Why don’t we want to open our mouths?  Fear of something falling in?  I propose that we are actually afraid of something falling out.  I am reminded of Horton’s little yo-yo-ing shirker in Whoville who is called upon to join his fellows in shouting for their lives—his one little voice makes the difference between salvation and being thrown into beezle-nut stew.  We all want to be seen, to be known, to be loved.  Haven’t we all felt like shouting with the Whos down in Whoville, “We are here, we are here, WE ARE HERE!”  Well, you are on this planet for a reason, so OPEN YOUR MOUTH and make a noise. (Confession: I cried a little during the ‘We are here’ scene in the Horton movie. It was a beautiful moment.)

2. Exercise – Singing is an athletic endeavor! Singers are urged to exercise to improve stamina, breath capacity, breath control and core strength, but isn’t exercise useful in much deeper ways?  While I used to be paralyzed by worries of dress size perfection, now I’m just grateful for a body that works most of the time!  I would argue that this is less about lowering my standards than it is about discovering what is truly important. When I exercise, I am suddenly more comfortable in my own skin, literally and figuratively, and most importantly, it makes me grateful for my many blessings: two working legs, the wind on my face, the stars in the sky, this reflective vest that keeps the cars from hitting me…

3. Drink Water-Just like an athlete, a singer needs an efficient body. A well-hydrated body more easily combats fatigue, infection, dry skin, scratchy voice and headaches, among other unpleasantries.  Drinking water is also really good for things you need like your liver and kidneys, and according to this video, it’s way more fun to do if you’re in space.  

Singers are always asking me what they can do to help them get over laryngitis (loss of voice due to inflammation of the vocal folds) and my answer is simple: water and rest.  Our bodies can’t function without water—doesn’t it seem silly that we have to remind ourselves to drink it?  Perhaps this is the human condition sending us headlong towards things that are bad for us while ignoring the stuff that will benefit us the most.  Now I feel guilty enough to throw out all my diet soda.

4. Fix your posture-Singers who have studied with me always get a good laugh when I imitate their singing posture.  It’s usually a Smeagal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gollum)-like semi-crouch with fingers curled in and ankles flailing.  It is very strange to see, but very common, this subconscious apology in their posture.  This body position whimpers “I don’t have anything to offer, so why am I here?”  My retort?

“Stand up straight, say what you have to say, sing what you have to sing.” Enough with the self-deprecation: We have voices, so let’s use them.  (See Tip #1.)

stay tuned for Part II….

Happy New Year!

It always catches me by surprise to discover that my three-year-old is really listening.  On our way to the CMOR Short Pump the other day, the car radio was tuned to an interview with renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who was discussing his interpretations of the musical works of Gustav Mahler.

“Elmo?”

“What, honey?”  I glance in the rear view mirror at my little guy in his car seat and turn up the radio a bit so I can hear the rest of the interview.

“I heard that guy say Elmo, Mommy!”  (Elmo?!)  I give up trying to catch the rest of the interview and put on my Toddler Ears…and…

“Not ‘Elmo’, honey—Mahler!”


“Who’s Mahler?”  Oh, boy.  My brain sifts and discards overly complicated descriptors: conductor, composer, musician, etc.

“He’s a guy who made music!”

“What kind of music?” I am caught off guard by his tenacity. More sifting and discarding: symphony, orchestra, instruments…

“Music for violins!”  He knows what a violin is, and what it sounds like, and that you put it under your chin to play it.

“And flutes!”  We play recorders together sometimes after dinner.  (Yes, we are that family.)

“And kettle drums?” he asks, remembering Peter and the Wolf.  I beam at my little genius through the rear view mirror.  We go through a few more instruments he has been exposed to that Mahler may or may not have incorporated into his nine and a half symphonies.

“And ELBOWS!”  He is triumphant and my heart sinks a little.  So much for our toddler-talk  dissection of Gustav Mahler’s instrumental works:  my three-year-old’s tour de force is a body part.

“You know, mommy, elbows!”  He wiggles his fingers in front of his mouth, and I am instantly restored.

“That’s right, you smart boy—OBOES!”

And now that you mention it, what DO Mahler and Elmo have in common?  For one, the same consonant sounds are in each name.  Both of them are small in stature (Mahler was “160 centimeters”, according to the writings of his close friend, artist Alfred Roller. That’s about 5’3”.)  They both make music of one kind or another. They both have elbows.

Both generate rabidly excited fans (yes, there is a gustavmahlerboard.com where lovers of all things Mahler get together to talk about him).  And (who knew?) my toddler likes them both.  As the strains of Mahler’s 8^th symphony begin, I hear from the car seat behind me,

“Mommy, this elbow music is beee-yoo-ful.”

Greetings from Leslie Dripps, Executive & Artistic Director:

Why is it important that our youth learn to sing? You’ve no doubt heard the valuable arguments for preserving our arts and our heritages, developing future patrons of the arts, increasing test scores and critical thinking, and the innumerable extrinsic benefits of vocal musical study. I do what I do, though, because of a more powerful inspiration.

I teach young people to sing because singing makes them stronger. Young people who learn to sing have set out on a grand journey which will teach them powerful life lessons. Singers learn to overcome fear of rejection in favor of generously sharing their voices. They learn to value the group’s interest above their own. They discover their true gifts and likewise where they must grow. They walk in another’s shoes as they internalize timeless song texts. These attributes have names: humility, generosity, modesty, honesty, empathy –attributes that are developed and encouraged in the practical setting of rehearsals and concerts. These elements combine in a powerful way to build up the young singer into a confident, competent, kind and strong young person.

This singing journey weaves a rich tapestry of character that infuses young lives with what we at City Singers Children’s Choirs call ‘the power of song’. The power of song reaches deep into the singer’s soul, shakes things up a bit and emerges to be shared with the listener.

We hope you will join us on our journey, through financial, volunteer or audience support. We want to share with the world the marvel our young people are discovering: the power of song!

Leslie M. Dripps

Executive & Artistic Director

City Singers Children’s Choirs