Somatic Vocal Coaching

An emergent offering weaving together Body Dialogue, Qigong, and music

 

 

In the past year or so, I’ve had an increasing number of students approach me for vocal coaching. I am not a classically trained vocalist; however, my background is in a modality called Body Dialogue, in energetic healing practices such as Qigong and Reiki, and as a songwriter and musician. I have been weaving these modalities together in my lessons, and an emergent offering is taking shape. I’m calling it Somatic Vocal Coaching.

 

These sessions begin with a warmup focused on arriving in the body, grounding, clearing tension, shaking off the day, and breathing. The voice is the exhale, and Body Dialogue teaches that the only way to strengthen the diaphragm is through sound. In Body Dialogue, we become intimate with our patterns—physical, mental, and spiritual—and the ways all parts of us are intertwined: how our thoughts affect our posture, how our posture affects our breathing, and how our breathing in turn feeds back to affect our thinking and our state of being.

 

We are dynamic beings with the opportunity to live fully in our bodies. For me, music is mostly about liberation. I do have a classical background on the violin and can definitely geek out about music theory, but first and foremost for me, music is about expression and creativity. I believe that art cannot be bound by the confines of theory. My aim with my students is to give them the tools to feel embodied and expressive, allowing their voice to be an extension of their soul. We go slowly, exploring new terrain together. We improvise, or we sing songs that the student brings in, songs they’re enthusiastic about learning.

 

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More about Body Dialogue as it relates to the voice:
Body Dialogue is a modality created by Janice Stieber-Rous. It fuses together the Alexander Technique, Breathing Coordination, and BodySoul Rhythms.

• Alexander Technique, created by F.M. Alexander, teaches that energy follows thought. It develops our awareness of the body in space, where we hold tension, and offers tools to release that tension. We use thought and visualization to direct energy in the physical body. For example: when you think the thought “My neck is free”, what happens in your body? Alexander Technique is not about doing, it’s about holding an intention and allowing energy to follow. Many performing artists study this technique for its benefits in performance.

• Breathing Coordination, developed by Dr. Carl Stough, teaches that the body breathes itself. When we are in a relaxed state, we have more resonance in both body and voice, more coherence. We cannot “take a deep breath”; we can only support the natural breathing coordination of the body. Breathing is autonomic, meaning we are being breathed, it’s not something we have to make happen. However, our habits often cause us to hold our breath. When we become aware of these habits and replace them with new ones, we have a better chance of living with more breath-fulness.

• BodySoul Rhythms, the work of Marion Woodman, teaches that mind, body, and soul are intimately unified. The soul is our creative expression, our depth, our core. We listen to our dreams, our imagination, and the images that come to us.

 

Qigong and Energy Medicine

Qigong and Taiji principles provide extra tools for staying embodied. Our voice is a tender part of our self-expression. Through Taiji, we practice grounding into the feet, and even below the feet into the earth. We draw energy up from the earth and down from the heavens. We contract and expand. We are breathed by the energy of the universe itself. It is primordial, life wants to move through us. Our voice is an expression of our life force and our truth, and it’s important to be rooted and connected in order to access the full power of our voice.

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Music

And of course, music is a language. We practice ear training, pitch recognition, interval singing, vocal warmups, scales and modes, improvisational singing, and learning any tunes you request (or I can offer suggestions and bring repertoire). Often I accompany students on guitar or ukulele. Many students also play an instrument, but it’s not required in order to sing.

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Who are these sessions for?
Anyone who wants to explore singing and vocal expression, devotees who want to strengthen their voice for chanting and spiritual purposes, performing artists, closet singers, and anyone who wishes to expand their confidence, stability, and vocal range.