Just a Few More Reasons Why Singing is Good for You! Stress Relief, Self Esteem, Pain Management.....

We all know that singing just plain makes us feel good.  Why?  There are many reasons both physical and psychological.

Singing uses deep belly breathing which calms the nerves and takes out of the 'flight or fight' mode of stress.

We live in a world of stress, often not taking time for ourselves or continuing to push through hectic times instead of taking a moment to breathe.  When we sing, we use our deep belly breaths (or diaphragmatic breathing.  When we do this, we relieve stress, and slow or stop the stress hormones that are released in our bodies.  Try practicing when you start to get stressed from studying for a test- it will calm your nerves.


Singing also reduces our blood pressure, relaxes our muscles, and increases brain function.

The breath used in singing lowers our blood pressure and relaxes our muscles.  When we are more relaxed, our brain functions better.  We can clearly think through things as the rapidity of our thought slows down.  (We process 60,000-90,000 thoughts per day.  When we breathe and relax, thought production slows to be closer to 60,000  This is more manageable than 90,000 as our brain can thoroughly process the thought, not jump to another before one is finished) Armstrong, Doyle, Carroll Wellness

When we are more relaxed, not only do our brains function better, but so do our bodies.

When using relaxed breathing, our muscles get in sync better with one another.  We sing better, which then in turn again makes us feel good!

Singing can improve self esteem.

From the example above, see that we sing better and therefore feel good about ourselves. This translates into other areas of our lives that we improve self esteem and self confidence.

Performance arts, such as singing, allow for self expression.

When singing a song, you are expressing the text of the song, but also adding your own personal interpretation.

Singing has been proven to enhance well-being, reduce feelings of pain, and even prolong life. (The Arts Key in Kids, Teens' Development) L. Tobin

We all have a song that we listen to or sing that just plain makes us feel good whether it be an angry song or a feel good place.  When we SING it we slow our breaths and breathe deeply thus enhancing our stress release, pain, and love of life!

"Studies have linked singing with a lower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and reduced stress despite the ability level of the singer." L.Tobin

No matter if you are singing alone or in the choir, the physical sensations of deeper breathing, and resonant qualities of singing help one feel better.

The next time you are feeling stressed, go sing and let some of the stress out!!!

Visit www.susanandersbrizick.com for more information regarding singing and singing lessons.

How Do We Get Organized to Practice Now That Fall is in Full Swing?

I don't know about you, but summer flew by and now I find we are in the throws of the full schedule of fall!  What a great time, but how do we fit practicing into that crazy schedule?  Take a moment and breathe!  We have had a couple of weeks of what our fall schedules will be.



Sit down and organize yourself and think about these things. 

-Where do you have that extra time?  Certain days or time frames?
-Are there certain days that you have more time than others?
-When do you become stressed with your studies? Would it be beneficial to take time out as a break to practice when studying for that Geometry test?
-Is there time that you idly waste on Facebook or Instagram that could be tweeked?
-Do you have an extra long bus or car ride at some point in the day?

Once you have identified some places that you have a little extra time (or could make time):

-Pencil in a 30 minute practice session into your planner
  (If you have a math test that you want to study for 2 hours for, mark a 30 minute break to practice 1 hour into it!)
-Move yourself to your practice space
-Turn off/ignore all other outside influences
-Warm up using the exercises from your lesson
-Practice for 30 minutes (or more if you are motivated)

If your time is in a space that is not quiet or not conducive to sing out loud:

-Pull out your music,look at it, and 'silently' practice
-Think through the song
-Mark in your breaths and dynamics
-Write out the lyrics and work on your interpretation
-Work on your pronunciation
-Work on memorizing the words and phrasing

To focus your practice time even more:

-Write down exactly what your teacher wants you to work on in each song (phrasing, pronunciation, breath support, vowel space) at your lesson so your practice sessions are mapped out
-Pick one thing to work on that day and if have time move onto the other

The more you plan out your practice sessions, the more productive you will be in a shorter amount of time!  PRACTICING individual techniques and ideas rather than just SINGING your song is a sure way to progress faster.

As an added tip, end your practicing with just singing a song for fun!

Happy practicing and happy singing!

Allergies and Singing in Summer! Do you feel like you 'suddenly have allergies'? Is it affecting your singing?

"I am sick again" or "Is it me or are allergies just awful this year?"  I keep hearing these questions from my students in voice lessons.  Many don't think they have allergies because they have not had them before.  Maybe they are just more sensitive to allergic tendencies now that they are singing regularly and depend on their bodies as their instruments.  Others know they do and for some reason the way they have dealt with them in the past is not working this year.

I was astonished when I read an article in my May 2014 Self Magazine entitled "Are These Making You Sick?".  I too have been feeling my allergies act up and actively starting using a Neti Pot to help combat my symptoms, but here was actually proof that we are not nuts!  Skyrocketing allergen levels may be to blame.  Why?

Climate conditions have changed making plants like ragweed pollinate earlier and die later according to Leonard Bielory, MD, professor at Rutgers University.  If pollen is being produced earlier and last longer, there is more time for it to bug you.

Think about all of the severe types of weather we have encountered in the last couple of years:  in the Northeast we have had many severe thunderstorms, a weird hail storm, an extremely cold and wet winter, Superstorm Sandy last summer, the weather abnormalities keep adding up. In the case of Sandy, Dr. Bielory says "the storm saturated the ground and provided extra nutrients that acted like steroids on many pollen-bearing plants."

In cities, now urban planners are adding trees to the environment which shed lots of pollen.

In summary, more (quantity and types) of pollen are being added to the environment for longer periods of time so you may find yourself with itchy eyes, running nose, and congestion (the number of seasonal allergy sufferers has DOUBLED in the last 2 decades according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America).

Crazy but true, so okay, now what can you DO to help yourself?

Pay attention to your body and its signals.  If you are starting to feel your allergy symptoms respond to them by:

- Wash your hands (and hair) frequently and don't rub your eyes

- Minimize outdoor time at peak pollen times (first thing in the morning)

- Eat well  (salmon and walnuts, arugula, kale, cilantro, onions, radicchio may help prevent immune cells from releasing histamines which may reduce your symptoms)

- Drink your H20 and try a little green tea

- Pay attention to any foods which make your throat itchy or irritated. What is in the food may cross-react with the allergens in the air.  (ragweed allergy- may be sensitive to cantaloupe, zucchini, cucumbers or birchwood allergy you may be sensitive to carrots, celery, parsley, apples)  Food allergies are a completely different subject but you may be sensitive due to your airborne allergies!

- Find your triggers (either by paying attention to when you sneeze or get that allergy test!)

- Be vigilent about cleaning  triggers can be indoor airborne allergens or things brought in from outside)

- Use saline nose spray or a neti pot to rinse out allergens trapped in your nose.  Find an allergy medicine to help you if that alone does not do the trick

- Get lots of sleep and try to reduce your stress levels.  Meditation or yoga may actually help reduce inflammation!

Allergies when not taken care of slowly turn to colds or sinus infections which cause even more problems.  Take care of yourself from the onset of your allergy symptoms so you can continue to sing with ease!  Also, rest assured, you are not crazy if you feel like you 'suddenly have allergies'.

Analyze This! Musical Theater (or Opera) is Not My Passion. WHY Should I Learn the Music? What Analyzing the Music Can Do for You!

There are so many styles and facets of singing that people often wonder, "Why should I learn this style of music?  Why will it benefit me?"  I often get asked that question when I present a young student with a musical theater or folk song piece.  Many jump at the chance to do Broadway but balk at the concept that it is 'legit' or from the Rogers and Hammerstein era or a song that they have never heard before.  It is not what they are familiar with, so why should they learn that style?  I like to re-phrase the question to be 'Why Not?' and 'What can I learn from it?'.

Specifically, one can learn so much from working on a song from musical theater.  Not only are we learning the notes and lyrics, but we delve into character development and what we are trying to convey or communicate (dramaturgy)!  It is often an easier avenue to approach these concepts through musical theater than folk song or art songs or opera.  It is often a great caveat to operatic study as the voice develops, matures, and helps the student to understand the value of the study of the opera as a whole not just their individual aria.  We dig deeper than just the notes on the page and make the difference of "mediocre and truly great performers" (in all realms of musical performance). (Classical Singer, 10/2009)  If we start with our own native language when studying character and historical study of a song (or aria), we can start a complicated analysis process with something that is easy to relate to for a beginning student.  We just have to carefully select the repertoire so that it is vocally and age appropriate.

To understand the seriousness of this kind of study, let's visit the practice of dramaturgy in opera houses.  If an opera house is very lucky, they have their own dramaturg coach.  If not, a very good director who understands the process.  Study of this nature helps to identify questions of who what , when, where, why, and how, and place each singer's role in the context of the opera as a whole.  If you look at the music from all angles- music history, socio-cultural context, and where the material comes from (a poet or original libretto) you can fully 'inhabit' their characters.  Read more about this process at "Analyze This" Classical Singer, October 2009.

This is a brilliant concept!  Full research of a musical piece give the most benefit to authentically perform any role or repertoire of choice.  If you get under the skin of the text and make it second nature and part of you physically, it catches the whole audience (even the squirming 10 year old!). Through research you find the true roots of the music and then can add your own interpretation.  It is the ultimate to prepare a role (opera or musical theater) or song in general!

In operatic study, we read the libretto (full script), translate it word for word (or interpret the older English translation), study the composer's true intent of how he set the words to the music, form ideas of the character and stylize and characterize the music (of course after we have learned all of the pitches and rhythms).  Why not do this with other repertoire before our voices are developed enough to sing opera?

If we start with our native language we skip one step but still need to interpret the poetry and lyrics. If we start this study with more contemporary literature or literature that has topics that are easy to relate to, we can create a process of how we learn vocal literature and authentically perform it- make the difference between an okay performance and a GREAT performance.  As voice study progresses and the repertoire difficulty level increases we then can apply the process and be motivated to research and understand music and repertoire history of long ago that might be difficult to understand in early study. Think of it this way, we don't start reading Shakespeare as we first learn to read, but read stories of young girls and boys that we can relate to.

In today's world, opera is a regarded as musical theater because 'just stand there and sing' doesn't exist. You must act and do it well to get that role!  So by doing dramatugic study of all of our songs we are doing ourselves and our audiences a favor! Not only do we learn the ins and outs of what the composer really was trying to communicate, but we can deliver it to our audience with full gusto!

If you can learn to fully inhabit a role by this kind of study it 'adds another layer to the onion' that unfolds to the audience as an outstanding performance!  Give it a try and see what happens to your performance!

Should I Sing in the Next Voice Recital? Benefits to Doing it!

"Should I sing in the next voice recital?" I often get asked.  The answer is a resounding' "Yes!"

Why Sing for my Voice Studio's Recital?  There are many benefits!

- An Opportunity to Share With Others: You get a chance to share the music you have been working on. - Learning Attention to Detail: You go through the process of fine tuning a piece to the point that you are comfortable singing it in front of others.
- Communication Skills: You learn how to truly communicate the meaning of a song in performance.
- Memoriziation:  You learn HOW you best memorize and truly internalize a piece of music.
-Performance Anxiety Relief: The more you perform, the better you learn to adapt to your body's response to nerves and therefore the easier it gets.
-Your Happiness:  You did it! It felt good to sing in front of others!  You saw your mom smiling and your dad clapping for you!  Your teacher was proud!
-Hearing others voices lifted in song:  It is so good to hear and watch others singing.  You are exposed to new music or hear an old favorite.  You get to see the joy others have in singing.  You may hear a song you know you want to sing in the future (tell your teacher).
-Historical and Cultural Understanding:  You learn the history of the song you are singing, the culture of a variety of different styles of singing, and learn from others performances.
-Community: It is part of the community of the voice studio in which you take lessons. Be a part of it as you learn something from every performance.
-Preparation for the future:  Singing 1 or 2 songs on a group recital now prepares you for a future recital that is just yours or singing a solo song in the next musical theater production.
-It is fun!  Admit it, even if you are a little nervous.


Why Not Sing?

There are few reasons not to, but if you are brand new to the studio and in the beginning stages of voice lessons, maybe you forego this performance.  If you have had a recent vocal injury and are taking voice lessons to rehabilitate your voice. Attend the recital anyway to reap the benefits of listening to others doing the same thing as you and to meet others in the studio!

You love to sing, so go out and do it!  Happy Singing!

Act Up in Auditions - Move but have it make sense!

When auditioning, you are always aspiring to do the right thing and the best thing to land that role or solo. There is an ongoing dispute if someone should act out the piece they sing or stand still. The answer?  Neither, be natural and go with what makes sense.  Make any motion or movement that you make MEAN something, not just be oh, I am going to move my arms now.  Motions should have a purpose and help show you understand what you are saying in the song.  The level to which each auditor thinks a person should move varies, but most agree you should act when singing an audition.

In an article from Classical Singer Magazine, many directors spoke candidly about what they like to see in an audition.  It is helpful to think about these things when preparing that next audition or a student to do an audition.  Here are some of the quotes we should take to heart:

Singers should always demonstrate acting in their audition. Acting doesn't imply taking over the entire room.  It simply means being committed to story telling.  James Marvel, Stage Director

Acting involves knowing what you are saying and why you are saying it at that particular moment.  The singer should know what her or she wants to say in the aria and share it in a way that the audience will know it. Ellen Rievman, NYC Acting coach

Thoughts should appear on the face externally (seeing someone or some object in the room) or internally (seeing something in your mind or reflecting on something).  These change from phrase to phrase and thought to thought.  Thoughts must precede gestures, and gestures must precede the words coming out of the singer's mouth.  They are not naturally simultaneous. 
Dan Montez, Director of Taconic Opera

Include the audience somehow.  Communicate naturally and unselfconsciously.  This may mean you look someone in the eye or not. Brian Dickie, Chicago Opera Theater

95% of singers use meaningless gestures during an audition.  Dan Montez  Don't be one of them.

Take the time to interpret your music and figure out where and when you might move based on the text. Make movement mean something, not just flailing your arms.  It is important to have an outside perspective when working out motions.  Work with an acting or drama coach or ask you sister or roommate to listen and watch you sing and get their input.  Less is often more.  Use your dynamics to express and make your movements truly because you are expressing the text.  Simple and clean while using a little bit of space are good mottoes.  Ultimately, the people at the audition are going to listen to your voice, but it is helpful for them to know you are comfortable on stage.

Find out more about acting and singing by asking your voice teacher or acting teacher to work on connecting the two!

Audition- Raise the Bar on Your Quality Audition

Auditions can be a daunting thing or not!  An audition is what you make of it.  It is another opportunity to share what you do well with potential employers or casting auditors.  What you do to prepare and what you do in the audition room both matter!  Make the most of it by doing the following:



1.  Preparation
 - Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse and be prepared beyond your wildest dreams.
 - Know the audition piece inside and out musically and dramatically
 - Be accountable to present your BEST from making sure the language and music are well coached and the dramatic qualities of your pieces are exceptional.

2. Think of the Audition as a First Date - Put on your best clothes and be a good host!
 - You want to make a good impression, so dress appropriately for the character and make eye contact when you shake hands with the auditors.
 - Make the auditors comfortable in your presence
 - SMILE and bring positive energy into the room
 - You want the auditors to know you will be fun and pleasant to work with- show it!
 - Be kind to your accompanist - they are your best ally in the room
 - If you are well-prepared,confident, and determined to have fun in the audition, you won't have time to think about being nervous.

3. Auditions have changed- Don't just stand and sing- MOVE
 - It's okay to move around and act out your audition piece
 - Move with confidence so they can really see what you are expressing
 - Movement will also free your voice and keep wobbly legs from nerves under control

4. Know Yourself
 - What are your strengths as a person and as a singer?  Be honest with yourself and then bring those attributes to the table.  Take time to find your strengths.

At an audition where you select the repertoire, pick it carefully:
   * If you are funny, make sure you have a couple of comedic selections in your repertoire
   * If you know you sing faster songs best, start with an Allegro selection
   * If you know you express sadness well in singing, start with a depressing aria

At an audition where they select  one song to sing:
   * Research the music. Know it's history so you can act it out accurately
   * Make it YOURS from there and add your own personality/interpretation
   * Be your (funny, happy, pleasant) self in the room no matter what!

You make the most of each audition by bringing your best prepared dish (song) to the table and letting the auditors feast on (listen to) the knowledge that you are talented and will be a pleasure with which to work.  Happy Auditioning!