Jeanie’s Blog

Chest register, chest resonance, chest tone, lower register, heavy register, heavy mechanism, “supported voice”, full voice, speaking voice quality, thick folds, TA activity, “twangy” belt (I really dislike that one). There are probably more words. Are they all the same? Many would argue they are not. You can go on: Mix, head/mix, chest/mix, legit/mix, belt/mix, light/mix, twangy/mix, ...

There is a difference between not knowing something and knowing it but covering it up to hide something for a deceitful purpose. There are some few individuals who teach singing who have a very skewed view of themselves. They have managed to ingratiate themselves to the right people by “playing their cards well”. To medical doctors, ...

There is general consensus from decades of research that belting raises the larynx in most people. The degree to which it is raised can be anything from a little to a whole lot. The position of the Speech Language Pathologists has always been that a raised larynx is by definition hyper-functional. That would be under ...

There are many people who are interested in the extremes of singing. It is, actually, a fascinating topic. If you do a little searching, you will find vocal artists of all kinds who are exploring all manner of vocal sound in all pitch ranges and all volume levels. They do not want to be limited, ...

There is something called “group mind consciousness”. Karl Jung called it “collective unconscious” but I would call it “collective agreement”. It is a kind of loosely held group of ideas that many people agree to hold as being valid. In each group, whether it contains millions of people or just two, there are assumptions about what ...

Attention teachers and students: Are you a singer age 10-17 or do you know a young singer who sings jazz and blues who wants to pursue singing at a high level? Here’s a chance to meet other serious young singers in a supportive and professional environment with leaders in the field of jazz and voice instruction.In ...

Once upon a time in the ancient days of the middle of the 20th Century, we had the idea that singing sounds should represent the sounds found in life. This unique idea, that what people sound like when they are emotional in real life might also be how they sound when they are being emotional ...

Take a sound holiday. Spend an hour without talking. Just listen. Really listen. Take in all the sound around you. Go for a walk. Go someplace and just listen. We are surrounded by sound. It comes at us from all directions. Most of the time we don’t pay much attention, especially if we are hearing more ...

We are living in a time when being ignorant is considered to be a good thing. That is really scary, but it’s true. The populace is afraid of science, convinced the government is the enemy, and believes that the Republican party has the interests of the poor as a part of its platform. We are living ...

Over the years, I have been sent people who are already in a show who are in some kind of vocal trouble. The producers want a “quick fix” for the singer. They want the person to get “better” by having a “few tips” or a “few sessions”. This reflects the idea that singing is something you ...

A medical doctor who is an ear, nose and throat specialist, may also specialize in laryngology or the care and treatment of the larynx and of the voice. This is a small category within the profession at large. Many of the laryngologists (but not all of them) deal with professional speakers or singers. Some laryngologists are ...

Educate: from the Latin Educere: to lead out. To bring up. One who educates leads the way by shedding some light on the path. We bring others up by extending our hand. Hopefully. If you have a teacher who does not help you see the route, or help you walk upon it, question why you would ...

An injured professional vocalist. What an awful combination of words. What does it mean to someone whose life rests on singing to have that singing become impaired? When an athlete or performer gets injured, much more is involved than just a loss of skills.  When you are the product and your body is responsible for being ...

If you are truly full of gratitude – for life, for your health, for your spouse or partner, for your pet, for anything at all — that gratitude will flow into a sense of wonder at life itself. It will also become spontaneous generosity if it isn’t stopped from being so. Generosity. What’s generous? If you ...

In your world, your word is law. In your world, your word is law. What you tell yourself, what you say in your mind, is so. No one can say that you do not tell yourself what you tell yourself. No one can get inside your head and make you stop saying or thinking something ...