Happy New Year! This year, you can achieve all of your vocal New Year’s Resolutions with Estill Voice Training®. Whether you want to hit that high note or free your voice of pain and fatigue, Estill Voice Training has solutions for you! Let’s explore the top 5 voice resolutions for 2022 and see how Estill Voice Training can help you achieve them.
Resolution #1: Sing Higher
Pitch is prepared in the musculature of the larynx and vocal tract before the tone is made. Singing higher starts with a daily siren. Try it- siren on an “ng” (as in sing) from your lowest note to your highest note. Were some of your top notes missing? A bit of extra effort in a siren will enhance the upper range: cry harder and imagine you can see out the back of your head. Doing this daily will help strengthen your voice especially when singing high.
Resolution #2: Learn How to Belt
Alarmingly loud in small spaces, but thrilling to hear in live theatrical performance, belt is heard in all genres of singing & speaking. Jump up and shout: “Yay!” Generate the excitement and joy of attending a sporting event and seeing the home team break a tie and take the lead. How much breath was needed to generate this big sound? (none…) How much resistance was felt in the larynx? (none…) And what happened in the body, automatically, to support this sound? (Anchor) Belting is a high intensity sport. Little breath, a big smile, and a supportive body is your first step to achieving the belt of your dreams.
Resolution #3: Practice Efficiently
Work smarter, NOT harder. When learning and practicing, try doing some of your exercises in silence. Silent practice is often revealing, and has the further advantage of conserving the voice. Always listen harder to the muscles than the voice. Muscle Effort is a more reliable guide than your ear. Once the voice is heard it is too late to change it. It cannot be called back for revision. So don’t waste your voice, practice silently.
Resolution #4: Speak Free of Pain & Fatigue
Imagine you are speaking to the cutest little baby you have ever seen! This vocal action is tilting your thyroid. Thyroid Tilt adds ease, sweetness, and clarity to the speaking voice and removes stress from the vocal folds. It also encourages False Vocal Fold Retraction, an open throat, that further clears the tone. Make sure your speaking voice recipe includes False Vocal Fold Retraction, an internal smile, and Thyroid Tilt.
Resolution #5: Learn More About the Voice
The voice production system is both dynamic and complex. When you feel, see, and hear how the voice works, you’ll see how vocal knowledge is vocal power! Our newest offering, Foundations of Estill Voice Training, is a completely self guided and self directed online course. This course can help you strengthen your skills by diving deep into our science-backed, data driven program to train the voice. You’ll also master healthy vocal function while gaining range, flexibility and endurance.