In a recent blog post, Robert Sussuma urges singers to “stop warming up, doing exercises, and practising.”
He is being a little provocative, but it has prompted me to reflect on whether singers need to warm up or not before singing.
As a member of the Natural Voice Network (NVN), I share a belief that our voices are rooted in our bodies.
But it’s not just the NVN, most professional singers believe this too.
We live in a fast, short-attention span world. People expect instant gratification.
But becoming competent at something takes time.
We all strive for perfection in our singing. At the same time, we realise that being 100% perfect is impossible.
By aiming for perfection we can become blind to our achievements and how good we actually are.
I often record the songs I teach in workshops and the concerts that my groups do.
But when I listen back a few days later, I’m often disappointed. Why is that?
Many people feel that they need permission before they can sing.
Somebody needs to tell them it’s OK before they can even open their mouths. What’s going on here?
There is an old Zimbabwean proverb that says, “if you can walk, then you can dance; if you can talk, then you can sing.”
But I believe that you need to be able to dance in order to sing well. It should be: “if you can dance, then you can sing.”
