A Quick Warmup to release tension and stress
Get to the Present
It’s game day today! I get to play a show at my favorite spot with 4 incredible musicians. I want to make sure I feel relaxed and present. Oh the present! It’s generally a tough place to be for us isn’t it? I know for me I’m always consumed by so many events past and future; get the bills paid, get the kid’s homework done, get everyone to bed on time, pick-ups, drop-offs, the ever changing lesson schedule for my students, return phone calls, and don’t even get me started on my inbox. You know it right?! It’s NEVERENDING! There is always something that needs to be addressed, responded to and scheduled.
When you work in a band, or just like any team at work, it’s paramount to keep every member informed. The logistics of the next gig, getting the members paid, the song list, what key, who is singing what, load in time, where to enter the building with our tons of gear without interrupting a patron’s prime rib. Then there is the general promotion of a show because we all know that the more people who come to support us, the happier the bar owner, the more gig dates offered by said bar owner! We have to invite fans to the gig, send out the email blast, social media posts, invite the booking agents, take video to promote the next show.
When it comes to prepping meetings and larger events in the corporate world, a more extensive list exists. Planning an event can be an epic adventure, don’t you agree!? And the curtain goes up, the event begins and now the only thing we can do is hope we crossed all our i’s and dotted all those t’s for a successful time for all involved. Do you ever have the hardest time ever just relaxing and letting it all go? It’s tough isn’t it?
Well read on and breathe deep. We have to keep sight of the end goal…to do what we love and succeed at it. Success is guaranteed when we remain present and allow ourselves to let go of all the noise and just absorb the moment that we have worked so hard to arrive at.
Trusting the process and telling yourself you did everything you can to make the evening perfect and just enjoying the moment. In the present. It’s really hard. It’s usually the time that exhaustion sets in right and you feel like crawling under a table for a long over-due nap. RIGHT!?
Take these few minutes for yourself to read on and focus in on this warm-up as it will transport you to a place for you to emphasize where you are physically so you can accelerate concentration mentally. Regardless of the crazy day you may have had, any anxiety you are feeling about something going on in your life or any other distractions that can dull your focus, this warm-up is a gift you can give yourself.
These down and dirty vocal exercises may not be just about warming up those vocal chords of yours! Yes, it may take 10 minutes away from that crazy schedule you were trying to pin down and I’m truly sorry to say this but it won’t empty your inbox. What it will do is get you primed and ready and feeling better than ever about your performance that lies ahead. This warm up opens up the caverns of your body that hold all that stress we carry around. It will create a space for you to be open, aware, awake and feeling present in the moment you were about to embark on. Get ready to sail away!
This warm-up can take anywhere from 5 – 20 minutes. This chart below is available to guide you so you can set a timer, set your phone to airplane mode, and absorb this time set aside for you and your musical soul! Some of these movements will feel exaggerated but it’s all in the name of stretching and creating space in your body to resonate sound. A good stretch will heighten your awareness of your posture and the senses. And who doesn’t want supermodel posture or cheetah-like senses? OK Let’s get to it!
The Stretch – rubber band
The diaphragm…
Is your money muscle, this is where all the magic happens. Take some long, deep breaths and notice your lower rib cage. The diaphragm lives between your thoracic space (your heart and lungs) and your abdominal cavity so it is basically Grand Central Station for managing your breath and circulating your blood. Typically when we breath, our chest expands on the inhale and sometimes our shoulders go up and your vertebrae may lengthen. But for the sake of this exercise, try to force your breath downwards as your breath oxygen in to push your diaphragm and your gut out. So first your belly will expand and if you take in enough air so will your chest from the bottom up.
Practice 4 or 5 long breaths honing in on this area of the body. Envision your whole body filling up with air…yes you are a hot air balloon at this very moment.
The Shoulders
Now we all know the shoulders are the shipping containers for our stress. (Aaaaargh!!) The stress and tension can build over time from our own self-inflicted activities, or a stressful event can unload a shock of stress to our systems. However the wave hits you, I want you to stop and say to yourself; “YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR OWN BODY!” We have the ability to physical remove toxic stress from our systems and one way to do that is to work from the outside in. When our bodies are physically more adept, we can internally manage mental stress more efficiently.
Shrug those bad boys up and down 5 times, as you shrug up try to have them touch your ears, and gently push and extend them down. On the 5th repetition roll them back and down. Imagine your shoulder blades kissing your rib cage. Yep, it’s a love fest!
The Neck
Our necks, our thoracic vertebrae is another tricky contender when it comes to stress and I’ve seen you all do it, we crack our necks this way and that way, thinking that we can alleviate our neck and back pain. Please continue reading with care! It’s so easy to twist and tweak our necks out of whack. It could cause major damage if we over exert this major intersection of our body.
Gently turn your head side to side and let your ears say hello to your shoulders.. Then just take some small, GENTLE half circles forward from one side to the other. Do 6 half circles. Then with your mouth closed, bring your chin down to your chest which may be another kiss of your chin to chest.
Now following this little stretch I want you to notice that the back of your neck may be more elongated. This is good! Be aware that your chin and chest should be close neighbors allowing space at the back of the head and neck.
The jaw
Our mandible bone, the strongest bone in our beautiful faces, is another culprit that holds stress. I have always suffered from tightness and pain in my temporomandibular joints, also known as “TMJ.” In college I learned a fabulous exercise to release and relax my jaw from a wonderful professor, Katherine Lenel. She is a happy soul and always made me laugh with exercises to open up and build awareness of all the wonderful space and areas for resonance in our bodies. I encourage you to check out her book, The Radiance Technique(R) and Cancer. You can find it on Amazon, [https://amzn.to/2Pkxdt5].
Clasp your hands together in front of your chest. Envision all of your tension releasing down your arms, into your lower jaw. Now on an exhale shake your hands and let your jaw shake with it. Shake It Off!! (You may need to watch my video here to get this one.)
The Yawn
Last stretch here. Take a big, well-deserved yawn.
A yawn sends extra oxygen to your brain. A yawn is my go-to when I’m tired, nervous, tense or need to relax. It will not only help you wake up but also stretches out your face and throat. Embrace the yawn!
The Face
As I’ve mentioned body awareness is imperative for great singing and speaking. Holding tension can prevent us from accessing the breath support and space we need internally to produce our best voice. It’s typical when we work out to stretch out our larger muscle groups, our hips, hamstrings, chest, etc. But what about our face? Our faces are the vehicle to communicate, express our emotions and tell our stories. Did you know the face houses over 20 muscles? We need to give them a workout now and again? Shake ‘em up! Now if you are in your car doing this exercise and you get dirty looks, please just take the opportunity to stretch out your tongue and stick to to ‘em! They are missing out on a great warm-up! Ha!
Ok, all together now…take a deep breath in and on the exhale…tongue out, eyes open wide, spread those giant nostrils and say Ahhhhhhhh. Empty all the CO2 from your system. Repeat!
Next, place your tongue at the base of your bottom teeth and push the back of your tongue out of your mouth. Yep, it’s a tongue stretch.
The Sound
I want you to envision with each of these sounds, that are about to erupt from your big, beautiful voice, that you are standing in a wide-open space. Perhaps you are on top of a mountain range surrounded by green trees and blue sky, or floating in the ocean with minimal waves on a gorgeous, clear day. Perhaps you are on 46th and 8th in the middle of bustling NYC. Wherever your happy place may be for the day, just close your eyes and go there for a few short moments. Let your desktop, your phone, your family, all your responsibilities slip from your mind and focus on the sound. Don’t think about pitch or tone, just thinking about freedom, letting go of any opinion or judgement you may have about what you are about to sound like. You can start at a higher place and work your way down to a lower place or start low and go high. It’s not about pitch, it’s just about finding the range of tones that your own individual voice box can produce.
Repeat each sound 3 times, slowly and with intention. “dance like nobody is watching people, you can do it!’
Sound #1: Hmmmm
Sound #2: Ning Ning Ning
Sound #3: Oui, Oui, Oui [oooo-uuuuu-eeeee]
Sound #4: Shrill your lips. Rubber lips
Sound #5: Ya Ya Ya ya
Sound #6: The vowels [a-e-i-o-u]
Sound #7: Va Va Va Voom
Sound #8: Ha ha ha ha
And there you go, you did it! Whether you spent 5 minutes or 30 minutes playing around with all the sounds you have at your disposal, you have completed a successful warm-up. Well done! Any time spent on discovering and playing around with the resonance of your voice and noticing where your body vibrates or feels a sensation is all in the name of improving your voice. The best reward is the newfound awareness of the power in your voice.
I wish you the best of luck at your next gig, speaking engagement or mega performance in your living room for your dog. Wherever you go, take your best voice with you and enjoy the ride! Feel free to comment on how it goes, I’d love to hear all about it.
