As a singing teacher I am questioning if mindfulness could assist with the development of vocal technique. Why? Because I am a vocal teacher who cares about my student’s well-being. I am wanting to create a non-judgemental approach to learning and developing vocal technique.
There are many definitions of mindfulness that I will introduce in time, but for today, mindfulness is ‘non-judgemental attention’ (Rosenzweig, 2013).
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Mindfulness Singing.
Many people put pressure on themselves after just one singing lesson, if they feel they haven’t achieved what they ‘think’ they should have. Putting pressure on yourself causes muscle tension and this isn’t going to help a singer improve nor is it going to add to the enjoyment that singing should bring you.
I have always been fascinated with the concept of mindfulness because the mind, is our thoughts and our thoughts are sometimes controlled and sometimes, they just appear on their own, as ‘mental chatter’ (Elliot, 2010).
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Thoughts can be positive but sometimes negative, self-doubt (Blackhurst,2021) and it is the negative thoughts within my practice of teaching that I am interested in learning to control.
If a student is struggling to develop their #vocal technique, it could be for many reasons such as; worry, fear, stresses or other causes such as #anxiety. Subsequently, this apprehension causes muscle tension which, can create barriers for furthering vocal development.
A non-judgemental approach to learning new vocal technique could decrease nerves, and consequently could improve vocal technique.
Mindfulness Research.
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I am currently expanding my knowledge through research in areas I believe are important, in order to develop voice technique for singers further.
Mindfulness is a fascinating topic and I am excited to share with you what I have discovered, and how I will be applying mindfulness into my singing practice.
References:
Blackhurst, L. (2021) ‘Exploring the Whole Singing Self with Technique, Contemplative Education, and Mindfulness’ Teachers College, Columbia University, pp. 1-297.
Rosenzweig, D. (2013) ‘The Sisters of Mindfulness’, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(8), pp. 793-804. DOI:10.1002/jclp.22015
Elliot, M. (2010) ‘Singing and Mindfulness’, Journal of Singing, 67(1), pp. 35-40.
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