No Vocal Competition with Vocal Uniqueness

I have a unique slant on what performance is. This may surprise you in this day of gladiator-style vocal competition. You can quote me:

The best voice comes not from competition with other
voices but from a pursuit of its own excellence.

I say there is no competition with uniqueness. The REASON we sing will be a big reason for the WAY we sing. If your first goal of performance is money or celebrity, sit down and listen. A strong ability to move someone with vocal performance will trump the fame and fortune in soul satisfaction, and oddly enough, fame and fortune often follows. The business should follow the music, not the other way around. This paradigm shift has set many a voice free, immediately, in my office, and several careers have been born or re-born. It's a beautiful thing!

Today Is World Voice Day!

This is a day when the international community of vocalists is celebrating... the voice! According to the official World Voice Day website:

Every year on April 16, otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons and other voice health professionals worldwide join together to recognize World Voice Day. World Voice Day encourages men and women, young and old, to assess their vocal health and take action to improve or maintain good voice habits. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery has sponsored the U.S. observance of World Voice Day since its inception in 2002.

To honor this day, I'd like to ask you, dear readers, some questions:

• How is your voice feeling? sounding?
  

• What vocal techniques have you learned (and from where) that have helped you stay out of the otolaryngologist's office?

• What are your burning questions about how your voice works and what affects it?

• What are the ideas you want the sound of your voice to communicate?
  

• Why do you sing?

• How do you maintain the physical health of your voice?

Your answers to any and all of these questions will be shared with the community of blog readers here. We all thank you!

Click the comment link at the website to share your thoughts.