Yesterday night, I watched a whole episode of The Voice for the first time. This was a huge feat because in the past, I'd have avoided these kinds of shows because I would feel a little.. envy, I think. I know, stupid, right? Some might even say a little selfish? :( Don't get me wrong, I was always blown away by these voices and talented vocalists that were competing. But that was kind of the problem. Embarrassingly enough, it was as if I didn't want to watch what they could do because instead of enjoying it, I thought I would just feel sad that I couldn't do something like that. But I finally was able to watch with appreciation and a positive admiration. And I learned something. I learned a lot, actually, from each one of their styles, and from the comments from the judges. I observed the way the singers held their microphones, how they moved on stage. And I listened to their voices with a whole other set of ears that I didn't have before.
My 'new set of ears' are from having been given the opportunity over the past few months to learn a little about the workings of the voice, MY voice, myself. And to be able to sing, and get feedback on the singing from a vocal coach regularly has become a dream come true to me. I didn't even know that I COULD sing. I don't even think I liked my voice, and I didn't really want to hear it, let alone have other people hear it. I just wasn't sure what to do with it, or how to use it. And I was so afraid of 'sounding' horrible. But what I didn't realize that my voice is my sound. It is a part of my identity, it's a part of my expression, it's a part of my being. And it's meant to be heard, and used, and released, not just for others to hear, but perhaps more importantly, for myself to get to know and love.
With that awareness now, with being able to voice my SELF through song, through training, through practise, I am learning to love a whole new part of me, that... strangely enough, was always there. I just didn't allow it to shine, or be heard. But now that I'm slowly revealing that part of me, I can also see the beauty of it in other people. I can hear each person in their voice, even when they are all singing the same song, they have different personalities, different styles, different expressions, different notes and phrases that they emphasize. And they are telling a story, THEIR story. And I just feel resonance of their stories all around me. It is a sound that is in all of us, and is meant to be shared. Thank you for allowing me to share my voice, and to finally appreciate that same sharing by others :-)
My 'new set of ears' are from having been given the opportunity over the past few months to learn a little about the workings of the voice, MY voice, myself. And to be able to sing, and get feedback on the singing from a vocal coach regularly has become a dream come true to me. I didn't even know that I COULD sing. I don't even think I liked my voice, and I didn't really want to hear it, let alone have other people hear it. I just wasn't sure what to do with it, or how to use it. And I was so afraid of 'sounding' horrible. But what I didn't realize that my voice is my sound. It is a part of my identity, it's a part of my expression, it's a part of my being. And it's meant to be heard, and used, and released, not just for others to hear, but perhaps more importantly, for myself to get to know and love.
With that awareness now, with being able to voice my SELF through song, through training, through practise, I am learning to love a whole new part of me, that... strangely enough, was always there. I just didn't allow it to shine, or be heard. But now that I'm slowly revealing that part of me, I can also see the beauty of it in other people. I can hear each person in their voice, even when they are all singing the same song, they have different personalities, different styles, different expressions, different notes and phrases that they emphasize. And they are telling a story, THEIR story. And I just feel resonance of their stories all around me. It is a sound that is in all of us, and is meant to be shared. Thank you for allowing me to share my voice, and to finally appreciate that same sharing by others :-)
