The Prof Says

by Randy Moomaw
One of the biggest challenges that singers, actors, and other performing artists face is getting to the core of what’s real and honest so they can clearly communicate the message of a song or story, as they express its proper feel and phrasing.

As we get older we tend to put on layers of pretense and defense to protect ourselves so we don’t get hurt or so we can safely hide what we don’t want others to see. However, that approach actually cheapens or muddies the art of communication.

There was an exercise I was exposed to as an actor years ago in L.A. that was designed to help peel away those layers that we learn to wrap ourselves in for the sake of survival, fitting in, pleasing others, and self-protection. He wanted us to reconnect with that open, uncomplicated, childlike place we’d buried, where trust and make-believe were once not only accessible, but could always be readily engaged.

Take Off The Mask
The same challenge with peeling away the layers comes with singing. You can’t be uptight and fighting your vulnerability and then expect to communicate the message of your song and emotionally connect with your audience. You wind up with those masks or layers limiting the depth of your performance.

Many acting coaches actually use children’s games to get people to loosen up, be more vulnerable, imaginative, and expressive. This one coach also used lullabies to get actors back to the basics. So, we asked our Brett Manning Associates if something as simple and primal has any value as a coaching tool.

Soothing For Brett Manning
“I’ve sung lullabies to my children at the end of the night to give them a sense of peace

A Solid Singing Tool To Tap Interested In Your Likely

Are you an inspired
singer and song
writer?
 Who inspires you?  What’s your favorite music style?  Barry Manilow?  That’s ok.  If Barry is your guy, let his style inspire you.  Who else inspires you as a singer and potential songwriter?  Is it the music artist or the style of music?  Are you a classic rock fan?  If so, who “lights up your world”?  Led Zepplin?  Chicago?  Rolling Stones?  KISS?  Who?  Are you more of a classic rat pack person?  Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet? Sammy Davis Jr., or Dean Martin?  Or perhaps one of the new, more “hip” crooners?
Think about that person and what they might do to make you feel that way. Write about that feeling, or you can always just ask the person if they have any ideas for what kind of song you could write for them. Having an inspiration

Learn How To Sing And Learn To Write! Part 5