Your Whole Body is an Instrument

Singing and vocal production is created by more than just the vocal cords. Understanding vocal production enables individuals to make choices with their voice that fit their gender expression best. Posture, tension, relaxation, and hydration all play a role in forming sound. To effectively change or shift your voice requires being aware and present in your body. 

Being present in your body can bring up a lot of stress, memories and dysphoria. It’s important to remember that slow consistent progress for a short amount of time is more effective than an intense long practice session. To make a long lasting change, consistency is key. This can be helpful for those who have a hard time engaging with their body as it allows for individuals to engage for a little each day and then move onto things that are less stressful. 

The first step of shifting the voice to be more authentic requires being present and noticing what feels good, what feels tense, what feels strained, what feels relaxed, etc. From there, stretch the body parts that are stiff and notice if it’s localized to the individual muscles that are tense or if that tension is affecting a wider area of the body. Sometimes strengthening an area can help with muscle tension as it can mean some muscles are being overused or some muscles are being neglected. It doesn’t need to be an entire work out, just a little time here and there can make a huge difference overall in body tension.

The body’s alignment often impacts the quality of noise coming from the vocal cords. It’s important to have a relaxed posture that is aligned- knees slightly bent over feet, feet being hip wide, straight back (natural curves are there for a reason allow them to be at a balanced location) and shoulders open and down, the head aligned above the torso so as not to be too forward or too back. See the image to the right to get a clearer picture of that alignment. If something feels too strained or tense it is likely out of alignment. It may be helpful to have someone familiar with singing posture look at your posture.

Noticing your body-and the alignment you have is essential in creating a voice that is sustainable and flexible. It can be helpful to get assistance from a trauma informed professional if being present in your body is a challenge.