The man posted that he had been trying to sing the tenor part along with a recording of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus," but his throat was too tight. He mentioned the remedies he tried and asked for other suggestions. I was quite astonished at the comments and advice given --- everything from warm milk to juices to herbal teas to essential oils. But his problem probably stemmed more from a simple LACK OF SINGING.
Muscles need to be exercised regularly to stay in good working order.
Muscles need to be exercised regularly to stay in good working order.
I know of what I speak. I have not felt like singing since my husband's passing. Grief can take a physical as well as an emotional toll. That when combined with the situation of not being allowed to combine your voice with those of other singers, their energy and enthusiasm cannot even buoy you up. The longer you go without singing, the harder it is to get the drive to get back into singing. Some singer friends have given me their own reasons why they have not been singing --- anxiety, uncertainty, laziness, and the fear of spreading the Covid 19 virus by the mere act of singing. That's when as a singer you realize that your vocal apparatus doesn't automatically operate well if you suddenly happen to try to sing. So you just give up and don't sing.
A friend shared with me how difficult it has been to teach vocal students over the internet. This is her livelihood, so she has had to make the best of a poor situation. Trying to hear and see well enough to evaluate students over less than optimum tech devices has been really difficult for her. She feels so hampered in her efforts to teach because she cannot instantly demonstrate or manipulate the students' bodily poses to make a difference in their development. And then there is the problem of sound delay...
I feel sorry for those teachers of singing and choral conductors who have trained so long to make beautiful music with their singers, but cannot do even the basic things like promote BLEND, BALANCE and NUANCE in a rehearsal, let alone in a performance. The Virtual Choirs that are popping up all over social media are a nice thought, but are not as good as the real thing. The singers as individuals cannot do what choral singers are supposed to do when they sing in a vacuum. It simply is not the same experience as uniting with a group of singers in the same space, sharing the same spirit and vibrations, making music together.
Oh, I hope and pray that this Coronavirus Pandemic will be controlled soon and that choirs can get back to the business of making beautiful music together IN THE SAME SPACE!
A friend shared with me how difficult it has been to teach vocal students over the internet. This is her livelihood, so she has had to make the best of a poor situation. Trying to hear and see well enough to evaluate students over less than optimum tech devices has been really difficult for her. She feels so hampered in her efforts to teach because she cannot instantly demonstrate or manipulate the students' bodily poses to make a difference in their development. And then there is the problem of sound delay...
I feel sorry for those teachers of singing and choral conductors who have trained so long to make beautiful music with their singers, but cannot do even the basic things like promote BLEND, BALANCE and NUANCE in a rehearsal, let alone in a performance. The Virtual Choirs that are popping up all over social media are a nice thought, but are not as good as the real thing. The singers as individuals cannot do what choral singers are supposed to do when they sing in a vacuum. It simply is not the same experience as uniting with a group of singers in the same space, sharing the same spirit and vibrations, making music together.
Oh, I hope and pray that this Coronavirus Pandemic will be controlled soon and that choirs can get back to the business of making beautiful music together IN THE SAME SPACE!
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