I want you to come for private lessons precisely when you haven't been able to practice / Private lesson record
This is WILLy.
I just finished a private lesson.
The very first thing I told them in this session was,
"I want you to come for lessons precisely when you haven't been able to practice"
that was it.
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The student mentioned that due to their health recently, they hadn't been able to practice as much as they wanted.
As the day of the private lesson approached,
"Is it okay for me to attend even though I haven't practiced?"
"Wouldn't it be better to cancel today?"
They said they had feelings like these.
I have felt the same way when taking lessons myself, and I think it is a feeling common to many people.
But, at least in my private lessons, I actually,
want you to come for private lessons precisely when you haven't been able to practice.
I truly believe that.
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This is because private lessons act as a breakwater against the state of not being able to practice.
And because taking private lessons regularly leads to regular practice in the end.
It is 100 times better than stopping altogether without practicing or taking private lessons.
That is what I think.
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Another important thing I conveyed was,
“Let's work on overwriting the idea of canceling when you haven't been able to practice as a future goal.”
That is what I meant.
In many cases,
“I shouldn't go because I haven't done it properly”
is not so much a thought chosen by the person themselves, but something that has seeped in over time through past education and social norms.
Do it properly before presenting it.
Show it only after you can do it.
Participate only after you are in a state where you won't cause trouble.
Of course, such values can be useful in social life.
But in learning to sing or use your voice, they are often more of a hindrance.
◆
Humans are singing creatures.
This is not a metaphor, but an essential characteristic that defines the human species.
Of course, there are individual differences in how people relate to singing.
Some people are fine without singing.
But like me and many of the students who come to me,
there are also people who will accumulate stress in the long term if they don't sing.
For such people, securing time to sing is not a hobby or a luxury.
It is, without exaggeration, a necessity for living.
This is a fundamental truth.
That is precisely why,
when you start to feel,
“Is it really okay for me to be doing this?”
you need to gradually overwrite those feelings within yourself by saying,
“No, this is what I need.”
And this, too, is practice.
It is just as important as practicing your voice.
◆
After that, we actually worked on vocalizing.
This time, using Billie Holiday's singing style as a subject, we looked at vocal resonance, body balance, sensations around the face, and the relationship with the ground.
The detailed content would be too long, so I won't write it here.
However, what was important this time was that
the voice does not resonate because you try to make it resonate
is the point.
When you try and try to make it resonate, tension is created somewhere in your body.
As a result, the voice becomes blocked instead.
Instead of that,
the relationship between the sensations in the lower part of the body and the ground/gravity, how to perceive the skeletal structure, how to make the space inside the mouth resonate, and the movement of the skin and facial muscles.
how to perceive the skeletal structure
how to make the space inside the mouth resonate
the movement of the skin and facial muscles
You look at those things carefully.
Then, as a result, the voice you want to achieve will resonate.
Rather than making it resonate,
it is more about cultivating a state where it resonates on its own.
I think that is closer to the truth.
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At the end of the lesson,
I spoke about the effect that sound has on the body.
The body reacts to sounds heard from the outside.
The voice emerges in accordance with that reaction.
The process by which children learn language and songs is basically the same.
That function remains in adults as well.
Therefore, it is essential to practice not just by looking inward, but also by receiving the voices and physical sensations of excellent singers from the outside.
Focusing on your own body.
And receiving sound stimuli from the outside.
Both of these are necessary.
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Taking joy in the act of practicing itself
When we talk about practice, our consciousness inevitably turns toward the results.
Of course, results are important.
If there is a performance, you also need to prepare for it.
But if you only look at the results while practicing, it becomes painful.
Especially with voice practice, not everything yields immediate, obvious results.
I saw a little bit.
The reaction changed slightly.
For just a moment, the sensation connected.
I understand better than before where to look in my body.
It is a accumulation of such small changes.
Therefore, when practicing,
focus quite a bit more on the joy of the process.
This is important.
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You entered the practice space.
That alone is a step forward.
You used your voice for just 30 seconds.
That alone is a step forward.
You weren't feeling great today, but you came for a private lesson.
That alone is a step forward.
By doing that, you teach your body and emotions,
"This is a good thing."
and tell them that.
You are reprogramming yourself in the direction of singing.
Because we have spent a long time,
"Singing can wait,"
"Practice time for myself is a luxury,"
"I should only show it once I can do it properly."
having these feelings imprinted on us.
To counter that, we need to take our time and carefully overwrite it with a different sensation.
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At Koedai Lab, we view the voices of traditional folk music as a "form," and practice means reflecting on oneself through the wisdom of the ancients.
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