new era of singing training 2014

8/9/2019 New Era of Singing Training 2014

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The NEW ERA

of SINGING TRAINING

Why Breakthrough Methods CanDramatically Improve Your Voice

by Per Bristow

Creator of The BRISTOW VOICE METHOD

and the

SING WITH FREEDOM / THE SINGING ZONEhome study program

Training people in 132 countriesto sing and perform with confidence and freedom!

www.TheSingingZone.com

Per Bristow - All rights reserved

The New Era Of Singing Training www.TheSingingZone.com Page 2
http://www.thesingingzone.com/http://www.thesingingzone.com/


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FOREWORD

In 2008 I published the first version of this report,and while I hoped it would have an impact and behelpful for people, I didnt quite realize what wouldhappen.

Since then, I am immensely grateful and humbledthat singers in 132 countries of all levels, styles andages have embraced the concepts of the BristowVoice Methodthrough the Sing With Freedom / TheSinging Zonehome study program.

I published my method to a broader audience with

the intent of helping people discover more of what they are truly capable of.This instrument that we call the voice is so powerful on so many levels. Songin all forms benefit mankind. A confident and empowered you benefitsmankind.

So today I am releasing this report once again. I feel the information is justas pertinent today as it was a few years ago. Frankly, it is as important as itever was in 2008. I hope you too find it helpful and that it inspires you tosing, perform, and live with greater success and freedom.

ENJOY!

Per Bristow

http://www.thesingingzone.com/


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Why Do You Sing?

Who wouldnt want to sound and feel good when they sing?

I take it youre not raising your hand :)

After all, you are here reading this for a reason. But in all seriousness, I doubt thereare many in this world who deep inside wouldnt want to sing better.

Singing is a fundamental and natural way of expressing ourselves. Singingbonds. Singing lifts our spirits. Singing feels good.

There is no known society or tribe that doesnt sing (unless suppressed). Infact, we could argue that we all sang long before we were able toform sounds into language.

Maybe you want to be able to experience the high of 50,000 cheering fans maybe

you want to be the front singer of your band, or succeed at your next Idol, X Factoror The Voice audition? Maybe you want to see your friends jaws drop when theyhear you at the next karaoke night?

Maybe you love singing in a choir? Or maybe you simply want to experience thetrue inner joy of singing a sense of confidence and freedom whether you sing byyourself or with others?

However.

maybe you feel you arent good enough? Maybe you dont think you are talented?

Maybe you experience strain, fatigue, hoarseness or some other kind of voiceproblem?

Maybe you are frustrated because you cant sing those high notes or that youdont have the strength and power you would like to have that you sing off keyor you simply dont sound as good as you would like to

Maybe you are frustrated because you feel nervous and awkward in front of people

Maybe you you know you are a good singer, but you also know that thee is morewithin you more that would make you even more successful?

If so, you are right. There is more within you. Much more!

In this report I am going to outline why it is that you can indeeddevelopyour singing voice dramatically, and why you can do it faster than youprobably are aware of.

In fact, Im not only going to address why you can sound better than ever, buthow you can literally turn your voice into a magnet of attraction.



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The Promise Of A Greater Voice

I have coached singers and speakers inthe Los Angeles area for almost two

decades, and they come to me because Iprovide no ordinary singing lessons.

They come to me because they knowthat my coaching is more than justimproving the physical voice.

I am known for helping a personheal asevere voice problem, to communicateand express withgreater freedom andconfidence, to becomehealthier, to be able toperform at your peakwhen it matters the most.

And, yes, to become more attractive, spontaneous, alive, powerful andinfluential.

Perhaps you have seen some of the success stories at http://www.TheSingingZone.com/success-stories/

How is it possible that even very accomplished singers singers that I haventeven met (but who have done the Sing With Freedom home study course) email me and say they have experienced the breakthroughs of their lives?

Please realize that these success stories come from completely unsolicitedemails. Please also know that the reason I bring this up is not to toot my ownhorn, but to impress upon you that there is no reason why you cannotexperience similar breakthroughs.

In fact, there are two things we should establish right away:

1) As you will come to see, to notachieve dramatic results is highlyunlikely. It is, in fact, very difficult not to.

2) It has little to do with me. It hasto do with the enormous capacitythat lies within YOU - enormous capacity that for some reason has

never been given permission to flourish.

The question is: How do we make your potential flourish? How can we ignitethe magic within you?

http://www.thesingingzone.com/sing-with-freedomhttp://www.thesingingzone.com/success-stories/http://www.thesingingzone.com/


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To Break Free Of Restrictions

Its not surprising that American Idol, The Voice, X Factor and all the otherspin-offs across the globe are as popular as they are that karaoke bars areflourishing, garage bands are formed every minute, and that song in all forms

is expressed throughout households, parties, devotional gatherings andchoruses all over the world.

Like I said, singing is such a fundamental part of us as human beings, andthere is also a reasonsinging brings with it so many health benefits.

Yet, many experience feelingsof inadequacy.

Many, even accomplishedsingers, experiencediscomfort, physical strain

and lack of confidence.

Many feel unsatisfied withthe way they sound, or howthey are able to expressthemselves.

Many, who once loved to sing,have lost the joy and would do anything to re-experience that joy.

And many more live with a false belief that they cannot sing.

In short: Many feel restricted in some ways, but dont know how tobreak free of these restrictions. It is very important to break free ofthese restrictions and release who you really are.

Why I Do What I Do

I know how devastating it can be when the voice isnt functioning the way wewould like it to. Whether its a pro whos lost his/her voice right before theworld tour, or a person who has lived closed off all his/her life after havingbeen told to be quiet as a child.

And I know the life-transforming impact a freer, richer, more resonant,flexible, dynamic, and attractive voice has on someones life.

And by voice Im not only referring to the physical voice. I mean the realvoice your inner voice.

Everyone deserves to be able to sing with freedom and confidence.



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The process to become a powerful, free and confident singer, the way we do ithere, likely transforms your life in other areas. You become a moreempowered human being, and you serve your community and the world in anew powerful way

So my task, my calling if you will, is to help empower people like you - totake your singing, performance, and life to a new level.

The unfortunate fact is that singing training traditionally doesnt necessarilylead to this kind of empowerment.

I often see singers who have trained for years and might be quite good, butstill operate with a lot of restrictions. As we will see, this is not surprising.They know it and they sense it, but dont know what to do about it.

The Myths of Singing That Still Hold Us Captive

Perhaps you have heard or been told that breathing is the foundation forsinging? Perhaps you have been taught you have to learn breath-controltechniques?

Maybe you have even been exposed to statements such as sing fromyour stomach, or sing from your diaphragm?

Perhaps you have even been warned that if you sing from your throat you willdamage your voice?

How many times have you encountered the advice that in order to sing

properly you must first stand with correct posture?

You may also have heard or been told to feel as if you are yawning, singthrough the mask, or open your mouth more?

Have you been told to push harder with your stomach to sing high notes?

Have you heard that in order to sing high notes or to sing with poweryou must support your breath, or have stomach support?

Perhaps you are as confused as most of us as to what these statementsactually mean? Perhaps you have come to accept them as correct and have

never been exposed to anything different?



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And more importantly - how manytimes have you been engaged insinging training where theprocess is via singing scales?

Why do you think scales alwaysused? To develop musicality, tolearn to sing on key and to be ableto hit the right notes?

How could I possibly argue thatsinging scales is often highlyineffective?

Could I possibly believe differentlythan that breathing is the

foundation for singing? Id seemready to be hauled away if I did,wouldnt I?

The Right and The Wrong

As you will come to learn throughout this report, I dont subscribe to a rightversus wrong mentality. Nor do I subscribe to platitudes that people say justbecause they have heard someone else say it.

Lets take breathing as an example

We could easily agree that breathing is thefoundation of singing. We might even feelthat this statement is a sign of wisdom. Thenagain, we could also easily agree thatbreathing is the foundation for life. Now,would this statement be a sign of wisdom or asign of simplistic naivet?

Many, if not all singers, have at some timebeen told you have to sing from your

stomach.

But what on earth does it mean? What if Iclaim that in order to run you have to runfrom your legs?

Anyone can make statements and say what is supposedly wrong and what issupposedly right.


Out beyond ideas ofright-doing andwrong-doing there isa field. Ill meet youthere.

Rumi - 13th century poet

Why is it that most traditional

singing training focuses on

posture, breath-control and

singing scales?


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Anyone could have told Michael Jordan, who just missed a shot to his right, toshoot more to the left next time.

But would that instruction have been helpful to Michael Jordan or anyone else?

Whether something is right or wrong is beside the point. The only

thing that matters is whether it is helpful or not.

Now before we go on, lets once and for all address the issue of talent.

Are You Talented Enough? What is Talent Really?

What if you simply are not talented enough? Maybe youre just not born to bea singer? How talented do you need to be?

There is probably no other discipline

where the word talent is as used(misused) as when it comes to singing. Wehear the term natural singer all thetime.

Many sincerely believe that singers areborn rather than made. Many believethat where they are today (or wherethey arent) is a result of their talent(or lack thereof).

What is talent?Wherein lies the

talent of a singer? Is it the shape ofyour larynx that determines yourtalent? Your ear? Your mind?What is it?

And who is equipped to judge talent?

What if we are talented, but the talent has only laid dormant?

I would like to start out by boldly claiming that the word talent is ameaningless word.

In singing, where it is ultimately about communicating, the word talent iseven more meaningless.

There are successful singers who sound completely different from one anotherand have completely different physical bodies, different musical talent,different personalities in fact, completely different skills in every area.


WHEREIN LIES THE TALENT OF A SINGER?


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We could argue that to succeed in sports you need a certain genetic physicalmakeup. However, even in that area talent is highly overrated.

Talent Versus Training

Some time ago I wrote an article about the similarities of teaching a kid tothrow a ball, and a singer effortlessly and confidently going for a high note.

I wrote about my then 6-year-old son who stood in our backyard poundingbaseballs at a target over and over again.

When he first stepped onto a baseball field at the age of 5, he was hailed as anatural talent as a born athlete.

I was fascinated by how quickly people tended to throw out the word naturaltalent, without knowing any background of what leads someone to develop a

skill.

And what really disturbed me was when someone did it in front of their ownkid, making their own kid believe he didnt have this natural talent.

There is no denying that we are all different. We are all unique and are bornwith a different genetic makeup. There is nothing wrong with that, and thereis nothing wrong with accepting that we are different, but what do we reallymean by talent?

How We Really Learn

Dr. Howard Gardner at Harvard University is one of the people who paved theway for a greater appreciation of our differences with his theory on multipleintelligences.

The intelligences he describes are:

Linguistic intelligence("word smart")Logical-mathematical intelligence("number/reasoning smart")Spatial intelligence("picture smart")Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence("body smart")Musical intelligence("music smart")Interpersonal intelligence("people smart")Intrapersonal intelligence("self smart")Naturalist intelligence("nature smart")

You may also be familiar with the different modalities of learning. Theseinclude auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Sometimes we also includetactual as a fourth modality. These modalities refer to the way we use



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our senses to take in and process information. It has been found thatdifferent people use their senses differently when they process information.

However, realize that most of the discussions involving methods foraccelerated learning are geared towards retention of information.

But where are the methods to accelerate the development of musicalintelligence and inter- and intrapersonal intelligence?

The Birth of a Genius - YOU

Despite the differences in learning styles, it might be interesting to considerwhat world-renowned developmental psychologist Jean Piaget pointed out:Initially, we all learn kinesthetically.

When you entered this world, your senses and your awareness of self were

developed via your kinesthetic experiences. You began discovering that thehand in your face was in fact your own hand, that the feet wiggling about wereyour own feet. Your eyes began to interpret what you touched and vision wasdeveloped.

Distance to objects is discovered via touch. Wediscover what is soft, hard, round or sharp viatouching them and putting them in our mouth.

Sound is at its root vibration, and our hearing i.e. our ability to interpret these vibrations develops in the womb as a kinesthetic

experience.

As an infant you began making sound. Justmerely making sound, any sound, was afascinating exploration in and of itself. At thattime you had no concept of good versus bad, orright versus wrong.

As long as that freedom prevailed, you exploredendlessly.

Physical actions became interlinked with mental activity. This was also shownby Jean Piagets study of the young child who, when attempting to "figure out"how to get an object out of a closed matchbox, opened and closed her mouth.

Habits, beliefs and knowledge are constantly being implantedvia our kinesthetic discoveries, in conjunction with othersensory experiences.


touch vision distance

balance space shape

texture sound goal

concentration awareness


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Most people believe that becoming a great singer is about musicalintelligence and auditory learning.

And this is exactly what singing training historically has always emphasized.This is why listening, copying sounds and notes, and singing scales are thedominating methods to learn to sing.

For example, most beginner singers are encouraged to follow along with pre-recorded CDs.

But singing is much more than that. Singing is also very much a physicalactivity a kinesthetic activity.

The Real Secret to Learning

Now lets go back to the art of teaching a child to throw and catch a ball to

help us understand how you can rapidly develop your singing voice nomatter your age.

Take a look at both these pictures above. Which kid is going to throw the ballthe farthest? Its pretty obvious, isnt it? But whats the difference?

(Im using my own son here as an example since I know the facts behind it,but it could be any kid.)

The term hes got a great arm is often used for someone who can throwwell. But is it just the arm? Look at the picture. Where do you think thepower and accuracy comes from?

First off, we should realize that if he throws a ball only 50 times a day (whichis about 20 minutes of play), he has thrown it over 18,000 times in a year!

Considering this factor alone, are we surprised that this kid shows greater skilllevel than a kid who has never tried? Is this talent or training?



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If a child is regularly expressing in sound, is it surprising that the voice, andthe confidence using the voice, becomes developed?

However, even so, it is not the timespentthat makes the realdifference. The secret lies in thehow!

While repetition is known as the mother of skill and practice is certainlyvaluable, the person who excels is not necessarily the person who hasdone something the most.

The reason one child throws further, harder and straighter than another hasalso less to do with strength than we might think.

The secret of a throw is to use the leverage andbalance of the body feet, legs, hips, back,shoulder, arm, eyes etc.

But heres the important part:

The process of learning even learninga physical activity is

more a mind issue than a body issue.

Now, the power of the mind is a huge subject anda dear subject of mine but would take hundreds ofpages to write about, so lets settle for this:

The act of catching i.e. the result is irrelevant during the process.

Catching the ball i.e the result just becomes the obvious and soon veryeasy by-product. As a result, a five-year-old catches a ball thrown at him withfull adult speed without blinking an eye.

Whether you catch the ball or not is irrelevant in the process of learningto catch a ball

Where the ball lands is irrelevant when learning to execute a baseballswing.

Whether you hit the notes or not is irrelevant when learning to

sing on key!

Lets read that again:

Whether you hit the notes or not is irrelevant when learning tosing on key!


The person who

excels is notnecessarily theperson who hasdone somethingthe most.


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It sounds counter-intuitive doesnt it? Shocking perhaps? How then can youlearn to sing perfectly on key?

Bare with me

We can state this phenomenon in a different way:

It is the child who is concerned about catching the ball that hasa hard time learning to catch the ball.

It is the child who is concerned about hitting the baseball who neverlearns the balanced swing.

It is the singer who is concerned about hitting the notes whoends up singing off key!

In fact, lets take this one step further and broaden our perspective:

It is the person who falls for get-rich-quick schemes who never getsrich.

It is the person who goes for lose-weight-quick schemes that has ahard time losing weight.

It is the person who seeks instant gratification via drugs(pharmaceutical or recreational) that has a hard time being healthy.

Yes, when we go for quick-fixes we apply band-aid solutions to a deeperproblem. A quick-fix mentality is ultimately a very slow process

towards the real goal.

The reason for all this is simple: The result-oriented person has not learned totruly experience THE PROCESS.

When your mind is focused on the result, your mind rushes back andforth between anticipation and judgment and you cannot trulyexperience the process.

The Two Words That Stop You in Your Tracks

And there we have the word:JUDGMENT

We adults are expert judges. When a kid makes a drawing, our inclination asadults is to comment on whether it is good or bad. If we have a positivemindset we might say its good. But commenting that something is good isalso making a judgment.



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While praise is highly beneficial, we easily fall intothe trap of praising the result rather than theprocess. As kids we then grow up with asubconscious desire to be good and get external

rewards (until maybe we rebel in our teens).

As you can tell, there is one emotion that runsthrough all of this. Thats right: It is FEAR.

Embedded in the desire to be good, the desireto catch the ball and the desire to hit thenotes, lurks the FEAR of not being goodenough the fearof missing the ball, or thefear of not hitting the notes.

Every person who lives with a secret desire to beable to sing, yet feels they cant, did at some point

come to believe they werent good enough. Thisperson was maybe told to be quiet or was kickedout of the chorus.

If you believe you cant sing at all, then ask yourself how many attempts youmade. Did you make 18,000 attempts in a year? How many people helpedyou discover a strategy that would enable you to find your singing voice?

Numerous people believe they cant sing. Its a ridiculous belief really.

Now, professionals and celebrities live with just as much fear and judgment especially when the pressure is on especially when the voice isnt working!

How to Develop Amazing Skills

So to go back to the example of throwing a ball: How do you teach a kid howto throw a ball like that?

The answer is: You dont.

People ask me if I can teach anyone to sing. One answer could be: Yes,absolutely. Another answer could be: I dont teach anyone.

We could argue that my real expertise is to learn. Yes, Im a learner, andas such I help other people become rapid learners (and effective healers).

Think about it; you werent taught a language. A child acquiresa languagewhen exposed to it.


How many times today have

you made a judgment aboutsomeone else?

How many times today have

you made a judgment aboutyourself?


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There is no way I could teach my kids to assemble 100-piece puzzles at theage of two and a half. Both of my kids did it because they were in anatmosphere where they enjoyed the process of DISCOVERING.

I dont teach my kids how to catch a ball byjust showing them how to do it. Ihelp them DISCOVERa fearless approach to seeing a ball come at them.

I (and my wife lets not forget her) help them discover and develop anawareness of their body i.e.kinesthetic awareness and help themdiscover the balance, rhythmand movementof the body.

This also includes the ability to go from maximum physical output tomaximum physical relaxation in a matter of minutes.

This involves activities seemingly unrelated to catching and throwing a ball.

Do you see the T-shaped arms? A fraction

of a second earlier, his right arm wascomplete stretched to be able to get theleverage and free rotation in his shoulder.

You seldom see this in a kid who is 5 yearsold. (Yes, he was 5 in the photo). Why not?

Is it hard to learn? Of course not.

Its just that most kids never discover howeasy it is. Most kids this age do as hisfriend in the other photo does, and

effectively lock their shoulders, whichmakes any power quite impossible.

Similarly, many singers effectively lock their larynx.

The kids who havent discovered this are not necessarily the ones with lesstalent, but the ones who have not had the opportunity to be coachedthrough the process.

In all likelihood, they have been more focused on the outcome of the throwthan on experiencing the beautiful feeling of a freely rotating shoulder.

Similarly, many people have not had the opportunity to experience the processof freeing the functionality of the voice.

In all likelihood they have been more focused on the outcome of the sound,hitting notes and singing scales than on experiencing thebeautiful feelingof freely vibrating vocal cords(vocal folds).



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See the power and balance in the right leg? A fraction of a second later hisright foot pivots, the hips snap around, still in perfect balance, creatingmomentum for the upper body, making his arm the last thing to move.

Yes, the free rotation of the hips creates the power more than the arm does.

His friend in the other previous picture does what kids commonly do at thisage, and makes movement of the hips quite impossible.

Likewise, many singers make movement of the vocal cords quiteimpossible.

The Art of The ProcessSo

There is never any right or wrong involved in the game i.e theprocess. There is no judgment of the result but instead awareness ofthe

process.

If a child gets involved in the process of seeing objects coming at him, ratherthan trying to catch it, there can never be a right or wrong. There canonly be discovery.

A year or so later, catching that ball that comes straight at him at full speed islike picking an orange off the tree.

Now what do you think that does to his confidence?

Can any child learn this? For some it may take longer, but of course they can.In a year or so, the boy in the other picture may be sensational at baseball.We dont know. Then again, he might be more interested exploring otherthings in life.

Can anyone learn to sing? Of course theycan.

Does it matter how old you are?

While muscles are more difficult to develop

as we get older, age is far less a factor thanis mindset.

Age is, however, a terrific excuse.

The question really is: Are you willing to letgo of judgment and allow yourself toexperience something new?


The Great 19thcenturynovelist Henry Jamesmentioned awarenessas one of the essential

qualities of genius.

A genius is a personon who nothing islost.


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A rapid learner is someone who loves to be involved in curious exploration anddiscovery.

In contrast, a quick-fix mentality seeks external rewards.

Someone with a quick-fix mentality doesn't have time to become involved in aprocess. As a result, he/she learns very slowly - or more likely, he/she neverlearns.

On the other hand, the person who loves to experiment and discover withoutjudgement, but with a high level of awareness, also develops dramatically.

Internal motivation is endlessly more powerfulthan external motivation.

Since rapid learners are involved in the process, they are also engaged in the

present moment.

Judgment and anticipation are reflections on the past and the future,while awareness is in the here and now.

The present moment is where rapid learning takes place and where peakperformance occurs. The rapid learner and the peak performer may loveresults, there is nothing wrong with that. However, we learn that the way toachieve remarkable results is to love the process.

Peak Learning and Peak Performance

Rapid learning and peak performance happen in a state of heightenedawareness in the here and now. (Actors speak of being in the moment andathletes speak of being in the zone.) Kids are experts at this until weencourage them to judge the result or achieve results just to get externalrewards.

So, as I mentioned, we could argue that I dont teach people how to sing. Ihelp them experience a processin which they discover a voice theynever knew they had.

I help you discover an awareness of your instrument, together with a processof learningyou never knew existed no matter how young or old.

When you first take your mind off of needing to sound good and hit the notes i.e. the result you can begin to experience true magic. And not only hasit been proven to be exceptionally effective it is also fun.

Kids dont see doing fun things as practicing nor should they. To them it isall play. Its interesting to ponder why we adults have turned the word



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practice into a rough-sounding chore that takes effort, instead of using themore effective learning tool play.

A child will do more of what he experiences as fun, and so will you. Joy iswhat creates a desire to do more of the same.

So we have mentioned curious exploration, and that this curious exploration isa process in the here and now, and we mentioned joy.

Curious Exploration + Joy = Momentum

Yes, now we have momentum. We want to do more of it. Now we do more,not just for the sake of doing more, but to discover new things. Each newdiscovery creates more joy and more curiosity, leading to more discoveries,and so on.

Part of that joy is of course when we experience dramatic improvements.

Theres no denying that.

However, being aware of improvements is a far cry from judging. Naturally,when we realize possibilities, these possibilities become magnets fordeveloping further.

Note: Doing with joy, doesnt mean everything has to be fun everysingle moment.Frustration can be an important part of theprocess. The frustration of not being able to reach the toy isnt seen asfailure for the infant. It simply makes him want to move forward.Athletes come to enjoy the fact that some physical and mental

pain is part of growth. In fact, growth is impossible without it.

So during a process, there is no such thing as right or wrong. There is nosuch thing as correct versus incorrect.

When you were a child learning to walk you never experienced the fallingdown as wrong, incorrect, mistake or failure. To fall once in a while wasa natural and vital part of the process. It is only when we judgmental adultsreacted to that fall as if it was a mistake or an oops that judgments werebrought onto you as a child.

We should realize that this kind of thinking has certainly not always been part

of learning processes. How many piano students have been conditioned tostop as soon as they played something wrong? (some even used to get theirfingers slapped.)

How many kids hear from parents and coaches when they make a mistake onthe baseball or soccer field? I hear it at every game I attend.



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In fact, at every single game or match I hear parents yell what the kid shoulddo, rather than let the kid focus and discover it together with his teammatesand coaches.

How do you feel when you sing a scale and your voice breaks? Howdo you feel when someone laughs at it or tells you oops, or that youre doingsomething wrong?

In fact, most often, even in so-called advanced voice training, it isconsidered failure when the voice breaks/or cracks, and most people do theirbest to try and avoid it.

The truth is that we grow up to avoid failures and mistakes. We avoid thefears. We avoid making fools of ourselves. And we try to avoid sounding bad.

Avoidance creates more and more restrictions. It is indeed true that whatyou resist persists.

And what happens when you sing scales?

Yes, when you sing scales everything automatically turns into auditorydominant learning. It automatically does so since you are following along andtrying to hit the notes, and listening to how your voice sounds.

It is then impossible to gain the level of awareness that you can gaininstantly as soon as we change the process.

The Old Conditioned Beliefs of Singing Training

Unfortunately, so many singing teachers are conditioned to believe in correctversus incorrect. This is not surprising. Volumes have been writtenregarding correct versus incorrect breathing, posture and overall use of thevoice.

The tradition of singing training hastaken such a stronghold over howsinging is supposed to be taught,that teachers still quote what was

supposedly correct centuries ago.

Many even go so far as to state thatsingers of different styles singincorrectly, and the internet isloaded with material making claimsof correct and incorrect singing.



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(Note: There are surely plenty of singing teachers that have derived their thinking andtheir methodology from the old-school thinking. This is in no way meant to dismisstheir good work. Yet, from my experience, the overwhelming majority of singers haveindeed been exposed to the old-school kind of limited thinking.)

We should realize that anyone who speaks of correct versus

incorrect is of course only expressing their limited and judgmentalview of the matter.

So the issue is never what is correct or incorrect according to someidealized opinion or according to a book. The only issue is what will help theperson in the most effective way.

My passion as a coach (and parent) is to create a situation where the personacquires the skills they want to acquire. One of my developed skills is to beable to devisestrategies to trick you into discovering your unknownpotential. The real help arrives when you develop a greater awareness oftheir body and mind.

Singing Training from a Historical Perspective

Training methods for athletes have evolved dramatically. Different trainingtools have been developed. Greater scientific knowledge has given us theunderstanding that various ways of activating muscles affect them differently.

Different training strategies have been developed for different sports. Theworld of sports has also been in the forefront in understanding mentaltraining, mental preparation and the psychology of performance.

But isnt it funny that singers still sing the same scales? And many evenpractice exercises that were designed for a different use of the voice.

The singing training that most people encounter here in the Western world isderived from the Western school of classical singing.

I stated in the beginning that every society and tribe sings. However, weshould realize that centuries ago in Europe when opera became popular, thecommon man certainly did not sing opera. It was not music for the people. Itwas music for the courts.

Opera became a style, partly born out of a need to project the voice in a largeauditorium over an orchestra. Singing opera was, and still is, a far cryfrom a natural way of using the voice.

It was a highly specialized technique and it was an art form for the elite few.Becoming a singer back then was a way to go from poverty to wealth, just asit can be today. But it was only the select few that were able to pursue it.



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The chosen ones were indeed chosen because of genetic makeup. Inorder to be able to create a sound of opera, you do indeed need a certainphysicality that is inborn.

Today this is no longer true, as singers can sound completely different and stillbe singers.

We should realize that even within opera there were clashes amongtechniques. There were differences of opinion between the German and theItalian schools, for example. And even within the Italian school, where thetechnique that got the name Bel Canto came from, there were manydifferences of opinion.

I have to admit I find it somewhat puzzling when teachers of today claim theyteach the realBel Canto. How would they know how someone taughtcenturies ago? Even if that were true, why would that be a positive? If youare striving for Olympic gold, would you use the same training methods from

centuries ago?

This does not in any way mean that we cannot greatly appreciate, admire andlearn from art and cultures of the past. In fact, many of the strategies ofeffectively influencing the body and mind where known thousands of yearsago.

So it becomes problematic when techniques that were used in one specificstyle a hundred years ago are promoted as a correct way of using the voice.Perhaps such claims are the remains of an elitist point of view.

By making such claims we are also dismissing every other culture who sang

long before opera and Bel Canto became popular.

Breath Control Why It Is Counterproductive

One would be hard pressed to find any singing instruction that does not beginby teaching the concept of breath control.

Breath control and breath support arestandard terms we hear and read about in

just about any literature on the voice.

Now, as we said in the beginning, wecould easily agree that breathing is thefoundation of singing, and we could alsoeasily agree that breathing is thefoundation for life. But again, wouldstating it be a sign of wisdom or a sign ofsimplistic naivet?



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It is certainly true that many breathe far from optimally, especially in our fast-paced and stressed society. The question is how we effectively developeffective breathing when singing.

Lets explore the concept of control

The Evolution of Control

Being out of control is generally seen as something negative. The desire forcontrol has been a natural progression from an evolutionary perspective. Ourancestors daily life was about eating or being eaten. The neurological fightor flight response has evolved out of a need for survival.

As tribes and societies formed, control was necessary. Civilizations haveevolved on the basis of control and by assuming power over others in order toavoid chaos in order to not be eaten from within tribes or from outsidethreats. Control has been necessary for survival and order.

Religious institutions and political systems have many times been aboutcontrolling and assuming power over others. Educational systems andparenting were built on the idea of teaching children to learn specific skills andto be obedient.

Obedience and submission were in fact highly valued within a family, theworkplace, church and society in general.

The obedient worker used to be the valued worker. Children were subjugatedto the adult world, and were taught to assume their place in society. Notlong ago, it was assumed that children would follow what their

parents did.

To dream of success or strive for something different than ourparents did is a quite new concept. To not be obedient was disruptive andnot seen as beneficial for the greater good.

As our level of consciousness, technology, society and understanding ofourselves have rapidly evolved, we have become more aware that we have theability to control. Being able to control our emotions, our mind and our liveshas been seen as ultimate mastery.

So in relation to having no control and being subjugated to outside powers,

the idea of being able to better control our lives has naturally been seen assignificant progress.

The pharmaceutical industry was revolutionary in that it first saved lives andthen achieved the perceived mastery of being able to control and suppresssymptoms and assume power over the body.

However, today as we have evolved further, concepts of control are shifting.



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Where mechanical workers where highly rewarded in the past, mechanicalobedience has very little value today. Today the worker who just does his

job is minimally rewarded. It is the worker who is self-managed, creative,communicative and proactive who is highly rewarded.

The evolution of consciousness has brought the insight that evengreater benefits are gained by empowering others rather than

assuming power over others.

The successful, thriving corporation of today is the one who empowersits employees rather than attempting to control and assume power overthem.

The successful child is the one who is empowered to discover his/herown abilities.

The healthy body is the body that is empowered to be alive and to flowwith energy without restrictions, rather than being controlled.

The thriving society is the one who empowers its citizens rather thanassume power over them - which results in greater productivity andgreater peace.

The thriving schools are where students are empowered to research,discover, create, work in teams, etc. These schools are the ones whoare moving away from rote learningand lecture style learning.

-- The old male ideal used to be the onewho controls and doesnt show emotions.Todays strong male is the one who isntafraid of being vulnerable and show hisemotions.

-- The old ideal of a strong woman was theone of obedience. Today, the ideal womanis the empowered woman.

-- Old school acting was not about

experiencing true emotion. The skill of anactor in the past was to control emotionsand with gestures and voice inflictionsillustrateemotions.

What was seen as highly skilled yesterday isin todays world seen as fake.


A phobia is a persistentand irrational fear of aparticular object orsituation

The underlying feelingwith all phobias is afear of being 'out ofcontrol'.


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Actors of today want to let go of the need to act and the need to control. Thetop actor of today seeks to experience the truth, and to be completelyspontaneous, vulnerable and authentic in the moment.

To Release Restrictions

The need to control really implies the fear of being out of control.

For example, it is only the person who lives in fear of his emotions who feels aneed to control his emotions.

It is the singer who lives in fear of missing notes who needs to control thenotes. It is the singer who fears the voice will crack who feels a need tocontrol it.

To control implies holding something in check.

However, what is effective breathing?

Breathing is MOVEMENT!

Yes, movement of air, movement of muscles and organs, movement ofenergy. In a healthy voice air and vocal cords (vocal folds) move freely.

Free movement cannot be achieved when restrictions are present.Sound is movement and life is movement. Why would you ever wantto hold your life still?

Its not surprising that people who have

been trained in the concepts ofcontrolling their breath from traditionalsinging training are also the ones whohave the most restricted breathingpatterns. (Although since it is habitual,they dont experience these asrestrictions until they suddenlyexperience a newfound sensation offreedom).

For many people, fears such as if youdont control your breathing you will damage your voice are deeply ingrained.

In this case, the need to try and do something to control is ultimately fearbased.

With all of this in mind, isnt it interesting that we are so often still taughtconcepts of control when it comes to singing, even though singing is perhapsthe most natural form of expression?



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What if we told the child who loves to express with her voice that she has tolearn to support her voice from the stomach, or else she will ruin her voice?

What if I told my kid that he cant throw that ball until he learns to do itcorrectly?

The truth is that many have ben told exactly that. And that is exactly howmany talents have been squelched.

The Power of Letting Go

When I lead a client through a series of specifically designed experiments -whether in private or through the Sing With Freedomprogram - they suddenlyexperience a profound shift.

How come?

Because rather than being shown what is right or wrong, theymake a rather extraordinary discovery.

They experience anewfound sense of release release of sound,release of air, release of fears, release of the need to control.

It is a wonderful feeling.

Often they immediately experience that this newfound non-restrictedbreathing enables themsustain a note far longercompared to when theyattempted to control their breath.

In addition, they experience far greater power and freedom, but withmuch less effort.

Imagine the ultimate freedom of being able to let go to let go of theneed to control

Imagine when fear is a thing of the past and the need to control isreplaced with trust

Imagine discovering a newfound freedom when mental and physical

tension is released and your breathing, as well as your voice, becomesfreer, fuller, warmer, more dynamic, and more powerful

Its not difficult to imagine how this directly translates into a freer, warmer,more dynamic, powerful and attractive human being.

As you already know, your voice is much more than a physical instrument.



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Ultimately it is about freeing you, the real unique, authentic you comes ALIVE.It is about making you freer and more confident to express,communicate, present, and perform.

This is how you become more influential, attractive, and powerful.

This is what is needed to make the crowd go wild, and this is how youempower every cell within.

Frankly, being able to express with confidence, power (the power to empowerothers), and freedom, is likely the most rewarded skill in todays world.

This awareness that you develop also empowers you to practice effectively onyour own. This is crucial. As we said before, it is not the person who doessomething the most who excels the most.

It is not the person who sings scales over and over who improves. Progress

comes from HOW you do something.

You need to know howto release restrictions and effectively build strength sothat you dont experience strain and hoarseness. You need to know what todo on a bad day, to recover effectively from fatigue, and to prevent bad daysfrom happening.

And what may at first seem astonishing is that since you emit a new energywith less restrictions, you become more attractive, powerful and, yes moreinfluential.

I said in the beginning that to notexperience significant results

through this process would be quite unlikely.

This is true. It is as unlikely as an infant not discovering how to walk.

As you already know, you do have the opportunity to experience this processabsolutely risk-free. Im not going to push you to do so, but naturally I hopeyou do give yourself permission to try it.

If so, you may go here to the Sing With Freedom pageand give it a go:

www.TheSingingZone.com/sing-with-freedom

After all, its not without reason that it has helped 10,000s of people in 132countries, and that the Internet is full of of success stories that speak to this.

If nothing else, I hope this report has inspired you to sing and to let go of, forexample, ideas of talent vs. non-talent.

Let me also add that its interesting that its most often the people whoconsider themselves not talented who believe in the talent myth.

http://www.thesingingzone.com/sing-with-freedomhttp://www.thesingingzone.com/sing-with-freedomhttp://www.thesingingzone.com/


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Those who are exceptionally skilled at something tend to be grateful of thecertain genetic and social influences that have led them to where they are, butthey also understand why they are skilled, and they also live with a deepdesire to always be learning.

There are of course those who say something like: Ive always had this talentto sing and it has always come naturally to me. But when I ask, how muchdid you sing as a kid?, the response if often for hours a day!

It suddenly sounds very much like my example of the 5 year old who hasthrown a ball 18,000 times a year, doesnt it? Is it talent or training?

So, if you are very skilled at singing or something else, you know that it is thatopen-mindedness and that willingness to learn and discoverthat madeyou skilled in the first place.

You never succumbed to the idea of I know how to do it. You loved being

engaged in doing. Yes, the people who excel in life are those who never stoplearning. Learning, and discovering is the juice of life.

Now, no one is saying we all have the capacity (or desire) to become world-class singers. Nor does everyone has the desire to practice a lot.

But heres the fun part:

Everyone has the capacity to improve dramatically!

It doesnt have to take a lot of time! (remember its not about the amountof time you spend.)

Singing always becomes even more fun when you improve!

So whether you perform in big stadiums to 10,000 thousands of adoring fansor you sing in a band, group, or choir or you love to sing by yourselfembrace your love of singing, expressing, and sharing your voice to the world.

If you would like me to help draw out amazing new abilities within you, I amhere for you.

Sing, perform and live with freedom!

Per Bristow

www.TheSingingZone.com/sing-with-freedom
http://www.thesingingzone.com/sing-with-freedom

new era of singing training 2014

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