Me: I can't sing
Norman: Everyone can sing
Me: I can't
Norman: You can, you just need to find your authentic voice
Me: ????
Norman: The voice that is hidden, that's been pushed down over the years
Me: Right OK, what shall I sing?
Norman: Well first of all you need to do vocal warm ups
Me: Ok got it, done those before
Norman: Oh no, I'm talking about real vocal warm ups, hours of practice. Because if you don't, you won't be able to sustain yourself as a singer for a role or an important performance.
(Me in my head) - Ugh that's going to be hard work and boring.
Me - OK Norman, let's go
Well I sirened, and learnt about the mask, realised singing is as much about connecting with your core and breathing as it is about making a sound and melodies.
I did scales and over time I started to do scales in ranges I never thought possible -
I had convinced myself I couldn't hit the high notes - how wrong I was.
In the past I had strained and couldn't make that connection between voice, body and mind, that changed when I started learning about the many facets of the mouth and vocal chords and ones resonator and how to not just think about singing forward as it were but outward.
After the many weeks of training with Norman I became a singer.
Norman never pushed and always explained things clearly. He stressed the importance of regular warm ups. No excuses. Because then you have your voice at your disposal, you make it your instrument. The other great thing about Norm as a teacher is his knowledge of music, he is a blues man and I truly could not think of a better person to learn from. He also isn't precious, I remember him telling me not to worry if you shout too much or really use your voice it's strengthening itself. Like any muscle.
Norman is the teacher for you if you want to unleash the true power of your singing voice.
_______
Michelle Ryan
Actress and Singer
