Waiting for Tone
February 4, 2008
Roll with It
February 21, 2008
Waiting for Tone
February 4, 2008
Roll with It
February 21, 2008

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

There are two words that can best describe my biggest challenge, my hurdle of all hurdles, my proverbial Mount Everest: voice lessons.

I’m happy when I sing. The people around me, however, aren’t quite as content.

But, I’m finding that the urge to belt out a classic tune can’t be squelched by a few (okay, more than a few) groans. In fact, evidence is building that the urge shouldn’t be squelched. Music is therapeutic. So, here are the reasons, from not-so-scientifically collected data, that support my decision to put a music teacher to the test:

Squelch the urge:

  • I am not the next American Idol.
  • The dog presses her ears flat when I sing. I actually got her to howl once.
  • Even I turn up the volume so I can’t hear myself follow along.
  • Friends and family have been known to howl when I sing.

Don’t squelch the urge:

  • Singing, like chanting in yoga practice, can be calming, creating a vibration along the spine that is centering as well as energizing.
  • Like pranayama, or breathing practice, in yoga, I inhale deeply when I sing, expanding my lungs and flooding my cells with oxygen.
  • I can stay ahead of the softened voice symptom that about forty percent of those with Parkinson’s get by exercising my diaphragm and learning to project my voice.
  • A physical therapist once encouraged me to play music while on the treadmill. The beat helps with the gait patterning, she’d said. If I get stuck while walking around, start humming and the beat of the music can help to get unstuck.
  • In Oliver Sacks’ new book, Musicophilia, he highlights a case of a woman with Parkinson’s. She doesn’t move much from her chair all day. But if someone plays a certain kind of music, she dances.
  • It’s fun to sing. C’mon, who didn’t want to leap into the aisles and burst into song during Hairspray?

In the words of Earth, Wind, and Fire (to which I sing along, possibly even on key one of these days): Sing a song, it’ll make your day.

1 Comment

  1. […] Renee placed an interesting blog post on Ainâ??t No Mountain High EnoughHere’s a brief overviewThere are two words that can best describe my biggest challenge, my hurdle of all hurdles, my proverbial Mount Everest: voice lessons. I’m happy when I sing. The people around me, however, aren’t quite as content. … […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *