Ep. 9 - Unlock Your Dream Voice From the Inside Out With a Vocal Technique Secret That's Hundreds of Years Old

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in one gear in your singing?Pushing. Pressing. Forcing the sound out.And wondering why it’s not working?Today I’m sharing a concept I’ve been waiting to teach on this podcast. It comes from bel canto, a vocal tradition that goes back to the 1800s, and it applies to every genre of singing, not just classical.My greatest bel canto teacher gave it to me in one sentence:Great oak trees from little acorns do come.When I moved to New York City with a voice that was wrecked, I had exactly one gear. Loud. I was pushing and forcing every sound out, and the harder I pushed, the further back my technique moved.What I didn’t understand then is this.The tiniest sounds in your voice are the seed of your biggest sounds.Not the quietest. The smallest. The most connected. The most free.When you learn to access them, they begin to move through your entire range and unlock a fullness and richness that forcing your sound can never create.I also want to speak directly to something I’ve been hearing from singers.There is a troubling amount of voice teaching right now that encourages singers to push out more, sing bigger, project harder. If something doesn’t feel right about what you’re being told, please listen to this episode.Strong does not mean loud.And pushing your sound out is not the path forward.In this episode, you’ll learn:• What bel canto is and why its principles apply to every genre of singing• Why pushing and forcing your sound moves your technique backwards• What “great oak trees from little acorns do come” means for your voice in practice• Two practical ways to start connecting to smaller, more efficient sound• What to do if you feel like you’re stuck in one gearChapters:0:00 Welcome to The Aligned Singer1:35 What bel canto is and why it matters for all singers3:30 The problem with over-singing, pushing, and forcing5:42 My greatest bel canto teacher and the phrase that changed everything7:01 Great oak trees from little acorns do come8:24 My story: moving to New York with a wrecked voice9:44 One gear: what over-singing actually feels like12:39 The tiniest sounds create the biggest sounds13:39 Two ways to find your “acorn” sound15:54 A lesson that changed how I understood sound16:50 Working with your softest dynamic levels20:25 The acorn visual22:53 A message from a singer that made me speak up25:36 If your voice teacher is asking you to push and force27:37 Closing: great oak trees from little acorns do comeGet in TouchVoice Studio Website⁠⁠https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com⁠⁠Performing Website⁠⁠https://www.sarahhawkey.com⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah⁠⁠