How I Con Myself Into Warming Up
I am as busy, lazy and and/or distracted as the next singer. But I know I sing better if I warm up. Here are ten ways I can con myself into warming up my voice.
1] Location Location Location: My warm up CD is always in my stereo and in my car. When I turn on the car it starts playing, and before I can think to switch to the radio I’m singing instead.
2] Bribery: No lunch until I’ve warmed up.
3] More Bribery: No working on that song I’ve started writing until I warm up.
4] Even More Bribery: No singing that cool song I just learned until I’ve warmed up.
5] Habit: I try to warm up at the same time every day.
6] Schedule a Performance: There is nothing like the fear of doing poorly in front of an audience to get me practicing.
7] Combine It With a Mundane Task: I can do simple initial warm ups while doing the dishes or watering the plants. By the time I get to the harder songs or exercises (where I need to stop and focus) momentum keeps me going.
8] Competition: I watch one astonishing singer or another on Youtube and it puts the fear into me of not keeping up. Even better is:
9] Inspiration: I watch an astonishing singer on Youtube and it makes me want to sing. But I don’t get to sing songs until I’ve warmed up (see “Bribery”)
10] Motivation: I read blogs like this one!
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