The first time I realised that my voice was so much more than just a tool to sing songs with was when I was ten years old and my singing teacher told me that if I would feel nervous for my test in school, I could always do some vocal exercises to calm myself down.
As years passed I realised more and more that she was right and I started to explore what using my voice could bring me.
Singing grounds me and makes me turn inwards while at the same time, it makes me fill up the space, or even the people around me, with energy. It is communicating inwards and to the outside world at the same time. To me these two complementary movements make singing a practice of taking my place in the world.
How often do we speak, only focusing on the words we say, without noticing what sounds comes with them?
As a little exercise, you could try to listen to your own voice in the next conversation you are going to have.
Are your words long or short?
Is your voice high or low?
Where is your voice coming from? From your belly, chest, throat or mouth?
How much space does your voice take up?
Please join us in the Red Tent on June 4th where we will explore these questions together, and we will be guided to experiment with the full range and potential of our voices!
Written and offered by Floor Hofman, an active member of our Red Tent community. Floor has been singing and creating songs from a very young age. From the age of 12 till 18, she performed with a band at festivals and in theaters like Parktheater, Effenaar, Folkwoods, Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven, Cacaofabriek and Speelhuis in Helmond, and Carré in Amsterdam. When she started her education at the Design Academy Eindhoven, though she performed less often, she never stopped singing. Now she works as a freelance documentary filmmaker and designer.