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The Aligned Singer

Sarah Hawkey

The Aligned Singer is a podcast for singers who know there is something more inside them and are ready to bring it fully to life.

Hosted by classical soprano and voice teacher Sarah Hawkey, an expert in vocal technique, this show helps you connect the dots from where you are to where you want to be in your voice, your performance opportunities, and your singing career. Each episode explores the inner and outer work to help you clear vocal and mindset blocks so you can share your singing gift with the world in whatever way calls to you.

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  • 25 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 33 min
  • English

Episodes 25

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  • #30
    Monday · 14 min

    Ep. 30 - Running Out of Breath When You Sing? 6 Ways to Sing Longer, More Beautiful Phrases Right Now, Plus a Breathing Technique and a Vocal Exercise to Do With Me

    You have longer breath than you think when you sing. I promise you! When have you ever run out of breath talking with a friend? Singing a long phrase can feel just as natural. If you want to sing all the way to the end of a long phrase with ease, if there's a line in your aria or song where you'd love to have breath left over, or if you want every phrase you sing to feel full, connected, and beautiful, you're going to love this edition of The Aligned Singer. Today is all about breath, and simple ways to start singing longer phrases right now. Vocalizing is another word for your warm-up, and your warm-up is the perfect place to train your breath for your repertoire, aka your songs. We never run out of breath when we're speaking a sentence. Singing is the same. I'll share the breathing technique that gets your voice ready to sing, where in your body to breathe so your air lasts, the Ladder Breath I made up for a singer who wanted a lower, fuller breath, and a fun vocal exercise you can sing with me right now. As your voice teacher bestie, I want to reassure you that if long phrases have always felt hard, that's completely okay. When I moved to New York City in 2006 to pursue my dream of a professional singing career, I was retraining my voice and working hard on long phrases. Over the years my breath has grown so much that I once busted the zipper on a gown just by taking a breath backstage! There's nothing special or exceptional about me except that I wouldn't give up, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that you can sing those long, beautiful phrases too! In this episode you'll learn: • Why you have more breath than you think for long phrases • The breathing technique that gets your voice ready to sing and helps you take in more air • How to map your breaths into your music so you have air, even when you feel nervous • Where in your body to breathe so your breath lasts to the end of the phrase • How thinking to the end of the line makes a long phrase feel easier • A simple vocal exercise you can sing with me to make your phrases longer and longer Chapters: 00:00 Sing to the End of Every Long Phrase 00:28 Meet Your Voice Teacher Bestie 01:01 You Have Longer Breath Than You Think 02:27 The Impulse Breath: When to Use It 03:01 The Impulse Breath: Do It With Me 03:39 Map Your Breaths Into Your Music 04:41 Where to Breathe for Longer Phrases 06:13 Relax Your Shoulders for a Fuller Breath 07:45 Think to the End of the Phrase 08:55 The Ladder Breath for Breathing Lower in Your Body 10:01 The Alphabet Exercise: When to Use It 10:34 The Alphabet Exercise: Do It With Me 12:05 Slow the Tempo to Sing Even Longer 12:57 Pep Talk Work with Me! Ready to sing long, beautiful phrases with ease? My first online program for singers is coming very soon, and I'm still accepting one-on-one private students in my studio. Subscribe so you catch every new edition of The Aligned Singer, and leave me a comment telling me how long you could sing on one breath. I read them all and I write back. Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website Voice Studio Instagram TikTok Performing Website

  • #29
    October 26 · 21 min

    Ep. 29 - How to Sing High Notes Without Straining (and Increase Your Range): Singing Vowels vs. Speech Vowels Explained

    There's a way to sing your high notes with so much more ease, and it doesn't include trying harder, pushing harder, or reaching further for them. That's not how your voice actually works! If you want high notes that feel free and easy, if you want the top of your range back after it's felt out of reach, or if you want to walk into a big high note phrase feeling open and relaxed, you're going to love this edition of The Aligned Singer. Today is all about how to sing high notes without straining for them. We start with what's happening in your head right before a high note, then get into singing vowels and what your middle voice has to do with the top of your range. Think of high notes as no big deal. Think of them as a low note. When you tell your body to reach for a high note, it tightens up to get ready, and that's the exact opposite of what great high notes need. The thoughts you're thinking right before a big high note phrase are telling your body the story it then follows. This may seem like a mindset hack, but it really is technical training. So many singers come to me thinking their range has changed and they just can't sing that high anymore. With some time, we've retrained and reclaimed the upper part of their voice. As your voice teacher bestie, I want to reassure you that if a high note you used to sing has started to feel out of reach, that's completely okay, and it doesn't mean it's gone. There was a note I thought I'd never sing again, the G above high G. I could sing it easily in high school, but I was pushing my voice all the way there, and for about 20 years it disappeared. A couple of years ago my voice teacher (I still study voice to this day!) started working on that part of my voice with me, and finding those notes again took my voice from already sounding great to "oh my gosh, I didn't even know this was possible." There's nothing special or exceptional about me except that I wouldn't give up, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that your high notes can feel easy too! In this episode you'll learn: • What to do instead of reaching and pushing for a high note • The mindset shift that helps your body relax right before a big high note phrase • How singing vowels give your high notes more room, heard on "the glow of the moonlight" • Why what you do in your middle voice shows up in your high notes • 3 signs you might be pushing in your middle voice, so you can check your own singing • Why a high note that's felt out of reach for years can come back Mentioned in This Episode: Ep. 26, Singing Vowels vs. Speech Vowels Explained Chapters: 00:00 How to Sing High Notes Without Straining 00:37 Meet Your Voice Teacher Bestie 01:13 Let Your Body Open Up Instead of Reaching 02:51 Think of Your High Notes as Low Notes 03:38 What You're Thinking Right Before a High Note Phrase 05:37 Singing Vowels for Easier High Notes 07:27 Hear the Difference on "The Glow of the Moonlight" 11:16 How Your Middle Voice Affects Your High Notes 13:34 3 Signs You Might Be Pushing in Your Middle Voice 16:18 Proof Your High Notes Can Come Back 20:28 Pep Talk Work with Me! Ready to sing your high notes with more ease? You'll find all the details about my first online program for singers at sarahhawkeystudio.com, and I'm still accepting one-on-one private students in my studio. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode, and tell me in the comments which high note you're working on right now. I read them all and I write back. Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website Voice Studio Instagram TikTok Performing Website

  • #28
    October 19 · 20 min

    Ep. 28 - How Long Does It Really Take to Improve Your Singing Voice? (What to Expect at 3, 6, and 12 Months, Plus the 15-Minute Daily Habit That Speeds It Up)

    How long does it really take to make a lasting change in your voice? If you want the sound in your head to finally show up when you sing, if you want your voice at its best for your next audition, or if you want to sing at a professional level and you'll do what it takes to get there, you're going to love this edition of The Aligned Singer. Today is all about how long it really takes to transform your sound, and what you can count on at three months, six months, and a year. Vocalizing is another word for your warm-up, the technical exercises you do before you go into your repertoire, aka your songs. When you vocalize for around 15 minutes every single day, then give focused time to your repertoire, you're going to be amazed how quickly you progress. Your voice doesn't grow in a straight line. Building your technique is an artistic process with seasons and cycles, and you swirl and ascend, swirl and ascend. As your voice teacher bestie, I want to reassure you that if you've been wondering how long building your voice will take, that's completely okay. I went from a hot mess with my voice to a successful career as a classical soprano, and I still vocalize almost every single day. I've been able to collapse time for you with everything I share, so you don't have to figure this out the long way like I did. There's nothing special or exceptional about me except that I wouldn't give up, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that you can build your dream sound too! In this episode you'll learn: • How long it really takes to hear a lasting change in your voice • What 15 minutes of vocalizing a day can do for your sound • Why your warm-up and your repertoire practice work best as two separate parts of your day • How to fit focused repertoire practice into a busy schedule • Why progress in your voice swirls upward instead of climbing in a straight line • What you can count on at three months, six months, and a year Chapters: 00:00 How Long It Really Takes to Change Your Voice 00:22 Meet Your Voice Teacher Bestie 01:48 How Bad Do You Want to Sing at a Professional Level? 03:44 Your Voice Grows in a Swirl, Not a Straight Line 05:16 Replace the Old Habits Running Your Voice 07:42 Start Doing Technical Work on Your Technique 09:38 15 Minutes of Vocalizing a Day Is All You Need 11:17 How Much Time to Give Your Repertoire 12:36 What to Expect at 1 Week, 3 Months, and 6 Months 16:28 Why I Still Vocalize Every Day as a Professional Singer 19:54 Pep Talk Work with Me! My very first online program for singers helps you vocalize and work on your technique every single day. Find the details on my studio website, and I'm still accepting one-on-one private students in my studio. Subscribe so you catch every new edition of The Aligned Singer, and leave me a comment telling me what you'd love to hear in your voice 90 days from now. I read them all and I write back. Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website Voice Studio Instagram TikTok Performing Website

  • #27
    October 12 · 39 min

    Ep. 27 - Singing Better Starts Here: The Secret to Breaking Bad Habits and Making Lasting Change in Your Voice | Build Your Dream Voice, Part 5

    There's one reason a shift in your voice actually sticks, and it's not the exercise itself. It's how many times you repeat it. If you want the fix from a great lesson to still be there next week, if a breakthrough in your voice has ever disappeared on you, or if you're ready for a new pattern to finally become your natural sound, you're going to love this edition of The Aligned Singer. This is part 5, the final part, of Build Your Dream Voice, my 5-part series on the blind spots I see most often in singers who are working to connect the dots between the voice they have right now and the voice they want to have. Today is all about repetition, the one ingredient that turns a single good moment in your voice into a permanent change you actually keep. Vocalizing is another word for your warm-up, and it's where you build new patterns in your voice. But building the pattern once isn't the same as keeping it. In order to get to a new level in the way you sound when you sing, you have to repeat certain exercises and certain connections in your voice again and again and again, every single day, until it's automatic. I'm thinking of a singer I work with privately, already working professionally, who came to me wanting to get to the next level in her career. Within thirty seconds of hearing her sing, I knew exactly what was going on with her voice. But knowing what's going on is different from being able to shift it, and the work in our lessons since has been forming those new connections again and again, until they hold. As your voice teacher bestie, I want to reassure you that if progress in your voice keeps slipping, that's not a sign anything is wrong with you. I was recently listening back to a performance I gave about a month ago, and I started to cry, because the sound coming out of my mouth was so good. It's good because I kept repeating the new way, over and over, until it became how I actually sing. There's nothing special or exceptional about me except that I would not give up, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that you can build your dream sound too! In this episode you'll learn: Why doing an exercise right once in a lesson doesn't mean it's fixed in your voice yet What neuroplasticity actually is, and why your voice can keep changing at any point in your life Why your brain pulls you back toward your old sound, even after you've found a better one How repeating the right pattern, not just any repetition, plants a permanent shift in your voice Why this has to happen every single day, not once in a while in a lesson How this ties together everything in Build Your Dream Voice into the one thing that makes it stick Chapters: 00:00 How to Make a Vocal Breakthrough Permanent 02:46 Meet Your Voice Teacher Bestie 08:06 A Quick Recap of Parts 1 Through 4 11:23 What Neuroplasticity Means for Developing Your Vocal Technique 14:23 How to Make a New Pattern Stick in Your Singing 23:10 When to Use This Fix on Your Own Voice 24:49 Live Example: Fixing My Middle Passaggio 28:55 Why One Lesson (Or One Repetition) Isn't Enough 32:11 Why an Old Habit Can Creep Back in and How to Fix It 33:33 Pep Talk Work with Me! Ready to build your dream sound? My first technique program is coming very soon, and I'm still accepting one-on-one private students in my studio. Subscribe so you catch every new edition of The Aligned Singer, and leave me a comment telling me what pattern you're working on repeating in your own voice right now. I read them all and I write back. Links & Resources: Free Vocal Technique Mini Lesson Voice Studio Website Voice Studio Instagram TikTok Performing Website

  • #26
    October 5 · 20 min

    Ep. 26 - Why Speech Vowels Are Killing Your High Notes (and Why Singing Vowels Feel So Strange): Singing Vowels vs. Speech Vowels Explained | Build Your Dream Voice, Part 4

    Here's something I want to shout from the rooftops: singing vowels and speech vowels are vastly different. It's such a simple concept, and it can change your whole voice. If you want a bigger sound, if you want more beauty in your sound, or if you want more ease in your high notes, you're going to love this edition of The Aligned Singer. This is part 4 of Build Your Dream Voice, my 5-part series on the blind spots I see most often in singers who are working to connect the dots between the voice they have right now and the voice they want to have. Today is all about the difference between the way you make vowels when you talk and the way you make them when you sing. We talk all day long, so the vowels we use when we speak feel completely normal. That's exactly why singing vowels feel wrong at first. You're just not used to them yet! If your vowels feel normal when you sing, you're probably singing like you talk. The sound that feels comfortable and familiar isn't always the sound that lets your voice grow. When you let go of singing like you talk and let yourself feel a little strange, your voice has room to become bigger, freer, and more beautiful, especially as you head up into your high notes. In this episode, I sing the phrase "sing to the top of the mountain" both ways, so you can hear the difference for yourself. As your voice teacher bestie, I want to reassure you that if you're a serious singer and nobody has ever shown you this, that's completely okay. When I moved to New York City in 2006 to pursue my dream of a professional singing career, I sounded nothing like a professional singer. It took me six years to retrain my technique, and my "ee" vowel was the very last thing to shift. There's nothing special or exceptional about me except that I wouldn't give up, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that you can build your dream sound too! In this episode you'll learn: The difference between the vowels you use when you talk and the vowels you use when you sing The easiest way to tell if you're singing with speech vowels Why singing vowels feel wrong at first, and why that's a good sign What opens up in your high notes and head voice when you stop singing like you talk Where in your range speech vowels are probably fine, and where you need to switch What both kinds of vowels sound like, on "ah," "ooh," and "sing to the top of the mountain" Chapters: 00:00 One Simple Concept That Can Change Your Whole Voice 03:08 Meet Your Voice Teacher Bestie 04:47 Proof You Can Rebuild Your Voice From Wherever You Are 06:40 Singing Vowels and Speech Vowels Are Vastly Different 07:33 Hear the Difference on "Ah" 08:17 Hear the Difference on "Ooh" 09:17 Sing to the Top of the Mountain 11:50 How to Tell If You're Singing Speech Vowels 13:35 Want a Bigger, More Beautiful Sound? Stop Singing Like You Talk 14:46 More Ease in Your High Notes With Singing Vowels 16:08 Why Singing Vowels Feel Wrong at First 19:30 Pep Talk Work with Me! Ready to build your dream sound? My first online program for singers opens in mid-October, and I'm still accepting one-on-one private students in my studio. Subscribe so you don't miss part 5, and tell me in the comments which vowel feels strangest when you sing it. I read them all and I write back. Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website Voice Studio Instagram TikTok Performing Website

  • #25
    September 28 · 26 min

    Ep. 25 - Want to Sing Like a Pro? Stop Trying to Sound Good in Your Warm-Up: Build Your Dream Voice, Part 3

    Most singers don't know this, and that's shocking to me. The way you sound when you're warming up your voice and the way you sound when you're performing are two vastly different sounds. If you want to walk into a rehearsal or an audition sounding your best, or if you want the sound you hear in your head, the one you know deep down you're capable of making someday, to finally show up in your voice, you're going to love this edition of The Aligned Singer. This is part 3 of Build Your Dream Voice, my 5-part series on the blind spots I see most often in singers who are working to connect the dots between the voice they have right now and the voice they want to have. Today is all about the difference between how you sound when you warm up and how you sound when you perform, and why that difference is so important when you're training your voice. Vocalizing is another word for your warm-up, and those first sounds you make for the day are not supposed to sound like a performance. They're supposed to sound like the process! The way you sound when you're all warmed up is because you warmed up. If you can start to embody this next idea, you will improve your singing so much faster. When you drop the result and let yourself be in the process, your voice makes the new connections it needs, and the sound you want starts showing up in your music faster and faster, and one day becomes your new sound. Problems get fixed permanently. Your voice can shift fundamentally so that you don't struggle with those things you used to struggle with anymore. As your voice teacher bestie, I want to reassure you that if you're a serious singer and nobody has ever told you this, that's completely okay. When I moved to New York City in 2006 to pursue my dream of a professional singing career, I vocalized every day at a little keyboard in a rented room in Queens before my restaurant shift, making sounds I knew didn't sound good yet. When I got over the fear of making those strange sounds I needed to make to start retraining my instrument, my voice could make the connections it needed, and being in the process made me sound better and better when I sang. That eventually led to me breaking through in the industry and becoming a full-time performer. There's nothing special or exceptional about me except that I wouldn't give up, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that you can build your dream sound too! In this episode you'll learn: Why the way you sound when you're warming up and the way you sound when you perform should really be two different sounds How when you vocalize, aka warm up your voice, you're allowing your voice to make the adjustments and connections it needs so you can sound your best when you actually sing your repertoire and perform What a real warm-up sounds like in my voice How to keep vocalizing when your neighbors, roommates, or housemates on the other side of the wall can hear you Why instrumentalists warm up in the green room, and why you get to do the same How letting go of how you'll sound later helps your voice change faster today Chapters: 00:00 Your Warming Up Sound and Performance Sound Are Two Different Things 01:48 Meet Your Voice Teacher Bestie 02:19 Proof You Can Rebuild Your Voice No Matter What You Sound Like Today 06:14 The Two Different Things You Do When You Practice 07:28 How Daily Vocalizing Built My Dream Voice 15:06 The Key: Drop the Result and Be in the Process 16:41 What My Real Warm-Up Sounds Like 18:18 Keep Vocalizing, Even When Someone Can Hear You Through the Wall 21:26 What Instrumentalists Already Know That We Singers Can Do Too 25:49 Pep Talk Work with Me! Ready to build your dream sound? My first technique program is coming very soon, and I'm still accepting one-on-one private singers in my studio. Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website Voice Studio Instagram TikTok Performing Website

  • #24
    September 21 · 15 min

    Ep. 24 - The ONE Place You Fix Your Voice for Good (Hint: It's Not Running the Song Again!): Build Your Dream Voice, Part 2

    That high note that feels stuck and strained every single time you get to it. The low notes that seem to disappear on you. The spot in the middle of your range where everything feels too pressed, too pushed, too forward. You run the phrase again. You mark it in your score. You come back to it tomorrow and it's still sitting there. Here's the good news. It's still sitting there because you've been looking for it in the wrong place! Part 2 of Build Your Dream Voice is about where vocal problems actually hide, and it isn't in your repertoire. It's in your warm-up. Once you know that, the detective work gets so much easier, and the changes you've been after start showing up a lot faster. Your repertoire is where you apply your technique. Your vocalizing is where your voice learns to do something new. Solve it there, repeat it there, and it becomes a pattern you get to keep, a new good habit in your voice that moves you in the direction you wish you could go, instead of a spot fix that only lasts one song, or worse, one practice session. And if you're wondering whether the sound you hear in your head is actually available to you... it is. I moved to New York City in 2006 to pursue a professional singing career, and I was a vocal wreck, even though I had a bachelor's degree in voice. I retrained, and I've been performing professionally with my dream sound for a long time now. There's nothing special or exceptional about me except that I wouldn't give up. You can connect the dots too, just like I did!! In This Episode, You'll Learn: - Why that strained high note keeps showing up no matter how many times you run the phrase - Where to look first when your low notes disappear or your middle voice feels pressed and pushed - The detective work that helps you make real, lasting changes in your voice: how to figure out where the problem actually is, and where to actually fix it - The reason a fix that works in one aria doesn't carry into the next piece you learn - The part of your practice session where your voice starts making new connections and sounding better overall - What belongs in your warm-up as a bigger, sweeping adjustment to your technique, and what belongs in your music as a small spot fix Mentioned in This Episode Episode 23 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Gw7qtmw7AEaIQ76xKtCqW Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-23-why-the-same-problem-keeps-showing-up-in-your/id1881699427?i=1000789516209 Episode 16 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6lB287XUCiO7oTpeJBq70X Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-16-if-you-want-to-improve-your-singing-you-have/id1881699427?i=1000778473174 Chapters 0:00 Where Your Vocal Problems Are Actually Hiding 1:04 Proof You Can Retrain a Voice That Isn't Working Yet 3:23 The Symptoms You Keep Running Into in Your Repertoire 3:53 Why Fixing It in the Aria Doesn't Stick 4:38 The Warm-Up Is Where the Problem Lives 6:24 Vocalizing Is Where Your Voice Makes New Connections 7:38 The Small Adjustments That Do Belong in Your Music 8:53 A Spot Fix for One Song vs. a Change That Stays in Your Voice 9:50 Your Quick Review: Symptom, Source, Solution 11:30 Why Daily Vocalizing Protects the Sound You Want 12:40 Pep Talk Work with Me! Ready to build your dream sound? My first technique program is coming very soon, and I'm still accepting one-on-one private students in my studio at sarahhawkeystudio.com. Links and Resources Voice Studio Website https://sarahhawkeystudio.com Voice Studio Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Performing Website https://sarahhawkey.com

  • #23
    September 14 · 12 min

    Ep. 23 - Same Problem Every Time You Sing? How to Fix It at the Root: Build Your Dream Voice, Part 1

    There's one thing you can do every day that moves your voice toward your dream sound faster than anything else. If you want a high note that feels free and easy, if there's a habit you'd love to replace with a better one, or if you've been running the same phrase over and over and you're ready for it to finally click, this one is for you. This is part 1 of Build Your Dream Voice, a 5-part series on the blind spots I see most often in singers who are working to connect the dots between the voice they have right now and the voice they want. We're starting with the biggest one, and it's your warm-up. What I call vocalizing. When you hit a bump in the road, a high note that feels strained, a low note you'd love to reach, coloratura you want coming out clean, your instinct is to fix it in the music. You'll still make small adjustments in your music, of course. I do to this day, we all do. But that's not where the real change happens. Vocalizing is another word for your warm-up, and your warm-up is where your voice actually changes. It's where you shift the fundamental way you sing, replace old habits with better ones, and then head into your repertoire to apply it there. 10 or 15 minutes a day is all you need. Over time it snowballs, it stacks on top of itself, and you start to hear the changes happening in your voice. As your voice teacher bestie, I want to reassure you that if you're a serious singer and nobody has ever told you this, that's completely okay. Nobody told me either. I moved to New York City 3 days after graduating with a degree in voice and a wrecked instrument, and I knew I didn't know how to sing. Figuring this out is what rebuilt my instrument, and it's why I know without a shadow of a doubt that you can build your dream sound too. In this episode you'll learn: When you want to make a big change in your sound, the one daily habit that makes it possible Why a tricky phrase gets easier once your voice has learned the new way of singing it first Where the change in your voice actually happens, and why it isn't inside your music How many minutes a day you actually need to transform the way you sound What a warm-up can do for a long-standing habit that your repertoire can't do Why your voice can be rebuilt from wherever it is right now, whatever it sounds like today Chapters: 00:00 The One Daily Habit That Builds Your Dream Voice 00:21 What You'll Get From This 5-Part Series 01:58 Meet Your Voice Teacher Bestie 02:32 How I Rebuilt My Voice After Conservatory 04:21 Why Your Dream Voice Is Within Reach 05:02 The One Habit You Don't Want to Skip 05:39 Meet Vocalizing, Your Daily Warm-Up 06:28 Why Vocalizing Is Where Your Voice Transforms 07:03 What to Do Instead of Fixing It in Your Repertoire 07:38 The Small Adjustments You'll Still Make in Your Music 08:08 Your Practice Assignment for This Week 09:04 How Many Minutes a Day You Actually Need 10:02 What Starts to Change When You Vocalize Every Day 10:33 Pep Talk Work with Me! If you want to build a technique you can rely on and connect the dots between the voice you have now and the one you're dreaming about, come study voice with me: https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of this series, and leave me a comment telling me how long you vocalized today. I read them all and I write back. Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Voice Studio Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com

  • #22
    September 7 · 38 min

    Ep. 22 - Your Cure for Stage Fright Part 2: Calm Your Nerves in Under Two Minutes With These Two Grounding and Visualization Tools Before an Audition or a Performance

    Welcome to part two of my series on how to cure your stage fright. If you get stage fright when you perform, if you have anxiety when you audition, or if you're afraid to sing in front of anyone at all, even your family or your roommates, this one is for you. Today I'm handing you two exercises you can use immediately, and we do both of them together right here in the episode. I used to have very, very serious stage fright, and I cannot be clearer about how serious. It got to a level where it might have taken my career from me. And it got worse right when everything I'd worked for finally arrived. Six years after I moved to New York City, I was suddenly singing with the New York Philharmonic and at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. That's when it snowballed, because now there was something to lose. I kept getting hired, but the stage fright was taking my musicality and my musicianship away from me while I hid it from everyone. If any of that sounds like what you're carrying right now, you're in the right place. Cut to now. Today? My stage fright is completely cured. I'm not nervous at all anymore, not a little, and there is no special quality in me other than I knew I had to cure it. What got me there were really practical tools that started working immediately. Please don't make the mistake of thinking these are out there, or extra, or optional. They are highly effective nervous system regulation tools, and they are the actual answer to how I cured my stage fright. You can't think your way through it. I tried that for years, and it kept me exactly where I was. Today you're getting two of the OG ones, taught to me by the practitioner I went to for help, a singer who sang at the Met. If you've never done anything like this before, don't be embarrassed. I'm doing it with you. Here's why I love these two so much. Nobody can tell you're doing them. You can do the first one in a holding room with your hand on your score, backstage before your entrance, or on your commute. The tool is with you at the moment you actually need it. You have a gift that is meant to be shared. Stage fright is a roadblock in the way of that, and my job as your voice teacher bestie is to clear it out of the way. In this episode you'll learn: • Two exercises that can calm your stage fright immediately, and both take less than two minutes to do • The Anchoring Your Focus Grounding Exercise, which you can do in the audition holding room with nobody around you able to tell • The Claiming the Room Visualization, which you can do the night before, ten minutes before you walk on stage, or right before an audition • Why you can't think or talk yourself out of stage fright, and what your body needs from you instead • How to walk into an audition or a performance already feeling settled, instead of thrown off by an unfamiliar room • Why even severe stage fright is curable, and what it actually takes to get there Chapters: 00:00 Stage Fright Is Curable, Even If Yours Is Severe 03:51 The Two Exercises You'll Walk Away With Today 10:51 Why the Pressure to Perform Well Makes the Fear Worse 14:38 What Stage Fright Costs You On Stage 18:28 The Anchoring Your Focus Grounding Exercise: When to Use It 20:16 The Anchoring Your Focus Grounding Exercise: Do It With Me 25:01 The Claiming the Room Visualization: When to Use It 26:14 The Claiming the Room Visualization: Do It With Me 30:37 Using the Claiming the Room Visualization Before You Ever Get There 33:04 How to Use These With the Tapping From Part 1 33:42 Pep Talk Work with Me! If you want to feel grounded and excited on stage instead of white-knuckling your way through it, come study voice with me: https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Voice Studio Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com

  • #21
    August 31 · 36 min

    Ep. 21 - If Something in Your Singing Feels Stuck, the Problem and the Fix Are Both Hiding in Your Warm-Up (Here's How to Change It Today)

    If there's something about your voice that bugs you, something you wish you could do better, a note that used to be there and isn't right now, I want to show you where that actually gets fixed. Because it's almost certainly not where you've been looking for it, especially if you've been feeling stuck. The way you sing your repertoire (aka songs) will keep being the way you sing your repertoire until you change the pattern that causes you to sing with those habits. And here's the thing: you can't change that habit inside your rep. Running the phrase that isn't working ten more times, on a voice that hasn't made the sound the way you want it to come out, keeps you stuck. As your voice teacher bestie I'm not gonna lie to you, it will make that phrase way worse, because your voice doesn't have a new connection opened up to the new way you want to sound yet. Vocalizing and warming up are where the change in your voice actually occurs. It's NOT in your music, and it's NOT by accident, luck, or happenstance. Now here's the part I really want you to understand. Your warm-up is not supposed to sound like a performance. When you reach for the finished product sound the moment you open your mouth for the day, you're asking your voice to skip the entire process that produces that sound. You're trying to start at your finish line, and that is never going to work. So you white-knuckle it, push, and walk away feeling frustrated and stuck. You have to let yourself be in the now. Not the version of your voice from yesterday's lesson when you nailed the phrase. Not the take you posted that did really well. Not even the phrase you sang two minutes ago in the same exercise. Every single time you sing a new phrase, you detach. Vocalizing is where you get to know your voice and meet it exactly where it is right now, instead of dragging it toward a result it gave you a moment ago. You're not proving anything during your warm-up. That surrender is what lets you drop the judgment, the negative self-talk, the running commentary that it should be better by now. And when you drop all of that, you speed up your growth. It's not you against your voice anymore. It's just you, with your voice. In this episode you'll learn: • Why the phrase you keep running over and over is getting worse instead of better • Where the change in your voice actually happens, and why it isn't in your music • Why your warm-up should never sound like a performance • How attaching to yesterday's lesson holds you back • What it sounds like when I start making sounds for the day • How dropping the judgment during practice speeds up your growth Chapters: 00:00 The Vocal Mistake That Keeps You Stuck 00:36 Meet Your Voice Teacher Bestie 03:45 Speeding Up Your Vocal Growth 04:51 When I Had to Start Over With My Technique 06:01 Why You Can't Sing Repertoire on a Cold Voice 08:54 Vocalizing Is How You Change the Pattern 10:14 Working Through a Tricky High Note Passage 13:12 Getting Back Notes You Think You've Lost 14:36 The Worst Rehearsal of My Life 19:48 Why I Still Vocalize Every Single Day 20:43 Your Warm-Up Should Not Sound Like a Performance 24:04 Stop Chasing Yesterday's Sound 25:09 How Being in the Now With Your Voice Moves You Faster 27:58 How I Actually Start My Warm-Up 31:53 Your Finished Sound Is Something You Uncover 34:39 Pep Talk Work with Me! If you want to actually open up the new connections in your voice that you wish were already there, and improve your technique so much faster, come study voice with me: https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Voice Studio Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com

  • #20
    August 24 · 30 min

    Ep. 20 - The Hidden Link Between Your High Notes and Low Notes

    Have you ever felt like a note in your range just isn't there anymore? Or noticed your voice feels wildly out of control, either too soft to project or so loud it's like you're blasting a trumpet with no quieter gears to reach for? Maybe your low notes have started fading, and you wish you could sing with that deeper, richer sound you know is in there. Or your high notes feel screechy, strained, or pitched higher than they should for the note you're actually singing.... If any of that sounds familiar, this episode is going to change how you think about your voice. In bel canto tradition, your highest notes and your lowest notes are connected. They're not separate systems you troubleshoot one at a time, they're one instrument, and what's happening in one part of your range is almost always telling you something about another part. In this episode, I'm walking you through a bel canto principle from my career as a classical soprano and voice teacher: every note you sing is a mixture of the high and low parts of your voice working together. When one part goes underused, the other starts compensating, and that's usually where stuck notes, screechy highs, disappearing lows, or an out-of-control belt come from. I'll walk you through real patterns I see again and again, from over-singing that points back to an underused head voice, to what happens when a singer avoids chest voice for too long. I'll also share the encouragement I wish someone had given me the first time I had to rebuild a part of my voice I'd been avoiding, and why that doesn't mean anything about your potential as a singer. If you've ever felt disconnected from a part of your range, or noticed that fixing one thing seems to affect something else entirely, this episode will help it all make sense. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why your high notes feel stuck, disappear, or sound higher than they should, even when the note isn't that high in your range - Why your voice can feel out of control: too soft to project, or so loud it feels like blasting a trumpet with no quieter gears - Why your low notes might feel like they're fading away, even when you know there's more depth there - The bel canto principle that your high notes and low notes are connected, and why working on one often fixes the other - Why every note you sing is a mixture or blend, not one isolated register - Why a screamy or exhausting belt often points back to an underused head voice - Why classical singers who avoid chest voice can lose presence and size in their upper range - Why your voice doesn't follow rigid, all-or-nothing rules, and why that's actually good news - How to work on the part of your range you've been avoiding without turning it into self-judgment Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: Your High Notes and Low Notes Are Connected 00:33 Meet Sarah: Her Bel Canto Lineage 02:36 How Your Voice Mirrors the Shape of a Tree 04:41 How Age-Old Bel Canto Technique Follows the Laws of Nature 07:02 Think About the Triangle Image 08:08 Signs Your Voice Is Out of Whack 09:44 Why Your Voice Is Curvilinear, Not Linear 11:11 A Live Two-Octave Warm-Up Demo 11:45 Every Note Is a Mixture or Blend 14:34 Real Example: Pop and Musical Theater Singers Over-Singing 17:53 Real Example: Classical Singers Avoiding Chest Voice 22:09 The Core Connection (Plus the Violin Harmonics Analogy) 24:20 Detaching From the Story: It Doesn't Mean Anything About Your Potential 27:04 Recap and Pep Talk Work with Me! You can learn how to work together on your vocal technique & mindset at my website: https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Links & Resources: Voice Studio Wesbsite https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Performance Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarah.hawkey Voice Studio Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Subscribe so you never miss a new edition of The Aligned Singer, and leave a comment, I respond to them all!

  • #19
    August 17 · 49 min

    Ep. 19 - Money for Singers: The Simple Step-by-Step of How I Went From a Hot Mess With Money to Debt-Free and a Homeowner on My Singing Income, and What It Did for My Performing Career

    Picture this: the curtain closes, you take your bow, and you’re handed a paycheck for the gig you just booked. You go home. Then what? What you do next, behind the scenes, has everything to do with how much more work you get to say yes to, and how far you get to take your career. If money is the one part of your singing career nobody ever taught you how to handle, you’re not alone. This episode gives you a simple, non-scary way to get a handle on it. If I could do this, after being a HOT MESS with money for sooooo long, so can you. I racked up $141,000+ in credit card & student loan debt after moving to New York City to become a singer. I paid off all of it and bought a house, using only my income from singing and a couple of small side hustles, on a modest income, especially for NYC. It’ll help you take bigger swings in your career, feel more artistically free, and invest more in your art. Here’s the part I didn’t expect: once you start making shifts in this behind-the-curtain part of your life, you change the energy around it, and that shift doesn’t stay with your paycheck, it moves into your career too. Honestly, a little magical! While I was figuring all this out, I booked a dream gig, a world premiere opera that went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. I booked more dream jobs, singing with organizations and conductors that were on my vision board (not kidding!), and got hired as a soloist, my goal at the time, more times than I can count. Your relationship with money isn’t really about numbers. It’s a relationship with worth, with what you believe you’re worthy of receiving, and how much space you hold for abundance, which spills into your relationships, collaborations, and daily fulfillment as an artist. Money is energy moving between people, and how much you allow yourself to receive, a drip, a trickle, a river, or an ocean, comes down to how ready you feel to hold it. This system is for creative artists who don’t think of themselves as numbers people, who feel boxed in by spreadsheets and math. It’s the exact framework I used in my in-person workshops, the same one that helped me pay off six figures of debt, buy my home (a huge personal dream!), and step into the freedom to pursue my art without carrying that emotional weight. My hope is that after this episode, you feel like you’re in the driver’s seat behind the scenes of your career, so when the curtain closes and you go home, you feel steady and confident about what happens next. When you get empowered here, you become more magnetic as an artist too. In this episode you’ll learn: • Why your relationship with money can block the success you’re working toward: more bookings, bigger roles, career growth • The one question you have to ask yourself before you touch a single number • A simple, non-overwhelming way to get clear on your spending, no spreadsheet required • What happens when your freelance performing income zigzags up and down, and how to plan for it • What to do when there’s a gap between what you’re making and what you need, and how to close it with a side hustle that isn’t soul-sucking Chapters: 00:00 Welcome: Why We’re Talking About Money on a Voice Podcast 06:21 The Outer Work and Inner Work That Make a Great Singer 08:19 Get Resourced First (Big Feelings Are Normal) 10:16 Step 1: Find Your Why (Don’t Skip This!) 14:50 My Big Reveal: Paying Off $141K as a Singer in NYC 20:38 Step 2: The Post-it Party (Artist-Friendly, No Numbers) 27:36 Adding In the Numbers 30:43 When Your Freelance Performing Income Zigzags Up and Down 32:03 Closing the Gap With a Side Hustle That Isn’t Soul Sucking 34:42 Money Is Like Water: Give It a Container 39:27 The Shocking Results in My Career and Personal Life 45:47 Pep Talk and Where to Find Me Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Voice Studio Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com

  • #18
    August 10 · 47 min

    Ep. 18 - The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Professional Singer With No Money and No Connections

    If you've ever wondered whether it's actually possible to become a professional singer when you're starting with no money, no connections, and no roadmap... this episode is for you. If you've ever felt behind because you didn't grow up around professional musicians... because your family doesn't understand your dream... or because it seems like everybody else has connections you don't, I need you to hear this: Your past is not a prescription for your future. It shaped where you started. It has nothing to do with where you finish. When I moved to New York City at 22 to pursue my dream of becoming a professional classical singer, I had no idea what I was doing. I literally didn't know one single person in NYC. I had more debt than savings. And I came from a family and a community where my dream of becoming a professional singer seemed like a wild fantasy. Honestly, I was treated like a spotted flying unicorn whenever people realized I actually took it seriously. Twenty years later, I've been making my living as a professional classical soprano. This is the career I used to dream about, and it's the one that pays my bills. Not because I had extraordinary advantages. Not because somebody discovered me. And not because I followed the traditional path everyone assumes you need. In this episode, I'm handing you the absolute essentials I had no clue about when I took the leap of faith to pursue a professional singing career. I had to figure it all out by myself. And after nearly twenty years of literally supporting myself through my singing, I want to give you the step-by-step I wish somebody had given me. We're going to talk about why your relationships are the whole game and available to you no matter where you came from, how to get yourself to the city your career is asking you to move to without the debt I put myself through, how you find your people in a place where you don't know a soul yet, and how to skip the part of your life where you're broke and barely getting by. I'll be honest with you, this is one of the most personal stories I've ever told publicly. It almost brought me to tears while I was recording it, and I didn't edit a single second of it out. But it's finally time to open up about it, because this is the thing nobody is talking about... and it's absolutely needed. My hope is that as we have this conversation, something shifts for you. Not just a list of steps to take, but a genuinely new belief about what's possible for your career. Because here's what I really want you to sit with. I'm not special. I'm not extra talented. There is nothing in me that isn't already in you. I wasn't lucky, I didn't have a safety net, and I didn't have anybody cheering me on at home. So consider this your permission slip. If you've been doubting yourself, or wondering how in the world this is going to come together for you... it will. You absolutely will. In this episode you'll learn: - Why your background does not determine your future as a professional singer - The first financial step to take before you relocate, and the mistake that cost me years - Why networking is really just genuine friendship, and how to do it if you're not a natural Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to The Aligned Singer 3:25 Where I Actually Come From 10:05 Your Starting Line Is Not Your Ceiling 11:07 The Advice Conservatory Never Taught Me 13:34 Step 1: Save Before You Move, Don't Borrow 16:53 Step 2: Networking Is Really Just Friendship 18:45 Lincoln Center With My Mom, Full Circle 24:03 Building Your People Before You Move 27:47 Step 3: Plant Seeds Where You Want to End Up 32:32 Step 4: It's Okay to Be a Freelancer 33:49 Step 5: Skip the Low-Paying Jobs 36:56 Your Skill Set Is Worth More Than You Think 46:01 I'm In Your Corner Links & Resources: Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Subscribe for more episodes of The Aligned Singer. And keep singing!

  • #17
    August 3 · 44 min

    Ep. 17 - The Mindset Shift That Will Fast-Track Your Singing Career: Going Pro

    One of the biggest shifts you can make to reach success faster as a singer has nothing to do with your vocal technique. It has everything to do with how you show up. If your dream is to sing professionally, you might think you'll start acting like a professional once you're getting paid to perform consistently. But what if you've got it backwards? Going pro isn't something someone else gives you when they finally offer you a contract. It's a way of thinking, working, and showing up that you cultivate over time. As you consistently treat yourself and your artistry like a professional, that quality begins to be reflected back to you in the way others experience your work, trust you, and invite you into bigger opportunities. In many cases, becoming the professional comes first. The career simply catches up. In this episode, you'll learn how to stop waiting until you feel inspired and start showing up for your artistry with the consistency, intention, and professionalism that create lasting momentum. We'll explore how building your life around your artistry, protecting your practice, developing a circle of support, and moving through fear and resistance can help you become the artist you're meant to be. The muse doesn't show up before you sit down to practice. She shows up because you sat down. That simple idea has shaped the way I approach my own career as a professional singer, and it continues to challenge me today. We'll also explore one of the most powerful mindset shifts I've ever experienced: treating your singing career like a relationship. If your career were a person, what would it say about the way you show up for it? Would it say you're consistent, dependable, and committed? Or would it say you disappear for weeks at a time and only come back when inspiration strikes? The way you show up for your artistry matters because your career reflects that energy back to you. The energy you bring to your singing career is the energy your singing career will give back to you. If you approach your artistry with consistency, intention, and professionalism before the opportunities arrive, you'll be prepared to recognize them, create them, and step confidently into them when they do. The opportunities you're hoping for don't create the professional. More often, the professional mindset is what creates the opportunities. In this episode you'll learn: What "going pro" really means for singers Why you don't need to wait until you're getting paid to start thinking like a professional How showing up consistently creates momentum in your singing career Why inspiration follows action, not the other way around How treating your career like a relationship transforms the way you approach your artistry Why the energy you bring to your career is often the energy that's reflected back to you How to build your life around your artistry instead of squeezing it in whenever you have time How to create a support system that helps you grow as an artist Why fear and resistance are often signs that you're stepping into a new level of artistry Chapters 0:00 Welcome! 2:34 What it really means to go pro 7:04 Stop waiting for inspiration 13:01 Treat your singing career like a relationship 15:07 Creating boundaries around your artistic practice 17:50 Building your support team 23:37 Creating opportunities by thinking like a professional 33:12 Moving through fear and resistance 40:53 Success is the byproduct of showing up 43:45 Your pep talk in closing Links & Resources Voice Studio: https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Performance Website: https://www.sarahhawkey.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.hawkey Voice Studio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Subscribe for more episodes of The Aligned Singer, where you'll learn how to develop your vocal technique, strengthen your mindset, and build a singing career that's aligned with the artist you're becoming.

  • #16
    July 26 · 52 min

    Ep. 16 - If You Want to Improve Your Singing, You Have to Do This Every Day: Vocalizing Explained

    If you want your voice to sound different a year from now than it does today, one practice matters more than almost anything else: vocalizing.Many singers think vocalizing is just something you do before you start singing.A few scales. A few lip trills. Maybe an exercise your teacher gave you during a lesson.Then you move on to your repertoire.But vocalizing isn't simply the thing you do before the real practice begins. It is the real practice. If you've ever wondered how to take your voice from where it is today to where you want it to be, vocalizing is the bridge. Understanding what it is, and why you're doing it, can completely change the way you practice, and can completely reshape, improve, or even rebuild your voice. In this episode, I explain what vocalizing is actually designed to do, why every exercise should have a purpose, and how understanding that purpose can help you make much faster progress in your singing. Every vocal exercise is teaching your instrument something. It's either reinforcing the habits your voice already has or helping you build new ones. That's why the exercises you sing matter. They aren't random sounds. They're carefully chosen opportunities to move your voice from where it is today toward where you want it to be. When you sing exercises without understanding their purpose, it's easy to assume that simply repeating them will create change. But every habit you already have comes into those exercises with you. If you want your voice to develop new qualities, you have to intentionally teach it a new way of functioning. That's what vocalizing is. In many ways, vocalizing becomes your voice's teacher.I know this because I had to relearn how my own instrument worked. When I moved to New York City in my twenties, I realized the technique I'd built in college wasn't allowing my voice to function the way it was meant to. I began studying with a teacher on the faculty at Juilliard, and together we started rebuilding my instrument from the ground up. As often as I could afford my lessons, I'd make my way to Lincoln Center. Just walking through those halls and being surrounded by singers performing at the very highest level was incredibly inspiring, even though I felt like I was starting over. Between lessons, I'd return home to the little keyboard I had set up in my room in Astoria and work through each vocal exercise with intention. That's where the real transformation happened. Little by little, those vocalises reshaped my technique and taught my voice a completely new way of functioning. In this episode you'll learn: • What vocalizing is actually designed to do • How every vocal exercise is either reinforcing existing habits or building new ones • Why understanding the purpose behind each vocalise helps you make faster technical progress • Why vocalizing becomes your voice's teacher between lessons • The strategy I've used for years to get more value from every voice lesson recording • The two moments from every lesson that are worth revisiting in your practice • Why vocalizing should come before repertoire if you want lasting technical growth Chapters 0:00 Welcome to The Aligned Singer 2:38 What vocalizing actually is 5:02 What vocalizing is designed to do 8:53 Why random exercises don't always create intentional progress 12:39 Relearning my technique in New York City 18:58 Building the voice you're working toward 22:31 Hearing aligned and misaligned singing 29:19 How to use your lesson recordings more effectively 33:34 The second thing to practice after every lesson 40:05 Why singing teaches singing 46:11 Why vocalizing belongs in your daily practice 49:42 Why repertoire comes second 51:04 Closing thoughts Links & Resources Voice Studio ⁠https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com⁠ Performing Website ⁠https://www.sarahhawkey.com ⁠Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah ⁠TikTok ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah

  • #15
    June 29 · 31 min

    Ep. 15 - Your Voice Believes What You Tell It (How Your Thoughts Shape Your Singing)

    Have you ever caught yourself saying something about your voice that actually ends up limiting you? Like I can't sing high notes. I'm not good at belting. My mix has always been weak. This part is always hard for me. What if those thoughts aren't just describing your singing, what if they're actually influencing it? If you've ever felt stuck in the same vocal technique problem, doubted your ability to reach the next level in your goals for your sound, or found yourself thinking: This is just the way my voice is...then this episode is for you. In this episode of The Aligned Singer, you and I are exploring one of the most overlooked aspects of vocal development: the connection between your mindset and your vocal technique. And here's the thing, I am not a froo froo voice teacher. I'm a serious technical teacher, but I had to admit after seeing students walk into my studio and say something like, "Oh, I can't sing that high" and literally 10 minutes later we've unlocked it, that those stories you might be telling yourself (and not even realizing it!) are just plain wrong, are rooted in limited thinking, and have gottta go if you want to accelorate your progress and reach your dreams & goals. In this episode, I share why the stories you tell yourself about your voice can shape the way you approach difficult notes, challenging repertoire, and even your overall growth as a singer. This conversation brings together two of the core ideas behind The Aligned Singer that I'm crazy passionate about: the inner work and the outer work. The outer work is the technical training, practice, and skill development that every singer needs. The inner work is everything happening behind the scenes in your mind: your beliefs, self-talk, expectations (especially about what'll be hard for you), and the stories you've built from your past experiences. In this episode, I show you how the inner work & outer work link up, especially in what we're talking about today. Drawing from my own experience rebuilding my voice after years of technical struggles, along with countless lessons helping singers overcome limiting beliefs in real time, I explain how fixed mindsets can keep us stuck, even when we're practicing consistently. I also share practical ways to recognize these thought patterns, replace them with more empowering ones, and create the mental space for real vocal breakthroughs to happen. Your thoughts won't replace great vocal technique, but they can either support your progress or stand in its way. Learning the difference can completely change the way you practice, grow, and experience your voice. In this episode you'll learn: • Why your thoughts about your voice directly influence the way you sing • The difference between the inner work and the outer work of becoming a great singer • How limiting beliefs create physical tension in your voice • Why saying "I can't" keeps your singing progress stuck • The difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset in singing • How past vocal struggles can become stories that continue affecting your technique • Why removing judgment during practice can accelerate your progress • A simple mindset shift you can use the next time you practice Chapters: 2:24 The Inner Work vs. the Outer Work, Explained 4:53 How Your Thoughts Shape Your Singing 8:16 "I Can't Sing That High" (a true story from my studio!) 13:26 Limiting Stories We Tell Ourselves About Our Singing 16:40 Your Voice Is Your Body 22:51 How Negative Experiences Become Technique Patterns 24:53 Practical Ways to Change Your Mindset While Practicing Links & Resources Voice Lessons: https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Performing Website: https://www.sarahhawkey.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.hawkey TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Subscribe for more episodes of The Aligned Singer on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!

  • #14
    June 22 · 26 min

    Ep. 14 - Your Cure for Stage Fright, Part 1: The First Tool That Helped Me Heal Performance Anxiety (A Guided EFT Tapping Session for Singers)

    Performance anxiety, audition anxiety, stage fright, whatever name you give it, is one of the most frustrating things a singer can experience. You work so hard on your voice. You prepare. You practice. You learn the music. You show up ready. And then the moment arrives. You get to your audition or performance, and suddenly your heart is racing, your thoughts are spiraling, and your body feels like it's doing things you can't control. If you've experienced that, you're not alone. Several years into my professional singing career, I found myself struggling with severe performance anxiety. I had already spent years rebuilding my voice, developing my technique, and working toward my dream of making a living as a singer. I was finally doing the thing I'd worked so hard to do. And yet I was having panic attacks on stage. I reached a point where I knew something had to change. I wasn't willing to let fear take away something I had sacrificed so much for. I had two choices: stop performing, or learn how to work with what was happening in my nervous system. Thankfully, I chose the second option. In this episode, I'm sharing one of the very first tools I learned when I finally reached out for help. It's called EFT Tapping, or Emotional Freedom Technique, and we're actually going to do it together. This isn't just a conversation about stage fright. It's a guided tapping meditation that you can follow along with in real time. Whether you're preparing for an audition, getting ready for a performance, or simply trying to build a healthier relationship with singing, my hope is that this gives you a practical tool you can return to whenever fear starts taking over. I also want you to know something. I am completely free of the stage fright that once felt impossible to overcome. Today, I genuinely love performing. I feel calm, grounded, present, and connected to my artistry when I step on stage. I never thought that would be possible when I was in the middle of struggling with panic attacks. That's why I wanted to make this episode. Because if you're dealing with performance anxiety right now, I want you to know that improvement is possible. You do not have to stay stuck where you are today. And if you've never tried tapping before, this is a wonderful place to start. In this episode you'll learn: • Why performance anxiety and stage fright happen to so many singers • My personal story of struggling with panic attacks on stage • What EFT Tapping is and how it works • A guided tapping meditation you can follow along with in real time • Why fear and excitement often feel surprisingly similar in the body • How repetition helps create new neural pathways around confidence while performing Chapters 0:00 Welcome and my story with performance anxiety 5:04 Why I refused to let stage fright take away my dream 6:53 What EFT Tapping is and how it works 7:47 The tapping points explained 13:00 Guided EFT Tapping Meditation for Singers 22:14 The small part of you that's trying to keep you safe 23:01 Why fear and excitement are physiologically so similar 23:43 Neuroplasticity and creating new performance experiences 24:28 My complete recovery from stage fright and performance anxiety 25:20 Final encouragement and connect with me Get in Touch Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@voiceteachersarah

  • #13
    June 15 · 28 min

    Ep. 13 - Why Your High Notes Feel Strained, Stuck, or Impossible (and What’s Actually Causing It)

    If your high notes feel strained, pushed, stuck, screamy, or like they’ve completely disappeared lately, this episode is going to help you understand what may actually be going on in your voice. Because most of the time, the high notes themselves are not actually the problem. And I know that may sound surprising, especially if the top part of your range is currently making you want to throw yourself dramatically onto the floor after singing. But in almost every case I’ve seen as a voice teacher, issues with high notes are usually coming from something happening somewhere else in the voice. That’s what we’re unpacking today. This conversation came directly out of patterns I’ve been seeing lately in my studio, in my online communities, and in singers who feel frustrated because high notes that used to feel easy suddenly feel hard, or singers who have started believing they “just don’t have high notes anymore.” And I really want you to hear this: Losing access to part of your range is not permanent. Your voice can be retrained. In this episode, we talk about what’s actually happening behind the scenes when singers start straining, pushing, yelling, over-singing, or pressing in other parts of the voice and how those habits can throw your entire instrument out of balance. We also get into bel canto, what that word actually means, and why bel canto technique applies to every style of singing, not just opera or classical music. And honestly, this episode became more emotional than I expected while recording it. Because I know what it feels like to struggle with your voice. I know what it feels like to avoid high notes, to feel disconnected from your instrument, to wonder what’s wrong, and to worry that maybe your voice just won’t do what you want it to do anymore. My own voice was in really rough shape when I moved to New York City for my singing career. And now, after years of retraining and studying vocal technique, I genuinely have the voice I used to dream about having. Because vocal technique is trainable. And there is always a way through. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why high notes are often not the real source of the problem • How over-singing and pushing in middle voice can affect your entire range • The difference between chest voice, middle voice, head voice, and whistle tone • Why singers can temporarily lose access to their high extension • What “pressing” the voice actually means and how it affects vocal balance • Why drilling difficult high notes repeatedly can actually make them worse • How bel canto technique helps rebalance the voice from the inside out • Why middle voice is the most important part of your instrument • How I retrained my own voice after major vocal struggles Chapters 0:00 Welcome to The Aligned Singer 2:53 What bel canto actually means 4:05 Why bel canto technique applies to every style of singing 4:38 My own journey retraining my high extension 6:23 What whistle tone actually is 7:34 Why singers lose access to high notes 8:27 The real reason high notes become strained or stuck 9:15 Chest voice, head voice, and middle voice explained simply 11:05 Why middle voice is the most important part of your voice 13:04 How over-singing throws the whole instrument out of balance 14:19 How bel canto technique helps rebalance the voice 17:43 Why practicing the high note itself often makes things worse 22:28 My emotional story about rebuilding my own voice 28:03 Closing thoughts and encouragement Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@voiceteachersarah

  • #12
    June 8 · 52 min

    Ep. 12 - Manifesting for Singers: How to Start Attracting More Aligned Opportunities (A Practical Intro to Law of Attraction for Singers)

    Do you ever wonder why some singers seem to keep attracting great opportunities (maybe even the ones YOU want) while other singers seem stuck in the same frustrating cycles no matter how hard they work? That’s what we’re talking about today: Manifesting. Manifesting isn't waaay out there. At The Aligned Singer we're approaching this conversation in an extremely grounded and practical way. At its core, manifesting is about understanding how your inner world affects what you continue to create, notice, allow, expect, and attract in your outer world. And as singers, this matters so much more than most of us realize. Most singers spend years focused almost entirely on the outer work of their career: vocal technique, auditions, applications, networking, repertoire, performance skills, time management, building resumes, trying to get better, trying to get noticed, trying to make opportunities happen. But many singers never stop to examine what’s happening underneath all of it. I call this the inner work. The subconscious beliefs you carry about yourself. The emotional patterns you’ve been living inside for years. The expectations your nervous system has about what is possible for you. The stories you absorbed growing up about success, visibility, worthiness, creativity, money, rejection, artistry, and being seen. Once I started understanding that the inner work mattered and figured out how to do it, I finally started attracting my dream singing opportunities. That's what I want for you! In this episode, I talk about the connection between the inner work and the outer work of building a singing career, and why changing your life often requires more than simply working harder. I also share personal stories from my own journey, including rebuilding my voice after major vocal struggles, moving to New York City without support or connections, and realizing that some of the opportunities I wanted most required internal transformation, not just more effort. Because the good news is this: Your brain can change. Your patterns can change. Your expectations can change. And when those internal shifts begin to happen, the opportunities you notice, pursue, allow, and create can start changing too. In this episode, you’ll learn: • What manifesting actually means in grounded, practical language • The difference between the inner work and outer work of a singing career • How subconscious beliefs can shape the opportunities you continue attracting • Why painful patterns can repeat in singers’ lives and careers • What the reticular activating system is and how it affects your perception • How neuroplasticity allows your brain and patterns to change • Why childhood experiences can still affect your confidence and opportunities as an adult singer • The inner work tools I personally use, including meditation, visualization, journaling, EFT tapping, hypnosis, and EMDR Chapters 0:47 What manifesting actually means for singers 3:22 The inner work vs. the outer work of your singing career 8:19 Why manifesting helps singers feel more empowered 16:56 Examples of two singers: one with high self-worth and one who struggled 24:11 How subconscious beliefs affect the opportunities you attract 26:16 Looking at the patterns in your life and career 31:08 How childhood experiences can create hidden blocks in adulthood 35:26 The reticular activating system explained simply 37:46 Neuroplasticity and neuropathways: the magic of your brain explained simply 43:26 The tools I personally use for inner work and manifestation 48:14 How to start changing the patterns that no longer serve you Get in Touch Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@voiceteachersarah

  • #11
    June 1 · 41 min

    Ep. 11 - What to Do When Rejection Starts Affecting Your Confidence as a Singer

    Rejection is one of the hardest parts of being a singer. It comes with the territory of pursuing your career as a performer, but me saying that does not make it easier on your emotions when you’re the one living through it. You know the drill: auditions that you prepared like crazy for, even paid to have coached, self tapes that took hours of preparation only to hear silence after submitting, callbacks where you know you're headed to the next round just to see the cast list come out without your name on it, applications, grants, programs, and opportunities you hoped would work out that you poured your time and energy into preparing for. It hurts. And we're gonna talk about it today, because learning how to navigate the emotional sting, or even grief, of rejection is incredibly important if you want a sustainable way to pursue your dreams. But what hurts even more is when rejection starts meaning something about you. Maybe you start questioning your talent. Maybe you start wondering if you’re behind. Maybe you start wondering if you’re actually cut out for this after all. So let’s talk about it. Because rejection is innate to pursuing your craft. If you’re putting yourself out there as a singer, you’re going to hear no. A lot. In this episode, we’re going to do something about how that feels. I may not be able to change the no for you or lessen the amount of rejection you face, but I am here to help you navigate it in a way that allows you to stay connected to the joy and delight of pursuing what you love to do. I also share a story about an interview I heard years ago that completely changed the way I think about rejection. We also talk about: the danger of internalizing rejection as meaning something inherently about your worth or ability to succeed completing the stress cycle around rejection instead of suppressing or avoiding it building a rich life outside of performing so rejection doesn’t become emotionally devastating and creating your own work so you can keep moving forward even while hearing no in other parts of your singing life Because your voice has to be out in the world. And you can’t let a mountain of no stop you from getting there. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why hearing no is a normal part of putting yourself out there as a singer • How to stop transferring rejection into a story about your identity and your ability • The story that completely reframed rejection for me • How to use the “track it and tweak it” method to find patterns and get strategic • Why completing the stress cycle around rejection matters for singers • The personal toolbox I use to stay grounded, refill my well, and keep going • How creating your own work can keep you inspired and moving forward, even while hearing no elsewhere Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to The Aligned Singer 2:39 The inner and outer work of handling rejection 5:24 The danger of internalizing rejection as meaning something about your worth or ability to succeed 7:43 Reframing no: redirection, neutrality, and "not yet" 9:21 My favorite reframe: no means you put yourself out there 12:00 The audition log story that completely changed my perspective 16:31 The "track it and tweak it" method 21:03 Completing the stress cycle around rejection instead of suppressing it 22:29 Finding your people: building a circle that understands what this feels like 27:35 Refilling your well so rejection doesn't drain your creativity and confidence 29:39 Reconnecting with inspiration through art, theater, and creativity outside your own field 34:52 Why creating your own work can keep you moving forward while you're hearing no elsewhere 37:43 Closing, pep talk, and connect with me Get in Touch: Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah

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