Are you an ensemble singer?

holding each other up

Does this image remind you of singing in vocal ensembles? What happens if we suddenly remove either person from the picture? It’s possible they each have amazing muscles and will continue to remain suspended in a precarious balance. But actually, you know they are about to fall on their backsides.

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You can’t tango alone!

tango dancers

“It takes two to tango.” We have all heard this. The expression takes on new life for those who actually learn more about how a tango works. One of the dancers gets to look great and make most of the impressive sweeping moves. The other dancer is actually the leader, and is in charge of

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Permeable persons

People intersect, like the circles in a Venn diagram.

Vibrations and people don’t have fixed edges. We overlap, like circles in a Venn diagram. Once we say this, it seems obvious. Of course, we are always being affected by each other. And yet, do we sing as though we understand this is happening?

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What is entrainment?

All aboard!

If you put a stringed instrument near a compatible vibrational source, the strings will tend to tune themselves to that source. Entrainment means the tendency of any vibration to readjust and match other vibrations nearby. People do this too! Social entrainment can be observed in the way that groups of friends may tend to move

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Tango vs. Macarena

Do the macarena!

Remember the macarena? It was the hottest new dance in 1996. People loved it because it was easy, and fun, and you could go out and do it with other people. And yet, you didn’t exactly do it WITH other people. The dance was hailed as self-affirming and inclusive, and it was something each of

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Turtle and unturtle

turtle swimming

They are glorious, beautiful creatures. In many traditional myths, the earth is carried on the back of a turtle. And yet, perhaps not always the best role models for humans. Why do we try to duck our heads into our shells? What is the easiest way to convince yourself to stop doing this?

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Gender bending is for everyone!

Transgender voice coaches are specialists who help people learn to communicate a particular gender identity. They may help transgender people to “pass” as a person of the newly chosen gender, or help others to neutralize undesired gender markers. A few years ago I learned just a little bit about vocal gendering. (Well, a little knowledge

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