I’ve always been mystified by the fact that I and my wife, who is a coach/accompanist, seem to have approach physical therapy and athletic endeavor differently than most people. I get that people in our business have physical demands and training which make them more aware of their bodies but I couldn’t figure out the mind set that made them different until my last session with a gifted and highly trained physical therapist.
He told me that the work had been a pleasure for him and that he was pleased to give further tools to someone he knew would do the work on themselves. And there it was! It’s not the level of effort or the demands our business makes on us. It’s the attitude which almost every successful singer and working musician have:. How many talented individuals study with good voice teachers and coaches? And of those, how many make it?
There are lots of factors, but one almost universal element is that determination to do the work on themselves. It means taking information and digesting it-making it part of you, work for you, doing it your very own way, which usually ends up being another form of what the greatest people have told you. It’s about understanding what is valid and then making it work for you in your own particular way. Many great conductors, stage directors and coaches have astonishing ideas and information , but what they really appreciate is when you take those suggestions and transform them into your own form of expression. Take their suggestion but do it your way. They are helping you, but every successful singer has to do the work for themself. This is what makes us special, be it in physical therapy or onstage..