When I teach younger voice students, I will tell them early in the process that vocal technique is like a three-legged stool. The legs of the stool are breath, free vibration, and resonance. In technique discussions, I can draw a line from any specific thing we’re discussing back to one of those three things. I make sure to tell my students that when they’re confused about something we’re working on, they should ask me to “explain it a different way.” That’s always a good indicator for me to draw the through line from the macro to the micro. Ultimately, to make sure that the voice is functioning in a healthy and productive way, all three of those legs need to be strong and the whole stool needs to be well-balanced.<\/p>\n
In coaching and consulting, I have a three-legged stool metaphor as well. When I first work with clients, I ask them to adopt this thinking that the three legs in their music business are craft, network, and materials. Your craft is the skill with which you do the main thing. If you’re a violinist, your craft is *everything* related to how you play, what you think about the music, and your performance. Your network is obviously related to how deeply you’ve connected to others inside and outside of your field. When it comes to music entrepreneurship, it pays dividends to know people. Period. Plus, it is important to not only know musicians, conductors, and arts administrators. Having a robust network of people in all different walks of life is a huge advantage in life. Finally, materials are everything that are related to your music business that isn’t craft. That could mean your website<\/a>, tech rider<\/a>, bio<\/a>, email newsletter<\/a>, headshot<\/a>, pitch letter<\/a>, 5 year plan<\/a>, bookkeeping<\/a>, taxes, recordings<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n [Like the images that you see in the 29 Days to Diva series?\u00a0Haute Stock<\/a> helps me curate brand visuals that are stylish AND strategic<\/span>.]<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
29 Days to Diva Day 6 Assignment: Find Your Blind Spot<\/h3>\n