Local singer/teacher/worship leader, Carolyn Long, came to the vocal sectional and began making loud monkey noises. Reactions from our vocalists ranged from extremely shocked faces to loud laughter to mousy cringing; a very funny thing to observe. And wouldn’t you know that Carolyn would not just let the vocalists watch; they had to participate as well.

Enter fear and trepidation.

To sing in front of peers is a very vulnerable experience. So to let loose and make crazy monkey sounds was going to push the singers beyond what they thought they could do. It took some coaxing and trust-building encouragement but all of the vocalists did it and did it well!! The recording of the experience, low “Wuhs” to high “ohs”, came out great. The group sounded just like a bunch of excited monkeys. (The guitarists in the other room apparently had to stop what they were doing because they started laughing and responding with their own monkey noises!)

Just so you know the point of making monkey noises was not just to be silly. The exercise is meant to help singers discover their resonance by engaging the support of the diaphragm and discover the vast cavities throughout what is known as the “mask” (the head) and the entire body. It is one of the best things to do to get used to finding spaces you didn’t know existed. It forces you to concentrate and engage your entire body in the experience; which is what singing is anyhow – a whole body activity.

Following the resonance exercises Carolyn worked with each singer individually on a piece he or she was working on in lessons. Having done the monkey exercises before this was a benefit that I don’t think the singers realized until it was their turn to sing for Carolyn. Carolyn has a gift for bringing out the soul and emotional intention of songs in singers voices. Resonance choices, pitch accuracy through air support, and word length for lyrical intention was just some of what Carolyn addressed with each singer. It was wonderful to hear and see the reactions of each singer as they applied what Carolyn told them to try. Their songs began to come alive in a whole different way. They were making a personal connection to their songs on a whole new leveland you could see their excitement and confidence grow with each attempt.

A hardy “Thank You” to Carolyn for coming and sharing herheart and gift of communicating through song and helping our vocalists to do the same.