Take a pyjama day for your singing

Yes - a pyjama day for your singing.

To quote Man in Chair from The Drowsy Chaperone, “Let me explain what I mean by that”.

Every now and again, we all need some time to recharge and reboot. Indulge in some down time away from the demands of daily life. Put the phone on aeroplane mode (today’s equivalent of taking the phone off the hook), and binge watch The West Wing for the third time in twelve months. Drink copious pots of peppermint tea, and curl up with a damn fine book. Or better yet, jump into a luscious bubble bath, accompanied by a bottle of shiraz (I leave it to the reader’s discretion as to whether or not you drink the whole bottle!).

A pyjama day is time out to do the things that make you rest, relax, and feel awesome.

You at your leisure, and in your most blissful comfort zone.

Your mind and your voice will thank you if you do the same for your singing. Regardless of where you are at in your singing journey, some time away from your current vocal challenges and pressures can be an invigorating thing.

A pyjama day for your singing is not a weekly or even monthly requirement - it is more a case of you taking a PJ day when you need, or want, one. The want/need for some comfort singing could come from any number of cues - the end of an exhaustive performance season, a crappy day at work, an argument with a friend, a singing practise that won’t quite come together for you as you’d like.

If you’re coming off the back of an exhilarating, intense run of shows, why not go back to basics? Feed the voice an elixir of Concone’s Op. 9 and sing the first five lessons. Return to pure vowels, smooth phrases, and well supported sound without a hint of mental stress.

Too many deadlines and no time to do any of them well? No one likes a bad day at work. After days like that, sometimes the answer is to be found at the bottom of a gin and tonic, and nowhere else. On other days, mind and spirit will best be served by listening to the soundtrack of a show - pump up the volume and keep pace with Daveed Diggs’ “Guns and Ships” from Hamilton; let out your lyrical side and match Kelli O’Hara note for note in The Light in the Piazza.

You can have a structured plan for your singing practice sessions, and that plan will work nine times out of ten. But that tenth session? Well, it can feel like trying to herd cats. Nothing goes where it should, everything feels foreign. So step away and hit up Spotify. Find your favourite song and go through the renditions one by one, all the while listening for the choices made by the singer which differ from yours - a stress on a syllable here, a unique end of phrase there. Have a mini-masterclass in your home, and maybe note down one or two new ideas to play with when you come back to your singing practice.

An argument will stir up so much in the centre of your being and it can be difficult to find your inner balance. Pull yourself out of the turmoil by singing the number that’s your ‘go to’ song at karaoke. It doesn’t matter how technically tricky is may be, or if it sits far too high or too low for you. It all comes back to singing having positive effects on anxiety and depression. Just go to town, sing your guts out, and love the feeling of endorphins being released.

Use a pyjama day for your singing to feed your soul.

It could simply be that that’s what you feel like singing that day.

And if you choose to do your singing in your pyjamas? Even better.