One of the most common pieces of vocal advice is also one of the hardest for singers to apply: the metaphor.
”Add more sparkle." "Make it brighter." "Sing with more emotion." "The sound needs more lilt."
These directions are not wrong—in fact, they're often incredibly effective in shaping musical expression. But they assume the singer already knows how to physically create those changes without compromising the integrity of the instrument. Some singers instinctively know how to modify the vocal mechanism without resorting to overpressurization, unnecessary muscular tension, or excess breathiness in the tone.
Many singers don't.
And in my experience, instruction can fall short when teachers assume a student’s internal experience.
I've found that many students aren't lacking motivation or musicality; they simply don't yet have conscious access to the physical sensations that produce the sound they intend to create. When a student can't execute a cue or a musical gesture, I don't assume they aren't listening or trying hard enough. I ask whether they can actually feel the system I'm asking them to change. Whether I’m teaching or analyzing my own recordings in the practice room, I listen and respond in questions rather than conclusions. When we lead with curiosity in the learning process, we invite the student (or ourselves) to look inward rather than seek outward approval.
To further strengthen this sense of autonomy and intrinsic focus, I prefer to teach and self-practice through the lens of learning how to operate the vocal mechanism. Asking a student to change their sound without awareness of what their body is doing is akin to asking someone to fly a plane while blindfolded, unable to see the controls, relying on the ears of a passenger.
The scientific term for this awareness is interoception: the ability to perceive and interpret the internal sensations of the body. Although interoception plays a central role in singing, it is rarely taught explicitly. Yet singing is, by nature, an internal skill. We ask singers to coordinate breath management, laryngeal position, resonance, posture, and precise muscular engagement and release, all while making expressive musical choices. None of this can happen consistently without developing awareness of what is happening inside the body.
Every singer develops this awareness differently. For some, it comes naturally through repetition and experience. For others, particularly those living with chronic stress, trauma, or neurodivergence, accessing internal sensations can be significantly more difficult.
Trauma alters the nervous system's relationship with the body. Chronic nervous system activation often teaches the brain to ignore or disconnect from internal sensations as a means of protection. Likewise, many neurodivergent individuals experience differences in interoception. Some may have reduced awareness of bodily sensations, while others experience so much sensory information that it becomes difficult to determine which sensations deserve attention. In either case, learning the fine motor control required for healthy singing may require a different pace and a different approach.
This is why I believe effective voice teaching requires more than technical expertise. It requires meeting each student where they are and helping them build awareness of their own instrument. That does not mean acting as a therapist or practicing outside one's professional scope. Rather, it means recognizing when a student needs more time, fewer variables, or a different pathway toward understanding what they are physically experiencing.
So often, we spend tremendous energy describing the sound we hope we, or a student, will produce. I believe the studio is a perfect place to practice leading with curiosity to help ourselves or our students understand—and feel—the instrument.
Beautiful singing is not built through better metaphors alone. It is built through awareness. Once a singer can truly perceive their own instrument, expressive artistry is no longer a matter of guessing what "more sparkle" means. It becomes an intentional, repeatable choice grounded in healthy, authentic vocal function.
Before a singer can change the voice, they must first learn to feel it.