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The Healing Power of Singing
Vocal health tips, stories from the tour bus, and action items to improve your voice and boost your self-confidence from an award-winning musician and life coach Performing with David Bowie, surviving the murky depths of the music business, enduring a painful divorce, and making the first music video in outer space, award-winning recording artist Emm Gryner has navigated through life's highs and lows using a secret compass: singing. Her voice, and her desire to express herself in music, has been a constant: from the early days of playing in bands while growing up in a small town, to playing arena rock shows and stadiums. Across these years and on many travels, she's discovered the human voice to be an unlikely guide, with the power to elevate and move people closer to authentic living. This book is about that discovery: part study in the art of singing, part guide to finding one's voice, and part memoir. This book is a must-have for anyone who knows they should be singing.
- GenresNonfictionMusic
304 pages, Paperback
Published September 28, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 3, 2022
**Listened to audio book**
As a singer myself I was so excited to listen to/read this book. I definitely feel that singing can be healing!
However, this book just didn't connect with me. I found it really slow, and a bit dull. I don't think Emm Gryner had a clear vision for this book. Is it a memoir? Is it a technical bible? It was a bit of both, but it didn't really do much in either of those topics. It was trying to be too much, and think it should have had more of a focus.
I like the fact that Emm Gryner narrates this book herself - I always think when authors narrate their own books it makes a bigger difference.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book - I just don't know how much I got from it!
As a singer myself I was so excited to listen to/read this book. I definitely feel that singing can be healing!
However, this book just didn't connect with me. I found it really slow, and a bit dull. I don't think Emm Gryner had a clear vision for this book. Is it a memoir? Is it a technical bible? It was a bit of both, but it didn't really do much in either of those topics. It was trying to be too much, and think it should have had more of a focus.
I like the fact that Emm Gryner narrates this book herself - I always think when authors narrate their own books it makes a bigger difference.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book - I just don't know how much I got from it!
September 23, 2021
I don’t personally know the author, but she is from the same area of Southwestern Ontario that I grew up in and came across one of her albums and had a listen and became a fan.
I’m not a fan of self help books. In fact, I run I the other direction when I see them. I also don’t sing and cannot sing and no amount of help is going to change my out of tune voice. I do love music however and believe it can heal and be a great comfort. It was for this reason that I thought I would give the book a go.
I found that a lot of the concepts the author talked about are relatable to many areas of life and not just singing, which I loved. She uses humour, personal stories and anecdotes to make her points. She writes with wit and effervescence and I laughed out loud when she said she said “I wanted to teach as much as I wanted to be sprayed by a team of skunks right before a hot date”. I feel the same.
This is the first book of this genre I’ve actually enjoyed. The book is not condescending or patronizing as I’ve often found the self help genre to be. It’s a sort of memoir and guide, if you like.
As a side note, I loved how the publisher indicated the resources saved by printing the book with chlorine free paper made with 100% post-consumer waste. I’ve never seen that before. Good on ecwpress.
I’m not a fan of self help books. In fact, I run I the other direction when I see them. I also don’t sing and cannot sing and no amount of help is going to change my out of tune voice. I do love music however and believe it can heal and be a great comfort. It was for this reason that I thought I would give the book a go.
I found that a lot of the concepts the author talked about are relatable to many areas of life and not just singing, which I loved. She uses humour, personal stories and anecdotes to make her points. She writes with wit and effervescence and I laughed out loud when she said she said “I wanted to teach as much as I wanted to be sprayed by a team of skunks right before a hot date”. I feel the same.
This is the first book of this genre I’ve actually enjoyed. The book is not condescending or patronizing as I’ve often found the self help genre to be. It’s a sort of memoir and guide, if you like.
As a side note, I loved how the publisher indicated the resources saved by printing the book with chlorine free paper made with 100% post-consumer waste. I’ve never seen that before. Good on ecwpress.
July 8, 2022
An absorbing memoir, 'The Healing Power of Singing' probably holds more weight if you're a singer but is really for every woman juggling family and career. It's one which I will revisit from time to time. Emm Gryner is very honest about her life and experiences, within the entertainment industry and on a personal level. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and thoroughly enjoyed it.
February 11, 2023
Loved this ... sure, I'm a big fan of Emm's music, but her "life advice" here in the context of learning the power of singing is excellent; as too is the way she weaves her life story, including touring with David Bowie into the text without making it about her, but what she learned ... both the difficult lessons of life and the good.
June 29, 2021
I'm not one for self-help books, nor did I think to myself, I need to read a book to help me with my singing voice, but I am an admirer of Emm Gryner the musician, so I thought it might be interesting to read her first book, The Vocal Life: 25 Secret for Singing and Living an Amazing Life. It was more than interesting, it was entertaining, and illuminating, and has even gotten me singing again. Mainly around the house, but I'm ready for my next performance at the Chlotrudis Awards -- an event that finds me singing with some other movie geeks every few years.
What Emm does that is so captivating, is she includes stories about her fascinating musical career, signed to a major label at 19, dropped shortly after her first album came out due to a restructuring with the company, touring worldwide as part of David Bowie's band in her early to mid-20's, becoming a successful independent artist, producing the first song sung in orbit around the earth, and so much more, while giving tips about how anyone can sing. She also talks about how she rediscovered her true self to be the best that she can be, and dang it, it's inspiring.
Hopefully, you might read Emm's book to get an insider's look at touring with a rock god... or perhaps you want to learn how to sing? At any rate, hopefully, after you've finished, you'll want to go check out Emm's music. You won't be sorry.
What Emm does that is so captivating, is she includes stories about her fascinating musical career, signed to a major label at 19, dropped shortly after her first album came out due to a restructuring with the company, touring worldwide as part of David Bowie's band in her early to mid-20's, becoming a successful independent artist, producing the first song sung in orbit around the earth, and so much more, while giving tips about how anyone can sing. She also talks about how she rediscovered her true self to be the best that she can be, and dang it, it's inspiring.
Hopefully, you might read Emm's book to get an insider's look at touring with a rock god... or perhaps you want to learn how to sing? At any rate, hopefully, after you've finished, you'll want to go check out Emm's music. You won't be sorry.
December 15, 2022
I love to sing and was drawn in by this title. My choice of audiobook format was less than ideal as this book would be a nice resource for my shelf. Emm Gryner's list of 25 "easy steps" are not likely to be sequential for anyone so coming back to it again and again at other times would be fruitful.
What I love about female authors is that they are more likely than their male counterparts to let their books be personal and vulnerable. Emm Gryner takes this to another level and her book is both a singing manual and personal memoir. She is vulnerable, real and authentic throughout and demonstrates by her writing how we can and should do this as singers. The beautiful, full-spectrum emotional roller coaster of her life shows us how singing and self care can be significant barometers of our well-being and capacity to engage with the world in general and more specifically with those in our closest circles.
I was surprised/not surprised of her mention of yoga being a tool for taking care of her vocal instrument. A singer's instrument is their whole body and being. Because singing is emotional, mental and physical, yoga is helpful for singers because it touches and soothes greater depths of who we are - mind, body, and emotions.
She spent a good bit of time in the book talking about the importance of breathing and how to do it properly. She offers breathing tips and a 10 minute vocal warmup video on her YouTube channel should you want to prepare for your best singing.
I suppose some singers can half-ass it for awhile. Some can even strikingly imitate another's performance to the point where their own identity is dissolved in the artist they are covering. But to be compelling at conveying the vast spectrum of human emotions through song over the long term, it will be necessary for singers to look within themselves and find out the truth about who they are and what they want to represent to the world. It is the authenticity of the singer and the song that is both captivating to audiences and the most freeing way to sing. If we feel like what we are saying and singing comes from who we truly are, we are living as our most authentic self. This should make our singing so much more comfortable and natural to us. Doing so makes one a better singer - according to Emm.
One of her tips that resonated with me was to construct a vision board for singer goals. If we enjoy singing, we should have some aspiration to sing more and one of her tips to nudge this intention forward is to visualize what success means to us, and do some work to visually depict it. By taking this creative step and bringing to life our aspirations into a tangible creation and displaying it prominently in our space, we can be continually reminded of our desire to sing and to take excellent care of our instrument.
If you want to sing more, read this book. It will inspire you to take your next step on your singing journey.
What I love about female authors is that they are more likely than their male counterparts to let their books be personal and vulnerable. Emm Gryner takes this to another level and her book is both a singing manual and personal memoir. She is vulnerable, real and authentic throughout and demonstrates by her writing how we can and should do this as singers. The beautiful, full-spectrum emotional roller coaster of her life shows us how singing and self care can be significant barometers of our well-being and capacity to engage with the world in general and more specifically with those in our closest circles.
I was surprised/not surprised of her mention of yoga being a tool for taking care of her vocal instrument. A singer's instrument is their whole body and being. Because singing is emotional, mental and physical, yoga is helpful for singers because it touches and soothes greater depths of who we are - mind, body, and emotions.
She spent a good bit of time in the book talking about the importance of breathing and how to do it properly. She offers breathing tips and a 10 minute vocal warmup video on her YouTube channel should you want to prepare for your best singing.
I suppose some singers can half-ass it for awhile. Some can even strikingly imitate another's performance to the point where their own identity is dissolved in the artist they are covering. But to be compelling at conveying the vast spectrum of human emotions through song over the long term, it will be necessary for singers to look within themselves and find out the truth about who they are and what they want to represent to the world. It is the authenticity of the singer and the song that is both captivating to audiences and the most freeing way to sing. If we feel like what we are saying and singing comes from who we truly are, we are living as our most authentic self. This should make our singing so much more comfortable and natural to us. Doing so makes one a better singer - according to Emm.
One of her tips that resonated with me was to construct a vision board for singer goals. If we enjoy singing, we should have some aspiration to sing more and one of her tips to nudge this intention forward is to visualize what success means to us, and do some work to visually depict it. By taking this creative step and bringing to life our aspirations into a tangible creation and displaying it prominently in our space, we can be continually reminded of our desire to sing and to take excellent care of our instrument.
If you want to sing more, read this book. It will inspire you to take your next step on your singing journey.
May 3, 2024
I was so excited to hear that a Canadian singer would be backing Bowie during a tour and the Glastonbury festival. When I found out she wrote a book, I had to read it.
Not only is Emm a background singer, but an accomplished artist in her own right. I wanted to know more about her singing journey and how she found her voice. There is so much more to this book than I can explain here.
Aspiring singers can get advice and pointers here, but also find a starting point. Her life rules could apply to anyone; a huge take away for me.
As a huge Bowie fan, I can't imagine sharing a stage with and singing his songs. Emm's story is candid, honest, sad, and complex. A joy to read.
Highly recommended.
Not only is Emm a background singer, but an accomplished artist in her own right. I wanted to know more about her singing journey and how she found her voice. There is so much more to this book than I can explain here.
Aspiring singers can get advice and pointers here, but also find a starting point. Her life rules could apply to anyone; a huge take away for me.
As a huge Bowie fan, I can't imagine sharing a stage with and singing his songs. Emm's story is candid, honest, sad, and complex. A joy to read.
Highly recommended.
March 29, 2022
I really enjoyed this book, which is all about the author's singing career, how she helps others to make their singing voice better, how we can also improve our own singing voice, and how we can use it for healing. I especially liked the references to David Bowie, as he was, and still is, one of my favourite musicians of all time. His music is amazing, and to read about the author's working relationship with him was thrilling. I think this is a great book, and I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 14, 2022
This book contains so many top tips and self help ideas, not just about singing, but also for a better life. The activités and challenges set, help develop a strong voice, but the top tips help you become more dynamic and self aware.
Such a helpful and life changing book.
I listened to this as an audiobook and although I feel I may have missed out on a few of the paper books illustrations, the narrator of the audiobook was fabulous and really helped to guide you through. I love got so much to think about and try- I’ll have to listen to this again and again for extra guidance.
Such a helpful and life changing book.
I listened to this as an audiobook and although I feel I may have missed out on a few of the paper books illustrations, the narrator of the audiobook was fabulous and really helped to guide you through. I love got so much to think about and try- I’ll have to listen to this again and again for extra guidance.
December 5, 2021
Fantastic stories full of rich experiences and soaked in humour and reality it’s like chatting with an old friend. The book is full of helpful tips to make you more thoughtful and present in achieving your goals, not just in singing but imagining whatever it is you’re striving for.
March 20, 2022
I liked the memoir parts!
June 21, 2022
While I'm not actually looking to start singing professionally, I love Emm's music and I found a lot of the advice and anecdotes pretty applicable to any artistic life, in particular the DIY-ers.
October 22, 2021
Canadian musician Emm Gryner has written a terrific book that's part rock & roll memoir, part self-empowerment book, and part instruction manual for finding your voice -- both as a singer, and as a confident woman. Her effective blend of 25 steps to improve your singing, and her absorbing stories about touring with David Bowie, helping create the first music video shot in outer space or weathering the break-up of her marriage and moving forward as a single mom make The Healing Power of Singing a surprisingly effective, and entertaining self-help read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews