- Releasing the Breath October 31, 2006
Please tell me what it means when someone instructs the student to “release the breath” or “sing on the breath”. Is that not what we do all day long with every breath we take? If you don’t release your breath, it’s called being dead. You have to sing on the breath, as ...
- Using Exercises Effectively October 30, 2006
In order to use any vocal exercise effectively, several things have to happen. First of all, the person singing or the teacher has to decide what direction to take….we call this in Somatic Voicework “diagnosis”. We have to decide “what is going on here?” with the voice from a functional place. The ...
- Understanding Mix October 30, 2006
I have run into this phrase quite a lot: “I don’t understand mix” or “I don’t understand how to mix”. This makes me think the student regards mix as something one does rather than something that is created as a response in the vocal mechanism. It implies that the student can “think” ...
- Specialization versus Generalization October 26, 2006
Broadway performers are the only ones who are asked to sing in separate register qualities on purpose. Classical singers must generate resonances to carry over accompaniment without electronic amplification. Singers of other styles just sing however they do. Broadway dancers must be able to do ballet, tap, jazz/modern, and sometimes other styles. ...
- It’s More than Resonance and Breath Support October 24, 2006
It is my fondest wish that all people who teach singing really understand how profound the human voice is. Part of that would be understanding how every single muscle, every single movement of the vocal system matters. The sound isn’t just the vocal folds and the vocal tract with some air passing through ...
- The Great Divide October 24, 2006
Surely, some classical vocal training really allows a person to delve into the voice in all its aspects. It incorporates a good, solid knowledge of how the body should look and feel, and it encourages the vocalist to investigate every type of vocal quality and sound. BUT I had 8 voice teachers, 8 opera/art song ...
- Nothing Different in 40 Years October 20, 2006
Yesterday evening I spoke at length to a young woman who is looking to get a graduate degree in CCM vocal pedogogy. No such animal, I told her. She is also in interested in Ethnic Music. Good luck, I said. She told me how frustrated she feels that she is interested ...
- Where I Stand October 18, 2006
This is the first day of my Blog. I am interested in speaking my mind about issues that concern me in the profession of teaching singing for Contemporary Commercial Music. I understand that what I have to say may strike some as being controversial, others as being a relief. I have very ...