Summertime is the perfect time to develop a weekly lesson plan to go over important singing technique fundamentals. During the year it is easy to focus on learning and preparing repertoire for upcoming recitals and juries, and taking the time to really focus on technical concepts is not always an option.
Fundaments covered this summer will include:
1. Alignment
2. Creating space in the vocal tract
3. Breathing- inhalation and exhalation
4. Resonance
5. Tips for creating musical nuance
6. Help teaching diction
Alignment can have a huge impact on vocal tone and breath management. How many high schoolers have come through your doors with “backpack posture”- shoulders rounded, posture stooped- and have tried to sing in that same posture? Shallow, clavicular breathing ensues, followed by unsupported and breathy tone. With proper alignment, the sternum will rest in a lifted position, and the ribs and lungs will have ample space to fully expand out, and the tone becomes fuller and more supported.
It is important to address how the body aligns itself through the six points of alignment.
1. Feet: Are your feet “feeling” the floor? Are you feeling the triangle of your feet press into the floor?
2. Knees: Are your knees released and flexible? Are they locked or bent too much?
3. Hips: Correctly balance the upper half of our body over the legs. The hips are the support system of the torso.
4. Pelvis: Rock the pelvis back and forth. Where do you feel the point of “no work”? In this position, the singing with positively activate the core for support.
5. Shoulders: Balance the arms, not pulling them back or slumping them down. This position should allow the back to open and become long and wide.
6. A/O Joint: This is the joint that balances our head on our spine at the center. Ask your students to find where your head shifts. The A/O joint is deeper inside the skull than one thinks.
When exploring these various points of alignment be sure to test out the limits of each. When does the position feel easy, or a position where no work is being done? This is a great litmus test to see where each point is utilized efficiently.
In the studio, have a picture or an anatomical model of the skeletal system at hand. It is amazing how powerful visual cues can be, and since singers can’t fully see their instrument, these pictures and models are invaluable. Remember to remind your students at each lesson of the alignment awareness. Ask them how their body feels, and create verbal cues to quickly troubleshoot posture problems. For example:
• Are your feet feeling the floor?
• Are your knees flexible?
• Are you balanced at hip joints?
• Sing with you whole body.
As Wilhelm Ehmann said, “The singer uses his body both to sustain life and to cultivate his art. He can never escape from himself, for his physical life either furthers of hinders his artistic life.” These ideas on alignment shouldn’t be limited to the studio. Ask your students to remind themselves of their alignment at various times of the day, at the grocery store, in the hall, on the drive home from work. Implementing this efficient posture throughout the day will make it much more organic when it comes to singing.
by Shella — Tue Jul 15, 2008 @ 4:02 pm