Page 54 - CJMarch_April25

On the Voice

vary with the style of the piece and some exercises for Try using exercises like sirens that start high in the
practicing each: range and work down to bridge the gap(s) between reg-
23
isters. It can also be helpful to implement a “speech-
• Nasality can be appropriate in certain styles of sing- to-singing” routine, in which students speak the text of
ing. Since nasality is controlled by the soft palate, ex- a piece using increasingly higher dynamics until they
plore the spectrum of nasality with your students by are at the forte level and then switch to speech-singing at
24
raising and lowering the soft palate during vocal warm- varying dynamic levels. These exercises can help sing-
20
ups. Students can try yawning to feel the soft palate ers become more familiar with all areas of their voice
lifting (while being careful not to overextend the jaw rather than only the registers used for classical singing
during the yawn). Another common technique is to styles. A soprano who primarily sings in her head reg-
pinch the nose closed while singing a pitch. If there is ister, for example, will become more experienced in us-
nasality in the tone, the sound of the voice will change ing mixed and chest registers, which could support her
when the nose is pinched; if there is no nasality, the in singing various styles of music, like contemporary
sound will not change. 21 commercial, gospel, or jazz.

• Many teachers already implement techniques to help • Varied methods of vocal onset are used across mu-
students blend vocal registers, but these techniques sical styles. In vocal warm-ups, try having students sing
can be particularly useful when teaching music that em- the syllable “ha” to sensationalize a breathy onset, “uh”
phasizes the use of singers’ less-developed registers. to sensationalize a glottal onset, and [a] to sensational-
22

52 CHORAL JOURNAL March/April 2025 Volume 65 Number 7