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the Skills of Y
our Communit
y Choir
Stretching the Skills of Your Community Choir
Stretching

Breath Support Analogy #2 use, the more efficiently the air is used, and therefore less is
Another useful analogy is to have singers think about the wasted, leaving more air with which to sing. Increased air
physical effects of jumping on a trampoline or a pogo stick. flow and breath support are also assets in developing better
That sense of going down and springing back upward is agility on fast moving notes and in helping singers move
what the initiation of vocal sound should feel like. Remind gracefully between registers.
singers to “trampoline” the first note of a phrase, going
down in their bodies for breath support, with a sense of
getting under the note and lifting it. They should also “re- Tone Placement
trampoline” the target notes within a phrase, or whenever Though posture and breath support are for me the foun-
they feel pressure creeping up into their throats. Relaxing dational vocal concepts, tone placement is a crucial ingre-
the lower torso for each breath just prior to renewing this dient in helping singers brighten and project their voices.
trampoline effect is essential to keeping the singing voice Here is a simple way to explain tone placement:
relaxed. Ask your singers to feel with the tips of their tongues the
hard surface behind the upper teeth above the tongue. Ex-
Breath Support Analogy #3 plain that this is called the hard palette and that they should
Good singing should feel like wearing imaginary sus- in their imaginations aim their sound into that space, in-

penders, pulling down on the front straps while singing, yet stead of just letting the sound feel as if it is falling out of
another useful analogy for breath support. their mouths.
Singing should feel like long-distance speaking, rather Also related to tone placement, there is a helpful tech-
than talking on the phone. In long-distance speaking, we nique called “flaring the nostrils.” Have singers touch the
naturally project our sound, automatically supporting and place where the bottom of their nostrils and their cheeks
using more air. Have singers sing a simple phrase with their come together. Where they feel their fingers on their cheeks,
hands up to their ears, as if singing into a cell phone. Then have them raise their cheeks and keep them in that posi-
repeat the phrase, projecting the sound to someone on the tion while singing. It feels similar to a clarinetist’s embou-
other side of the room. The result of this long-distance chure. “Flaring the nostrils” makes more complete use of
singing is more effective breath support. the cavities in the facial structure to enhance and amplify
vocal sound. This technique adds clarity to both pitch and
Things to Avoid enunciation, and significantly aids projection, the carrying
As much as possible with amateur singers, and especial- power of the voice. A side benefit is that your singers look
ly with aging singers, avoid staccato warm-ups and glot- more pleasant to the audience.
tal attacks of vocal entrances. Singing must be primarily Singers should generally use smaller, more circular-
sostenuto, a horizontal singing style that focuses on linear shaped lips and sing as if sending the sound out mostly
flow. Vertical punching should be used sparingly, only for through the top half of the mouth. Have them hold a sheet
necessary musical effects. Why? Because consistent air flow of music between their opened teeth and instruct them to
and breath support, from one note to another, is important. imagine their sound going above the paper, not below it.
Even the initiation of the first note should already be a part Singers should sing as if the source of the sound is com-
of the journey through the melodic phrase, with a trajec- ing up from the floor and out the top back of their heads,
tory aiming down the phrase. Staccato singing stops this rather than the source being in their mouths and then fall-
horizontal flow, and then amateur singers struggle to re- ing down to the floor. This creates better tone placement
initiate ongoing air flow. and breath support.
Besides affecting the quality of vocal sound, increased air Breathe through both the nose and the mouth. Breathing
flow and breath support solve the problem of singers run- through only the mouth decreases natural nasal resonance
ning out of air, a major complaint of singers over the age that is an important part of tone placement, projection,
of fifty. Although it seems contradictory, if you want to sing and pitch clarity. Breathing just through the nose means
longer on one breath, use more air (and more “fire breath- that inhalation is slower and less efficient, and that the vocal
ing dragon” breath support), rather than less. Don’t try to apparatus needs to be re-opened and re-initiated in order
control the amount of air being used. The more air you to sing after each breath. So, breathe through both.

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 2 20 Winter 2023