Emily F. partner practice 11/22

Emily F. partner practice 11/22: Caitlin and I had our first practice together and it was good! We don't know each other very well yet, so it may take a while to understand and help each other. Because this week has been so demanding with the choir concert coming up, we worked on really gentle, simple exercises from the book. We did some primal sound work and then some simple descending scales. We took turns experimenting with cry and sigh in between the scales, and that really helped both of us. I found myself trying too hard to make my scale "pretty" and then it would get pushed back. Caitlin suggested I think of the air falling out of the top of my head and it helped. We practiced breathing exercises, specifically holding the breath with the glottis open, using the diaphragm to hold the breath. It's something I've been working on lately just at random times in the day. It's amazing to me how much subglottic pressure I use in speech, breathing, and singing! This exercise is a fun challenge in body awareness.