Caitlin Craig OB Chapter 11 Summary

Chapter Summary: We must be disciplined and constant in our practice patterns to maintain technique.  A good model for daily routine practicing would be to break it into small bouts of focused time and practice throughout the day.  We must never expect our voices to be the same from day to day, and never expect to begin with results. It is a matter of training, and a journey of emotional and musical expression.  Listen to your body to understand your limits from day to day.  And instill 7 golden rules for singing:
1. take time to loosen your body to a state of release.
2. Establish body alignment and awareness of involuntary breath.
3. think the sound and allow the airflow to do the work.
4. warm up the vocal muscles daily, calling on automatic pitch adjustments that are free from hyperfunction.
5. Remember that each voice is different.  And everyone moves at their own pace.
6. Don't be in a hurry.  Divide practice into short periods throughout the day.
7. develop the 12 areas of study.
The 12 areas of study are outlined by the specific chapters in the book so far:
1. primal sound
2. release
3. posture
4. breathing
5. eliciting pitch
6. range
7. registers
8. agility
9. resonance
10. power
11. articulation
12. interpretation
When learning to vocalize a song we must think of each element at one time.  We begin with the rhythm, then interval relationships, tempo, reading the text as a poem, and then combining the text with the previous musical elements.  Music can be memorized quickly this way.
If you are trying to learn the melody and get it in your ear, sing through the melody as a vocal exercise on an easy vowel, identify difficult passages and focus on them individually, next vocalize on the vowels of the text only, while gradually introducing consonants. Then we can add in vocal elements such as dynamics, tempo, and rhythm.  Try practicing the piece backwards.
We must prepare for singing mentally.  Feel the phrasing, have a gesture of awareness in your singing.  Trust your sound, and your practice.
Key Terms:
Key Concepts: Our voices are different from day to day, vocalizing daily in shorter periods is better for the voice, remember to instill the 12 areas of study in your practice.  And always follow the 7 golden rules of singing.
Making Connections:  One thing that I need to work on is memorizing my music smartly.  I feel like I always isolate the text, but then I never have been able to successfully adhere that to the music side of my practice.  I want to follow Oren's tips, and see how it will make things easier for me.