Summary: Breathing is the center and essence of our souls as humans; it is the source of life. "Through breathing, we calm our emotions, eliminate pain, focus our minds, and connect to our souls." Breathing is one of the active ingredients of singing, speaking being the other. Just like speaking, breathing for singing should also come from a natural source. For example, we understand naturally to take a large breath for a tirade; in singing, we can learn to take exactly the amount of breath we need for what kind of phrase we will be singing. When inhaling (or inspiring), the diaphragm contracts downwards and becomes flat, creating increased volume for air to occupy in the lungs. Therefore, the lower abdomen should expand as part of proper inhalation. Inhalation is the easy part, however, in comparison to exhalation. In exhalation, the greater air flow we can encourage in ourselves, the better. This requires less tensing of the abdominal muscles. The author's mantra on exhalation is: "Release all of your air, all the time."
Key Terms
inspiration
inhalation
"support"
exhalation
airflow vs. air pressure
Key Concepts: Breathing is one of the most natural human functions; therefore, breathing for singing should be made to be as natural as possible.
Making Connections: I connected with his tirade on "support." I feel that I have been stuck in the mindset of support for a while, and this semester I'm ridding myself of that idea. It's working miracles! But I believe that the idea of support is requisite for the revelation I've had.... so I think I would possibly still teach support to younger students.
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