Sam Meredith SS Ch. 3 Summary

Sam
Chapter 3 Summary-Breathing is necessary for life and with speaking is one of the active ingredients of healthy singing. Many voice teachers focus a lot on the physiological aspect of breathing. These things are of some importance but are really more of a description of what happens when we breath correctly and don't focus enough on what we must do. Others may focus to little on breathing by essentially saying that we are not to think about breathing at all. In reality breathing is something that requires some thought, but is also a lot more simple than a complex understanding of the anatomy and physiology of breathing. Good inhalation requires the contraction of the diaphragm, which causes the rib cage to expand. The causes the expansion of the abdominal area. Many people have been told throughout their lives to suck in their stomach and for that reason avoid this action. This is something that needs to be done away with in order for someone to breath properly for singing. Good posture is a must for good inhalation. When are body is aligned properly (the chest out, shoulders and arms at the side, the head resting above the body, the back stretched but relaxed) we are already giving it sufficient space to accept incoming air and expand properly. Technically correct exhalation is a subject of great controversy. Many voice teachers would tell their students that they need to hold and suspend their breath so that they can have good breath support for each phrase. This, however, is an ineffective strategy. In reality, what we are to do is release our breath. This does not mean that we abandon our good posture and body alignment, but rather means that we release the muscles that we have contracted in order to inhale. Many singers feel the need to control the release of the air, but really the vocal folds will do that for them.
Key Concept-Breathing is as important to singing as speaking is. Proper inhalation comes through the expansion of the abdomen and rib cage and can be encouraged through good singing posture. Good exhalation is the result of releasing the air from inhalation rather than holding on to it and attempting to control the release of air from our lungs.
Key Terms- Inspiration/Inhalation, Exhalation, "Pooching out the Stomach,"Breath Support, Releasing the Breath
Making Connections- I need to pay more attention to my posture when I sing so I can relieve some of the tension in my body and get better breaths. I also want to try applying Smith's concept of releasing the breath when I exhale. Maybe this will give me more freedom in my singing and keep me from being constricted and tense at the ends of phrases.