Elizabeth Tait OB Ch. 17 Summary

Summary: Our voice responds to mental concepts that are transmitted to the vocal mechanism through a series of different nerves.  These nerves are connected to different areas of the brain which accomplish different functions: the medulla oblongata is the center of involuntary actions such as swallowing, breathing, and involuntary cries.  The hyptholamus relates to emotional states and behaviors.  Axons take signals to the brain, and dendrites take them to the cells.  If we ingrain a certain nervous communication enough times, it becomes part of a conditioned reflex, so we no longer need to use higher level thinking to accomplish the task.  Some of the nerves that are related to vocalization are the facial nerve, the laryngeal nerve, and glossopharyngeal nerve.  These nerves are interconnected to different aspect of the vocal mechanism, making clear why smiling improves quality of tone, or why a loose jaw encourages a loose tongue.  As teachers, it's important to to be aware of the empathetic nervous system, which allows our nerves to "feel" the nervous activity in another person.  It's a great way to teach.  To be honest, I'm sure I missed a ton of information in this chapter, so I hoped I covered it all.  
Key Terms
cell
nervous system
cortex
involuntary nervous system
spinal cord
medulla oblongata
hypothalamus
neuron
axons
dendrites
afferent nerve fiber
efferent nerve fiber
conditioned reflex
muscle fiber
nerve
point of saturation
proprioception
synapse
pre-phonatory inspiration
pre-phonatory set of the laryngeal muscles
kinesthetic senses
biofeedback
endocrine systems
laryngeal nerve (Vagus, comprised of superior branch and inferior branch)
glossopharyngeal nerve
facial nerve
sympathetic nervous system
empathetic nervous system
Key Concepts: All the nerves of the body affect singing in one way or another, whether through direct contact or sympathetic nervous system.  Even the nerves of other people affect your own, through the empathetic nervous system.  So singing is a holistic activity.
Making Connections:  The most interesting concept of the chapter was the relation of the larynx to some many different aspects of the body.  The same nerve that affects the larynx also affects the heart and stomach.  The part of the brain that connects emotions is also connected to the larynx.  Just fascinating how more and more I learn that singing is truly a mind, body, and spirit activity.