Sam Meredith OB Ch. 16 Summary

Sam
Chapter 16 Summary-A basic and sound understanding of laryngeal anatomy can also be helpful to a singer. The larynx is composed of several cartilages. The most prominent of these is the thyroid cartilage. Inferior to the thyroid cartilage is the cricoid cartilage on top of which are place to arytenoid cartilages. The hyoid bone is above the thyroid cartilage and is the structure from which the larynx is suspended. A series of muscles in the larynx controls the position of these cartilages as well as the length and thickness of the vocal folds, which influences our singing. The vocal folds are also known as the thyroarytenoid muscles. They are attached to the vocal processes found on the arytenoid cartilages. The posterior cricoarytenoid muscles cause the arytenoids to pivot and open the glottis. The lateral cricoarytenoid muscles pivot the arytenoids in the opposite direction, bringing the membranous portion of the vocal folds together. The cartilaginous part of the vocal folds can then be adducted by the interarytnoid muscles, which run between the arytenoid cartilages. These muscles are known as intrinsic muscles because both ends of the muscle originate on the larynx. There are also extrinsic laryngeal muscles, which have one end that is not attached to the larynx. These muscles are responsible for moving the larynx up, down, to the left, to the right, forward, and backward. All of these muscles do serve important anatomical purposes, but are not necessary for effective singing.
Key Concept-Understanding laryngeal anatomy is key in understanding what happens when we sing correctly.
Key Terms-Larynx, Cricoid, Thyroid, Arytenoid, Hyoid Bone, Extrinsic Muscles, Intrinsic Muscles
Making Connections-Although singing may seem like a difficult physical task it helps me a lot just to remember that the muscular contractions required for healthy singing are small and imperceivable.