Emily F. Malde Ch. 2:
What are the three characteristics of good physical movement as described in the opening paragraphs of chapter 2? (11) balance, freedom, and flexibility
Singing always requires __movement__. (12)
What words does the author suggest might be substituted for poster? (12) balance, buoyancy, springiness
What are the questions you should ask to map your skeleton? (12) How large is my skeleton? Where is my skeleton located? What is the construction of my skeleton? What is the function of my skeleton? How does my skeleton move?
What is the function of your skeleton? (14) To support the body, distribute and bear weight, and aid movement.
What is a joint? (14) A place where two bones meet.
What is co-contraction? (14) Contracting opposing muscles simultaneously.
What would cause a skeletal muscle to not be able to move freely? (14) co-contraction, or over-contracting muscles
What is the difference in the workings of a tense and a released muscle? (15) A released muscle is free to contract or relax as necessary, a tense muscle is in some state of contraction already and is stiff.
A tense muscles works more than is necessary for the task. A released muscle works only as much as necessary.
Our muscles should release and rest upon the skeleton. (15)
Describe the location of the 4 different portions of your spine. What is the function of each? (16) cervical vertebrae-- neck, supports head; thoracic vertebrae--behind chest to bottom of ribs, bears weight of head, arms and chest; lumbar vertebrae--supports torso, arms, head; sacrum--distributes weight to pelvis.
What is the name of the top vertebra? (16) the atlas
How does the thickness and size of the vertebrae differ? (19) The lumbar vertebrae are larger than the rest to allow for more weight bearing.
How far from your back is the lumber spine located? (19) The lumbar area of the spine is about a third of the depth of the body, front to back.
How much space does the circumference of your spine occupy? (19) the circumference of the spine is about as big as a circle made with thumbs and index fingers.
What are the four curves of the spine? How many vertebrae make up each curve? In which direction do they curve? (19) There is the cervical curve with 7 vertebrae curving toward the front of the body, the thoracic curve with 12 vertebrae curving towards the back, the lumbar curve with 5 vertebrae curving toward the front, and the sacral-coccygeal curve including the sacrum and coccyx that curves toward the front.
Which part of the spine is weight-bearing (front or back)? What is the function of the other part? (19) The front is the weight bearing part of the spine. The back part--the spinous processes-- provide attachments for ribs and muscles and enclose the spinal cord.
What are the three functions of your spinal vertebrae? (19) bear and deliver weight, protect the spinal cord, and allow movement
What are the three parts of each vertebra? What is the function of each? (19-20) body (for stability?), the foramen--for the opening of the spinal cord, and the spinous processes, which provide attachments for ribs, muscles and tendons
Describe the facets on the vertebrae? (22) Small gliding joints that allow ribs to attach, and are flexible and stable.
Describe the front of the spine. (22) The front of the spine bears and delivers weight.
Describe the form and function of your vertebral discs. (22) The discs are cartilaginous and absorb shock from movement. They help provide mobility and stability.
Where is the one place in the spine where there is no disc? (22) In the cervical vertebrae, between the atlas and the axis.
What do singers need to avoid? (22) Holding head in front of, behind spine, or too low or too high.
Describe the vertebral ligaments? (23) Vertebral ligaments are strong, flexible tissues that connect vertebrae together.
What is a tendon? What is its function? (23) Tendons connect muscle to bone and provide support and flexibility.
Where are the six places of balance? the A-O joint, the arm structure, thorax in relation to lumbar spine, hip joints, knee joints, and ankle joints
Which of these six places of balance is not an actual joint? the thorax in relation to lumbar spine
What is the function of your atlas? to support the head and distribute its weight to the spine
Explain how the skull and the atlas fit together. two bumps (condyles) on the bottom of the skull (occiput) fit into two depressions on the atlas, allowing gliding and sliding of the joint
Why is mapping your A-O joint important? balance at the A-O joint allows muscles in the neck and throughout the body to release
Where is your A-O joint located? central front-to-back, at base of skull and top of vertebrae
What is meant by a neutral position for the neck? a place of no work, balanced
What are two ways to help find the accurate relationship between your thorax and your lumbar spine? lying on the back with knees bent, and support under the head; walking backward
What is the function of the pelvis? to distribute the weight of the upper body to the legs
Describe your pelvis. two mirroring bones, the tops of which is called the iliac crest, connected to the sacrum
What do you know about your hip joints? located outside the pelvis, angled from joint to greater trochanter, place from which to bend upper body
What is your torso? excludes head, arms and legs--everything in between
Describe your knee joint. behind and slightly below kneecap
Where is your kneecap located? above and in front of joint
What are the three conditions of the knee joint? locked, balanced, and bent
How does the position of the thorax affect the knee joint? If the thorax is too far back, the knee will need to be locked to remain upright.
Do your knees need to bend in order to be balanced? No, if the thorax is in relation to lumbar spine, the knees can be balanced, not bent or locked.
Describe your ankle joint. where the two lower leg bones meet a large foot bone, the talus, that sits atop the larger foot bone, the calcaneus
What are the bumps on the outside and inside of your ankle? the lower leg bones, the tibia and fibula
Which of the lower leg bones distributes our weight? the tibia--it's the bigger of the two
Which other joint in the body has a direct impact on the ankle joint? A-O joint
How does the position of the thorax affect the ankle joint? The ankle joint will stiffen if the thorax isn't balanced properly.
In what order should we balance our joints? A-O, then thorax in relation to lumbar, then hips, knees, then ankle joints
Describe the location of the heel bone. The heel bone extends back past the ankle joint, giving much more balance than there would be if it were not.
Describe your foot. three arches which distribute the weight, three points of contact with the floor which creates a "tripod"/balanced effect
Describe the structure of each arm collarbone, shoulder blade, upper arm bone, two lower arm bones, wrist, and hand; four arm joints
Name and describe the arm joints. sternoclavicular--connects whole arm to sternum, upper arm, elbow, and wrist
Describe position of collarbones and shoulder blades and how arm structure should be balanced. the "shoulder girdle" should be balanced over the weight-bearing spine, with collarbones roughly parallel to the ground
Your skeleton will be better balanced when your muscles are not being recruited to do the work of your skeleton.
My spine and my postural muscles that surround it support my front and my back, freeing my front and my back for expressive movement.
What are the five poor postural instructions given at the end of the chapter?
* stand against the wall to achieve good posture
* stand "straight" as if the spine were a solid straight stick
* lift the sternum high
* roll the shoulders back/hold them down
* tuck the pelvis under
* suspend head by invisible string from ceiling
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