Mix it up Monday: The hair dryer vs. the car
We have all had student that try to use their entire body to create enough power to fill the room with sound when they sing. When belters do this, we … Continue reading
Mix it up Monday: The Chopstick Exercise
Tongue tension is one of the most frustrating challenges singers must overcome. If you look through the archives of this blog, you will find several exercises for releasing tongue tension. … Continue reading
Mix it up Monday: Remapping the open throat
Kenneth Bozeman‘s book Practical Vocal Acoustics gave teachers a great introduction on how to make vocal acoustics research applicable in the voice studio. His second book, Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy, takes the work … Continue reading
Mix it up Monday: Lay down and sing
When I was a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music, we began every acting class lying on the ground and assessing our body. We would then progress through a … Continue reading
Mix it up Monday: Relaxing the digastric and mylohyoid muscles
The digastric and mylohyoid muscles are part of the swallowing mechanism and will often contract when singing. If these muscles contract, they can cause a wide range of problems. Most … Continue reading
Mix it up Monday: McClosky articulation exercises
David Blair McClosky was a classical baritone, voice teacher and therapist who worked with professional speakers, singers, and actors. He also created The McClosky Technique, which is still taught via … Continue reading
Mix it up Monday: Simple yet effective tongue stretches
It is a busy time at Shenandoah Conservatory as we get ready welcome voice teachers from around the world to the 14th Annual CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute. Therefore, today’s post … Continue reading
Mix it up Monday: Tongue Mobility Exercises
When a student is struggling to produce vowels or consonants, or their tongue is constantly trying to retract, teachers will often say the student has “tongue tension.” However, I think … Continue reading
Technology Thursday: Real-time MRI IPA Chart
Imagine if you could see every movement of the vocal tract that occurs when producing all of the vowels and consonants in the IPA chart. YOU CAN! The Speech Production … Continue reading
Mix it up Monday: Using a cork to improve your students’ vowels
Arthur Lessac made his Broadway debut in “Pins and Needles” in 1937. He went on to an illustrious career as a performer and spent the latter part of his career as … Continue reading
