The Arts Unit Creative Teachers
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Breathing exercises
Breathing exercises will help teach your choir good breathing habits and give them a more resonant and supported sound.
Your singers must learn to take a full, deep breath using the diaphragm rather than the chest.
Good singing posture is essential for effective breathing.
Breathing exercises examples
Breathing exercises examples
The following 4 videos have been provided as examples of breathing exercises you can do with your choir.
- Exhaling for increasingly longer counts
Duration: 01:52
Instructions
Get rid of all the air in the lungs.
Take a deep breath in, hold, and breathe out.
Inhale for 4 counts, hold, then exhale for 4 counts.
Repeat step 3 but increase the exhalation to 8, then 12, then 16 counts.
Instructions
Place both hands on the diaphragm (above the hips) and say ‘sh, sh, shhh’.
Instructions
Using the first 5 notes of the major scale, start with a semibreve, then move through minims, crotchets, quavers and back to a semibreve.
Start with bar 1, then add 2, then 3, then 4 and 5.
Exercise example using C major:
Bar 1: sing 'do' (C) for 4 beats (semibreve).
Bar 2: sing 'do' (C), 're' (D) – each for 2 beats (minim).
Bar 3: sing 'do' (C), 're' (D), 'mi' (E), 're' (D) – each for 1 beat (crotchet).
Bars 4 and 5: sing 'do' (C), 're' (D), 'mi' (E), 'fa' (F), 'so' (G), 'fa' (F), 'mi' (E), 're' (D) – each for a half beat (quaver) – then finish on 'do' (C) for 4 beats (semibreve).
Do re mi fa so – sheet music example
4. A quick breath and 'hi'
4. A quick breath and 'hi'
Duration: 01:48
Instructions
Snatch a quick breath to support the sound.
Breathing exercises instructions
Breathing exercises instructions
You may like to download and print out Breathing exercises (PDF 164 KB) to keep as a resource in your choir folder.
Primary Choral Warm-ups – Breathing exercises.pdf
Primary Proms 2022, Sydney Town Hall, photo: Anna Warr
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