Respiration: How much breath do we need to sing well? What is the most efficient way of drawing it in and managing it once it has entered? What muscles are involved in both the inspiration and expiration cycles and how does the proper body alignment ensure our motor is prepared to power our vocal system in the most efficient and effective manner possible? All of these questions will be explored and answered.
Phonation: How do those little vocal folds do what they do and how can we help them function optimally with the breath and the surrounding resonance environment? We will explore the anatomy and physiology of the vocal folds and study how they are set into motion by the breath with the help of surrounding muscles and cartilages, as well as how to create self-sustaining vibration and focused tone. Vibrato will also be illuminated and explored during this segment.
Acoustics: All vowels are not created equal; each is a little mystery of how the vibrator, the articulators and the harmonic spectrum interact to create the sounds and acoustic energy we require to effectively convey our message and create the vocal colours we desire. By learning how harmonics and formants function for each voice type, you will have extra tools in your pedagogical arsenal to get the most energy and malleable timbre from your singers/choristers for the least amount of effort.
Registration: Myths abound when it comes to vocal registration. During these sessions you will learn about the most recent research in non-linear dynamics of voice which has led to new realizations of how registration actually works in the human voice. Practical approaches and exercises designed to smooth out vocal registers across a variety of voice types will be provided in an effort to bridge the gap of what the Historic Italian School of singing called “the little bridge.”
Articulation: Whether in a solo or ensemble context, we want to ensure every word and phrase we create through our singing is clearly understood. In an effort to carefully enunciate each word through energized diction, the articulators in the human voice often get overworked and can actually perturb the beauty of the singer’s tone as well as their intonation. The opposite—sluggish enunciation—can also occur, leading to a host of intelligibility and functional problems when too little articulatory energy is expended. We will examine the necessary contribution of each of the nine articulators of the voice and how to optimize their actions in order to create crystal-clear, timbre-filled phrases that are both easily understood and artistically pleasing.
The Brain: The application of cognitive science (and specifically motor learning research) to voice training is the most recent addition to science-informed voice pedagogy. Helding has proposed cognitive science as the “Third Pillar” of voice science (the first two being physiology and acoustics), calling for a “shift in emphasis in the discipline of voice pedagogy, from how well people teach to how well people learn.” We will consider key findings from cognitive science, most crucially how learning actually works (and how it does not), in order to augment the effectiveness of conductors’ and voice teachers’ directives and enhance choristers’ and singers’ learning and retention.