{"id":14107,"date":"2021-02-14T22:03:25","date_gmt":"2021-02-14T22:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicyoucanread.com\/?page_id=14107"},"modified":"2021-02-14T22:07:33","modified_gmt":"2021-02-14T22:07:33","slug":"finding-your-singing-voice","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.musicyoucanread.com\/?page_id=14107","title":{"rendered":"Finding Your Singing Voice"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row top=”0px” bottom=”0px”][vc_column][vc_column_text]February 20, 2000 – Grades 3,4,5 – General Music – 30-45 minutes<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Finding the singing voice…<\/strong>
\nAfter 5 weeks of 50 min. intensive, energetic, theory lessons, it was time to put the theory into practice. Before asking the students to turn the pitches into sound, it seemed only natural to show them how to produce this sound, as a choir, a team, an “expected sound.” This “introduction to vocal control” is by no means total, nor comprehensive, however, it does fill a need not included in most curriculums.
\nThe lesson is written as it occurred…[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top=”35px”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]The importance of siting up:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO MAKE A VOICE? (breath)
\nEveryone bend over and rest your elbows on your knees, like this.
\nNow take a deep breath.
\nYou can’t do it. Your pipes are bent.
\nIt’s like kinking the water hose, nothing can get out, or in.
\nYou’re pushing your belly into your chest, so the lungs are trapped.
\nNow sit up and take that breath again.
\nSee now, wasn’t that easy?
\nThe better the breath, the better the sound!<\/p>\n

FIRST RULE? Sit up!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Making room for sound:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone close your mouth and let your tongue rest on the top of your mouth.
\nClose your teeth too.
\nNow hum. Let’s do that again and this time try to feel where the sound is vibrating.
\nGo…
\nSTOP. How many of you could feel your nose vibrate.
\nThat’s because the air is coming up, vibrating your vocal cords, then this vibration is being CUT OFF by your tongue.
\nWe need to get the tongue out of the way.
\nLet your tongue lay flat and do it again.
\nWell listen to that.
\nNow what is vibrating?
\nDo it again, tongue down, teeth together, now hummmm.
\nDid you feel your teeth vibrate?
\nThat’s because the air is now moving past your tongue and, hitting the back of your teeth.
\nLet’s get the teeth out of the way too.
\nDO NOT DO THIS (teacher demonstrates stretching mouth wide with lips closed.
\nJust relax your jaw and your teeth will separate.
\nKeep your tongue down, relax your jaw, teeth apart, now hmmm.
\nNow what is vibrating? (lips)
\nThat’s because the only thing between the sound being made is your lips.
\nThat is the correct way to hum.
\nTongue flat, relax jaw, teeth apart, lips barely touching.
\nIf your lips tickle, you’re doing it right!<\/p>\n

SECOND RULE: Tongue flat!<\/strong><\/p>\n

THIRD RULE: Relax Jaw!<\/strong><\/p>\n

FOURTH RULE: Teeth apart!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Focusing the hum! HEAD VOICE<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I’m going to hum, and while I hum, you will hear the hum start in my chest,
\nmove up to my neck, around my nose, and come out the front of my forehead.
\n(teacher demonstrates a hum from a VERY LOW pitch, sliding slowly upward to a high pitch, coming out the head)
\nDid you hear the vibrations move?
\nNow you do it, and concentrate on the vibrations as they move to your forehead.
\nRemember to keep your tongue flat and your teeth apart.
\nNow hum…
\nDid you feel the vibrations?
\nThat’s what we call a HEAD VOICE, it sounds like the vibrations are coming out your head.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]RULE NUMBER FIVE: vibrations should be focused in your head!<\/strong><\/p>\n

MATCHING PITCH<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Now we need to find the same pitch.
\nI’m going to humm again, to find the head vibrations as I go up, this time I will stop on a specific pitch.
\nListen and do the same thing after me, stopping on the pitch I stop on.
\nHumm… (example)
\nNow you do it with me.
\n(Time to match everyone is not needed. As pitch drills are introduced and practice is increased, most students will learn to match pitches, without the stigma of everyone knowing they can’t. Reminders to sing higher, are fine! Some will sing too high, reminders not to go too high are fine too. When most are on pitch, so that the pitch can be distinguished above the others, move to next step)<\/p>\n

Turning the hum into a voice. THE EXPECTED SOUND<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I have my tongue flat,
\nmy teeth apart,
\nthe vibrations are focused in my head,
\nWhat is the only thing I need to do to make a voice?
\n(open my mouth) RIGHT
\nThis will make the hum become the sound ah.
\n(Demonstrate with the matched pitch.)
\nNow you do it, just open your mouth.
\nWasn’t that a nice sound? No stress, no straining, just a nice pleasant sound!
\nLet’s do it again!
\nThat is the voice we want to use as a chorus.
\nWhen ever we are singing as a group, that is the voice we use.<\/p>\n

Shaping the mouth, directs the sound.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This time I will humm,
\nturn the humm into an ah,
\nthen I will turn the ah into an “oo.”
\nTo do this I will only move my lips! Watch!
\nNow you do it! Don’t pucker! Keep it relaxed.
\nNow, do it again and notice the sound seems to sound like ONE VOICE.
\nDid you hear it?
\nThe ah was coming out of your mouth and spreading all around the room.
\nWhen we made the oo it focused the air flow to a smaller opening and the sound wasn’t able to spread, it became a straight air flow so we sound like one voice. Do it again.
\nThat was wonderful!<\/em><\/p>\n

We have now added the vowel ee – and learned to raise our soft pallet and keep the tongue flat. This makes the EE sound “darker” (another neat concept, colors to describe sound) and keeps the EE from sounding nasal! All of which is learning to produce quality sound – or voice timbre. We used the song. “A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea” to practice our ee’s.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row top=”0px” bottom=”0px”][vc_column][vc_column_text]February 20, 2000 – Grades 3,4,5 – General Music – 30-45 minutes Finding the singing voice… After 5 weeks of 50 min. intensive, energetic, theory lessons, it was time to put the theory into practice. Before asking the students to turn the pitches into sound, it seemed only natural to show them how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14107","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\r\nFinding Your Singing Voice -<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.musicyoucanread.com\/?page_id=14107\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding Your Singing Voice -\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row top=”0px” bottom=”0px”][vc_column][vc_column_text]February 20, 2000 – Grades 3,4,5 – General Music – 30-45 minutes Finding the singing voice… After 5 weeks of 50 min. intensive, energetic, theory lessons, it was time to put the theory into practice. 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