Chapter questions 1

1. What is meant by the statement “Singing is a learned behavior”?

Most people are not naturally “born singers.” Many people believe that “singing is some type of gift” (Phillips, 222). I have heard this phrase many times in my life. My family would always ask me who I inherited my music talent from. If music was a gift then why would the public use tax dollars to teach every student music. Some students just have a higher musical aptitude than others. This means that some students will be able to learn music and musical concepts faster than others. Every student is able to learn music. The younger a student starts musical lessons the easier it will be for them to pick up an instrument and singing. Choral directors must have a good understanding of the voice as an instrument. In choral programs, many times the choir director ends up being the voice teacher. Outside of University settings it is difficult for students to find vocal teachers outside of the classroom. This would be a great opportunity for the choral director to bring in qualified vocal teachers that their students would be able to study with. By giving students every opportunity to learn how to sing and sing properly you are setting them up for success.

6. What is a deterrent to good singing posture, and what can be done to correct the problem?

Holding music tends to be a deterrent to good singing posture. This tends to pull the singing stance inward, rounds the shoulders with a lower sternum and head. A choral director can insist that the students hold their music up to help correct singing posture. When holding music, the students should hold their music high enough that they can see just over top of their music to see the conductor. The students s...

... middle of paper ...

...an think about at once. It will be difficult for a student to think about their breathing, their tone, the pitch, the rhythm and their jaw all at once. Isolating their breathing will help them develop good habits that they can then take into their singing. Also for more advanced singers, breath exercise help to expand your phrase length and dynamic levels. The more comfortable you become with using your abdomen for breath support the better vocal quality you will be able to produce. It is important to monitor the breathing process to make sure that everything is functioning correctly. Just like singers use vocal sirens to check for vocal problems the same is true for breathing exercises. By engaging the breath you are also working on preventing vocal breaths. When the students know how to sing on the breath then they are less likely to sing from their throat.