This week I've rehearsed the lines of the song "American Boy" which I'm going to perform with my group on next Wednesday in the theatre.
In today's lesson, first we've done breathing exercises, then the "s" sound which helps us control the amount of air that we expel, in the beginning we've done it from 1 to 4 and we've end up at 1 to 14 but Philip said that we should be able to make it from 1 to 20. Then we've done the hum exercise, we started by making a basic “hmmm” noise in our throat in a lower to a higher range then the same sound with our mouth open. Humming is a great way to warm up and relax the muscles of your throat, face, neck, and shoulders, and it can also help you control your breathing. Then we've practiced tongue twisters in different pitches. Tongue twisters are great for articulation practice, and if you say them in different pitches and at different volumes, they are a great way to warm up before singing. After this, Philip split us in two groups and we've rehearsed our song together as an ensemble.
To make sure that the rehearsal is efficient and effective we have to concentrate, take it serious, be patient and listen to what every each person has to say. We have to outline our goals, to know what the point of the practice is beforehand so that we have a clear checklist of what we're working on. I think that it's too much for everyone to constantly work 3 hours, i suggest that we should have a 15 minutes brake so we can refresh our minds a little bit. We need to have open communication, this creates a more productive atmosphere that everyone is happy to be a part of.
First of all we have to keep a good posture to have the best air flow and therefore the best sound, If we're standing, we have to keep our feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart. Balance equally on both legs. Keep our head up and shoulders back. Every part of our body should be in the same line.
Second, we have to breathe deep, normally, but conscious of keeping our shoulders low and our chest relaxed. We need to concentrate on breathing lower staying loose throughout your core. Philip told us that if we need to, we can place a hand on our stomach to remind yourself that that's the part that should be moving up and down, not our chest and shoulders. As a third exercise we've done an "s" sound (like a hiss) when you exhale to control the amount of air that you can expel.
To keep our voice healthy we should :
- Drink warm liquids. Ice cold water will just clam up our vocal folds, very literally. Drink water to keep your body well hydrated, and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Our vocal cords vibrate very fast, and having a proper water balance helps keep them lubricated.All these things constrict our throat and keep us from sounding our best.Warm teas or room temperature water are the best choice. If we choose tea,we have to make sure it's not scalding hot.
- Not abuse or misuse our voice. Avoid yelling or screaming, and try not to talk loudly in noisy areas. If our throat feels dry or tired, or our voice is getting hoarse,we ave to reduce our voice use. The hoarseness is a warning sign that your vocal cords are irritated.
- Not clear our throat too often. Doing it too much can injure them and make you hoarse. Try a sip of water or swallow to quench the urge to clear.
