Vocal Techniques for the Amateur Choir

NPM
NPM National Conference2019
National Conference 2018
Raleigh, NC
Breakout S-11 Vocal Techniques
Breakout A-03
for the Amateur Choir
Jennifer Kerr Budziak, presenter

Workshop outline:
I. Body Alignment/Body Mapping
a. Flexible foundation—feet, legs, knees, pelvic bone
b. Buoyant Support—lower core, (lungs) (diaphragm) (ribs) and intercostals
c. Freedom and lift (large motor)—AO joint, neck, head
d. Freedom and openness (smaller motor)—jaw, mouth, tongue, palate, glottis
II. Care and Maintenance of the Vocal Mechanism and Whole Instrument
III. Respiration
a. Nature abhors a vacuum!
b. Abdominal freedom
c. Rib motion
d. Upper chest
IV. Phonation
a. Onset of sound—glottal vs. on the breath
b. Primary resonance
i. Head
ii. Chest
iii. Face/Nose
iv. Other metaphorical locations (“singing through your eyeballs” and other
oddities that somehow work)
c. Map the mouth!
d. Vocal placement and vowel formation
i. open/closed
ii. bright/dark
e. Exploring the range (vocalization/warmups)
f. Using gesture to externalize the shape of the sound (more metaphor)
V. Applying good technique to singing
a. Everyone forgets the map when a score is in front of them!
b. Good singing is about the marriage of line and ictus (rhythm/pulse)
c. Vowel connection through the line
d. Consonants as aids, not roadblocks