--- In vocalist-temporary@y..., "Robert Edgar" <redgar@b...> wrote: > I'm wondering what any of you do as far as any physical exercise routines to > improve your singing. Do you do any and what sort? Do you think it is > necessary? I mean, can you imagine some of our best Opera singers doing > stomack crunchers to assist their breathing technique? Also, what are your > thoughts in relation to siners smoking, particularly classical singers? > Robyn Edgar > Australia > redgar@b...
First off, if you smoke, your not serious, simple. Whilst it's a personal choice and I don't sit as judge and jury about smokers, (even after losing a Grandmother to smoking related lung cancer and a husband to non-smoking related lung cancer) I am old enough now to be getting cynical and jaded. Knowing what we now do about smoking I really do think you're just a bloody idiot if you expect to come along to singing lessons and put in all the hard yards, not to mention the money and then turn around and smoke. It is the individuals choice. I KNOW there are singers who do it AND get away with it, but, and I'm wildly guessing here, there are probably more who have fallen by the wayside and not succeeded because they are smokers, and/or ended up sounding like garbage because of it also, than not.
As for special exercise, I don't advocate anything especial myself. I would LOVE to know if anyone else does. I always teach my students to look after their instrument in much the same fashion they would foster a healthy immune system. That is to say, don't get all bent out of shape and obsessive, but by the same token, maintain a healthy lifestle with all things in moderation. Look out for your diet, get enough exercise, enough rest, take measures to handle your stress (like meditation or whatever floats your boat), just be sensible, because if you don't you can't expect to rely on your instrument when you most need to.
Having said all that though, I find unless you have an allergy/asthma problem with chlorine, swimming is an all round excellent work out for singers. It works breathing, builds stamina, works the intercostals and rectus abdominus, and just makes you feel good if it's your "cup of tea".
I have heard it said that a boxers gym training is excellent for singers as it really strenghtens the abdominals.
I personally like many of the "Eastern" martial arts and/or exercise regimes such as karate, jiu Jitsu, Tai Chi, Yoga, Kung Fu etc for a multiple of reasons. First off because they all teach one or all of a mental stamina/concentration/meditation discipline. Three things vitally important to a singer. Being "Eastern" they also impart a sense of "allowing the process to happen" rather than our western approach of "making it happen" which I find very helpful from a singers point of view. Essential actually. They all also impart physcial health and stamina, also essential in a singer. This is not to say the singer cannot have or learn all of these things through the process of singing anyway. It is simply to say that these other things can provide an excellent corollary.
I have had much less drama teaching dance students over many years, than I would have anticipated. Maybe because I focus on breathing as a natural process I/they have had no troubles at all in making the shift to singing even after years of doing terrible things with their breathing process for dance. So yes I would also reccomend, dance in any form, for singers. In fact, if you are serious about being professional you really do need some training in some form of dance these days. When I attended the Conservatorium we ALL had to do a 2 hour ballet class every week as part of our assessment. The idea being it would teach us to move gracefully, get us accustomed to basic steps and give us another discipline to practise. We also did fencing. As an employment prospect though, it really does pay to have some training in something, anything from Highland to funk and everything in between. It seems 'they' want to know you can follow a coreographers direction and are not a total dance dyslexic before they waste their precious time on audtioning you. So you stick EVERYTHING that helps your cause on that resume.
Bodywork is the other thing I exhort to my students. I particularly like Feldenkries (Hi John! *waves*) and Alexander technique. Pilates is "flavour of the month" in Aus at the moment and taking off like the concorde but I don't know the first thing about it. The better you know your own body and how to fine tune it the better off you are. The better you know what can ail/does ail your body and how to fix it (preferably for yourself) the better off you are. Both as a singer and as yourself. I tell my students that Self Knowledge is the greatest tool a singer can have. How they achieve that knowledge is entirely up to them, and they should endevour to discover what their personal style and needs are.
Yoga, Feldenkries and Alexander have been my faithful personal standbys.
So, having told you all what *I* think I am looking forward to *your* input. I would love to know if there is anything else or perhaps anything different I should or could be saying or doing both with my students or myself that would get us better or even the same results. I only keep teaching what I am teaching because the sucesses and feedback has let me know I must be doing something right. I am always on the lookout for new things to add to the personal teaching "artillary" because just when you think you've got it all, there is going to be some student who needs something different. And I want to be ready for them.
~Michelle
|
| |