Randy~
Most obviously, this student has developed a very bad habit, and it's
a matter of re-training her to sing naturally. I believe she is using
her nose as a resonator because her throat is sometimes tight and
because she sometimes isn't lifting her palate.
When I correct her on each of these things, she is (sometimes
instantly, sometimes eventually) able to follow my direction. She
just hasn't learned how to correct herself yet. I have her record
herself, and she can hear her nasally sound then, but she never seems
to hear that nasal sound while she's actually singing.
In order to give her the sensation of what good placement feels like
(the first step to having her be able to duplicate good placement on
her own), I've tried a variety of techniques.
First, we've worked on relaxation. I've had her sing while nodding
her head yes and no; I've had her sing while she moved (danced, sat
up and down, etc.). We've done special targeting sessions where,
while she sang, she made note of each area of her body, and if it was
tense, purposefully relaxed it (for example: Forehead tight?
Unwrinkle it. Eyes fixed and staring? Blink and relax them, or close
them altogether. etc. all the way down the body.) We've also done
exercises (while not singing) where she tensed up body parts,
squeezing hard, then totally relaxed them. These all have
worked...again, though, she hasn't learned to recognize tension in
herself--at all.
To give her the sensation of proper placement, I've told her to raise
her soft palate. Giving her the imagery of smiling inwardly helped a
little; giving her the imagery of a candy cane in her mouth helped
still more. But the simple idea of preparing for a yawn has helped
the most. I've also frequently have her hum till she feels her lips
buzz, then have her go right into singing and keep that placement.
I've also gone to the extreme of having her hold her nose while she
sang. All of these things worked well and helped her produce a
beautiful sound and a broader range...but she always has trouble
getting there without my help (and still frequently has trouble
getting there even WITH my help).
I suppose it's just a matter of practice and time. But I've never had
a student with such a persistent problem with placement...but then
again, I've never had a student who came to me with such a nasally
sound.
One thing that I think may be inhibiting her is that she is SO
determined. So determined that she sometimes pushes too much...She
sometimes attacks things like a drill sergeant! :) Again, I think
that causes tension.
Kristina
www.geocities.com/kristinasvocalstudio
--- In vocalist-temporary@y..., buzzcen@a... wrote:
> In a message dated 10/18/2002 12:16:49 AM Central Daylight Time,
> kriswrite@a... writes:
>
> > I have a student who is the most persistent nasally singer I have
> > ever worked with. I've tried everything I can think of to free
her
> > from this problem. When I work with her during lessons, after
about
> > 10 - 20 minutes she gets her placement correct and this glorious
> > sound escapes her throat... But every time she comes to the next
> > lesson, she's back at her nasally singing. It's not that she
doesn't
> > practice at home; she's actually a very dedicated student and
> > religiously works on the techniques and "tricks" I've given her.
But
> > for some reason, it isn't clicking for her.
> >
>
> I'd be interested in what tricks you've used and what you think the
cause is?
>
> randy buescher
>
>
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