I have about sixty seconds to respond to everything that's been posted today, so here goes (with an accompanying warning about cans of worms):
- I do teach, and practice myself, a comfortably raised soft palate. I find that gently stretching the pharyngeal space (stretching the pillars of fauces wide in addition to stretching the soft palate tall) creates much more ring in the voice. With practice, this multi- directional stretch can be controlled, and it can be achieved without creating undesirable muscular tensions. The most frequent problem encountered in teaching this concept is that many students try to create a sensation of spaciousness by depressing the root of the tongue, which is obviously counterproductive.
- Having said that, I also teach, and practice myself, the use of a judicious amount of nasal resonance, which also increases ring. Nasal resonance and a gently raised soft palate are not mutually exclusive, but a hyperextended soft palate will close off the nasal port. Please note that nasal resonance as I speak of it here is NOT equal to nasality. And I was extremely dismayed to see the recent article on this topic in the NATS Journal. Dismayed, but not surprised, because teachers and singers tend to be firmly in one camp or the other on this one, and it is one of the most controversial aspects of vocal technique.
- Finally, and certainly most importantly, having tried to fit the "goo goo, ga ga" syllables as printed into the melodic pattern of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and having failed, I was quite impressed with someone's ability (Laura's? sorry - no time to check) to discern that what was meant was "Baa Baa Black Sheep". :-)
Robin Lynne Frye Mezzo-Soprano Voice and Piano Teacher New York, New York
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