>Mike wrote:
>
>i have been having my students sing with pencils in their
> mouths accomplishing two things; dumping excessive lip postures and
>allowing
> them to notice the relationship between the tongue and throat and how that
> changes from vowel to vowel. it also causes almost all of them to sing
>with
> more focus as they tend to develope a gentle sub-glottal pressure rather
>than
> 'surf-singing' (sul fiato as opposed to col fiato). unfortunately, some
> miss the point and end up singing like the tin man in need of his oil can
> when the pencil comes out.
Caio Rossi replied:
>I just think you should take care with that. i used to do some exercises
>with a cork in my mouth ( as prescribed by my speech therapist ), and that
>ended up causing big pain in the jaw. I couldn't even bite an apple for
>days.
>
>According to another speech therapist, a big shot orthodontist said it was
>crazy to do that kind of thing, because it may aggravate or create jaw
>tension ( TJM? ).
To which Mike replied:
>the pencil thing is just something i use to illustrate a point. i do
>lots of ridiculous things to make points to my students; i have some stick
>three fingers in their mouths and try to sing 'oo', some sing into paper
>towels, some stretch rubber bands while sustaining long notes, some shake
>their butts while vocalizing 'gosh, oh golly, how i love to sing', i have had
>a student's husband tickle her while she sang, i had one student wear a red
>clown's wig while singing 'the farmer and the cowman' from oklahoma (you
>should have seen the look on the school director's face when she walked in
>accidently), etc., etc. the point being that something like holding a
>pencil in your mouth for five minutes out of your entire life is not going to
>lead to vocal ruin and may help if it illustrates a point. if someone wants
>to take one of the five thousand things i say to them and blow it totally out
>of proportion and make a whole technique out of it then, perrhaps, i would
>serve them better by euthanizing them instead of continuing to teach them to
>sing.
and Anne Cronvich responded:
>Mike, You sound like fun!
This is an exchange that interests me greatly, for it touches on the
subject of how we learn. My impression is that most teachers (whether
singing teachers, math teacherts, aerobics teachers, whatever) give
lessons that are intended as rehearsal of correct or optimal action.
That is quite a different approach from that used in the Feldenkrais
Method, where we offer students an opportunity to systematically
explore a variety of options. Over and over in my classes I ask my
students to do their best approximation of what they understand my
instructions to be, and to do so according to their own comfort. Many
of the variations that I ask them to do could, in some sense, be
considered wrong, and maybe even harmful, if carried out cumpulsively
day after day, year after year. So that they do not make a technique
out of what we do in class, I tell them that the movements I ask them
to do are not CORRECT, they are just movements.
For example, I'm currently teaching a series of lessons that will
help people to have the possibility of having their heads more
balanced over their pelvises. I began the series of lessons, not by
telling them what they were going to learn, and not by asking them to
put their heads over their pelvises, but by asking them to stand,
place their hands on their sternums, and to gently move their heads
forward while feeling the movement of their necks. I asked them to do
with intention and awareness the very thing that they (and SO many
other people) do compulsively. As a result of working this way they
become aware of the useless activity in which they are habitually
engaged, and spontaneously give it up.
An essential element of the learning process is that whatever is done
be done in comfort. Comfort gives us the possibility of attending to
the novelty of the situation and discovering easier ways of
functioning. Furthermore the comfort of the learning process helps to
associate a positive feeling with whatever discoveries are made, so
that we will be more likely to use them when appropriate.
Mike DOES sound like fun, and fun is an important part of the
learning process. We are all so much more ready to learn when the
lesson is fun. It encourages an attitude of openess and allows for us
to move more gracefully, even when challenged by the task at hand.
I say that if we will do whatever we do according to our comfort,
then we can try anything at all without risk of injury. That requires
going slowly and gently, and taking plenty of rests. It won't stand
for an attitude of "I'll just do it because my teacher says so", or
"I'll just do it no matter what". It requires an attitude of being
willing to make many small steps toward a big goal, and to be willing
to not reach the goal today. It leaves no room for the feeling of
ambition, but asks for curiosity about the details of one's
experience.
Caio referred to exercises prescribed by a speech therapist. Exertion
is not particularly suited to refining one's way of functioning. The
powerful use of a poorly-organized function will tend to result in
injury. The feeling of exertion is an indication that the function is
not well organized, that some part of the self is working too hard
and another part not enough.
Let me add a few ideas to Mike's list of what he has students do, and
I suggest you play with them yourself:
1) Sing various vowels while moving your upper and lower lips with your fingers
2) Sing various vowels while your upper and lower teach are touching
3) A combination of the two previous items
I would suggest doing 1,2, and 3 both before and after singing vowels
without any of the constraints. How is your experience of singing
vowels different after you've explored singing with the constraints?
I think I'd better bring my long and rambling post to a close.
Be well,
John Link
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