Choosing Attention

Choosing Attention

Triumvirate of Attention, Memory, and Learning at the top of cognitive function.

Search for Memory

• Tasks we do/think of create response in the synapses, eventually creating links between neurons called "Neural trace"
• We don't know how the brain creates memories

Eric Kandel (Nobel Prize in 2000 for biological basis of memory)

• Learning is dependent on memory
• Science over memory spans multiple eras, which have resulted in multiple paradigm shifts regarding perception of memory science - ZEITGEIST

Short-term and Long-term memory are distinct and separate. 

• Short-term: biochemical changes in brain
• Long-term: Increases number of synapse connections

Kandel's work chronologically paralleled discoveries in:

• Neurogenesis (birth of new brain cells)
• Neuroplasticity (physiological change of brain as a result of experience, learning)

Attention exists as a process throughout the entire brain.

• Altering network - Pay attention!
• Orienting network - allows us to respond quickly without conscious effort 
• Executive attention - selects where to designate brain power

Sleep processes:

• synaptic pruning - weak synapses fade away, leaving strong ones only
• dreaming reinforces daytime short-term memory

Exercise processes:

• Increases size of hippocampus (memory-creating region of brain)
• ART (Attention Restoration Theory) suggests walking in nature is best to refresh attention.

Chiaroscuro - Optimal Resonance

Chiaroscuro and the Quest for the Optimal Resonance (turn volume all the way up...Logan's laptop cam wasn't working)

This was a pretty interesting article, as it references concepts we’ve been learning about during the term, and applies them to different techniques for finding the optimal resonance aka “chiaroscuro” or “bright-dark”. The term was coined by Italian voice teachers Mancini and Lamperti, where this “chiaroscuro” is the optimal resonance as a balance between light and dark timbres. This is a difficult task for voice teachers as perceptions for light and dark timbres and resonance differ from student to student, and each student’s voice is different. However, one relatively constant variable to “chiaroscuro” is the variable of fundamental frequency.

During balanced phonation, the vocal folds vibrate at a fundamental frequency that produces overtones (both light and dark). At this fundamental frequency measured in Hz, sound is at its loudest resonance. The tones produced at these frequencies are often on one side or the other on the scale of light and dark. A bright tone (which can be nice) often times dampens lower frequencies and darker qualities. The same can be said with a dark tone where brighter qualities are dampened and the sound loses a certain quality. When the tone is in the middle where both bright and dark tones and qualities are balanced, the phonated sound is the most resonant and balanced. The sound naturally becomes richer, fuller color, stronger, etc.

One way students search for “chiaroscuro” is by using “placement” terminology. The sound sounds to the singer as very resonant and intense because the articulators and resonators act as a vibrator for the sound and vibrate the singers’ head. The singer can “feel” the sound in their head and seems very intense. Of course, the way phonation and resonation occurs is what we’ve been studying all term i.e. breath, articulators, registration, etc.  but all this changes at different frequencies. For example, the embouchure changes when a singer sings a C5 and a C6. The resonators and the articulators need to change and readjust to achieve chiaroscuro.

There are a few new ways teachers are teaching/ visualizing chiaroscuro to students. One way is a very visual way where teachers use spectrographic technology to show resonant sound waves so students can test different resonances and have a visual cue to what “sound” is chiaroscuro. Another way is more aural. Teachers can have students sing the extremes of a dark tone and a bright tone, hear what the extremes sound like, and find a middle point where there is a balance between the two extremes. A third way (a really unusual way) is to physically move your articulators i.e. your jaw and “tune your mouth” until you can match pitch. Lastly, the final technique is “scurochiaro” which is “dark-bright” where instead of adjusting resonance from bright tones to dark, it is adjusting from dark to bright.

These methods are not a %100 guarantee to achieve “chiaroscuro” but they are possibilities and tools for teachers to help students find their balance. “Chiaroscuro” is a goal and these techniques are possible tools to achieve that goal of optimal resonance.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRN9KrzGcGs

Vocal Pedagogy for Aging Singers

Article Summary: “Vocal Pedagogy for Aging Singers”

Baritone, performer, and teacher Robert Edwin’s Article in the 68^th Volume of the Journal of Singing focused on pedagogy for older singers. Traditionally when one thinks of vocal student the age demographic does not extend past the age of forty (generously). Edwin’s article uses both examples from his own experiences but he goes in to the most detail by using his student Henry, a ninety year old currently performing singer, as a prime example.

Now, imagine the voice of a ninety year old baritone, what comes to mind probably sounds strained, or some failed legato line with a wide and sagging vibrato. However, more and more evidence is showing that singers may continue to sing, classically at least, well past their seventies; as we have seen with Placido Domingo.

Teaching older students may not be as different as we first anticipated either. Edwin states that “All singers need to continually address individual aspects of the singing system, the ‘itions’ . . . position, respiration, audiation, phonation, resonation, articulation, and emotion.” However there is one added for older singers and that is “expectation.”

Our bodies are our instruments and as the body ages, its ability to function at optimum efficiency changes. Aging affects accuracy, speed, endurance, stability, strength, coordination, breathing capacity, nerve and heart output—all of which effect one’s ability to sing. Edwin then goes through and explains his “itions” as they relate to aging singers.

Position & Respiration: Edwin uses extra physical reinforcement, lifting the arms above one’s head to open the ribcage. However he does not address the issue of posture as it pertains to wakening of the spine as some students of an older age may be unable to stand with good posture. Respiration is affected by breathing, both of which are made easier by healthy physical condition. Edwin claims that age is no excuse for inactivity. More so than younger singers, muscle tone will be limiting factor in how well older singers can perform.

Audiation & Phonation: Singers of all ages have audiation problems, it is good to change warm up patterns and not merely ascend by half steps in a predictable fashion in order to keep singers on their toes. The source of most pitch problems has more to do with vocal fold function that senses of aural feedback. As for phonation the question with older singers is how many of their phonations challenges are caused by deteriorating vocal fold function and how many are due to inconsistent practicing habits. Vibrato can widen from lack of practice which can be noticeable after 48 hours without practicing at any age!

Resonation: Resonators will only amplify sound the sound it receives. As is practiced with younger singers, try to get your older student to experiment with varying spaces like “wicked witch” vs. “Julia child”

Articulation: Older singers with dentures run in to similar problems with articulation as younger singers with braces. This problem can be alleviated by incorporating consonants into vocal warm ups to exercise the tongue, lips, jaw etc.

Emotion: The one area where older singers seem to have an inherent advantage with their wealth of life experiences.

Expectation: Students of the more seasoned by time must learn to adjust their expectations. They face many of the same challenges younger singers face, but they are moving away from their vocal peak, while younger singers are approaching it. For older singer the goal is to retain positive habits despite the challenges of aging; many younger singers, look forward to reaching vocal maturity as up to a point it yields their maximum potential.

To quote Angela Carlson, “everyone is old once, if you’re lucky you will get old too!”

Vocal Science and Vocal Art

The purpose of this article is to elaborate on the influence of science in vocal pedagogy and the mission to find a common ground between the two areas. The author Lynn Helding examines the somewhat large separation between the scientists’ extremely technical and data loaded presentations of the voice and those of musicians. Helding believes in the importance of finding a balance of physiology and musicality.                                                                                                                   

Voice scientists are no longer exclusively scientists who are untrained in singing and voice teachers are now more able, due to the accessibility of information, to competently understand both the scientific aspects of singing and how to communicate this information to students. Helding says that the “key to establishing a solid understanding between science and art is the recognition that the aspirations and goals of scientists, as compared to singing artists and the people who teach them, are fundamentally different,” but she focuses on the importance finding an understanding of both areas.                                                                                                                                                                        Vocal pedagogue Garyth Nair believes that pedagogues need to take advantage of the gains made in the voice research realm during the last 20 years. Odds are that a teacher’s self-improvement in science or any aspect of learning, ultimately benefits the student as well as the teacher. Some argue that science does not hold a valuable place in vocal pedagogy saying singing is only 20% physical and the rest relies on psychological control; however, Lynn argues that in the current voice pedagogy literature, science has much more to offer.

The Roots of American Pedagogy

This article is a review and summary of the teachings of Frederic Woodman Root (1846-1926), a well-known vocal pedagogue of his time and author of 18 books on vocal pedagogy. Singer and voice teacher David Grogan authored the article and provides musical examples and excerpts from some of Root’s books.

            Grogan gives a general overview of Root’s methods for teaching voice. Root begins with basic musicianship (learning the names of notes, keys, learning rhythms, etc.). He said he found no point in studying the voice if basic musicianship skills were not in place. Then Root emphasizes “The General Principle,” his slogan of choice in dealing with the coordination of singing. The General Principle states that in order to produce a good sound, the singer must combine the three basic elements of singing; breath control, tone quality, and free and natural action of the articulators. In the simultaneous combination of these elements, good singing occurs.

            The rest of the article goes into specifics about how Root would teach his students about breath control, vowels, registers, and so on. One interesting point from these sections is Root’s thought on vowel forms. Root taught that [i] [a] and [u] were gateways to understanding three different tone qualities: bright, radical, and sombre. Grogan provides singing exercises from Root’s books and explains how Root would have used them to help the singer.

Grogan concludes that although Root is nothing magical or new to vocal pedagogy, he is clear and succinct and that “vague generalizations (about vocal pedagogy) become clear instructions in Root’s books.”

   

Vibrato vs. Nonvibrato: The Solo Singer in the Collegiate Choral Ensemble

By Margaret Olson

This article addresses the biggest common misconception about singing in a collegiate choir: “straight tone”. There are many benefits to being a part of a collegiate choir for people pursuing solo voice, for instance, the voice major learns more about major composers and historical context as well as different musical styles. They have a better understanding of how to work with a conductor which can easily carry over into opera, oratorio, and other solo singing.

The biggest misconception when a classical voice major joins a choir is that they will need to sing without vibrato, or “straight tone”. This is just not true. While yes, it is important to learn to control ones vibrato to an extent, it is extremely unhealthy and not beneficial to completely eliminate it. The issue with vibrato in choral singing is not the vibrato itself, but the speed of the vibrato. Singers will need to learn to adjust their vibrato rate to compliment the musical style of choral singing, the other singers, and the preference of the conductor.

William Vennard explains the issue is people hearing two different pitches of the vibrato, neither of which is the desired pitch. This makes it difficult for multiple singers to match each other within a choir. When one singer's vibrato is going up, the others is going down, therefore they are not singing in unison.

The article then goes on to address how important it is for choral conductors and voice teachers to communicate. This is one of the only ways healthy vocal development can be assisted in both choir and private voice.

A kind of vibrato that many choral directors prefer is “stabilized vibrato”, where the pitch variation is limited to “a reasonable extent”. Also, an easy way to avoid situations in choral ensembles where singing with almost no vibrato is needed is to not sing the high voice parts such as tenor and soprano, these parts make vibrato seem more evident than the lower voice parts and singing in the middle tessitura also helps vocal development.

One of the reasons why some conductors try and justify vibratoless choir singing is that it is a “historical tradition” in the Renaissance and Baroque eras and sometimes in the 20^th century as well. Also, the venues that used to be used as performance halls (ie. Cathedrals) were unforgiving when it came to vibrato. However a straight tone can tire the voice much quicker than a free tone. It also is dangerous for young singers due to the unfinished development of the interarytenoid muscles and the still immature muscles that are crucial in the proper positioning of the larynx.

It is important to know your limitations as a young singer, especially when it comes to singing in a choir. Also, your voice teacher should always  be the main monitor of your technique, and if vibrato is lessening, it may be a sign that you are not singing correctly in choir. 

Learning Styles and the Voice Student

This article illustrates some of the different ways that students go through the learning process in relation to learning new music and suggestions for their teachers on how to help them along.

Swanson begins by describing three (fictitious) students in his private voice studio, each one with an amusing name that hints at their style of learning. The first student, Tsee En Luk, is clearly a visual learner, never going anywhere without a notebook and relying on diagrams and posters in order to understand what his teacher is trying to convey to him. The second student, Audra Torey, learns her repertoire by rote, taking advantage of her handy-dandy tape recorder. Unfortunately, this comes with a drawback in that if she hears a note wrong, she will remember the wrong note instead of the right one. The third student, Kenny Stetick, is fond of using his hands. He often uses hand gestures during his singing and is also proficient at the piano which he uses to play the accompaniments to his songs.

Clearly, these are somewhat exaggerated but they still point out the fact that every student has their own way of approaching a new piece. Some will dissect it on paper while others take it to the practice room.

Swanson goes on to extrapolate a little on methods of learning by referencing Dr. Anthony F. Gregorc’s Mind-Styles model. This model outlines four basic personality types found in adults. There’s concrete-sequential where the person hashes it out with whatever they’re working on in a sequential and step-by-step fashion. Abstract-sequential people will work on their problem with mental imagery and theories. Concrete-random people, like concrete-sequential people, focus on what’s in front of them but concrete-randoms work on whichever part they feel like working on with no necessary order. And finally, those with an abstract-random personality will work in their head and use their imagination but will be spontaneous about it.

Building the Foundation (original article by Scott McCoy)

         As musicians, we should be doing our utmost to create the most beautiful sound and storytelling we can through our art. Each syllable, each word, each phrase has a world of meaning that can be derived from it. We spend countless hours building up our characters and our motivations to we can create, what we hope to be, truly moving and breathtaking performances. Though sometimes these things could be more of a secondary importance than we might at first believe. After all, what is the use of a stellar character or an emotional drive if you cannot convey it through your singing?

         As you may have guessed by this point, this article focuses on the importance of the basics, or foundation, of singing. The tool set we all should start with, but don't necessarily receive at the very beginning. Within every singers “toolkit” should be a few basic things, these include (but are certainly not limited to): the ability to stand in a proper posture (that encourages good breathing and proper technique); the ability to breathe correctly and manage breathing well; etc.

         As these are the essentials to singing, you may be surprised to find out that it is not uncommon for them to be overlooked (especially when a student already has some musical background). Some students may go years having an incomplete idea, and only learn that they have a problem when they receive a comment on it (or switch teachers). Therefore, it is our job as teachers of music to make sure that these skills are honed in each of our students, allowing them to have a solid foundation upon which they can build the musical talents.

         After this solid foundation, students should continue to work. This time the focus can move more to the technical aspects of the music, phonation, articulation, and resonance. It will take time and effort, but the results will make the singing seem effortless and the sound full and free. Let the student work up to pieces they can perform, and let them be excited about what they're doing (after all this is an amazing art form)! It is important to remember that some students may need to be reigned in a little (the author tells a story about one of his high schoolers trying to search out arias from Wagner's Ring cycle), but help them to channel that enthusiasm and want of a challenge into something more appropriate for the voice. There is no rush when it comes to the voice developing, let it do so naturally and healthily. In time, they may, one day, be able to sing those big roles they so crave.

         In the end, it comes down to wanting students to be musically literate. Giving the students the tools with which they can begin their musical journey. Then, they are taught how to use them to solve their own problems. With time their skill set begins to grow and you continue to add more and more tools to their toolbox until they're standing on their own two feet and ready to run off into whatever musical sunset they hope to follow. As teachers we are guides, not dictators. Starting with the basics, we should help students to learn on their own and pursue the musical future that makes them happy.  

Reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3wMRu0WtNU&feature=youtu.be

The Economy of Choir Size

The Economy of Choir Size by Ingo R. Titze

                The purpose of this article is to discuss the reasons behind choirs of various sizes, and spends most of it’s time talking about how efficiently choir size correlates to volume. It states that the characteristic “choir sound” can be achieved with a relatively small number of people, and that when it comes to tuning harmonies a smaller choir is easier to handle.

                The author states that larger choir sizes tend to be driven by the need to increase a choir’s volume to fill out a large space or match orchestral accompaniment.  His supposition is that of the three ways to increase a choir’s volume (more people, greater dynamic range per person, acoustics of the performance space), increasing the size of the choir is the least effective. He gets somewhat technical at this point, but the gist of his argument is that for every doubling of the number of people in the choir, the volume of the sound only increases by roughly 41%. This means the marginal gain in volume decreases very rapidly as the total choir size increases, making it negligible by the time you reach 20 people. He also points out that seeking to increase overall dynamic range by adding people is futile unless you can strategically have certain singers drop out in order to make your piano and pianissimo softer.

                Since a trained singer can produce a much larger dynamic range than the average person, the author posits that working with the choir to increase each individual’s dynamic range will have a much more pronounced effect than simply adding more people. For performance space acoustics he presents no factual data, but considers that aspect to also have more influence on a choir’s volume than its size does.

Technique or Testosterone

• Written by a musically trained social scientist and professor of education.
• Attempt to address the issue of boys reluctance to sing
• Boys receive pressure from all directions on how to use their voice
• Choir directors; preserve high range
• Voice teachers; whatever is healthiest
• Peers; talk/sing like a man! (most influential)
• Often boys use their voice how they want to and not in the healthiest way for them
• What is the right answer?
• Some controversy about when the male voice “breaks” – is puberty starting to come earlier? (origin of the title)
• Studies show that the average male voice “changes” around 13-15 years of age – same as it’s been for a long time. (So to the above, no.)
• Some experts hold that singing techniques from 75 years ago have been lost – modern boy sopranos sing in a “chest voice” instead of “head voice”
• So really, no one knows
• The author’s 4 points of things that aren’t helping
• Useless speculation about earlier puberty
• Disputes between directors and teachers
• Disputes over proper technique
• Lack of position about falsetto
• Conclusion
• Boys who sing often lead a double life – singing is secret
• Need to understand the perception boys’ have of their world around the age of voice change
• Also…
• Why not study the changing male voice and develop or modify techniques for vocal training?
• Why not market or promote singing (specifically singing high) as “manly” or “masculine?”

"The Business Plan: What is it and why you need one if you're starting out or starting over"

My article, by Heidi Vass, was titled "The Business Plan: What is it and Why you need one if you're starting out or starting over." The article talks about, as you could guess, why it's important to have a business plan when starting a private voice studio.

The article starts out by describing different business models that support the study of voice. It then flows into why it's important to have a business plan:

• Helps keep track of day-to-day rigors of working for yourself
• Helps make you aware of unforeseen obstacles
• Helps clearly define your teaching goals
• Helps to create benchmarks for success while on a timeline
• Helps build professional relationships
• Helps to evaluate the services you're offering 
• Helps to validate yourself

Before getting to the section on the business plan itself, Vass describes some legal advice that she would recommend to those youngsters or people starting over with a private voice studio. Vass recommends that you contact the Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov) and seeking out the different laws in the area you plan on teaching. Next, Vass recommends forming an LLC and LLP (Limited Liability Company and Limited Liability Partnership). She talks about the different forms of business you can start and describes the pros and cons to each of them. 

Now for the plan! She formats the plans as this (and I'm going to bullet point each with just key phrases for each section):

• Statement of Purpose: This is where you write out what you hope to bring and teach students as well as how you distinguish yourself from other area instructors.
• Description of your Business: What exactly is your studio and what are you planning on teaching? What age group are you planning on teaching? 
• Marketing Plan: Where are you planing on teaching: home, office, school, rented space? 
• Marketplace Report: This is where you would list out who all is teaching in the area and how much they're charging. This is also where you would list out how much you're charging to make it competitive.
• Procedures and Policies: This is where you would list out what your day to day routines are. You would also list out your policies in regards to: cancellations, how you (the instructor) gets paid/how frequently you get paid, scheduling procedures, what your hours are that you're working per week, procedures for how to contact you, etc. 
• Personnel: Are you planning on hiring anyone to teach in your studio besides yourself? 
• Insurance: Are you going to take out Small Business Insurance? This is recommended by Vass, by the way...
• Loan Applications: Are you planning to pay out of pocket (or can you afford to)? This is where you list initial capital costs for starting your studio
• Equipment and Supply List: This is where you list out all of the materials you currently own (books, keyboard, etc.) AND what you intend to purchase to help get your studio started. 

Finally, she ends with a section on budgeting and how important it is to budget for your business. It's not something we really talk about, but money is pretty important. She ties this into the law stuff a bit by discussing some IRS information with how you get paid and paying for taxes. She also talks about how to be conservative in regards to recruitment (it's better to expect less money than you might actually get, am I right?) Vass also discusses how it's important to build forecasts into the next 2-5 years. It's important to list in your business plan how you plan on growing your business and incorporating a marketing calendar so lenders and business officials can see what your thought process is. 

The Shifting Aesthics of Vibrato.

 

Eileen Strempel walks us through the history of vibrato in her article, The Shifting Aesthetics of Vibrato.  Vibrato style has changed over the last 600 years (go figure), which means your Handel aria should not carry the same amount of vibrato as your Schubert lied.  Vibrato needs to change as the style does.

Vibrato is considered 6.2-6.6 pitch pulsations a second. Tremolo (ew!) is 12 pitch pulsations a second. Men are generally lower in pps than women, but only by a few decimal points.  Scientifically, vibrato is caused by the laryngeal musculature, mainly the cricothyroid muscles and breathing systems. No one in this article knows why vibrato happens, but we do know that it’s developed as the singer grows in skill.

But what type of vibrato should be used for each era?

The Baroque Era: Opera began, and everybody who was anybody wanted to watch it. Some theaters constructed during this period were built to hold 5000 people (that’s right, five thousand!). The vocal style that echoed best in these giant theaters, which is very little vibrato, came into style.  Composers used a ton of terms to describe it, so it’s hard to know exactly what Baroque ears were used to hearing.  One we do know for sure is the Voce bianca, literally white voice, meaning no vibrato. Chamber music used much more vibrato, since it was performed in smaller spaces.  For the most part, Baroque singers shied away from using immense amounts of vibrato, since it was out of vogue.

The Classical Era: Smaller performance areas were made, more instruments are added.  Vibrato was encouraged, and ‘voce bianca’ was not desired. A “pleasantly vibrating” voice was popular. Mozart complained about a singer who forced his vibrato (Mozart hated posers).

Romantic Era: The difference between light and heavy voices is marked.  Voices needed to be powerful, technically able and stylistic. Vibrato meant drama, involvement, and emotion in the music. The word ‘vibrato’ was written in scores of Donizetti and Meyerbeer, and regions of Europe developed their own taste for vibrato. Italians sang vibrato on every note while Germans and English singers preferred narrow vibrato that would be almost undetectable. Russians liked quick, flickering vibrato.  Some recordings from the 1800’s still exist today of singers using these techniques.

Today: We use a deeper vibrato today than we did even 100 years ago.  Mostly, that means we need to weigh the historical preference against our preference today.   

Lesson we learned: Do your research so your students don’t get marked down at NATS when they use too much vibrato on their Purcell piece.

 

Female Chest Voice

Female Chest Voice

The paper contains responses to some questions raised by performers and teachers in sessions aimed at a systematic voice technique. There are two responses in the article, one by Gwenellyn Leonard and the other by Freda Herseth. The issue in question is the use and function of the female chest voice. Many views have been expressed which the writers seek to respond to.

Gwenellyn Leonard in her response says that a deep and brilliant sound is what they seek for themselves and for their students. She points out that getting such a voice is a great challenge. She says in order to have such a voice, there has to be coordination between resonance, breathing and phonation. Gwenellyn explains the important function of the larynx in the production of sound. She also mentions the important role played by the external support frame in the smooth registration and equalization by controlling the stability of the larynx. The writer also says the relationship from head to neck also affect the voice by affecting the external frame that in turn affects the larynx. The writer concludes by stating the importance of breathing and proper head and neck position when it comes to vocals. She says the information is vital in studios where the quality of sound is a great factor.

Freda begins by expressing her opinion that any song without the chest voice is unappealing, unsupported and uncommitted both to the singer and the listener. She asserts that there are many contradicting opinions concerning the chest voice. She says the chest voice has applied by women when they want to show authority, or want to sound more mature. She says women who use the chest voice have a higher likelihood of suffering from vocal fatigue and injury. Speaking with chest voice also limits their breath flow, speaking compass and resonance. She warns that for young singers who are not yet mature, they should avoid emphasizing on chest voice, irrespective of whether they are comfortable or not. In her conclusion, she says that chest voice exists in the female voice too, although not like in the men. She says the chest mixtures should only be used when the character of music is appropriate.

Correcting problematic vibratos.

The creation of vibrato is a result of the cricothyroid stretching the thyroarytenoids. When this is done naturally, the ocillating tension of the muscles causes a healthy spinning sound. There are a few poor techniques that singers can use that can be harmful. The first is using no vibrato at all. For this, the singer maintains a high laryngeal position and are often under-supporting their sound. Some exercises that can be used to combat this are those that include a gradual crescendo and diminuendo, as well as working on improving breath support and focus. For those singers that have a wobbly vibrato or faux vibrato, It is often that they are pushing too much air and are tensing. In this case, exercises that force them to crescendo and decrescendo quickly are beneficial because it makes them lighten their vocal production, causing them to be less tense. With the faux vibrato, singers can even be producing the vibrato with their abdominal muscles causing a lot of unnecessary tension. The same exercises can be used to combat this as with the wobble, but it is often caused by teachers telling the student to sing with vibrato without telling them how and what they are actually looking for. The last error is the bleat, or a pressed tone with a lot of airflow causing a high-intensity tremor in the muscles of the larynx. This is often accompanied by a tightness in the jaw and tongue and with the singer trying to control the vibrato with them. To correct this, it is found beneficial to instruct them to sing with a sighing quality and to work with decrescendos to relax the larynx. All of these errors in use of vibrato can be at least affected by use of sustained dynamic exercises and it is important for students to know that vibrato is a result of a balanced process of phonation and breath support; not something that is manufactured.

Inhalation and Exhalation Myths

 This article deals with many phrases we have either heard in choir or in past voice lessons. I can honestly say when most of these myths were told to me throughout the years, it didn't make sense at the time and that is why it didn't help me. The author of the article wanted to mainly focus on inhalation and exhalation myths and how they contribute to incorrect technique or sound production.

I go into each myth in depth in my video but here is a list of them to keep track:

Inhalation Myths

• We need to feel the air
• Work to get the air in, need to inhale against a resistance
• The air pushes the diaphragm down 
• Lungs fill upwards 

Exhalation Myths

• The diaphragm inhales and exhales
• Abdominal muscles push the air out
• The solution for all vocal problems is support

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ComyymM7nbA

You many or may not have heard these myths but they can be very detrimental to a singers technique and are hard to break these if they have become habits. 

Performance Anxiety

            Dr. Christopher Arneson's article "Performance Anxiety: A Twenty-First Century Perspective" discusses causes and effects of performance anxiety and offers many techniques and ideas to overcome it.  He defines performance anxiety as "a natural reaction to situations in which we expose ourselves to judgment and evaluation."  Arising from personal experiences and influenced by personality, performance anxiety effects us each individually at different levels.

            Arneson presents two types of performance anxiety.  The first, trait anxiety, is "a predisposition to perceive certain stimuli as threatening."  Individuals with this anxiety may view more situations as threatening, or respond to threatening situations with more intense levels of state anxiety, or both.  State anxiety is situation-specific, arising from the perception of fear, danger, and failure.

            Twenty-first century singers have increased demands; they must fly more, sing higher, be thinner, and study faster.  Increased anxiety is often a response caused by these high expectations placed on singers today   It is the voice teacher's responsibility to recognize each student's sensitivity to anxiety, and to guide them to the treatment they need.

            Common symptoms of performance anxiety are often physical, including shaking, excessive sweating, and hyperventilation.  However, some may be psychological, such as worrying and fretting, the fear of failure, and irritability before a performance.  Anxiety can also cause individuals to dwell on fantasies of catastrophes, be indecisive in their song selections, and may even lead to depression.

            Fear is a large component to performance anxiety, and must be faced. Arneson states, "Bringing fear into the light of conscious thought immediately weakens its power to frighten us."  He then introduces four primary fears, from Performance Anxiety by Eric Maisel: fear of the unexpected and unknown, fear of loss of control, fear of strangers, and fear of love and approval.  Sharing emotions can often be stressful with loved ones, and exposure to an audience may only intensify that stress.

            There are four common therapies to overcome performance anxiety.  First, behavioral therapy focuses on changing dysfunctional behaviors that result from feeling anxious, and often incorporates deep muscle relaxation training and desensitization.  Cognitive therapy focuses on eliminating faulty thought patterns, and cognitive-behavioral therapy is a combination of the first two theories, aiming to change negative thought patterns and behaviors simultaneously.  The final therapy, systematic desensitization, aims to gradually replace the response to fear and anxiety with healthier alternatives.

            Arnseson provides twelve "Performance Anxiety Reduction (PAR) Techniques," including accepting and understanding your fear, silencing negative inner voices, getting rid of excuses, and eliminating self-destructive behavior.  He also encourages readers view criticism in a healthy manner, to practice and prepare well,  release physical tension, and have realistic expectations.

            Performance anxiety can be changed, which will come from the necessary addressing of one's fears.  Arneson states, "If you show yourself to an audience, you must be willing to take a good look at yourself first."  Be self-aware and seek solutions to any possible sign of performance anxiety.

Welcome!

Welcome Vocal Pedagogy students of winter 2015! On this blog you will post videos of your article presentations. Your articles will be assigned and you will complete them sometime after the midterm, so after week 6. The best way to do the video is to post it to YouTube first and then log on to the blog, go to the "post video" icon that looks like a clapperboard, and then you have the option to get the file "From YouTube." After that you will write your summaries below the video. Have fun!