Tag: musician

  • Silent Singing

    silent-singing

    Singers are often thought to be ‘delicate’ compared to other musicians. But because our body is our instrument, we have to take special care of it. This means that we cannot practice in the same way, or for the same amount of time that other musicians practice. Still, there are many ways to practice our music, that don’t actually involve singing.

    Silent singing is one of these methods, and can be practiced in a variety of ways:

    • listening to a recording while following along with the sheet music
    • language study
    • repetition of a specific passage

    #1. Different perspective:
    Silent practice affords the singer a new perspective on the music. Instead of focusing on vocal production, singers can focus on breathing, placement, their interpretation of the music, the subtleties of language, and much more! Silent practice is beneficial not just when a singer is sick, or their voice is fatigued, but it is an important aspect of practice to highlight other areas of singing!

    #2. Language practice:
    Language is such an important aspect of music. Even if a piece is written in a singer’s native tongue, there are a myriad of differences between singing language and speaking language. Silent singing allows singers to practice these subtle differences in a focused an deliberate manner!

    #3. Anytime, anywhere:
    One of the greatest benefits of silent singing is that it can be done almost anytime and anywhere! With headphones on the bus, in a coffee shop, even at the library! This ability to practice in virtually any environment, at any time, means singers can practice just as much as any other musician, just in a different manner.

    How else can silent singing benefit us? Tell us in the comments below!

    Calgary Children's Choir

  • Self-Awareness In Singing

    Self-Awareness in Singing

    Singing is different than playing any other instrument. Because a singer’s body is their instrument, singers must make an extra effort, not just to take care of their instrument, but to conceptualize that instrument from the inside out:

    #1. Self-visualization:
    Singers are not able to open up their body and view their instrument, to have it in front of them, like a piano, or to hold and manipulate it, like a guitar. Instead, singers must understand their instrument through internal visualization. It helps that, through improved technologies, we can view vocal folds through scoped cameras, or clever animations. Still, a singer needs to have a mental map of what their instrument looks like from the inside, and what the process of creating sung sound is like.

    #2. Meditative breathing:
    Because deep breathing is an essential aspect of the singing process, singers need to learn to breath in a way that is conducive to a vocal melody. This requires deep belly breathing, a process that is quite meditative. The low, calm breathing learned in singing, means that simply through the physical act of singing, we can calm our mind, and body to focus on the task of performance.

    #3. Present-centric:
    Performance of any kind requires a musician to be ‘in the moment’. This is especially true of singers, whose bodies are attuned, and will respond (sometimes negatively) to even the slightest change in mental attitude. By focusing too much on what is coming next, or dwelling on past mistakes, singers can sabotage their own performance. Understanding this, helps singers to stay in the present moment, and deliver the best performance they possibly can!

    How else does singing improve self-awareness? Tell us in the comments below!

    Calgary Children's Choir