Saturday, November 7, 2009 - Cathedral Choral Society of Washington
Welcome, Cathedral Choral Society, under the direction of Reilly Lewis!
We are really looking forward to working with such a wonderful group of singers!
When: Saturday, November 10, 2009
Time: 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Where: TBA
Dress comfortably and bring a filled water bottle and a snack. Feel free to look around our website to get a feel for the kinds of work we will be doing together.
In our workshop for CCS last year, we presented and interactively worked on basics such as body alignment, inhilation, phonation, resonance, vowel migration, dipthongs and types of consonants. (About 3 years worth of consistant voice lessons in five hours!)
On November 7 we will be working several of these concepts very, very diligently as a group and for individuals within the group, to move the information OUT OF YOUR HEADS, and into your bodies. You will be amazed at the difference doing (and not doing) a few simple things can make in your singing. The key is awareness and mindful practice to groove new habits. This is true for all singers but especially true for experienced and professional singers.
Check back after our November 7th workshop to post your questions and make any comments. We will be happy to talk with you!
Cate Frazier-Neely and Elizabeth Daniels
The Washington Vocal Consortium Clinicians for November 7th.
I’m interested in ‘vocal stamina’! Are there particular exercises that will help me learn how to conserve breath, especially in higher registers? (or, perhaps, I never take enough breath in the first place?) Looking forward to your workshop!
Hi Ken,
Thanks for your question on “vocal stamina.” We will work with many different kinds of exercises on Saturday, working with body alignment and coordination that will improve your stamina with mindful practice and use. The late, great Todd Duncan–the first Porgy in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess– (listen to our short podcast on him as a teacher!) said that singers rarely run out of breath–they run out of “position,” meaning that something other than the amount of breath is preventing breath flow. And that “something” is different from singer to singer to singer. So we will be working with small groups and individuals within CCS to find those “somethings.”
See you soon!
Hi Ken,
Vocal stamina does take time to develop, and is harder to do when we’re no longer in our 20s or 30s (I have no idea, of course, of your age bracket). I agree with Cate that body alignment — a balanced and easy “position” is an essential ingredient! The best quick answer I can give is that a well-produced sound with developed resonance is always going to be more efficient in terms of breath use than just specifically working on stamina. As singing becomes less effortful, you’ll find you have more energy to keep singing! Sounds like you’re on the right track with both your interest in vocal technique and your participation in Choral Society!