Week 28: Vowel Usage (Part 1)

I'm dealing with our usage of Vowels within singing for 2 weeks, both in the part they play & any difficulties posed by certain formation.
1. Vowels are what we sing. Whilst we can pitch a consonant, we cannot actually open up a pitched consonant into an open throated singing.
2. The Vowel clearly belongs to the note or pitch. Singers need to develop the centre of the pitch together with the centre of the vowel.
3. Vowels are all initially formed & produced from the back of the tongue before individually being further shaped governed by pitch.
4. An invaluable exercise is to build song repertoire into the singing voice using only the vowels of the words within seamless legato lines.
5. It is important for singers & their teachers to build a selection of exercises into the voice which work on ALL vowels equally.

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- Ross Campbell
Professor of Singing, Royal Academy of Music, London
Director & Head of Singing, Musical Theatre Ireland, MTI
Award winning Author for ABRSM Songbooks 1 – 5
1-to-1 Vocal Training & Consultations availablewww.rosscampbell.biz
www.musicaltheatreireland.ie
www.rosscampbelluk.blogspot.com

Week 27: Food & Drink

I'm dealing with Misconceptions which exist within the singing & voice world concerning the effects of food/drink on our voices this week.
1. Instructions to abstain from milk, wine, cold water, coffee, tea, vinegar, pineapple juice, cayenne pepper, etc... are mere old wives tales!
2. Anatomically, nothing we eat or drink can touch our true or false vocal folds; they are totally protected by the epiglottis when swallowing!
3. When swallowing, the epiglottis covers the larynx so no food & drink can enter our larynx or windpipe below; we would choke if it did so!
4. Steam is the only thing which can touch our vocal folds. Therefore, Manuka Honey CANNOT coat our vocal folds. STOP believing that it can!
5. Essential in maintaining a healthy voice: Own & understand a superb technique, warm up properly daily & stop believing old wives tales!


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- Ross Campbell
Professor of Singing, Royal Academy of Music, London
Director & Head of Singing, Musical Theatre Ireland, MTI
Award winning Author for ABRSM Songbooks 1 – 5
1-to-1 Vocal Training & Consultations availablewww.rosscampbell.biz
www.musicaltheatreireland.ie
www.rosscampbelluk.blogspot.com

Week 26: Yawning

I'm dealing with Misconceptions which continue to exist within the teaching fraternity of #singing & #voice this week concerning YAWNING!
1. Misconception: The physical sensation of a yawn does NOT prepare you to sing with an open throat! The tongue pulls back, clogging the throat.
2. The physical sensation of a yawn not only pulls the tongue back, but down the throat, so depressing the larynx & causing some constriction.
3. Preparing to sing with a yawn sensation inhibits access to your higher register by pulling the tongue back & holding the Larynx down!
4. If the Tongue sits too far back in the mouth & down in the throat, the Larynx has trouble rising & high notes will be difficult to access.
5. The BEST prep for retracted false folds & open throat is 'laughing' silently with a loose jaw & tongue-tip behind lower teeth, not YAWNING!

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- Ross Campbell
Professor of Singing, Royal Academy of Music, London
Director & Head of Singing, Musical Theatre Ireland, MTI
Award winning Author for ABRSM Songbooks 1 – 5
1-to-1 Vocal Training & Consultations available
www.rosscampbell.biz
www.musicaltheatreireland.ie
www.rosscampbelluk.blogspot.com

Week 25: Conclusions of Recognising & Remedying

I'm dealing with conclusions covering my entire series of recognising & remedying vocal inconsistences & difficulties this week.
1. Recognising and remedying vocal difficulties depends on your knowledge & understanding of the essential anatomy of singing.
2. If you are a Teacher of Singing or Spoken Voice, then it is essential to develop a diagnostic ear supported by vocal physiological knowledge.
3. No Singing Teacher can hope to solve all vocal problems in one go.  Even simple ones take time to sort out.  There are no quick fixes!
4. A vocal difficulty is often the result of years of bad habit & may be a combination of more than one issue. Healthy Singing requires effort!
5. Remember: Retraining the muscle memory into new habits takes time. Singers & their teachers need to work together to resolve bad habits.

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- Ross Campbell
Professor of Singing, Royal Academy of Music, London
Director & Head of Singing, Musical Theatre Ireland, MTI
Award winning Author for ABRSM Songbooks 1 – 5
1-to-1 Vocal Training & Consultations available
www.rosscampbell.biz
www.musicaltheatreireland.ie
www.rosscampbelluk.blogspot.com

Week 24: Tongue Position

Dealing with the  problems caused by incorrect positioning of the Tongue this week
1. The Tongue is a large organ and comprises several muscle groups. Numerous problems occur because of it's sheer size & strength.
2. Because of its size, the Tongue can interfere with the rise and fall of the Larynx, and even block the Pharynx so that the sound is muffled.
3. If the Tongue sits too far back in the mouth & down in the throat, the Larynx has trouble rising & high notes will be difficult to access.
4. An habitual back position of the Tongue may be the result of the native language or of the regional accent of the singer language accent.
5. Singers should be made aware of problems posed by regional accents & learn to control the position of the tongue to create easier singing.

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- Ross Campbell
Professor of Singing, Royal Academy of Music, London
Director & Head of Singing, Musical Theatre Ireland, MTI
Award winning Author for ABRSM Songbooks 1 – 5
1-to-1 Vocal Training & Consultations available
www.rosscampbell.biz
www.musicaltheatreireland.ie
www.rosscampbelluk.blogspot.com