Breathing

Connecting the Body and the Mind through Breathing.

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Breathing allows the singer to establish the focus needed to contact his singing voice. Directed breathing exercises can be fundamental at the beginning of the rehearsal to create a portal between the singer's daily life and his musical universe with the group, allowing his attention to remain focused on the music that will be performed during the rehearsal and on the musical experience that he will be able to experience from this contact with his own voice and the voice of the other.

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According to Joseph Flummerfelt, emeritus conductor of Westminster Choir College, it all starts with breathing, the means of opening to the deepest inner connection to a creative impulse beyond the stenosis of an individual ego. A spiritual connection that allows spontaneous flow to emerge only when the ego it needs to control has given way.

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Breathing consciously at the moment of singing is able to energize the singer's body and produce an important sense of well-being.

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Breathing is linked to proprioception, that is, the ability to perceive and feel the functioning of the body, in this case, at the moment when the singers are breathing or singing. The word proprioception, also known as kinaesthesia, is the term used to name the ability to recognize the spatial location of the body, its position and orientation, through the force exerted by the muscles and the position of each part of the body in relation to the others, without using the vision. This specific type of perception allows the maintenance of postural balance and the performance of several practical activities. It results from the interaction of muscle fibres that work to keep the body at its base of support, from tactile information and from the vestibular system, located in the inner ear.

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For the choir singers to perceive the breathing process, we suggest that the conductor draws the singers' attention during the exercises for the chest, more precisely the sternum bone, a flat “T” shaped bone located in the anterior part of the chest, and for the intercostal musculature, located between the ribs and on the singer's back. The sternum must remain accommodated without rising during breathing, avoiding what is popularly called “pigeon breast”, avoiding the contraction of the neck muscles.

 

Figure (Visualization of the Sternum Bone)

 

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(source: google images)

 

When stretching the body raising the arms upwards, for example, the singers will be able to perceive the spacing between the ribs, and it will be interesting that there is an orientation of the conductor so that the corporal sensation of opening of this space is maintained even when the arms lower at the side of the body. However, the body limits must be respected, suggesting that each singer respect his own limit during the brief period devoted to the execution of the stretching exercises.

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This feeling of expansion of the ribs should help singers in the process of perceiving and performing breathing. The moment of the rehearsal when we contact deep breathing is very important.

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"Breathing consciously at the moment of singing is able to energize the singer's body and produce an important sense of well-being".

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Breathing work must be a constant practice in group trials. This moment of working with the group's breathing can be done in five minutes, always at the beginning of the rehearsal and between songs if necessary.

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Here are some exercises as a suggestion for the conductor to apply and experiment with his choir.