Singing Pebbles Vocal Studio

✨Join us for a magical evening with Night - a unique concert featuring an eclectic, nocturnal mix of music! From the beautiful classical depth of Brahms to the popular, soulful melodies of James Taylor, this program has something for everyone.

It's the perfect way to spend a fall evening thanks to our friends, WORDS and MUSIC!

Tickets at wordsmusic.org
Discount tickets available for Military/Senior/Student

🗓️ Date: Saturday, October 25th
⏰ Time: 4:00pm - 7:00pm
📍 Location: St. Francis Church, 9220 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA

Ms. Auger is one of my favorites. Such a lovely person and exquisite singer!

Many years ago I heard Arleen Auger present a master class at Mannes College of Music in New York City. She was masterful at teaching the young students breath management and each singer sounded measurably better after working with her.

A Helpful Exercise for Equalized Breath Flow

Ms. Auger instructed each student to measure the amount of breath taken for each musical phrase, holding their hands in front of themselves and making space between their hands. This space between the hands represented the appropriate amount of breath taken for each phrase, making more space between the hands for a longer phrase and less space for a shorter phrase. Then, as the singer sang the phrase, they were instructed to slowly move the hands together.

What did this exercise reveal? It revealed that many singers used up most of their breath in the first few beats of the musical phrase, leaving them running out toward the end of the phrase. It would take a few repetitions for them to learn to take the appropriate amount of breath for the length of the phrase and to close the space between the hands slowly and evenly. Each singer learned two major elements of breath control: (1) to avoid over-breathing for shorter phrases, and (2) to void using too much breath in the first half of the musical phrase.

This exercise also had an added benefit: to avoid over-breathing and 'stacking up' too much breath pressure in the body while singing through an entire piece of music. Arleen Auger was kind and encouraging with each student and she never rushed the process just because it was a public master class.

Final Thought: This breath exercise made each student aware that they must take a bit more breath for longer phrases and avoid taking too much for shorter phrases. The vocal changes were major, leaving each singer without the 'push reflex'

Have a nice day. David

David Jones' Book, "A Modern Guide to Old World Singing" is available at www.amazon.com, www.amazon.de, www.thebookdepository.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and the ebook at www.ebooks.com.

Yes!

Art Can Benefit Youth & Their Communities Read the framework

Thanks, Dr. Nelson, for posting this!

Oh, this is fun!

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