Wk 6: Importance of Controlled Breathing when Singing

This week’s workshop looks at singing and why it is so important to have a good posture, with controlled breathing. Controlled breathing articulation of the words the lyrics you are singing. Having articulation of the words in the lyrics and understanding what the words mean allows students to express themselves in a deeper meaningful way through these lyrics. Today we sang a song from Razzamajazz called Calypso. This song gave us an opportunity to look at how music from another country is as important as music from a westernised country.

An implication for future teaching is that some students may not feel comfortable with singing because they feel like singing is thought of as some kind of “gift” for the musically gifted people (Neumann, 2008). It’s important to let students know that nobody in the classroom is going to judge on how you sing as long as you have a go and they feel comfortable. Singing in big groups and having easy repeated lyrics gives students that confidence to sing without feeling the pressure.

Reference:

Neumann, C. (2008). The Singing Classroom. The Canadian Music Educator, 49, 42-43.

Davis, S. (2014). Calypso. Sydney Australia: Razzamajazz