Page 9 - Voice for Life Songbook 1

􏰀 Roll shoulders one way then the other to reduce tension.When rolling forward imagine you are trying to make your shoulders touch in front of you.At the back bring your shoulder blades as close as possible.
􏰀 Massage your face; then allow the jaw to drop open as if on a hinge.
􏰀 Openthemouthandeyesaswideasyoucan;thenscrewyourfaceupastightlyaspossible.
Repeat several times, increasing the speed at which you move between the two.
􏰀 Stickoutyourtongueandmoveitup,down,side-to-sideandincircles.Useittoprobetheinside of the mouth, as if moving a sticky sweet from your back teeth.
􏰀 Chew imaginary gum in an exaggerated way, trying to engage your whole face in the action.
􏰀 Shake your hands as fast as possible, as though you have a piece of sticky tape stuck to them that
you want to get off. Shake out your legs as well and then move into position ready to sing.
Posture
The warm-up is an excellent opportunity to reiterate the importance of good posture when singing. (Choir trainers should keep an eye on the posture of their singers throughout the rehearsal as they may need further reminders: as singers tire, tension can creep in and some may start to droop.)
When standing, your singers should have:
1) Their feet slightly apart and firmly on the ground
2) Their weight distributed evenly on both feet
3) A ‘tall’ posture – with a straight back and the head upright
4) Relaxedshoulders
5) Relaxed knees (they should not be locked)
The following activities may help to encourage good posture:
􏰀 Stretchuptotheceilingwithbothhands.Keepingyourarmsstraight,bringthemslowlydownto your sides as you sigh out. Imagine the back lengthening and widening as you do this and don’t allow your chest to collapse.As you sing try to retain a sense of space and release around your ribs.
􏰀 Mime tying a piece of string to the crown of your head and imagine gently pulling it up towards the ceiling.Add more pieces of thread to fix the top of your chest to the ceiling and your shoulders diagonally to the corners of the room.
􏰀 Imagine your head is a helium balloon floating on top of your body.Allow it to move freely in figure of eight patterns.
Breathing
When practising breathing, it is easy for the body to become tense.You need to check that your singers stay relaxed while you practise breathing exercises with them. In particular look for the following:
1) The shoulders should not move when breathing in or out
2) The chest should not move upwards when breathing in
3) Inhalation, whether through the mouth or nose, should remain silent. Any noise at the intake of breath indicates tension in the body.
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