Music Tip Monday #6 - Vowel Shaping

Vowel Shaping

The 5 cardinal (Italian) vowels used in singing classical and music theatre legit styles

Whether you are a solo singer, teacher, chorister or choir director, it is useful to practise correct vowel shaping for the style you are singing.

Today we look at the more classical shaping used in classical vocal music as well as legit music theatre styles.

1. i (think the vowel in ‘bee’): tip of the tongue rests gently on the back of the lower front teeth; the sides of the body of the tongue are higher and touching the upper back molars. This vowel has a bright, forward sound quality. The lips remain relaxed – not spread.

2. e (think the vowel in ‘egg’): tip of the tongue rests gently on the back of the lower front teeth; the sides of the body of the tongue are still high and resting on the upper back molars, though very slightly more relaxed away from the teeth than in the i vowel. This vowel has a bright, forward sound quality. The lips remain relaxed.

3. a (think the vowel in ‘bar’): tip of the tongue rests gently on the back of the lower front teeth; the tongue body relaxes gently down into the floor of the mouth (never press or push the tongue down). The soft palate rises, giving this vowel a rounded, spacious sound quality in classical and legit singing. The lips remain relaxed.

4. o (think the vowel in ‘lot’): the tip of the tongue moves very slightly away from the back of the lower front teeth and the lips pout forward, shaping the vowel.

5. u (think the vowel in ‘look’): the tip of the tongue very slightly away from touching the back of the lower front teeth and the lips pout forward into a pucker to shape the vowel.

Music Tip Monday #5 - Useful Apps for Singing Teachers + Singers

Liz recently attended an excellent ANATS WA event on contemporary singing presented by Perth singer and teacher Liyana Yusof. Liyana referred to some of the many phone apps which are useful to singers, singing teachers and music teachers in general.

How many of these do you use?

Perfect Piano -  free – for those times when you need a keyboard on the run

Shazam – Free – for identifying songs you hear in the car, at a concert and elsewhere and think they could be useful in class

Spotify – Free  - with a premium version at $9.99 per month

YouTube – Free – for playing examples of music performances to your students. A great aid when paired with a mini speaker.

Pro Metronome- free – can be used to provide beat when practising rhythms and rhythmic patterns in class, as well as setting the speed for a performance.

Voice Recorder / Voice Memo function on your phone – ideal for recording rhythms, melodies and other practice tracks for students.

Music Tip Monday #4 - Straw Phonation Part 2

It’s no secret that here at StagePage we are big fans of straw phonation.

Here are two more uses for your straw – and as always,  we encourage you to use a metal or bamboo straw rather than single use plastic or paper:

1. If you have reluctant singers in your primary music class they could be encouraged to use a straw to ‘play’ a song at first. That way they are barely heard by their peers and at the same time they are preparing to eventually sing with an unforced sound that is forward in placement.

2. All students can benefit from breathing in through a straw and feeling cool air touching the soft and hard palate in the mouth. This will encourage a more rounded choir singing tone.

Music Tip Monday #3 - Twang

Last Monday we talked about simple ways by which music classroom teachers can look after their own vocal health and resilience.

An additional technique to learn for that purpose is twang.

Twang is useful for teachers because it increases vocal volume and projection without an increase in effort level – important in the classroom or in a choir rehearsal.

In essence, twang is a bright, clear (spoken or sung) sound quality produced by lowering the epiglottis slightly to narrow the aryepiglottic sphincter.  

Twang is not nasality.

Twang can  - but does not have to – include nasal resonance.

In simple practical ways, twang can be found and practised in your car on the way to school via these speech cues:

1. Make the sound of a hungry cat  - ‘miaow!’

2. Imitate the light, high and forward placed sound of a duck quacking.

3. Make the sound of a young sheep bleating – ‘meh!’

4. Imitate a baby’s cry

5. Imitate the young bright sound of a playground taunt – usually starting on the falling minor 3rd  - doh lah, re doh lah,  - ‘nyeah nyeah nyeah nyeah nyeah!’

6. Sing some vowels on ‘sing –ee, sing-ah’  with emphasis on the ng as you move into the twang sound.

Remember- always keep the sound light, bright and forward in placement and use minimal vocal effort.

Happy twanging!

Music Tip Monday #2 - World Voice Day

It’s World Voice Day tomorrow Tuesday 15th April and so it seems appropriate today to talk about voice care for music teachers.

Last Monday’s tips about straw phonation would be a good starting point.

Here are some more ideas:

1. Use non-verbal cues to get the students’ attention when they are working in groups – for example, establish a routine of clapping a short rhythmic pattern (which the students then clap back to you) when you want their attention. Vary the patterns from lesson to lesson to reinforce rhythmic concepts as well.

2. Avoid aggressive and  / or habitual throat clearing  - it can cause vocal fatigue.

3. Focus your speaking voice forward  - straw phonation helps establish this.

4. Drink water before you feel thirsty.

5. When you need to talk over loud background noise, use the vocal technique of twang to increase your projection without placing stress on your throat. We will look at twang next Monday.

Let us know if you have voice care tips to share!

Music Tip Mondays #1 - Straw Phonation

Voice getting fatigued as you head into the last week of the school term?  A quick restorative fix can be found by using a straw to warm your speaking and / or singing voice up before class. You could also use these warm-ups with your choir or school musical cast.

The exercises below can be done either with a straw in the air (hold straw parallel to the ground – or in a bottle of water. 

Maintain soft, slightly puffy cheeks throughout.

Don’t force your air  - let it be a consistent and comfortable air–flow from a sense of low abdominal release.

When blowing into a water bottle keep the bubbles consistent.

1. Blow air  gently through the straw.

2. Add sound to the airflow. This will feel like an ‘oo’ sound going into the straw on the breath flow.

3. Make a low sustained note in the straw.

4. Blow 5 note scales into the straw. Start from a comfortably low key.

5. Try descending 8 note scales – starting from a little higher in your vocal range.

6. Try sirens  - start in the middle of your range and then expand upwards and downwards in pitch.  If you sense a ‘gap’ in the line of sound, go back over that part of the siren gently until the siren moves more smoothly.

7. Try a section of a song in the straw – remember you cannot use words – just the melody on the ‘oo’ sound.

Of course it is always preferable to use a metal, bamboo, glass or silicone straw rather than single use plastic.

Liz Pascoe