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What is the quickest way to know how someone is feeling? Visually, by looking in their eyes, and aurally by listening to their voice. The limbic system, the master of emotions, communicates with the nerves in the larynx, meaning that the way someone is feeling can directly control how they physically produce their sound. And it is that quality of sound, or color of voice, that communicates to the listener often more than the words that are being said. |
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How can we play with emotions to encourage physical coordination in speaking & singing?
The ultimate objective of singing and speaking is to communicate and to share emotion. Usually the emotions the artist chooses to share are influenced by the creator (composer, playwright, etc.). Many teaching methods address how to feel and share emotion with the listener. However, we can also use emotions that have nothing to do with the end game message of the song or spoken piece to help guide our communication. Playing with specific emotions is another way to help the brain trigger a physical coordination and create desired sound. The song may be about sweet flowers of Spring, but you may ask yourself or your student to sing it like you are jealous and angry. Thinking "angry", for example, can possibly replace the instruction 'more adduction', 'make it brighter', 'less breathy' and can become another tool in the singer's toolbox. |
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Play around with this list of emotions (and add your own!) in warm ups and practicing repertoire. Be "All In", that is, use your body and facial expression, and pick words or phrases that connect with your target emotion. Pick a warm up pattern or a phrase from a song and alternate the emotions that motivate the sound. Repeat one emotion several times, in different ranges, or on different words or patterns. Make it a game by calling different emotions out at random. * Notice and keep track of how thinking of each emotion affects the quality of your sound and how you physically create the sound. If you call up that emotion again, can recreate the same physical coordination? |
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How do these emotions typically affect sound quality and physical coordination?
These are our observations, what do you track in your own experience? |
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