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Many circles of Western Psychology rely on a conception of the mind as separate from the body. Examples abound in contemporary speech from "sing from the heart, not the head" to "don't think, act", and there are plenty more. Neuroscientists have developed a more integrated approach to the brain over the last three-to-four decades that can be called a body/mind approach. With the body/mind concept, the brain is accepted as one organ, integral though it is, that relies equally on the other parts of the body.
When the conscious mind sets the goals for the body, and aids in assessing results, the body's tens of trillions of actions per second can focus its potent energy to the task of learning. When an instructor knows enough about how the vocal mechanism works, and what adjustments will lead to the kinds of vocal output the vocalist is interested in making, they can guide the |
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vocalist to focus their conscious mind on a certain part of the body, or engage in a particular focusing exercise, and then ask them what they felt. The vocalist's body does the work, the brain engages in its role as a part of the whole, and positive habituation ensues.
From this concept flows the question of consciousness. If the brain is just a part of the whole, then what happens when we think, feel emotion, etc.? Neuroscientists are quick to point out that the body executes tens of trillions of actions every second, whereas, the conscious mind can only keep up with one thing at a time. This basic equation points to the profound limitations of our consciousness in actually making the human mechanism function. However, consciousness is one of humanities most uniquely developed traits, and one which, when integrated into the whole, can lead to powerful learning. |
This process can be summed up as Target Practice, and this is how it works:
1. Set the Target Pick something you can focus on, ideally as specific a focus as possible. For example, “singing pretty” involves enormous variables, but “tongue position” limits those variables to one organ. Now choose a task like, saying [Ki], [Kə], [Ku] , just for starters, to notice how the tongue moves in order to better understand how tongue position impacts vocalizing. 2. Do the experiment, or, go through the steps that outline your target, and let your body do what it does. For starters, speak [Ki], [Kə], [Ku]. 3. Assess Results. As you do the experiment, you’ll want to pay attention to what you notice. Most people, when speaking [Ki], [Kə], [Ku], feel the air on the roof of their mouth move from the front of the hard palate [Ki], to the middle [Kə], and then the back [Ku]. You may feel other things as well. 4. Do it again. This time, pay attention to the way the air moves across the hard palate as the phonemes change. Perhaps on the next repetition, pay attention to the unique timbral qualities of each phoneme, and a third repetition can involve focus on how your jaw or lips feel, etc. Repetition is key, and helps the body habituate a process so that you don’t have to employ your conscious mind in the future, thereby freeing it to focus on other, big picture targets. Knowing why you want to adjust where you feel the air on the roof of your mouth will help guide you as you set up new targets. The ultimate goal is that the vocalist has an understanding of how tongue and sound interrelate, and that they habituate new resonant strategy options. |
How do you pick targets and set up your own target practice?
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Notice
What do you hear, what muscles do you feel, what sensations do you feel when executing your current habits? Hypothesize What would you like to have happen? Use the conscious mind’s powerful gift of imagination while you apply a little scientific method. Imagine what you’d like to hear or feel, connect that with what you understand about sound creation, and let the two begin to intermingle as you repeat the process, allowing your hypothesis to find new focus as you go. Create Target What is one sound or sensation that you can focus on as a target? How narrowly can you define your target to ensure that your results relate specifically to it? |
There are several books in the vocology and sports science canon that speak to Target Practice and the body/mind concept.
Gallwey's iconic The Inner Game of Tennis presents a well-organized application of Target Practice geared toward the game of tennis. His Self 1 (mind)/Self 2 (body) conception provides a clear framework for learners to begin to understand contemporary Neuroscience, the power of judgment-free instruction, and master tips for training. Translating his ideas into voice instruction can be illuminating for instructor and student alike.
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Leon Thurman's three-volume opus, Bodymind and Voice, created for the Voice Care Network summer course, delves more deeply into Neuroscience as it applies to voice learning, opening the reader into a world of interesting knowledge. The first book, in particular, explains the scientific explanation of body/mind integration in detail.
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Key Elements •Target Practice works through repetition. Contrary to many types of training, target practice requires that we execute the same target multiple times. Think about learning to play darts, and how many times you have to throw a dart before you hit bulls eye. •Noticing without judgment Equally essential, we must learn to replace terms like good/bad with “on-target” and “off-target.” Praise, though potentially uplifting, still engenders judgement. A “good” opens the door for a “bad”, distracting us from learning. •Isolation Target Practice works best when we can narrow our focus to one focal point at a time, and then put it back together into the whole. •Contrast Once you have repeated a new sensation to the point of feeling it beginning to groove, do it again in the “old habit” way or alongside a different sound or sensation in order to notice the difference. Since the body learns in a more complex and integrated way from how we consciously perceive learning, contrast provides one of the clearest tools for understanding. Contrast also alerts us to the reality that we don’t have to “unlearn” old habits, we simply need to start new ones, and allow the body to notice the difference. |
Meditation, in the enlightenment-focused faith practices, bears similarities to target practice. Mingyur Rinpoche explains how setting the target of noticing ones breath allows people to habituate a meditative state that can be practiced regularly throughout the day. Noticing one's breath can be a valuable tool in vocal habilitation as well.
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2 Scientists in the Room
Target Practice, when the learner is aware of the targets and how to assess them, allows two scientists to be the room, teacher and learner. When instructor and learner share power and responsibility, the learning process moves more quickly, and relates more specifically to the learner's needs. This concept works in group instruction too, since the instructor can't possibly hope to aid in the assessment of each student, but when each learner relies on self-observation, they can assess their own progress. |
commanding targets vs. noticing targets
When we compare Target Practice to other forms of teaching, two defining factors emerge. For teaching based in a brain-separate-from-body paradigm, instructors must rely on commanding the learner, but in a body/mind concept, the instructor and learner both rely on noticing.
Commanding |
Noticing |
Dictatorial |
Self-Empowering |
Instructor carries the burden |
Instructor and learner both carry the responsibility |
Dependent of who is the room |
Independent of instructor being in the room |
Example: "Put your tongue forward" |
Example: "Notice where you feel your tongue inside your mouth" |
Once and Done |
Repetition |
Expectation of perfection |
Allows for "off target" as an equal learning opportunity to "on target" |
Goals based on instructor's conceptions |
Targets based in shared knowledge and learner experience |
The key to instruction rests on the learner understanding and habituating their experience. They accomplish these goals much more quickly when they are able to articulate their personal sensations. Further, if they chase after the instructor’s sensations, they are likely to find themselves more confused, and can create a series of negative ("off target") habits in an attempt to recreate instructor commands.