When Marcus arrived for his lesson, we focused on posture first. I demonstrated the proper posture for singing and had Marcus mirror each of the seven guidelines for good posture: feet positioning, relaxed knees, lifting and straightening the spine from the hips, shoulders slightly back and down, sternum slightly raised, head high and level, and hands down and back at the sides. We talked a little bit about how posture matters in life such as health, self-confidence, and in jobs such as the business world and a professional model. Once his posture was set, I drew his attention to the energy that balance creates while singing. I had him feel the energy that was created when he put his hand out in the "diving position" and raised up on his tip toes. Next, I had him feel the energy in balancing as if on a gymnast beam with hand out to the side, taking four small steps forward and then four steps backward without looking down. (For choirs, the author suggests using four gestures to communicate posture. First, a gesture can be used to remind the choir to sit tall, or to signal a time to sit back and relax. A second gesture can be used to remind students to stand tall. A third and fourth gesture can be used to have the students go from sitting to standing or from standing to sitting.)
For the second part of the lesson, I showed Marcus some ways to deepen his breathing. First, I had him put his hands on the back of his head, fingers interlocked, and elbows back. I asked him to exhale by making a long "shh" sound as he bent over from the waist, keeping the elbows back, which helped move the air from the body. Then, I had him stand slowly while inhaling through pursed lips. We then repeated the exercise without the bending at the waist, remembering to keep the sternum and head elevated. Next, I modified the exercise by having him bend over while exhaling, but then stand without inhaling for a few moments. With a release of the abdominal muscles, air flowed in freely and quickly. Finally, I asked him to take a deep yawn while standing tall. After repeating this a few times, I asked him if he could feel what a good, deep breath really was. He answered, "Yep!"
To help Marcus learn how to control his airstream, or breath support, first I used a "foul shot" exercise. He pretended to be shooting a basketball from the foul line, bouncing it several times and then bending his knees, ready to shoot. Then he exhaled audibly while straightening his legs and making a shooting motion, encouraging proper use of the diaphragm. After this, I handed him a ball-and-pipe toy. His goal was to blow into the pipe so that the ball remained floating just above the pipe for as long as possible. At first, he overblew and the ball fell off. Then, he didn't blow enough and the ball didn't float. But at last, he was able to balance the ball with his air just above the pipe. Finally, I handed him a pinwheel toy and had him blow on it to make the points spin. I challenged him to keep it spinning for as long as possible in one breath, which helped him develop his breath control. At the end of the lesson, I let him choose which one to take home
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