Working with Arvada West Sounds of Calliope

Two weeks ago, I was invited to work with the Arvada West Women’s Choir, Sounds of Calliope.  It was so fun!  We had forty-five minutes to talk about the benefits of semi occluded vocal tract exercises and inhalation phonation. 

The students were so receptive to trying new things which was wonderful considering the crazy things I was asking them to try.  They had been prepped by their awesome directors, Chris Maunu and Esther Terpenning, both of whom spend a great deal of time on technique with their choirs.  A voice teacher’s dream!  The students knew basic straw usage for warming up and cooling down.  I was able to add to their knowledge by speaking to how the pelvic floor coordinates with exhalation to fully support the voice.  We used big straws both in and out of water.  We used small coffee straws as well.  I loved getting to teach briefly about inhalation phonation, the idea of sound on inhalation.  It sounds like death but works like magic.  It’s not magic, it’s science, but man, does it feel like magic! 

The girls were working on a lovely two part Mozart Alleluia.  We took the straw, pelvic floor, and inhalation phonation practices into that song and they could all hear the change in their sound.  So fun! 

The absolute highlight of my time was two comments from students.  One student said she had no idea it could be that easy to produce higher sounds.  Another student told me she always feels pain after singing and didn’t after our work that day.  Music to this music teacher’s ears.  I am so thankful to Esther and Chris for the opportunity to come share with their students.  I rode that teaching high all day!