Singing elicits sensations. These sensations can give us false notions about what is actually happening in the body when we sing (an idea explored by author Kenneth Bozeman in Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy). For example, when I sing, I often feel sensations in my head that make me feel like sound is ringing throughout my open skull. The problem is that my brain is (supposedly) in that space and sound can’t resonate in a space that is filled with brains (or any other matter, for that matter).
I asked What Every Singer Needs to Know… co-author Kurt-Alexander Zeller about some of the misconceptions, or “mis-mappings,” he encounters the most in his interactions with singers. He said,
"I think the broad areas of respiration and resonance are where the largest number of mis-mappings cluster. Every year I still am astonished by the number of amazing fantasies about breathing I hear from new students. Many of them truly don’t even know where their lungs are—somebody once told them to “breathe low” and now they think their lungs are in their intestines. Or they think that ribs are stationary or immovable. Or that the diaphragm is a vertical structure. And they will do their darnedest to move as if that faulty body map were reality.
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| Don't head out on the trail without a good map! |
Another common mis-mapping that drives me crazy is the idea that the muscles of facial expression on the outside of the skull are directly connected to laryngeal or pharyngeal muscles—of which the old 'lifting your eyebrows will keep the pitch from sagging' myth is one notorious manifestation. These are almost stereotypical singer myths—but one does encounter them fairly often."Plain and simple, our bodies sometimes lie to us. It happens fairly often since most of the working parts for singing are inside of us and not that easy to see or feel.
That’s what makes Body Mapping so important. When we have a false idea of how the body works, we try to make it work that way. When we have an accurate understanding of function, our bodies tend to work more efficiently.
And since, as singers, our bodies are our instruments, this tends to lead to more effective, more expressive singing.
Have you had to confront “mis-mappings” of your body and voice? Did anything change when you had a better understanding of actual function?
How has your singing been this week?
Now go practice.
This week I practice twice as much as normal but I think that took a toll on my voice. Im good now but Thursday Friday of last week my voice was kind of hoarse. Friday I performed in dem lab and it went really well but my throat didn't feel the greatest. I also went to get my voice vocal scoped and they said there was a lot of tension, it was inflamed, my folds were stolen, and my folds weren't closing all the way as well as they were moving in an irregular pattern. Love it.
ReplyDeleteI think that more and more I am able to tell when my mix is in a place that I am happy about. Sometimes though, it is hard to figure out how to recreate because of this 'mis-mapping' issue. I think I can feel it somewhere in my body but when I try to place it there it doesn't always sit the same way that I would like it to. But that is something I have been trying to focus on more especially as I am working on material for Newsies. Making sure that I can recreate the placement each time.
ReplyDeleteI think, no matter what, the more I know about specific muscles and their actual functions, the better off I will be. I think there are things I do with my cheeks and jaw that make me think I'm doing something to my voice, when really it is probably just a mental thing... For example, I think using my hands to physicalize a lift in my soft palette would be more beneficial than conintueing to put that physicalization in my cheeks...
ReplyDeleteMy practice has been minimal this week because after getting my voice scoped I know I have some minor swelling and I think it is because of the dry air, and excessive amounts of fake laughing and cheering I do in You Never Can Tell. So I am trying to keep my voice healthy and giving it a rest whenever I can!!
-Lindsie Kongsore
Well lets just say this week has been very hectic this week for me. In my movement class with Jaque Bell, she is teaching us Alexander Technique. Ever since I took that class it has impacted my life and connected all my other classes. What your saying about "body-mapping" and correcting ourselves is exactly what Alexander teaches us. We use head direction and lengthening of the spine. Ever since I have been incorporating this technique into singing. I have noticed that my confidence is stronger and my voice. I feel a connection throughout my whole instrument. In my younger singing stages it was hard to feel this connection. I am actually amazed that I can finally connect to my body and my voice. I have noticed that my voice is getting stronger and I get more comfortable singing by watching my instrument. I am excited to see how much I grow in the next year or so :)
ReplyDeleteI have had the most experience with mis-mappings in my perception of my body. Even now after an introduction to Alexander Technique, I am surprised when it is brought to my attention how crooked and un-efficient my upright is. Addressing these in my posture makes my life easier. I no longer have to try so hard to do what’s “right.” My body has my back (literally), and it has evolved to move in such a way that I’m not constantly in pain or tired. My singing practice has been, well, sparse. Time management has not been my forte as of the last week. BUT, more and more in my off-campus life, I find tunes drifting out of me. And that kind of feels like a victory.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the biggest 'mis-mapping' perceptions that I have is the idea of breathing from the diaphragm or breathing low, after years of voice lessons and teachers constantly reminding me to "breathe low" and often times feeling confused as to what they mean by that. I've found that breathing into my back and ribcage seems to be the best visual representation of breath that I have found. Especially though studying Alexander Technique this semester, I'm starting to piece out more correct usages and postures for my body.
ReplyDeleteAs far as singing goes this week, I've mostly been working on the songs for class, and also trying to work more on staying in my head voice. I'm concerned about my ability to sing in a mix or belt because I do not think I've been taught to healthily do so and find my voice feels strained after singing a lot in those areas.
GO CUBS!
I can't really think of an instance where I experienced "mis-mapping". I have heard singing teachers or choir directors say "breathe from your diaphragm" while placing there hands on their lower belly but I never took that literally. Also the "lifting you eyebrows" may not serve as a physical function for better pitch but I think that teachers who demonstrate that exercise with their students know that it's a tactile visual to assist with aiming high to prevent notes from falling flat. I do find physicality helpful to manifest a vision. Whether that is moving my hand downwards in order to not succumb to tension on a high note etc. I understand the value in an accurate understanding of the human body. However, in my experience it isn't helpful to focus on the technicalities. But that is strictly my experience. So if it works for others, that's great!
ReplyDeleteMy practice has been short yet consistent sessions. My body is exhausted and I am finding that my voice is getting tired really quickly. I have also felt the need to save my voice for the amount of talking that is necessary for work. But I am recognizing small improvements and areas that are growing stronger which is very exciting to me. Cheers to feeling healthy again!
Like Emily said with Alexander Technique, I too was surprised with how "crooked" my body was. My neck likes to lean more to left side, so I've been working on staying on top of my body. This last week I also had the opportunity to get my voice scoped. I mentioned this last blog post that this year has been my singing year and I don't think my voice is use to how much I'm doing. I'm trying really hard to take better care of my body. It's nice knowing my "problems" at a young age so I can fix them. My practice has been decent this week. My main focus right now is You Never Can Tell. But I do want to stay hydrated and make sure I'm in a good place with all of my work AMI RIGHHT??
ReplyDeleteI suppose one blessing of the fact that I've only gotten involved in the performing arts in the last few years is that I haven't been deeply ingrained with some bizarrely inaccurate body map that someone fed me as a young performer. Everything I hear in relation to breathing and my body (in terms of performing) is still relatively new to me. That said, I have been told a few things that led to confusion. I never was quite able to understand what people meant when they said to breathe from the diaphragm as that isn't possible. Now, thankfully, I just take it to mean that I should breathe deeply. It has been helpful though to learn about how our own anatomy plays into our singing. This week I feel that practice has been relatively good. I think that I'm finally comfortable making some bold choices with my singing (at least when I'm alone at home, we'll see how well that translates in class). Nonetheless, I am looking forward to performing "De Lovely" in class. That song is way too catchy and I've really enjoyed singing it to myself.
ReplyDeleteI've been learning a lot more about this over the past few years in voice lessons as well as ATP classes. Sometimes it takes a minute for the concepts to click for me, but once they sink in they are always really helpful. I am especially interested in how holding tension in various places can affect my singing. I have come to find out that I struggle with lower lip and tongue tension, and that affects my voice a lot. I think body mapping is extremely important to creating beautiful, healthy sounds. One experience with mismapping that I can think of right now is when I learned that the vocal folds are really close together when singing high notes, so it doesn't work to take a huge breath and try to push all of that air through. I still struggle with that notion a lot of the time, but it's nice to know that I can feasibly hit high notes without having to stop and take a huge gulp of air to prep for it.
ReplyDeleteI worked a lot on The Contest this week, and I've made some improvements. I have been working hard on the notes and rhythms at the beginning, and I think that paid off when I sang in class. The high notes are also getting easier and easier to navigate every time I do it. Now I need to shift my focus to character work and staging.
From being a dancer my whole life I thought I had a pretty good sense of my body, but what I cam dot realize was I had a pretty good sense of my limbs but nothing more. This year especially I have been made hyper-aware of where I place my body and how I tend to hole myself and where I hold tension. It's all so new and foreign but once you're made aware of it, its easier to accept it and slowly change your habits. Vocally, its always been a mystery where the sound is actually resinating from. Ive had voice teachers just tell me drop my jaw or think lower and things like that, but I was still in the dark what I was actually doing to change my tone. I think its very interesting all the myths behind singing and what your actually accomplishing by doing so. My singing this week has been all focused in Jesus Christ Superstar and preparing my voice for the performance.
ReplyDeleteEVERYONE has had to confront "mis-mappings" in their body because just as our bodies grow and evolve over time, so do our voices. Everything below my shoulders have never been an issue, but everything above them are things I'm still fine tuning today. The biggest issues I can think of were my jaw and my shoulders. For some reason I thought that lifting both would help get the sound out or help breathe deeper, when in all actuality it does the opposite and constricts and strains the muscles to work harder in that raised position. I honestly wasn't aware of these issues until working with Brian. His approach to find relaxation in the face and jaw helped fight those old habits and in return has my voice growing in a healthier way.
ReplyDeleteMy singing has been fine this week. My busy schedule is starting to calm down and I'm finding more time to work on the voice. I'm really excited for my jury set and can't wait until all of my pieces are solidified and in a strong, consistent place.
I was never truly aware of my own personal body mapping until this year. In the past I would habitually go en relevé whenever I was attempting to reach for a higher note. What exactly was this doing? Absolutely nothing; it was nothing more than a placebo effect of sorts that made me feel like I was physically impacting the way a particular sound was going to come out using a part of my body that is not even utilized in singing. Something that I have discovered this year is the crucial foundation of the pelvic floor. Ever since I have been sending my breath down there and using those muscles to produce sound, my singing has felt more and more free. Being "in the ground" and allowing gravity to work with me has always been a struggle in acting, singing, and dancing. I am naturally a very lifted person and have always had very proper posture, so doing anything low felt very sloppy and unnatural to me, but once I found it and incorporated it into my performance rituals, it has truly changed so much for me. My singing practice has been just fine. I am working on getting all f my jury cuts off book and ready for performances.
ReplyDeleteThis week has been fairly okay for me vocally. I e been distracted by a lot this week. I've had a fair amount, especially now, weighing on my mind. I know I'll look ahead and reflect on how trivial my state of mind was, but right now, it's hard for me to focus on my music wholeheartedly. As for body mapping I have been trying out new techniques recently to combat issues that I've had in the past such as constant phlem buildup and note placement. I've been fairly successful and will most likely continue to work on myself.
ReplyDeleteIt's been an awesome journey discovering my body more in depth. Both with my voice and with my movement. It's been wonderful linking my entire body to each other. It's like all these other years prior to my attendance to the U, I knew I had a body and I thought I was using it correctly. But finally connecting all the pieces together has made everything that much better for preforming and singing! This week I've been just practicing regularly now that Love's Labors Lost is done.
ReplyDeleteFor the majority of my life I was unaware of how much breathing capacity I had. Coming into the ATP and discovering how to use my intercostals and diaphragm was a huge discovery for me, and lent to a lot of my development as an actor. For a very long time, and especially in high school, I was taught a lot of misinformation about the way my body works, and how it can help me as an actor. I had definitely experienced body mis-mapping before and am so lucky to have professors who can teach me how to use and be aware of my body to improve my skills as an actor.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I’ve never really been ingrained with bizarre ideas of body mapping. I believe this is due to the fact that I didn’t really involve myself with choir or singing lessons. The only time I was put in place of a choir director telling me to breathe from the diaphragm was during musicals, and even then, I didn’t take her literal when she would place her hands on her lower belly. I didn’t fully understand the anatomy of the diagram and how it worked, but I knew it wasn’t clear down towards my pelvis. I however, do relate to the sound ringing in my head. This happens quiet often and it throws me off because hearing that muffled ringing of my voice makes me feel as if I’m not singing the proper pitch or I’m singing the song completely wrong. This could also be a leading factor in why my brain sends my body into panic when in front of the class. I’m too worried about being judged. But over this past year I’ve discovered a new confidence and thanks to alexander technique, and body positivity, I hold myself a different way that I ever had in the past. Which I believe will be beneficially to my singing (if I can actually ever do it in front of the class that is) because holding myself tall and proud helps to provide a clear sense of direction, allowing the objective of my character to be seen through the song more easily.
ReplyDeleteThis week my singing and practice have been fine. I’m just extremely frustrated with myself. I so desperately want to be able to get in front of the class and just sing, or even speak the lyrics out, without having to cry or make a fuss. I just really wish I never developed this fear, or fed into it so much through high school. I’m just frustrated. Especially because I can almost freely mock sing outside of class walking around campus or random karaoke sessions, but standing in front in that room just trips a switch. I just want to be able to sing SOMETHING without feeling like the world is coming to end for me. I guess baby steps. Even though I want to take leaps. Here’s to a hopeful week of bravery.
Most of my body-mapping misconceptions appear in how I hold my head/jaw, neck, and shoulders. When I feel like I'm "standing straight/upright," my head and jaw are normally tilted up, affecting my neck, and my shoulders are rounded forward. I feel like another reason these problems exist is because of my height--because I am short and used to looking up. That is "straight"/neutral to me. But when I really focus and correct these problems, singing is MUCH easier for me and my voice is much clearer, emphasizing the importance of correcting body-mapping misconceptions. I feel like correcting body-mapping misconceptions is a lot easier to tackle than it sometimes seems to be. All it really takes is knowledge of the truth, practice, and conscious effort every day. I am in the middle of this process. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I always struggle with. In breathing, singing, and speaking, I'm always told to breath or sing into a space that makes zero sense. I know that sound can't actually go up into my forehead and my breath can't drop all the way down into my pelvis, so I wonder why those types of imagery help me. Sometimes when the imagery isn't quite helping, I get frustrated because I don't quite know how imagining sound in my forehead translates to what my body is actually doing.
ReplyDeleteI think my biggest issue with mis-mapping has been using my hands to gesture in different ways to try to help visualize the different sounds I want to create. Although this can be helpful in terms of visualizing, I know that it also used to be a bad habit for me, and I wouldn’t realize I was doing it. Its still something I need to work on and be aware of.
ReplyDeleteAs far as practice has gone, I think I’m slowly coming down with something and my throat has been hurting a lot recently. However, because of that I’ve spent more time warming up, and I think it’s fine.
I find the concept mis-mapping very interesting. I found out this week that I need to have my wisdom teeth removed, and had been noticing some extra stiffness and tension in my neck and shoulders. I’m now thinking it could be my body mis-mapping my pain.
ReplyDeleteA mis-mapping I recently figured out in my voice was in how hard I was working to raise my soft-pallete. It felt as though the placement of my sound was scooping back and around my hard pallete when transitioning into other registers. Raising my soft pallete has become much more natural, and I don’t have to focus on it as much; now I’m able to transition between my registers without feeling as though my sound is moving to raise the soft pallete.
This week has been busy with tech for You Never Can Tell, but I got some good practice in during the time off on Tuesday.
I have always believed that the more you know how something functions, the better that you can use it. This especially came true for my vocals after taking Pedagogy class sophomore year. I love knowing how all the muscles connect and work, it helps me make sense of what I need to do with my instrument to make the exact sound and space that I am looking for in a specific moment.
ReplyDeletePractice has been hard for me this week. There has been a lot going on in life and my health has taken a drop because of it. I still make sure to do the basics and at least look at my music to read the words and remember what it sounds like. However, the basics are never enough to really push and get the work that I need to become a better artist and singer. I will definitely make sure to make up for it this next week, but never to the extent of mistreatment of abuse.
I'm definitely guilty of using my facial muscles as a physical response to trying to find the right resonance, particularly in my mix or when I'm warming up. It has taken me a minute to also understand that it is happening. However, paying attention to relaxing my body and my face in a way that is conducive to creating the sound that I want has been immensely helpful. I would like to continue to work on understanding my body's response to singing further and how to understand what is a fabricated response as opposed to a natural or healthy feeling, or lack thereof. My singing this week has been okay. I have been warming up every day but since closing a show I have been spending a lot of time playing catch up on other work. This week I'd like to pay more attention to my songs and exercising my singing. -Monica Goff
ReplyDeleteMis-mapping is something I've been trying to correct for some time. Instinctually I will raise my eyebrows when I sing, or put undue strain in some other part of my face, and causing it to bleed through into my voice. I once had a voice teacher who would actively put a piece of tape on the middle of my forehead at the beginning of a lesson to help raise my awareness to the unhelpful habit, and that awareness is something I'm eternally grateful for. The scarier thing by far is wondering how many other places I still hold tension without even realizing it. Things to think about.
ReplyDeleteI think I've been lucky with regard to body mis-mappings because I've been taught and aware of actual vocal anatomy since I started seriously working on my instrument. In both my voice lessons and acting voice and speech classes, it has always been made a point to learn about what's actually happening in the body. That being said, acknowledging what we recognize as sensations (even if they may be imaginary or phantom) has also been an important part of the training since I certainly don't have the ability to feel what's happening in my body specifically and/or accurately. I think that having a handle on both aspects is important for effective practice and growth and making a point to address both in my lessons for the past couple of years has seriously helped me in figuring out what works and what doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI think I've been mis-mapping for a long time and a large amount of that has to do with my ignorance and unwillingness to learn things until I took your class. Perhaps unwillingness is the wrong word... my confidence in singing LACKS like no ones business therefore I thought singing was something I never had to do or attempt.
ReplyDeleteThis semester we've learned a lot of the anatomy and our body as an instrument. I'm sure I'm still mis-mapping but I'm more aware and actively thinking about my placement especially since our "bodies are capable of lying to us". I notice that I sometimes hold too much tension and "not enough". I'm either too relaxed or stressed out, I never stop to think how this is affecting my singing. This gives me so much to think about.
I realized that I was focusing too much on goals for my voice that caused me to sacrifice what makes it unique and what makes it make sense to me. I was focusing on aesthetics rather than artistic truth. I may never be Idina Menzel or Sutton Foster, which makes it even more important that I be Morgan Werder in the fullest, most truthful way. This is also how I realized I wasn’t mapping myself while I sing. I obsessed over how I thought I “should" sound and how I “should” feel that within myself. After actually giving myself the time to check in with myself physically and mentally before and during a performance, I felt much more confident in how I sounded, because it was ME. Body mapping helps me move, sing, talk, and act like myself in a truly organic way.
ReplyDeleteThis has been one of the biggest things that has helped me move forward with my training as an actor. The inherently ambiguous work in the arts is often an extreme stressor in my day to day life. I like to think of myself as a fairly scientific and pragmatic person and I find creating fanciful visualizations of my proprioception incredibly difficult. In class we have talked about adjusting our semantics as well i.e. a close vowel as opposed to a close vowel. Slight adjustments in language have better and more accurately helped me visualize exactly what is going on and I could stop fighting against my anatomy pursuing an inaccurate visualization.
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