Research Project

Body Awareness in Vocal Training

What does body awareness mean in singing? How can a singer benefit from the psychophysical ways of working? How can a singing teacher use the body awareness approach in teaching?

In my thesis for the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Master's program I studied the psychophysicality of singing. I analyzed three body methods: the Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method and the body-mind work and studied how one can apply the ideas behind these methods into vocal training. My aim was not to develop a new singing or vocal coaching method but to find supplementary means that support singer's training.

Mind and Body of the Singer

The vocalist's ability to express and interpret can be supported by choosing the ways in which we work. When developing the singing skills, the psychophysical nature of the instrument - mind and body of the singer - should be taken into account. I studied specifically the body posture and breathing in classical singing. My claim is that the attitude to the development of optimal singing posture and the ideal way of breathing is crucial.

Can a correct singing posture be obtained by learning to “stand straight”? Or can proper breathing be learned by merely technical training? Since our body posture is deeply connected to our personality, attitudes and habits, we cannot assume our posture to be just a matter of muscle strength. The way we breath is connected to our nervous system and our emotions, and therefore a singer cannot train their breathing with technical excercises alone. We have to take into consideration our psychophysical unity - the way in which our mind affects our body and vice versa. Acknowledging the body-mind connection in singing and vocal coaching can benefit the singer and help develop a deeper self-knowledge as an artist.

In my Thesis I used a heuristic method to study my work as a vocalist and reflect on my experiences in relation to source literature. The artistic part of my study was a recital entitled “Waiting Life” which took place in March 2014. In the written part, I examined the process of preparing a concert.

The Basic Elements of the Body Awareness Approach

In order to determine the basic elements of the body awareness approach I searched for the common nominators in the Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method and the body-mind work. These methods share the following ideas that could also be considered the basic elements of the body awareness approach:

learning to listen to the body
acknowledging the body and mind connection
noticing the relation between emotions and the body
focusing on process-oriented, rather than goal-oriented work
acknowledging the innate co-ordination of the body and tacit knowledge
working with one’s physical habits

When these ideas and ways of thinking are profoundly integrated into vocal training they also contribute to the releasing and freeing of the voice and the body. Besides the physical effects, the body awareness approach supports improving one's self-knowledge, individualistic expression and performance skills. It also enhances the creative process and may ease performance anxiety.

The full thesis is available in Finnish here:
http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014061312862

Vocalist
Voice teacher

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Research Project