Christina Fackler MUSE 258 Teaching Kids to Sing 1996 Chapter 8: Phonation Kenneth H.

Phillips Goal: The student will develop for speaking the skill of habitual clear phonation, through the application of abdicostal respiration to laryngeal function. Preparing the Way Developing good speaking, leads to good singing habits Students should listen to actors speech Phonation Centers in the larynx A source of sound vibration and a passageway for respiration Lining is very sensitive which is why coughing is damaging Moves up and down Vocal folds are physically small but have a large sound Each pitch has a series of overtones that decrease as the pitch gets higher Vocal Registers 3 registers are apparent in childs voice At one point in time, it was taught to never sing in the lower adjustment Most children speak in their lower adjustment which transfers to singing Children should mostly sing in the upper adjustment, but should still explore the lower adjustment A childs lower adjustment should not go below middle C Through the voice change, boys may not have a middle adjustment Falsetto has a thick quality Laryngeal Physiology All teachers should be familiar with the larynx and how it works Cartilages o Thyroid o Cricoid o Arytenoid o Epiglottis o Hyoid bone Muscles o Cricothyroid o Interarytenoid o Posterior cricoarytenoid The Open Throat

Critical for singing

The Vocal Folds Source of vibrations for vocal sound Pyramidal in shape Brought togetherair forces them apart Epithelium: outermost layer of the vocal folds Lamina propria Thyroarytenoid: deepest layer of vocal folds o Thyrovocalis: thinner o Thyromuscularis: Thicker Vocal ligament Ventricular bands Phonation Training Three major divisions o Lower o Upper o Adjustment coordination Training outline on pages 234-251

This chapter was extremely helpful. Music educators need to be able to understand phonation thoroughly and then be able to effectively help their students understand. Phonation has been something that has not come as naturally to me, so this chapter really helped me understand how to teach it.