Lesson Template

MUSC 319
Spring 2020
Dr. Brown Bonacci

Lesson Goals for Vocal Ped (or how to teach your first lessons)
I. Align /Release
II. Breath
III. Phonation with vowels

Teaching: Adjust each and every exercise and experience based on what you see and hear.
Visual: How do you see the student responding?
Tense/ease
open/close
breath stable

Listening: What do you hear?

tense/free
straight/vibrant
breathy/resonant
open space/ closed space
hypo- or hyper- phonation? (SA is a rare "hyper" - an overachiever!)

Ask the student to fix the problem you see or hear- try it
then assess and ask the student to assess, bring student's awareness to the fix
teacher: "what did you feel/hear/notice?"

Guidelines for patterns:

Restrict range to 3- 5 tones for first exercises, then gradually expand to 8va and beyond
Meter teaches breath pulse: use it and change with each exercise
Rhythm should change in each exercise: eighths, quarters, dotted patterns, long tones
Pitch pattern tonality should change in each exercise: M/m, dim, chromatic
Top tones should be learned by keeping them short and breathy and loose
Lesson Structure
a. Preliminaries
Body
1. General Alignment
2. Prepare for singing - balance and free the joints
3. Release mandible
4. loosen and free the neck
5. free tongue, loosen cheeks, open back of mouth
6. lift and expand ribs
7. find an open low throat- yawn/sigh

b. Position of inhalation/ breath balance

Low breath, stable, open, tall ribs sh vs. ss then sah {S ss sa}
fog an imaginary mirror with a balanced breath stream
re-teach low breath as needed

c. Phonation: Try primal sound - lowest breath pressure vs. least glottal resistance -
cry/sigh
Start in mid-range with descending patterns (e.g., 5 down, then back up, moving down by half
steps in starting exercises)

Further details on exercises:

A Descending three tone to five tone slide [ U } uh or [ u ] oo and with s, sh or w.

Quietly provide a mid-range starting pitch and show the pattern, which will 99% of the time
moves down, first, then ascends. Move starting tone downward several tones, by half steps
then back to your start.

[ Piano tips: Do not play while student sings except to lead to next tone.
Your ears need to be on the student. What if someone were singing along while you were
working on your Chopin? Use your soft pedal often.
Encourage reading and development by avoiding playing the pitches as possible.]

After several slides moving through the mid range - mid low, mid - upper mid., change vowels.
Vowels should rotate back to front open to close, etc. based on the student's response.
Teach vowels as you listen to the student's tone after several reps.

Move to a slightly larger pattern up to an 8va and space the slide into an arpeggio -
choose a vowel that suits the student's response.

Vowels are the next step- teaching proper vowels can resolve tension and difficulty for many
singers. See your diction book and your diction teacher if you have questions!!
End with a vowel and resonance exercise- like a polishing cloth!