Posture
Explain good posture habits
Feet slightly apart, one foot slightly infront of the other, knees unlocked, slight stretch in neck, chest comfortably high, pelvis not tucked in, or sticking too far out, chin level with floor, feeling of tall
What is the diaphragm and how does it function?
Dome shaped muscle that divides the thoracic cavity. When it contracts it flattens and air fills the lungs. When it relaxes it returns to its original shape and the air is forced out of the lung.
What is phonation?
The process of producing vocal sound by the vibration of the vocal folds
Tell me what #1 and #12 is on the diagrams provided
Epiglottis
Another name for the true vocal folds is called what?
Vocalis Muscle
What is the Alexander Technique
True or False: Breathing is the same for singing as it is for living, and consists of 4 stages.
FALSE! Breathing for singing is different than breathing for living as singing contains 4 stages, while for living it contains 3 stages.
What is forced breathiness?
Hypofunctional phonation combined with hyperfunction breath support
Tell me what number 9 is on the diagram
Name the three regions that create the ribcage and spine.
Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar
Name one postural fault, and explain how you would correct it with a student.
Multiple answers.
Define appoggio?
Positive tension in abdominal muscles, feeling a sense of "lean"
What is hyperfunctional phonation? Hypofunctional phonation?
Hyper- Demanding too much work from the laryngeal mechanism.
Hypo- Not demanding enough
Tell me what number 5 and 10 are on the diagram.
Cricoid Cartilage
What is the protective membrane located under the vocal folds called?
Conus elasticus
Who developed the Alexander Technique, and how? Was he a singer?
Frederick Matthias Alexander, he was NOT a singer, but while watching himself in a mirror discovered his posture and the way he held his body was causing him vocal issues. His issues were related to posture.
Name the 4 stages of breathing for singing
1. Inhalation
2. Suspension
3. Controlled Exhalation (or phonation)
4. Recovery
What are the three phases of a musical tone?
Attack
Sustention
Release
What is number 7 on the diagram
Arytenoid Cartilage
What are the 2 categories of extrinsic laryngeal muscles and how do they function?
Supralaryngeal- swallowing, chewing, articulation
Infralaryngeal- yawning and inhaling
What are some things Alexander Technique can help eliminate?
Unnecessary tension, prevent vocal loss, help to increase stamina, better posture, etc.
Lots of answers
The Myoelastic theory is the theory of muscle elasticity that assumes that when vocal folds are closed and breath pressure is applied, they remain closed until the pressure is significant. The Aerodynamic theory is the theory of air action based on the Bernoulli effect. This assumes that breath flowing past the vocal folds pulls them into the vibration before the arytenoid cartilages pull together, and that once they do, the folds pull apart from the breath pressure.
What is number 8 and number 11 on the study guide?
8: hyoid bone
11: Trachea
List the intrinsic muscles of the larynx
The thyroarytenoid muscle, cricothyroid muscle, cricoarytenoid muscle, arytenoid muscles, and the vocalis muscle