In the last article, we discussed the soft palate. Similar to the diaphragm article, we covered some of the good and bad and nasal aspects of using the soft palate during singing. Today’s article picks up with the other part of the palate, the hard palate.
Have you ever had that one perfect performance where your voice feels effortless, only to find that the next time, something felt “off?” Those magical moments are what singers live for, but they can be frustratingly hard to repeat.
Dr. Jahn answers questions about throat health and the voice.
Dr. Jahn answers readers’ questions about mucus, phlegm, and throat clearing.
Have you ever experienced an off day with your voice, with no explanation you can think of? You’re not alone. Most singers face this predicament multiple times in their career. I, for one, experience this more frequently than I would care to admit. Our voices are part of our bodies, and our bodies are constantly adapting according to our circumstances and current state of being.
If you run the tip of your tongue from the back of the top teeth backward along the roof of your mouth, you will feel a solid, bony ridged arch which is the hard palate, perhaps a small bump near the middle end of the hard palate called the torus palatinus, and then a squishy section that ends with the uvula which is the soft palate.
I hope to give evidenced information about topics that are often misunderstood and cite sources so you can dive deeper. This first article will discuss everyone’s favorite muscle of respiration: the diaphragm.
Similarly, there are artists who give “perfect” performances and those who give “excellent” performances. Technically, these performers might be at the same level, but the experience they offer is like night and day. That’s because perfectionism and excellence come from completely different places and lead to completely different outcomes.
This tool time is going to talk about a very important aspect of vocal hygiene: the voice team. I hope by the time you finish reading through this article that you have an idea of where to look for help and how to maintain good relationships with all the stakeholders in your voice.
Hailey McAvoy’s Journey as an operatic trailblazer for liberation and visibility for performers with disabilities is one that is changing who we see on our opera stages.
A stylistic and pedagogical guide to hip-hop and rap fills a glaring gap in the performance literature.
Singers have a unique situation in caring for their instrument. Unlike other musicians, our instrument is part of our body. This can provide its own individual benefits as well as hurdles to overcome. One of those hurdles is maintaining a state of physical health that allows us to perform at our best. This can prove challenging, as most of us already know.
