- byDonna Colley Donna is currently the Songster Leader for Yorkminster Citadel in Toronto Ontario.

In the early years of our marriage (while still living in an apartment), I found it more convenient to practice singing at our Citadel. On one occasion my husband picked me up after a practice session and, noting a change in my mood, said, “Singing makes you happy, doesn’t it?” This is probably what started me into serious solo
singing, and what has kept me going. I can’t say today singing always makes me ‘happy’, but it has added a very beautiful dimension to my life - one I’d find difficult to do without.
In this article I plan to incorporate the views of some of my colleagues in the Elmer Iseler Singers, in discussing the techniques of vocal production, as well as mental psyches needed for an effective vocal presentation.

As a Salvationist, I believe that the message of the song is of foremost importance. That means, strongly identifying with the words of the song without losing control of emotions in the process. It means total concentration throughout the presentation despite distractive noises around. It means being aware of what your congregation or audience like to hear. It means building a rapport with your audience, however nervous you might be. It means - communication!!

Carolynne Godin, Contralto of the Iseler Singers has this to say:
“If I had one word to say about solo singing it would be ‘give’. You must totally forget yourself and your voice and body. Concentrate and give of the music totally - the words are so important and what the composer intended is your ultimate goal - to create the mood, and give the music to your audience.”

Now obviously, Carolynne worked hard to come to this stage of performance. She has studied with the best teachers she could find, and has practiced diligently so that her voice is flexible enough for her to concentrate on communication.
Hard practice is essential to good singing, as is a good teacher who helps to overcome your particular vocal problems.

Another critical factor in successful performance is relaxation. How tense are you and do you appear to be? Your audience will mirror the degree of tension you are feeling.

Bob Missen, tenor of the Iseler Singers says the following:
“As I sit here at the intermission of the Bach B Minor Mass, I am trying very hard to achieve that sense of relaxation that allows one to achieve one’s greatest ease in singing. Singing is an effort best achieved out of no effort, or shall I say no misplaced effort - tension in jaw, throat, tongue or upper torso. I would urge all budding soloists to strive first for absolute mastery or knowledge of your instrument which is more than merely your voice i.e. your whole body.
“Any of the following body awareness techniques may be of great benefit: Alexander Technique, Felden-rais Method, Speech Class incorporating awareness exercises and also things like Tai-chi and dance. Often these classes are much more valuable and less expensive than many vocal teachers.”

Proper breathing is also vital to relaxation. The air we breathe causes the vocal cords to vibrate. The resonators for the voice are the openings or cavities of space in the mouth and head.

Kathryn Loree, Mezzo Soprano of the Iseler Singers discusses breathing:
“We’ve all heard that we must “breathe properly” but no one tells us what this means. Here is a technical note that has helped me. Think of the tailbone as being the point of a large “V’ in your back and when inhaling, take the breath into the point of the “V”. This will relax the abdominal muscles so they are free to move inward to give impetus, or outward to relax, and the air is free to move in a steady stream without being held in the sternum, or with the shoulders. In this way the throat and tongue are freed to enunciate words, and the upper body and face are freed to characterize the text. All other aspects of technique, such as placement of the voice, are very dependent on this.”

A very fine vocal coach of mine told me to watch my sleeping baby and note the movement of his stomach in total relaxation. That “in and out” movement is what one should feel while singing. Next time you have an opportunity to see a great singer try to observe his or her torso movements.

Relaxation of the jaw, tongue and mouth are concepts that have taken me a long time to work through.
These are concepts that can be learned through observing yourself in a mirror while singing. One can see if the tongue is flat, or bunched up at the back, thus hindering a nice round open throat. Keeping the throat open facilitates good tone - especially on the high notes.

Linda Beaupre, a member of the Soprano Section of the Iseler Singers, has this to say:
“Good vocal production involves a balance of tension (because energy is a form of tension), and relaxation. The sound must be supported by a continuous flow of breath from below (and there too, the muscles must not become too tense), while from the neck up there must be no tension. Tension often occurs in the neck, jaw and tongue muscles. If tension is present in these areas, it may be a result of inadequate breath support and the singer’s efforts to compensate for that.
“A large part of learning to relax is in the singers learning to trust his support, and not try to manipulate the sound from above.”

Mel son Lohnes, Bass soloist of the Iseler Singers discusses phrasing, text and a responsibility to be completely familiar with both notes and text.
“When we are given a piece of music, we should silently peruse it in detail several times before actually attempting to convey it in terms of sound. Mentally one must understand the meaning in words and hear the sounds before physically conveying them. The main reason for this is that unless we are very experienced as a singer (and even then) the physical attempt without mental preparation will lead to tension. This type of preparation is really the responsibility of the individual, for when he comes to perform, he must be ‘ready’ to sing; all searching for notes, etc. should be far behind him.”

Failure - what about it? We can learn from it! I’m extremely grateful to the good people who took my ‘less than perfect performances’ and found ‘the good’ in them. Every young singer should be encouraged and helped to strengthen weak points. In The Salvation Army, we give our young people such marvelous opportunities to develop their talents, but they need to receive, as do you and I, positive critiques about their presentation. Negative comments must be given, of course, but kindly and constructively. The soloist who becomes an achiever is the one who struggles through defeat and comes back to do better the next time. Perseverance is a necessary quality for an ambitious soloist.
Here is a little note on appearance. You are the object of the audience’s attention while singing, so it is necessary to make sure you are well groomed. Again, try to watch yourself in the mirror while performing to see if you notice any distracting mannerisms of face or body. It is important that your mannerisms and appearance do not detract from the message being conveyed in song.

In conclusion, I give God glory for the talents He has given me. A technically perfect performance can still fail in communicating God’s intended message. One must not forget to ask for His divine leading in solo presentations. I continue to pray that His Holy Spirit will guide and bless all of the music-making within our Army.