“At last – this is the resource I’ve been looking for: a collection of warm-up tips and exercises comprising science, experience, practical advice and a whole lot of humour. ”
​
Roderick Williams OBE –
Baritone soloist
MOVEMENT & ALIGNMENT
Without movement you cannot achieve good alignment, and without good alignment you cannot move well. A combination of movement and alignment exercises at the start of a session is integral to a singer achieving their best sound; a well-aligned body maximises the flow of air throughout, creates space for the sound to resonate, engages the breathing apparatus, and promotes good vocal health.
The key to your singers producing a healthy and beautiful sound is to connect the voice to the rest of the body, using the muscles in your abdomen, back and sides to help the breath to flow with ease and energy through the body until it turns into a sound in the throat (larynx/vocal folds). Many of these exercises will help your singers feel these sensations and connections, and manage the flow of air while their bodies remain stable, excited and energised, but not rigid.
The exercises in this section are designed to help your singers gently stretch and warm up their vocal apparatus, to become limber and ready for singing. There are exercises for vowels, diphthongs, articulation, diction, dynamic control, and timbre.
