Welcome to Vocal Methods!
During this class you will get to know your body and how to use it to sing.
As you read through the coursework, you may feel overwhelmed ~ Never Fear!
Much of the detailed work is aimed at the voice and music education majors. But I want to reiterate that No previous study of voice is required. This class is open to all SSU students from any field of study. I am glad to have you in this class, whoever you are and whatever level of experience you have!
Singing can be a vulnerable endeavor. I anticipate that most people will feel a little nervous and maybe a tad uncomfortable at some point during this course. Moving through that is growth and I hope that we can create a safe space together where you feel like you can be vulnerable and push yourself to try new things.! But I want to add this caveat: Push yourself, but if I ever ask you to do something that you feel will severely impact your emotional health, please use our class safe word TBD during the first class, and you can get a pass on that activity for the day. Then come check in with me after.
During this class you will get to know your body and how to use it to sing.
As you read through the coursework, you may feel overwhelmed ~ Never Fear!
Much of the detailed work is aimed at the voice and music education majors. But I want to reiterate that No previous study of voice is required. This class is open to all SSU students from any field of study. I am glad to have you in this class, whoever you are and whatever level of experience you have!
Singing can be a vulnerable endeavor. I anticipate that most people will feel a little nervous and maybe a tad uncomfortable at some point during this course. Moving through that is growth and I hope that we can create a safe space together where you feel like you can be vulnerable and push yourself to try new things.! But I want to add this caveat: Push yourself, but if I ever ask you to do something that you feel will severely impact your emotional health, please use our class safe word TBD during the first class, and you can get a pass on that activity for the day. Then come check in with me after.
Tuesday, January 24th - Welcome!
“To sing is to bring to the surface
the depth of one’s being”
~ Marty Rubin, 1930-1994 Canadian gay activist, author & journalist
An introduction to this course
In class today:
In class today:
- Student and teacher introductions
- Introducing vulnerability and the safe space of this class.
- Pick a class safe-word or phrase (see above!)
- Handing out login info and syllabus
- Explanation of Values Assignment for next class
- Bring Specificty to your life 5, 3, 1
MUS 115 Syllabus:
| music_115_415_–_vocal_methods_spring_2022_ssu.pdf |
Assignments & Materials:
Values Assignment: Bringing Specificity to your life.
Specific - (adjective) Clearly Defined or identified, (noun) a precise detail
Over this course we will be exploring a variety of ways that being specific will improve your experience of life, your career, your skills, and your relationships with your students.
For the exercise I would like you to write down a list of 5 values you want to bring to your career (as a music teacher or other).
For example, if I were to do this exercise I might pick:
1. Cultivating a growth mindset
2. Accessibility
3. Kindness
4. Integrity
5. Joy
Then choose the top three and make a new list:
1. Accessibility
2. Kindness
3. Integrity
Then choose your number one value that you would like to bring to your career, and tell me why:
1. Kindness - Because ultimately nothing else matters. You can approach everything with kindness. People only remember how you made them feel. Approaching problem solving through the lens of kindness usually yields satisfying results.
This will be one of the few assignments that I would like written (typed or handwritten) on a piece of paper with your name at the top, to turn in to me at the next class. We will be discussing as a class, and taking volunteers for sharing lists.
Specific - (adjective) Clearly Defined or identified, (noun) a precise detail
Over this course we will be exploring a variety of ways that being specific will improve your experience of life, your career, your skills, and your relationships with your students.
For the exercise I would like you to write down a list of 5 values you want to bring to your career (as a music teacher or other).
For example, if I were to do this exercise I might pick:
1. Cultivating a growth mindset
2. Accessibility
3. Kindness
4. Integrity
5. Joy
Then choose the top three and make a new list:
1. Accessibility
2. Kindness
3. Integrity
Then choose your number one value that you would like to bring to your career, and tell me why:
1. Kindness - Because ultimately nothing else matters. You can approach everything with kindness. People only remember how you made them feel. Approaching problem solving through the lens of kindness usually yields satisfying results.
This will be one of the few assignments that I would like written (typed or handwritten) on a piece of paper with your name at the top, to turn in to me at the next class. We will be discussing as a class, and taking volunteers for sharing lists.
Preview Anatomy of Breath for Discussion in next class:
What's the difference between anatomy and physiology?
Anatomy: The internal and external structures of the body and their physical relationships
Physiology: The study of how those structures function
Anatomy: The internal and external structures of the body and their physical relationships
Physiology: The study of how those structures function
The 6 Physiological Systems of the Voice:
| 6_systems_of_the_voice_.pdf |
Chapter 1 anatomy of breathing is very long - you are welcome to read in depth or skim and take notice of the anatomical drawings. We will review it all during the next class. The videos present similar information to the readings, you are welcome to watch them instead. Much of this material is redundant, just presented in different ways.
| chapter_1-_anatomy_of_breathing_.pdf |
| simple_vocal_tract_representation_.pdf |
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“Find out who you are and do it on purpose”
~ Dolly Parton (born 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman,
known primarily for her work in country music.
Thursday, January 26th
"Chi sa respirare, sa cantare."
"Who knows how to breathe, knows how to sing!"
- traditional Italian maxim attributed to Maria Celloni, 1810 (not found in her published works, and possibly misattributed)
In class today:
- Student and teacher introductions (if new students)
- Discussion of Values Assignment: Bringing Specificity to your life.
- Anatomy of singing: Breath and the muscles of the torso
- Relating anatomy to breathing and warm up exercises
- Occluded and Semi-Occluded Vocal Exercises - Phonatory Exercises Handout: Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises
Assignments & Materials:
Come up with an exercise that either:
Be prepared to demonstrate, lead the class, and explain what your warm up accomplishes for the body.
- Warms up/stretches the body to prepare for singing
- Demonstrates a breathing skill
Be prepared to demonstrate, lead the class, and explain what your warm up accomplishes for the body.
Preview Anatomy of Vocal Folds and Larynx for Discussion in next class:
You can read as closely as you want or just skim. Come to class with a general idea of the material.
| diaphram_movement.pdf |
| intro_to_body_mapping.pdf |
| chapter_2-_the_intrinsic_muscles_of_the_larynx.pdf |
| chapter_3-_the_extrinsic_muscles_of_the_larynx_.pdf |
| types_of_onsets_and_offsets.pdf |
| phonatory-exercises-handout.pdf |
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Tuesday, January 31
“Singing is movement.”
~ MaryJean Allen, co-author of “What Every Singer Needs to Know about the Body”
In class today:
- Warm up:
- Volunteers present body and voice warm ups related to breath
- Anatomy of singing: Diaphragm, Larynx and Vocal Folds, types of onsets and offsets
- Practicing types of onsets and offsets
- Body Mapping exercises: Vocal folds, diaphragm
- Occluded and Semi-Occluded Vocal Exercises
- Vowels
Assignments & Materials:
Preview Anatomy of Diaphragm & Larynx for Discussion in next class:
You can read as closely as you want or just skim. Come to class with a general idea of the material.
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| chapter_4_the_mouth_and_pharynx.pdf |
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Thursday, February 2nd
“Imagination creates reality.”
– Richard Wagner (1813 –1883) German Composer& Conductor
In class today:
- Warm up:
- Volunteers present body and voice warm ups related to breath
- Anatomy of singing: Diaphragm, Larynx and Vocal Folds, types of onsets and offsets
- Practicing types of onsets and offsets
- Occluded and Semi-occluded Vocal Exercises
- Vowels
Assignments & Materials:
Preview Anatomy of Face, Jaw, Lips, Tongue for Discussion in next class:
You can read as closely as you want or just skim. Come to class with a general idea of the material.
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Tuesday, February 7
“The work is simple, you know.
The trouble is, it’s too simple.”
~ Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869 - 1955) Australian actor and author who developed the Alexander Technique, an educational process that recognizes and overcomes reactive, habitual limitations in movement and thinking.
In class today:
- Warm up:
- Volunteers present body and voice warm ups related to breath, body mapping, tongue, face
- Anatomy of singing: Vocal tract, resonators, articulators
- Occluded and Semi-occluded Vocal Exercises
- Vowels
- Voice Typing
Pitch: position of a single sound in the complete range of sound. Sounds are higher or lower in pitch according to the frequency of vibration of the sound waves producing them. A high frequency (e.g., 880 hertz [Hz; cycles per second]) is perceived as a high pitch and a low frequency (e.g., 55 Hz) as a low pitch. https://www.britannica.com/art/pitch-music
Timbre: tone color or tone quality
Tessitura: meaning the span of notes where the voice feels most comfortable (or a span of notes - we will discuss)
Timbre: tone color or tone quality
Tessitura: meaning the span of notes where the voice feels most comfortable (or a span of notes - we will discuss)
Question to ponder: is the counter tenor the most rare voice type?
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Thursday, February 9th
“Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself.” ~Moshé Pinchas Feldenkrais (1904 – 1984) was a Ukrainian-Israeli engineer and physicist, known as the founder of the Feldenkrais Method, a system of physical exercise that aims to improve human functioning by increasing self-awareness through movement.
In class today:
- Watch and discuss vocal fach videos
- Learn about listening for and describing "colors" of the voice
- Voice Typing Bingo!
What is a vocal fach?
A method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. Fach is a German word meaning "compartment" and in this case, "vocal specialization".
Operatic/classical voice samples
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Soprano
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Mezzo Soprano
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Contralto
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Counter Tenor
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Tenor
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Baritone
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Bass
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Modern music (in pedagogy referred to as CCM for Contemporary Commercial Music) voice samples
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Soprano
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Mezzo Soprano
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Contralto
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Counter Tenor
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Tenor
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Baritone
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Bass
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Tuesday, February 14th
“For me, singing sad songs often has a way of healing a situation. It gets the hurt out into the open, into the light, out of the darkness.”
~ Reba Nell McEntire (1955) American country music singer and actress.
In class today:
- The anatomy of vocal warmups
- What are the elements of voice lessons
- Basics of reading music - as explained to beginning students
To question: What are some of the reasons we use scales in voice lessons?
- To teach the patterns that make up Western music so that:
- We can more easily learn songs
- Our voice has already practiced those patterns
- To move through the voice and all it's registers and keep track of where we are and where we are going
- Other thoughts?
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Elements of a voice lesson pdf:
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Sample 30 min lesson 6-12yrs
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Sample 30 min lesson beginner 13-20 years old
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Thursday, February 16th
“The only thing better than singing is more singing.”
~ Ella Jane Fitzgerald (1917 – 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella".
In class today:
- What do we do/listen for/look at while someone is singing
- What are the elements of voice lessons
- sign ups for leading class, and song presentations
Why are we talking about John Wooden?
- Everything you do has more than one purpose.
- Design your lessons to accomplish/teach/learn multiple skills at the same time.
From this opinion piece:
"John Wooden was a modern age philosopher, a teacher, a Stoic and probably the greatest coach ever lived.In fact, The Sporting News did a survey of writers and coaches and athletes several years ago and asked them to rank the all-time greatest coaches. John Wooden came first.
No college basketball coach has ever dominated the sport like legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. His teams reached unprecedented heights in the 1960s and ’70s. They accomplished a run of 10 NCAA championships (seven of which were consecutive) in 12 seasons and an 88-game winning streak — records that stand to this day.
“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”
Yet, it wasn’t only his coaching abilities and records that established Wooden’s legacy in sports history, but his impeccable character, remarkable wisdom and deep commitment to a teacher-coach model that placed the development of the player’s character and intellect ahead of his utility on the basketball team as well."
"John Wooden was a modern age philosopher, a teacher, a Stoic and probably the greatest coach ever lived.In fact, The Sporting News did a survey of writers and coaches and athletes several years ago and asked them to rank the all-time greatest coaches. John Wooden came first.
No college basketball coach has ever dominated the sport like legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. His teams reached unprecedented heights in the 1960s and ’70s. They accomplished a run of 10 NCAA championships (seven of which were consecutive) in 12 seasons and an 88-game winning streak — records that stand to this day.
“What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.”
Yet, it wasn’t only his coaching abilities and records that established Wooden’s legacy in sports history, but his impeccable character, remarkable wisdom and deep commitment to a teacher-coach model that placed the development of the player’s character and intellect ahead of his utility on the basketball team as well."
Tuesday, February 21st
“It does not need to be perfect -
or technically correct - to be magic”
~ Rasheed Ogunlaru (b.1970) is a leading life and leadership coach, motivational speaker & author.
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In class today:
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Thursday, February 23rd
"Singing is a way of escaping. It’s another world.
I’m no longer on earth."
~Edith Piaf (1915 –1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress.
In class today:
- What do we do/listen for/look at while someone is singing
- Listen to different versions/singers performing: I can't help falling in love with you
- Discuss what we hear in singing voices
- Split class performances of "I can't help falling in love"
- sign ups for leading class, and song presentations
- After Class meetings: Sajan, Emma, Karsten
Videos for today:
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Plaisir d'amour ~ the French art song that the tune of I Can't help falling in love was based on:
Tuesday, February 28th
"A song to me is a very tangible thing.
I can feel it with my hands and see it with my eyes."
~Roberta Flack (b.1937) Grammy award winning American R&B Singer.
In class today:
- What do we do/listen for/look at while someone is singing
- Warm ups/exercises
- Finish I can't help falling in love with you videos
- Creating awkward songs: Breathing badly, too forward singing, too far back singing: 4 person groups
- Presenting today: Maggie
- After Class meetings: Charles, Brian, Felix
Thursday, March 2nd
"When a singer truly feels and experiences what the music is all about, the words will automatically ring true."
~Monserrat Caball (1933–2018) Spanish Opera Singer.
In class today:
- Warm ups/exercises
- Discuss what we hear in folk music
- Discuss vowels and consonants
- Presenting today: Kat
- Leading warmup today: Charlie
- Sign up Volunteers for Leading class warm ups next week
- After Class meetings: Teo & Eliana
There are twenty-four consonant sounds in English, and they are divided into different groups using three criteria: 1. place of articulation, 2. manner of articulation 3. voicing
By “place of articulation”, we mean the speech organs that are involved in the production of the consonant in question. Some sounds are produced with the two lips, some with the tongue and teeth, the tongue and alveolar ridge etc. Using this criteria, we have seven types of consonant sounds:
1. Bilabial sounds ————sounds produced with the two lips: ( p, b, m)
2. Labia-dental sounds—– sounds produced with the lower lips and upper front teeth:( f, v),
3. Dental sounds————– sounds produced with the contact of the tips of the tongue and the upper front teeth:
4. Alveolar sounds ———- sounds produced with the contact of the tip of the tongue and the alveolar ridge
5. Palatal sounds—— ——-sounds produced with the contact of the blade of the tongue and the hard palate
6.Velar sounds—————– sounds produced with the contact of the back of the tongue and the soft palate
7. Glottal sounds ————- the sound produced in the larynx- h
By “manner of articulation”, we mean the manner in which the pulmonic air (the air we use to form speech sounds) escapes from the mouth. With some sounds, the air is completely blocked, with some, it escapes with difficulty through the mouth, and with some others it escapes through the nostrils. Using these criteria, we have six types of consonant sounds:
1. Plosives or stops—- —-sounds in which the air is completely blocked: (p, b, t, d)
2. Fricatives—————– sounds in which the air escapes with difficulty ( f, v, s, z etc)
3. Affricates——————sounds that combined the feature of plosives and fricatives)
4. Nasals ———————- sounds in which the air escape through the nostrils (m, n, )
5. Liquids– – —————– sounds in which the air is blocked, but not as much as in stops and fricatives. The air escapes through the sides of the mouth ( r, l)
6. Glides– consonants that have no obstruction of pulmonic air, the speech organs do not make any form of contact. That is, they are like vowels (w, j)
By “voicing”, we mean whether or not there is vibration in the vocal cords when the sound is produced. Using this criterion, we have two types of sound 1. voiceless sounds (those produced without vibration) and 2. voiced sounds (those produced with vibration).
By “place of articulation”, we mean the speech organs that are involved in the production of the consonant in question. Some sounds are produced with the two lips, some with the tongue and teeth, the tongue and alveolar ridge etc. Using this criteria, we have seven types of consonant sounds:
1. Bilabial sounds ————sounds produced with the two lips: ( p, b, m)
2. Labia-dental sounds—– sounds produced with the lower lips and upper front teeth:( f, v),
3. Dental sounds————– sounds produced with the contact of the tips of the tongue and the upper front teeth:
4. Alveolar sounds ———- sounds produced with the contact of the tip of the tongue and the alveolar ridge
5. Palatal sounds—— ——-sounds produced with the contact of the blade of the tongue and the hard palate
6.Velar sounds—————– sounds produced with the contact of the back of the tongue and the soft palate
7. Glottal sounds ————- the sound produced in the larynx- h
By “manner of articulation”, we mean the manner in which the pulmonic air (the air we use to form speech sounds) escapes from the mouth. With some sounds, the air is completely blocked, with some, it escapes with difficulty through the mouth, and with some others it escapes through the nostrils. Using these criteria, we have six types of consonant sounds:
1. Plosives or stops—- —-sounds in which the air is completely blocked: (p, b, t, d)
2. Fricatives—————– sounds in which the air escapes with difficulty ( f, v, s, z etc)
3. Affricates——————sounds that combined the feature of plosives and fricatives)
4. Nasals ———————- sounds in which the air escape through the nostrils (m, n, )
5. Liquids– – —————– sounds in which the air is blocked, but not as much as in stops and fricatives. The air escapes through the sides of the mouth ( r, l)
6. Glides– consonants that have no obstruction of pulmonic air, the speech organs do not make any form of contact. That is, they are like vowels (w, j)
By “voicing”, we mean whether or not there is vibration in the vocal cords when the sound is produced. Using this criterion, we have two types of sound 1. voiceless sounds (those produced without vibration) and 2. voiced sounds (those produced with vibration).
Tuesday, March 7th
"Singing is the sound of the soul."
~James Runcie (b.1959) is a British novelist, documentary filmmaker, television producer, and playwright
In class today:
- Warm ups/exercises -
- Warm ups: Maggie
- Discuss term CCM - Contemporary Commercial Music
- Discuss characteristics of folk style(s) of vocalisms and singing traits
- Presenting today: Sierra & Nick (maybe Sajan?)
- After Class meetings: none
"To appreciate the diversity of ideas and experiences that have shaped our history, we need to be sensitive to the complexities and varieties of cultural documentation, to the enormous possibilities these documents afford us to get at the interior of American lives, to get at peoples long excluded from the American experience, many of them losers in their own time, outlaws, rebels who - individually or collectively - tried to flesh out and give meaning to abstract notions of liberty, equality and freedom."
-Leon Litwack, Ph.D.
Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian,
American Roots Music Adviser
-Leon Litwack, Ph.D.
Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian,
American Roots Music Adviser
Partial text from the above article:
"What is folk music? Essentially, folk music is a music genre that includes both traditional folk music (many of it dating back centuries) and contemporary folk music, which evolved during what was called the ‘folk revival’ of the mid 20th century.
There are some key factors that define a piece as ‘folk music’.
Traditionally, a piece of folk music should have some or all of these characteristics:
"What is folk music? Essentially, folk music is a music genre that includes both traditional folk music (many of it dating back centuries) and contemporary folk music, which evolved during what was called the ‘folk revival’ of the mid 20th century.
There are some key factors that define a piece as ‘folk music’.
Traditionally, a piece of folk music should have some or all of these characteristics:
- It’s transmitted (passed from one user to the next) orally, rather than via a written score
- The original composer is often unknown – instead the tune and/or words spread organically
- The music is played on traditional instruments
- It may have themes of cultural or national identity
- It’s often functional, meaning that it is associated with other activities – for example, a particular song may be sung at harvest time
- It has tended, historically, to be rural in origin
- It was often, traditionally, more participatory than presentational. A group of people would take part in singing and playing a folk song together, rather than sitting to watch a performer."
Some main musical influences/regions in the US for folk music:
- English/Irish/Scottish: Appalachians (midwest & eastern)
- Spirituals (south)
- Country (south)
- Creole/Cajun (south)
- Norteño & Tejano (south west)
- North American Indigenous peoples (throughout the US territories)
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If you only watch one video from this week, watch this one. It's only 9 minutes and has a lot of wonderfully researched information and audio recordings:
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TED talk about folk music:
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For longer viewing, here's a series that was made about American folk music: (I could not track down part 2)
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Thursday, March 9th
"The singer has everything within him.
The notes come out from his very life.
They are not materials gathered from outside."
~Rabindranath Tagore (1861 –1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter
In class today:
- Warm ups/exercises
- Discuss term CCM - Contemporary Commercial Music
- Presenting today: Eliana, Brian
- Warm ups: Michaela
- After Class meetings: Teo
Tuesday, March 14th
"Use what talents you possess;
the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there
except those that sang best."
~ Henry Van Dyke (1852–1933) was an American author, educator, diplomat, and Presbyterian clergyman.
In class today:
- Warm ups/exercises: Christa
- Discuss group vs solo warm up and exercises
- Presenting today: Nick's Quartet "Go the Distance"
- After Class meetings: Charles, Tony
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Thursday, March 16th
"I don’t sing because I’m happy;
I’m happy because I sing."
~William James (1842 – 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist
In class today:
- Warm ups/exercises: Christa
- Discuss group vs solo warm up and exercises
- Discuss what we learned from working with the quartet on March 14th
- Presenting today: Noemi, Tony, Teo, (Felix?)
- Sign up for solo projects and warmups for after break:
- leading the class in warm ups
- leading a solo person in warmups/exercises
- Working with a group
- Choir song - who is able to sing it
- After Class meetings: Charlie
Spring Break March 20-24
“We don't just sing, we are the song.”
- Louise Penny, Canadian Author
Tuesday, March 28th
"Forget about upholding the tradition
and just play who you really are."
~ Terence Oliver Blanchard (born 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer.
In class today:
- Warm ups/exercises: Christa
- Discuss group vs solo warm up and exercises
- Guest Quartet to work with
- Presenting a song today: Charlie
- Check in on sign ups for singing and teaching
Thursday, March 30th
“Elvis may be the King of rock and roll,
but I am the Queen.”
~ Richard Wayne Penniman (1932 – 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter.
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises:
- Presenting Soloists: Emma
- Discuss: How to choose songs for yourself and for others
Things to keep in mind when choosing a song for a student:
- Set your student up for success!
- Age
- Current level of vocal ability
- Appropriate content
- Genre
- Length
- Acting abilities
- Character - if something being prepared for an opera or show
- What does your student look like?
- Will someone hire them for this?
- Does this match their countenance in conjunction with the fictional character?
- Tessitura and key
- Tessitura (Italian - “texture”) (a range of pitches AND the arrangement of pitches)
- What is the melodic contour?
- What is the highest note and what is the lowest note
- Where does the entire song sit overall (lots of high notes, lots of low notes)
- Intervals between notes
- Speed of changing notes
- What is the melodic contour?
- Examining tessitura:
- Where does the student's voice like to live? (middle, top, bottom)
- Where does the most color live in their range
- Where do they have the most dynamic control
- What is their current or future stamina
- Student’s current and future Vocal weight
- Where are the transitions in register for their voice?
- Where does the student's voice like to live? (middle, top, bottom)
- Tessitura (Italian - “texture”) (a range of pitches AND the arrangement of pitches)
- The situation(s) your student will be performing in
- How much work is student willing or able to put into the song?
- How long do you have before they need to perform?
- Student goals:
- Auditions
- Choral
- Scholarship
- Competitions
- School functions
- Talent shows
- plays
- Recordings/videos
- Compositions
- Worship performance
- Bands/gigs
- Auditions
- What are you teaching with this song?
- Musicianship
- Technique
- Expanding range
- Confidence
- Memorization
- Expanding expression
- Academic and event deadlines
- Similar to another style for an audition
Download PDF of above list here:
| choosing_reperatoire_for_yourself_and_others_mus_115.pdf |
Samples and Videos:
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From this article:
How It Works
How It Works
- Air comes out of the lungs, through the trachea, and into the larynx.
- The air makes the vocal folds vibrate.
- When the vocal folds vibrate, they alternately trap air and release it.
- Each release sends a little puff of air into the pharynx; each puff of air is the beginning of a sound wave (see Acoustics: Sound Waves and How They Move).
- The sound wave is enhanced as it travels through the pharynx; by the time it leaves the mouth, it sounds like a voice.
hubba (2020) Physiology, Medical School. Available at: https://med.umn.edu/ent/patient-care/lions-voice-clinic/about-the-voice/how-it-works/physiology (Accessed: March 26, 2023)
Tuesday, April 4th
“If I can sing along to it, it’s pop music.”
~ Charli XCX, (born 2 1992 Charlotte Emma Aitchison),is an English singer and songwriter.
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Christa
- Presenting Soloists: Emma, Sajan
- Discuss: Signing up for sharing music!
From this article:
'Opening the throat' is defined as a technique whereby pharyngeal space is increased and/or the ventricular (false) vocal folds are retracted in order to maximize the resonating space in the vocal tract. Opening the throat involves raising the soft palate (velum), lowering the larynx and assuming ideal positions of the articulators (the jaw, lips and tongue), as well as shaping of the mouth and use of facial muscles.
The expression also describes the sensation of freedom or passivity in the throat region that is said to accompany good singing. The technique of the open throat is intended to promote a type of relaxation or vocal release in the throat that helps the singer avoid constriction and tension that would otherwise throttle or stifle the tone.
'Opening the throat' is defined as a technique whereby pharyngeal space is increased and/or the ventricular (false) vocal folds are retracted in order to maximize the resonating space in the vocal tract. Opening the throat involves raising the soft palate (velum), lowering the larynx and assuming ideal positions of the articulators (the jaw, lips and tongue), as well as shaping of the mouth and use of facial muscles.
The expression also describes the sensation of freedom or passivity in the throat region that is said to accompany good singing. The technique of the open throat is intended to promote a type of relaxation or vocal release in the throat that helps the singer avoid constriction and tension that would otherwise throttle or stifle the tone.
THIS!!!!!!
"I am not terribly fond of some of the methods of creating an open throat space, particularly those involving imagery or shaping of the vocal tract that encourages the distortion of vowels. For instance, yawning, which is by far the most popular approach to teaching an open throat, tends to produce an overly open pharyngeal space, and thus a hollow, 'throaty' tone. It also tends to be accompanied by a flattening or retracting of the tongue. Whenever a teacher instructs a student to yawn in order to 'open the throat', he or she overlooks the injurious ramifications of such a technique when it is applied to the tasks of singing. The yawn is not intended as a sustained maneuver for the kind of phonation that occurs during singing. Retaining the posture of a yawn, even just a partial one, during speech or song induces hyperfunction in the submandibular musculature and hinders or prevents natural-sounding voice quality."
AND THIS!!!
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"Assuming a facial posture of surprise, as some teach, is just plain silly from both an aesthetic and a practical standpoint, as no singer would ever apply it during a performance because they would both look ridiculous and sound no better. Raising the eyebrows, furrowing the brow, creasing the forehead, flaring the nostrils or widening the eyes are not linked to the lifting of the soft palate nor to enhanced resonance balancing. Instead, they produce tension. These exaggerated facial postures are not to be confused with the elevation of the zygomatic muscles of the face that is associated with a more open resonating space.
If a singer would never employ a certain technique during his or her public singing performances, then it is not likely to be a useful tool to use during lessons, and it thus makes no sense to teach it. There are some exceptions, of course, but unnatural facial expressions should never be included in technical training. A singer needs to learn to adopt and vocalize with singing postures that are favourable to resonance balancing and tension-free singing. Correct vocal posturing should be the starting place in vocal training, and a student of voice shouldn't waste his or her time assuming silly facial expressions if that part of his or her technique training will later be done away with." |
zygomatic muscles of the face
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AND THIS!!!
One very common technique that many vocal instructors and choir directors teach involves dropping the jaw excessively. Choir members are generally encouraged to open their mouths widely because it is thought, though incorrectly, to help them singer louder and make their voices heard better by the audience by creating a more open space for resonation. However, forcefully dropping the jaw from the temporomandibular joint does not produce more space in either the pharynx or the larynx. Instead, dropping the mandible actually narrows pharyngeal space and forces the submandibular musculature to press downward on the larynx.
A mouth that is opened too widely creates a throat that is too closed. This technique of extreme jaw lowering contradicts, and will not be in line with, what is known about normal acoustical function. A jaw that is too low actually places tension on the larynx, lowers the soft palate and inhibits the effective closure of the vocal folds, which is the opposite of the desired effect.
Furthermore, dropping the jaw produces radical changes among relationships of the formants, in both low and high registers, causing a reduction in or elimination of the harmonics (upper partials) essential to balanced vocal timbre. When these formants are absent, the voice lacks resonance and thus carrying power. Less volume is produced, and the tone that is heard by the audience is often lacking the warmth of proper resonance balancing.
Some choir directors and vocal teachers also believe falsely that a larger buccal (mouth) opening will assist their singers with diction. Contrary to their thinking, excessive jaw dropping upsets natural phonetic processes, as a singer can't clearly articulate or pronounce words when the mouth is shaped in such an unnatural way, making clear diction impossible. A uniformly dull voice timbre is produced. Vibrancy is measurably reduced, and vocal brilliance is eliminated, regardless of the voice's intrinsic beauty.
Some choir directors who teach this technique actually aim to have their singers produce uniformity of timbre so that no individual voice stands out in a choir. This requires stripping the more resonant voices of the healthy overtones that make them stand out favourably. However, excessive jaw dropping - leading to an overly large buccal opening - is an unhealthy approach to achieving blending within a group of singers. Such a mandibular posture induces undesirable tensions in the submandibular region (muscles located below the jaw), and invites numerous problems with tone and registration. Furthermore, it produces what is widely known as the 'choir boy' sound - an immature vocal timbre that is lacking in presence and power, and that no adult singer should be asked or expected to produce.
Some teachers will even instruct their students to physically and forcefully hold down their lower jaws while singing, such as when they are told to make a perpendicular shield of the three middle fingers, then place them between the upper and lower teeth to keep the mouth opened as wide as possible. In addition to creating tension, pulling down on the jaw encourages the elimination of upper partials that ought to be present during all singing, but especially solo singing. There is no phonatory task in speech (in any language) that requires the extent of jaw lowering perpetrated by the three-finger-insertion method.
Furthermore, it creates tension, discomfort and pain, which may lead to chronic problems such as TMJ syndrome, a disorder which may include symptoms such as acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joints, pain, dysfunction (e.g., 'clicking' during chewing or speaking) and impairment (e.g., 'locking' of the jaw joints). A mandible (jaw) that is dropped from its socket - which is what happens when the mouth is opened too widely - is not relaxed. Dropping the jaw excessively, whether in a futile attempt to relax tension or to introduce additional depth or roundness by strengthening the first formant, invites TMJ.
We have two temporomandibular joints, one in front of each ear, connecting the lower jawbone - the mandible - to the skull. The joints allow movement up and down, side to side, and forward and back for biting, chewing, swallowing, speaking and making facial expressions. Although the jaw drops when the mouth is opened widely during laughter, it does not become unhinged, whereas in a fully distended yawn, or during vomiting, it does. If you were to place your fingers gently on your temporomandibular joints and pretended to chew, you would feel a small amount of movement of this joint. However, if you were to lower your jaw or push it forward beyond its normal range of motion, you would feel strong action of the joint as it comes out of its socket. This is the point where the jaw has been forced down too far, creating tension. You don't want to ever get to this point while singing, as maintaining such a position for a period of time will cause a large amount of tension at the laryngeal level
A mouth that is opened too widely creates a throat that is too closed. This technique of extreme jaw lowering contradicts, and will not be in line with, what is known about normal acoustical function. A jaw that is too low actually places tension on the larynx, lowers the soft palate and inhibits the effective closure of the vocal folds, which is the opposite of the desired effect.
Furthermore, dropping the jaw produces radical changes among relationships of the formants, in both low and high registers, causing a reduction in or elimination of the harmonics (upper partials) essential to balanced vocal timbre. When these formants are absent, the voice lacks resonance and thus carrying power. Less volume is produced, and the tone that is heard by the audience is often lacking the warmth of proper resonance balancing.
Some choir directors and vocal teachers also believe falsely that a larger buccal (mouth) opening will assist their singers with diction. Contrary to their thinking, excessive jaw dropping upsets natural phonetic processes, as a singer can't clearly articulate or pronounce words when the mouth is shaped in such an unnatural way, making clear diction impossible. A uniformly dull voice timbre is produced. Vibrancy is measurably reduced, and vocal brilliance is eliminated, regardless of the voice's intrinsic beauty.
Some choir directors who teach this technique actually aim to have their singers produce uniformity of timbre so that no individual voice stands out in a choir. This requires stripping the more resonant voices of the healthy overtones that make them stand out favourably. However, excessive jaw dropping - leading to an overly large buccal opening - is an unhealthy approach to achieving blending within a group of singers. Such a mandibular posture induces undesirable tensions in the submandibular region (muscles located below the jaw), and invites numerous problems with tone and registration. Furthermore, it produces what is widely known as the 'choir boy' sound - an immature vocal timbre that is lacking in presence and power, and that no adult singer should be asked or expected to produce.
Some teachers will even instruct their students to physically and forcefully hold down their lower jaws while singing, such as when they are told to make a perpendicular shield of the three middle fingers, then place them between the upper and lower teeth to keep the mouth opened as wide as possible. In addition to creating tension, pulling down on the jaw encourages the elimination of upper partials that ought to be present during all singing, but especially solo singing. There is no phonatory task in speech (in any language) that requires the extent of jaw lowering perpetrated by the three-finger-insertion method.
Furthermore, it creates tension, discomfort and pain, which may lead to chronic problems such as TMJ syndrome, a disorder which may include symptoms such as acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joints, pain, dysfunction (e.g., 'clicking' during chewing or speaking) and impairment (e.g., 'locking' of the jaw joints). A mandible (jaw) that is dropped from its socket - which is what happens when the mouth is opened too widely - is not relaxed. Dropping the jaw excessively, whether in a futile attempt to relax tension or to introduce additional depth or roundness by strengthening the first formant, invites TMJ.
We have two temporomandibular joints, one in front of each ear, connecting the lower jawbone - the mandible - to the skull. The joints allow movement up and down, side to side, and forward and back for biting, chewing, swallowing, speaking and making facial expressions. Although the jaw drops when the mouth is opened widely during laughter, it does not become unhinged, whereas in a fully distended yawn, or during vomiting, it does. If you were to place your fingers gently on your temporomandibular joints and pretended to chew, you would feel a small amount of movement of this joint. However, if you were to lower your jaw or push it forward beyond its normal range of motion, you would feel strong action of the joint as it comes out of its socket. This is the point where the jaw has been forced down too far, creating tension. You don't want to ever get to this point while singing, as maintaining such a position for a period of time will cause a large amount of tension at the laryngeal level
THIS!!!!!!!
THE TONGUE
Most singers, and even many vocal teachers, don't give enough consideration to the role of the tongue during singing. However, the position and shape of the tongue are critical elements of good vocal health and optimal acoustical resonance - the results being governed by the extent to which the tongue controls events of the resonator tube (the vocal tract), and by the tongue's effect on laryngeal efficiency.
Incorrect positions of the tongue are a leading cause of numerous technical and vocal health problems, including undesirable (dull, muddy, harsh or tinny) timbres, distorted vowels, unclear diction, and a depressed larynx leading to discomfort in the throat and an inability to access the head register.
For optimal results, the tip of the tongue should rest behind the lower front teeth during singing. The tip of the tongue should move from this ideal position only briefly in order to form certain consonants. The middle of the tongue should form an arch that must be allowed to move in order to shape the vowels as it naturally would, raising for closed vowels, such as [i], and lowering for more open vowels, such as [a]. The shape of the arch will change for different vowels, but the tip should remain in its 'home' position while singing all vowels. It will move quickly out of this resting place only for the production of consonants, but should return quickly.
Inhalation is also best executed with the tongue in this position in order to prepare more efficiently for singing. When singers inhale loudly - when they are 'noisy breathers' - it is often because the roots of their tongues are slipping back into their throats, closing off the passageway for air and choking the breath. Simply returning the tip of the tongue to its forward position during inhalation is generally enough to help a singer breathe more silently and efficiently.
You can examine your tongue position while looking into a mirror. With the tip of the tongue in its correct resting position behind the top of the lower front teeth, roll the tongue slightly forward in an arched position. Your tongue may not want to behave in this way, particularly if you are accustomed to allowing it to push back into the throat because it produces the exact opposite effect of the gag reflex. However, with practice, you will realize the brilliance of the sound that can be produced. Be sure not to roll the tongue too forward, though.
Using this position is not difficult, and the rewards are great. When the mouth space appears to be smaller due to its being filled with a forward and arched tongue, the back of the throat (pharynx) is actually much more open. When the tongue assumes a healthy, relaxed, arched posture (e.g., the 'NG' position, formed with the middle - not the back - of the tongue elevated), there is not likely to be tongue tension or throat soreness, and the open acoustical space will create a more pleasant vocal sound. Many technical problems, including those related to vocal registration, will often disappear.
Trying to use other tongue postures in an attempt to achieve more resonance does not allow for the proper shaping of the vocal tract and creates tongue tension.
Some teachers with a poor understanding of the physiology of the voice may instruct their students to artificially depress the tongue (i.e., with a tongue depressor) while looking in a mirror, and may even have them attempt to do so while vocalizing. However, flattening the tongue does not produce more space in the throat, nor more acoustical space for resonance. If the tongue is flattened in an attempt to find more acoustical space in the throat, the mass of the muscles at the back of the tongue (the tongue root) is forced into the pharynx (the back wall of the throat), the very part of the throat that the singer is attempting to open. The primary resonator - the pharynx - becomes filled with the tongue mass...
Most singers, and even many vocal teachers, don't give enough consideration to the role of the tongue during singing. However, the position and shape of the tongue are critical elements of good vocal health and optimal acoustical resonance - the results being governed by the extent to which the tongue controls events of the resonator tube (the vocal tract), and by the tongue's effect on laryngeal efficiency.
Incorrect positions of the tongue are a leading cause of numerous technical and vocal health problems, including undesirable (dull, muddy, harsh or tinny) timbres, distorted vowels, unclear diction, and a depressed larynx leading to discomfort in the throat and an inability to access the head register.
For optimal results, the tip of the tongue should rest behind the lower front teeth during singing. The tip of the tongue should move from this ideal position only briefly in order to form certain consonants. The middle of the tongue should form an arch that must be allowed to move in order to shape the vowels as it naturally would, raising for closed vowels, such as [i], and lowering for more open vowels, such as [a]. The shape of the arch will change for different vowels, but the tip should remain in its 'home' position while singing all vowels. It will move quickly out of this resting place only for the production of consonants, but should return quickly.
Inhalation is also best executed with the tongue in this position in order to prepare more efficiently for singing. When singers inhale loudly - when they are 'noisy breathers' - it is often because the roots of their tongues are slipping back into their throats, closing off the passageway for air and choking the breath. Simply returning the tip of the tongue to its forward position during inhalation is generally enough to help a singer breathe more silently and efficiently.
You can examine your tongue position while looking into a mirror. With the tip of the tongue in its correct resting position behind the top of the lower front teeth, roll the tongue slightly forward in an arched position. Your tongue may not want to behave in this way, particularly if you are accustomed to allowing it to push back into the throat because it produces the exact opposite effect of the gag reflex. However, with practice, you will realize the brilliance of the sound that can be produced. Be sure not to roll the tongue too forward, though.
Using this position is not difficult, and the rewards are great. When the mouth space appears to be smaller due to its being filled with a forward and arched tongue, the back of the throat (pharynx) is actually much more open. When the tongue assumes a healthy, relaxed, arched posture (e.g., the 'NG' position, formed with the middle - not the back - of the tongue elevated), there is not likely to be tongue tension or throat soreness, and the open acoustical space will create a more pleasant vocal sound. Many technical problems, including those related to vocal registration, will often disappear.
Trying to use other tongue postures in an attempt to achieve more resonance does not allow for the proper shaping of the vocal tract and creates tongue tension.
Some teachers with a poor understanding of the physiology of the voice may instruct their students to artificially depress the tongue (i.e., with a tongue depressor) while looking in a mirror, and may even have them attempt to do so while vocalizing. However, flattening the tongue does not produce more space in the throat, nor more acoustical space for resonance. If the tongue is flattened in an attempt to find more acoustical space in the throat, the mass of the muscles at the back of the tongue (the tongue root) is forced into the pharynx (the back wall of the throat), the very part of the throat that the singer is attempting to open. The primary resonator - the pharynx - becomes filled with the tongue mass...
O’Connor, K. (2020) Singing with an ‘open throat’: Vocal tract shaping, SingWise. Available at: https://www.singwise.com/articles/singing-with-an-open-throat-vocal-tract-shaping (Accessed: March 26, 2023).
Thursday, April 6th
“You have got to discover you, what you do, and trust it.”
~ Barbra Streisand ( born 1942) American singer, actress and director.
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Christa
- Presenting Soloists: Charles, Karsten, Felix
- Discuss: Microphone Technique
Microphones for Singing
Tips for using a microphone:
- Know where your microphone picks up sound
- omnidirectional mics pick up sound from all directions
- directional mics focus more on one direction (most common because it rejects more background noise)
- Keep is a consistent distance from your mouth (unless specifically moving to enhance)
- Practice with a microphone or a stand in object like a paper towel roll
- Work the movement of the mic into your performance and how you are going to hold and interact with it
- Work with a live mic to figure out distance and nuance
- Sing directly into the microphone
- If you tilt it or sing over the top of it it will distort your voice
- Where you sing depends on the type of microphone
- Use it to enhance your dynamics: closer to be louder and farther away to be more quiet
- Avoiding feedback
- Feedback happens when the sound from the speakers is picked up from the microphone and is re-amplified and sent to the speakers again resulting in a whine, rumble, or piercing shriek.
- Feedback can result from a number of factors such as: Microphone placement, Loudspeaker placement, Frequency response of both devices, Room acoustics
- Don't touch the microphone head
- Don't tap the microphone to see if it's on
- Don't point the microphone towards any speaker or monitor
- Stay behind the direction of the speakers
- Don't drop the microphone!
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Informative video ~ shows a development over time on the views of voice registers in classical vocal technique, how and when they should be changed or applied, different changes in taste.....
Tuesday, April 11th
“When I'm doing a one-on-one with somebody, I have to speak in a language that that person can understand, using a vocabulary that they instantly get, and I always have to feel my way around to figure that out. It's a lot of fun, and it's also really challenging - challenging in a different way from performing.”
~ Lea Salonga (born 1971) Filipina singer, actress, and columnist. She is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplying the singing voices of two Disney Princesses (Jasmine and Mulan)
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises:
- Presenting Soloists: Maggie, Sajan,
Thursday, April 13th
“There's no half-singing in the shower, you're either a rock star or an opera diva.”
~ Josh Groban (born 1981) American singer, songwriter, and actor.
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Maggie
- Presenting Soloists: Teo, Kat
- Introduce class choral song: Bring me little water Silvey
| bring_a_little_water_sylvie_satb.pdf |
Tuesday, April 18th
An opera singer is like an athlete before a match. An athlete cannot overdo anything. In order to perform at the highest possible level, you need to refrain from activities so as to be able to express this power
.~ Andrea Bocelli (born 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist.
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Michaela
- Presenting Soloists: Noemi, Eliana
Thursday, April 20th
“Lots of opera singers are just boring”.
~ Anna Netrebko (born 1971) is a Russian operatic soprano with an active international career
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Christa
- Presenting Soloists: Emma
- Michaela to teach three part song
Tuesday, April 25th
"If you're gonna sing meaningful songs, you have to be committed to a life that backs that up."
~ Joan Chandos Baez (born 1941), American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Brian
- Presenting Soloists: Michaela & Nick duet, Tony
Thursday, April 27th
"Singing, it’s like it’s like loving somebody,
it’s a supreme emotional and physical experience."
~ Janis Joplin (1943–1970) was an American singer and musician.
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Sierra
- Presenting Soloists: Charles
- Discuss: Macro Concepts of Voice and Public Voice Coaching
Why are we focusing on the meaning of the song or the acting when coaching in public?
Why are we singing a song? What is a song?
What are the top three aspects of singing that can make the biggest difference in a person's sound and performance?
- to take the singer's mind off too much focus on technical aspects
- it's vulnerable to work on deep technique in front of a crowd
- it helps with memorization/connection
- it brings a better connection to the song
- it helps with singer nerves
Why are we singing a song? What is a song?
- A song is a story - the most important aspect is telling the story
- We are ok with flawed singers as long as they tell us a good story and make us feel something
- Discussion of famous singers who have technically flawed voices....
What are the top three aspects of singing that can make the biggest difference in a person's sound and performance?
- Nerves/anxiety
- Breath
- Mouth Shape
Always keep in mind for yourself and your students:
Technique is not about perfection, technique should be learned in service of the story telling. Technique is learning the skills to convey the emotion with freedom and ease.
Technique is not about perfection, technique should be learned in service of the story telling. Technique is learning the skills to convey the emotion with freedom and ease.
Tuesday, May 2nd
"The total person sings not just the vocal cords."
~Esther Broner (1927–2011) was a Jewish American feminist Author
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Christa
- Presenting Soloists: duet: Karsten & Eliana
- Working with soloists: Charlie & Michaela
- Discuss:
- Group class song: Bring me little water Silvy
- Review of how & why you would choose a song for a particular group
- For this group we have partial music majors who read music and partial non-majors who may or may not read music
- Something repetitive enough to be easy to learn
- Something complex enough to interest the more musically knowledgeable
- Something that keeps all voice parts in a comfortable range for a non-trained singer
- How do we learn/teach a song?
- Repetition
- Learning the melody without lyrics
- Learning the lyrics without the melody
- Speaking the text on rhythm
- Attaching kinesthetic movements to certain words or sections
- Listening to the song
Thursday, May 4th
"Singing is a miracle.
It has been called the most complex coordinative act that a human being is ever called upon to perform."
~ Dan Marek (still alive, not sure when he was born, maybe 1960s?)
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Charlie
- Presenting Soloists: Sierra
- Discuss & Learn: Bring me little water Silvy
Tuesday, May 9th
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything."
~Plato (424/423 – 348/347 BC) Ancient Greek Philosopher
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Emma
- Presenting Soloists: Brian (new song),
Remember to turn in your concert reports!!!!!!
Thursday, May 11th
"The greatest respect an artist can pay to music
is to give it life."
~Pablo Casals was a Spanish (Catalan) and Puerto Rican cellist, composer, and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century and one of the greatest cellists of all time.
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Nick
- Presenting Soloists: Michaela, Felix, Brian (old song - new key)
Finals Week!
Final, Tuesday May 16th @ 8-10 AM
"We all do 'do, re, mi' but
you got to find the other notes yourself."
~ Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), the leading trumpeter and one of the most influential artists in jazz history.
In class today:
- Presenting warm ups/exercises: Brian
- Michaela: Circle Singing
- Presenting Soloists: Everyone
- Tony & Christa available to play charts on piano if wanted
- Please bring an instrument if you want to accompany yourself
- Microphones will be at class
- Duets & group songs encouraged
It has been an absolute delight becoming acquainted with each one of you in this class. Your active engagement and your courageous display of vulnerability have made this experience profoundly enriching.
The world is in great need of the unique talents and gifts that you alone can contribute.
I urge you to make full use of your voice, as it is a powerful tool that can shape the world in ways you may not yet imagine.
My heartfelt wish for each of you is to pursue the path of lifelong learning and self-improvement.
Remember, the arts, and especially music can add depth and vibrancy to your life's tapestry.
Let them be your constant companions, enriching your experiences and broadening your perspectives.
Thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow with you.
The world is in great need of the unique talents and gifts that you alone can contribute.
I urge you to make full use of your voice, as it is a powerful tool that can shape the world in ways you may not yet imagine.
My heartfelt wish for each of you is to pursue the path of lifelong learning and self-improvement.
Remember, the arts, and especially music can add depth and vibrancy to your life's tapestry.
Let them be your constant companions, enriching your experiences and broadening your perspectives.
Thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow with you.