Correct Breathing is Vital

Anyone who has ever had even one voice lesson has undoubtedly heard that correct breathing is so important to singing. In order to sing with skill and to take your voice to the next level, you must first understand good breath management. Proper breathing technique helps everything from tone to lung capacity to volume. Proper breathing technique even helps the physical part of our singing, keeping tension in the neck and upper body from affecting our voice.

What does it mean when we are told to “support the breath?” Well, supporting your breathing starts with the abdominal muscles. Correct singing is a full-body workout! We can use our abdominal muscles to support our breathing, increasing and decreasing volume, or straightening a tone or allowing our vibrato to shine. When we are singing, our shoulders should be relaxed and still. When we breathe from the diaphragm using our abdominal muscles, we feel and see it in our abdomen, rather than incorrectly in our shoulders.

But how do we strengthen our abdomen for singing? Well, the main thing is to really listen to your instructor and - if you don’t understand what they mean when giving you a breathing exercise - as questions. Warm-ups and vocal exercises are not just for fun or to feel silly. They have meaning and they each work a different part of the voice or body to strengthen the instrument. Building a strong core can help with your singing, and keeping your lungs strong and healthy is a must. Always take the time to go through your warm-up session before you sing. This aids your vocal cords as well as your lungs. Our bodies are amazing and the instrument of our voice should be just as well-cared for as any other priceless instrument!