Learn to sing no matter what your age, size or physical state of health.

I have been teaching singing for some years now. Witnessing the life-transformation that singing gives is one of the most rewarding experiences any teacher can have. This beneficial change is both emotional and physical.

Expressing how we feel is a fundamental part of our humanity, just as crying out our aliveness is the first thing we do when we are born. We need to continue to express ourselves throughout our lives, and to do so and at the same time create something beautiful like a song is a most exhilarating experience. Studies have shown that singing with others helps encourage not only our social instincts, but also the life-long listening and responding skills we need to keep sharp. Furthermore, many choir songs are sung in different languages – what better way to understand different cultures and brush up your French or Italian or Swahili than by learning a song? At home it’s a great way to bond with little children, as well as being a way of keeping songmaking alive. According to recent studies we have been singing songs longer than we have been speaking words. Traditionally work songs were part of our culture for centuries and even now singing together is the best way to create that sense of belonging, of community, most of us wish for. Ask any football fan.

To sing properly your breathing should come from low in the body, which is what happens when you sleep. Some people call this diaphragmatic breathing. It means not only that you use the full capacity of the lungs but that you end up toning your belly muscles, leg muscles and improving your heart function. I often explain singing as being a form of extended exclamation. If you squeak or whoop you’ll find you use the low belly muscles to propel the sound out, and these are exactly the muscles you need to use for singing. Breathing from low like this will enable you to take longer and deeper breaths, which in turn acts as a calming influence on the body. The increase of oxygen and “feel good” hormones relaxes and soothes the system which makes it function better. Learning to breathe from low is crucial to the stamina building you need for fitness training, but it has also been shown to help with Parkinsons and other debilitating conditions.

By contrast, if, as many of us do, we spend the whole time trying to hold the belly in we won’t be able to achieve any of these states. We simply can’t breathe properly just by using the top part of our lungs.  What happens is that we then have to breathe more frequently, and thus replicate the shallow breathing caused by panic. This stressful state then communicates itself to our tongues which stiffen up in an attempt to preserve what air we have left in the body.  You can feel the discomfort caused by a stiff tongue if you attempt distance running with shallow breathing. The body becomes exhausted ahead of time and the choking feeling can be excruciating.

Our tongues are not only responsive to our survival instincts but are great indicators of how we really feel. Most of us have experienced the blocking or tightening in the throat before a big occasion or difficult speech, or when fighting back tears. A stiff tongue can cause not only pain in the larynx and breathing difficulties but, because of its long roots, tension in the shoulders, neck and jaw and with it the hips.

The way I introduce people to freeing the tongue and learning how to breathe from low is by encouraging them to blow raspberries, the juicier the better. It’s easy to do, amazingly beneficial and needs no extra equipment! If you can, sing all your favourite songs on raspberries. You’ll find yourself really engaging the low belly muscles, breathing from deep and releasing tension in the mouth and shoulders.  Rolling your ‘r’s is another great help. I have recommended students roll their ‘r’s when they are doing their cross country fitness training. It works particularly well with running uphill!

An extra bonus from using this “low” breathing is that your speaking voice becomes firmer and carries better. This can do wonders for confidence building, particularly at work. So give singing a go. To start you can be any age, any shape and look anyhow, it doesn’t matter. I guarantee that once you start you’ll feel 1000 times healthier and happier.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: www.singdeborahhudson.com

Deborah Hudson Biography

Deborah Hudson (BA Hons LTCL) is an accomplished singer and teacher.            
She studied acting and drama (Guildhall School and The Peoples' National Theatre, France), Movement and Dance, Piano and Oboe. She also has a 2:1 Hons Degree in French Literature from London University with special emphasis on poetry.
Deborah was trained in a Husler approach as well as Bel Canto singing and historical performance style and all her teaching is based on the study of portamento and the legato line. She has sung in recital, opera, operetta and oratorio as well as session singing (rock). She also practises improvisation techniques with jazz performers and has sung for meditation workshops both unaccompanied and with drums. (For more details about Deborah's singing lineage please see her website: www.singdeborahhudson.com). She speaks fluent French and sings in English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. She has conducted choirs and small ensembles, always emphasising the individuality of performers voices as they join together to make music.

Deborah also studies the therapeutic potential of singing. She has been taught mindfulness meditative processes, including participating in a course of mindfulness CBT in preparation for her one-to-one Mindfulness Awareness coaching training. She uses breathing and listening techniques and practices forms of T'ai Chi to develop both her physical strength and awareness.

Based in London Deborah teaches singing to all ages over 16, working alongside students until they are confident. She also specialises in vocal rehabilitation and problem fixing.

Writer
Deborah's well reviewed book on how how to sing, illustrated by brilliant cartoonist Tony Husband is available in music stores and on line see publications above. In the past she has reviewed books for the Times Literary Supplement and has contributed articles to The Economist Magazine, The Guardian, Homes and Gardens, Apollo and Orientations Magazines. She edited a book of poetry for Carcanet Press and has translated French songs and operetta for recital programmes. She has also written several musical farces.

Deborah is a member of the Society of Authors, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Association of Teachers of Singing, The Association of English Speakers and Singers and the British Voice Association.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: www.singdeborahhudson.com