Housing for singers

I've often told singers with whom I am working that I am not teaching them to sing, they know how to sing already! What I am hoping to help with are their housing issues.

What I mean by this is that the voice itself is not what is in need of training, it is the body/housing that needs to be whipped into shape. You have the voice and the physiology with which you arrived on the planet, you can't change the instrument itself any more than you can change your nose. Okay,okay surgery aside! Having said this,the musculature surrounding the vocal folds can certainly develop and change the way the voice is produced but again I am speaking of the voice itself.

Warming up and vocalizing is about making yourself aware of opening up the 'house' and making it habitable for that voice of yours. Is the foundation low? Can you sense where the bottom of your sound is? Are you open and free through the torso? Is the sternum in a relaxed yet active mode? Do you have that crucial attic space behind the sound column? These factors create a safe and secure environment where you can now make the demands of being an opera singer.

All of these housing issues can be aided by Alexander work, yoga, pilates -anything that takes your awareness to the fact that you are not just a singing head!