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Marvin Keenze Donald ell
Voice Pedagogy
S S OC I A T E E D I T OR Richard Mil ler
T e a c h ing Bre a th ing
Written questions that teachers and
performers have submitted for discus-
sion at sessions devoted to systematic
m some of them
ISSUE
Should there be a difference in
teaching breathing and breath man-
agement techniques for male and
female voices? How do you go about
teaching anyone breathing?
R S P O N S
ppoggio
No;
Sostenerc
Si Some Thoughts on the
Teaching of Breathing
Marvin Keenze
After a recent class in Florence,
Massimo Sardi, a distinguished
Journal of Singing, March/April 2005
Volume 61, No. 4,
pp.
371-377
Copyright 2 5
National Association of Teachers of Singing
teacher and good friend said to me,
W e
do not like the word
appoggio, t
is too rough. We prefer sostenere This
to give ourselves a breath, rather
than to take a breath. Body map-
ping authority Barbara Conable warns
us that using the term rib cage sug-
gests something with immovable bars
rather than the accurate description
of a flexible thorax. ' James McK inney
and others make a distinction between
breath management and breath
control. Alexander Technique teach-
ers strive to make postural correc-
tions through subtle directions rather
than direct manipulations or spoken
orders. Cornelius Reid tells us that
Lamperti believed that after techni-
cal skills are developed and the vocal
organs respond without having to be
acted upon, the breathing mechanism
will manage itself' These are thoughts
that may encourage us to re-examine
our teaching language and priorities.
We all have benefited from the age
of abundant information. We have
attended the same workshops, mas-
ter classes, and seminars, and we have
read many of the same books and arti-
cles. We share common resources and
a vast body of knowledge that de-
scribes and explains the human res-
piratory system and its relationship
to speech and singing. We are able to
explain respiration for singing to our
students using only anatomical and
physiological terms, and in addition
we have developed a rich language of
imagery. Why are there so many mys-
teries about respiration? Why are
there so many different opinions,
often controversial, about a subject
SO
thoroughly examined, experienced,
and documented?
Perhaps an answer may be found in
the necessity to develop different
approaches to meet the individual
needs of our students. There are those
who believe that the proper respira-
tory action is the result of other influ-
ences; therefore they do not isolate
voice technique are wide ranging, often
word has the meaning of something
penetr ting the ver
y heart
of
voice ped-
or someone that supports you. A
agogjj This column continues to exam. teacher of meditation encourages us
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M arv in Keenze and Dona ld e l l
breathing skills or even mention it at
all. Elizabeth Blades-Zeller's book
Spectrum
o
oices is
an interesting
resource for comparing a variety of
opinions and words that describe how
twenty American teachers teach
breathing for singing as well as other
aspects of voice pedagogy. The Master
Teachers and Singers Week at West-
minster and the NYSTA (New York
Singing Teachers Association) Com-
parative Pedagogy Seminars have
demonstrated that there may be as
many opinions and teaching styles as
there are teachers. Recently I have
received papers on breathing from
the French Association of Singing
Teachers and from a Nigerian voice
teacher. Indeed, the singer's breath
is a topic of great interest and there
seems to be a need to make definitive
statements on this subject.
I always begin a class with the state-
ment that good information is help-
ful only if it stirs our creativity. Our
pedagogical art comes from imagina-
tion and intuition as well as facts. We
take information and create our own
words and concepts that make us bet-
ter teachers. Martha Randall describes
it as putting thego in pedagogy. This
is what I have found to be true as I
travel throughout the world observ-
ing teachers, listening to colleagues,
and working with a wide variet
y
of
singers. Probably not much of the
information we teach is original with
us, but often it is our unique way of
saying things that we can call our own.
At the 1996 European Voice
Teachers Association conference in
Amsterdam the following bold state-
ments were given to us as points for
discussion. I want to share some of
these; they may stir your imagination.
1. The inner command for singing
automatica11y
initiates all muscles
for breath taking, lung pressure,
vocal fold adjustment, and artic-
ulation.
2. The efficiency of tone production
depends on the accuracy of the
inner command.
3.
Almost nothing is known about
the coordination of the neural com-
mands that are the beginning of
singing and that are vital to voice
pedagogy.
These statements seem to point to the
concept that the larynx is an organ of
reaction and that we should develop
a reliable
inner command
that begins
the process of respiration and singing
and continues through the song.
My graduate pedagogy students are
required to compare two articles from
the
Journal
o oi e
on the teaching of
breathing for singing. Published in
1988, the articles by Shirley Emmons
and Robert White, Jr. define the im-
portance of balancing the scientific
and anatomical facts with practical
applications. That is the challenge for
us as we teach our students to coor-
dinate alignment and breathing for
the musical and poetic realization of
the repertoire.
We have benefited from the influ-
ences of comm itted teachers who share
the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais
Method, Yoga, Tomatis work, Daicroze
Eurythmics, and other disciplines that
elevate body alignment, body aware-
ness, and our brea th to its highest level.
There have been numerous articles
in our Journal ofSinginq on these sub-
jects. My association with the work
of Alfred Tomatis, Paul Madaule and
Roberta Prada
has taught me that
alignment can be a natural response to
an ear and brain that is stimulated by
high frequencies. Listening at its high-
est state does improve our kinesthetic
understanding of the entire body as
it becomes a better instrument for
receiving sound from within and with-
out. Our head will find its best position
when bone and air conduction are
balanced and our voice is experienced
at its most vibrant. I continue to search
for ways to encourage a response in
my students that comes from their
musicality a highly developed musical
ear, and the challenges of the reper-
toire. I also have found that when the
right ear becomes the dominant ear,
the body becomes more welcoming to
receive a complete breath as well as
the development of finer controls of
the mechanism. The ear is not pas-
sive but creative in the process of find-
ing our singing voice and breath.
I have attempted to simplify my
physiological instructions for the
teaching of respiration, and Ibelieve
that whatever we teach at the begin-
fling should be reinforced constantly
so that our students have a consistent
way of developing this coordination.
It takes time for a beginning student's
body to m int in the appoggio
sostenere position for an extended
period, and our expectations should
be realistic. I teach that the external
obliques are the main muscles of exha-
lation and that the elevated thorax
inhibits their natural action of depress-
ing the ribs. I encourage these oblique
muscles to engage only at the moment
of phonation; before that they are in
a position of readiness. Vocal prob-
lems arise when the abdominals are
engaged too early or too late, or when
there is not a release before the next
inhalation. It is all in the timing. I use
the vibrant speaking voice to demon-
strate the effect of this timing. I teach
inhalation as a process that leads to
an inevitable onset, and therefore I
usually teach inhalation with the goal
of phonation. Once we begin the in-
spiratory process we already know
when the moment of phonation will
happen. A student of mine, who was
a football quarterback, demonstrated
his passing technique in slow motion.
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Voice edagogy
It was a graceful series of moments
that led directly to the release of the
ball into the air. This is a visual anal-
ogy that I often use in my teaching.
The basic appoggio/sostenerr posi-
tion must be maintained so that the
more delicate inner controls are now
able to serve the voice with subtle
changes in pressure or dynamic con-
trol and pitch. I observe that students
change the outside position of the
body or the balanced muscular antag-
onism as a means of interpreting. This
is often the reason why experienced
singers develop vocal distress or lack
of control. As a way to demonstrate
the timing of the support system and
the engagement of the antagonistic
muscles of expiration I use a hand-
shake. First I grasp my student's hand
with my very tense hand, then I offer
a completely relaxed and limp hand
until midway into the handshake, and
then I use the best model where my
hand is not tensed but becomes firm
the moment that we shake hands.
Perhaps the most controversial area
of breath management and control is
how we teach the use of the breath
after the inhalation process. I have
observed teachers recommend at least
two ways to deal with the breath after
inhalation. One is to suspend the
breath for a moment before the phrase
and the other is for inhalation to flow
nonstop into exhalation and phona-
tion. I use both of these ideas. Weaker
voices can benefit from a moment of
suspension and an awareness of the
compressed breath. Tight, pressed
voices can benefit from the latter
method. If there is a high note within
a phrase the use of the suspended
breath can prepare for it before the
phrase begins. Barbara Conable
teaches that the spine should gather
on inhalation and lengthen on exha-
lation.' I have found this to be help-
ful information. It is difficult to
experience a complete inhalation with
a rigid posture that is unyielding.
Everything that we teach must be
done with a perceptive eye and ear to
be sure that it is indeed improving
the timbre, dynamic control, and free-
dom of the voice. When my specific
instructions make a change in tim-
bre and dynamic control, I ask the
students to trust their ear and the
inner command to reproduce what
they have done. The idea is that the
body will recreate its coordination in
a specific manner when the ear is the
commander and there are pitch, tonal,
and dynamic goals This, I think, is
the meaning behind the Amsterdam
statements. The body and the vocal
folds want specific messages from the
experienced ear and brain.
It is also helpful for our students
to know what we consider to be the
bottom line or the softest acceptable
sound. We are at that point when our
tone has vibrato, harmonics, and some
projection. This demonstrates the
minimum tracheal compression for
a piano sound that becomes the point
of reference for louder dynamic pos-
sibilities. I ask my students to start
with a very breathy production and
gradually increase compression and
vocal fold resistance until they find
this socially acceptable starting
place. Then they repeat the onset at
exactly this dynamic level guided by
their experienced ear. Young or inex-
perienced singers usually have only
two dynamic levels. Gradually they
develop the abilit
y
to use many of the
gradations of dynamics between the
two extremes as the vocal folds learn
to create more refined adjustments.
This leads to the development of a
rnessa di voce
technique that is a neces-
sity for musical singing.
I have also been asked to comment
on the teaching of breathing for male
and female singers. I polled my col-
leagues at Westminster and the
American Academy of Teachers of
Singing to get opinions about gender
differences Only two definitely believe
that physical differences demand dif-
ferent pedagogical styles. Others said
that they teach for the body type
rather than the gender, and still oth-
ers say that that they do not make a
distinction. I would be pleased to
receive readers' comments.
The teaching of breathing for bel
canto style is a gradual process. The
repertoire that we assign should grad-
ually demand more of our students
with the use of longer phrases and
increased technical demands. Neces-
sity is indeed the mother of inven-
tion. The vocalises that we use should
be directed towards specific tasks that
encourage the need for a more refined
breathing technique. These vocalises
should always be connected to a vari-
ety of tonal colors and emotional ex-
pressions. The student should sense
as quickly as possible that what we
teach produces an ability to sing with
greater freedom, musicality, and com-
munication.
I ask my students to always inhale
through a neutral vowel
/3/, as in the
British pronunciation of word
and
then exhale through the vowel posi-
tion that is in the text. This neutral
vowel produces the most perfect tube-
like shape for the vocal tract and a
tongue position that is low and for-
ward. It is easier for air to go through
this unobstructed passageway and it
provides a balanced acoustical for-
mant spectrum as a basis for our res-
onance. You will notice how much
richer the timbre is when all vowels
have a close relationship to the neu-
tral position. This guards against over-
pronouncing and helps in the tuning
of the vocal tract to the sound source.
I believe that we should use points of
reference as much as possible.
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Marvin Keenze and Donald ell
In my ideal pedagogical world, all
of my students would have prerequi-
sites of at least two of the complemen-
tary disciplines and others that I have
mentioned. I suggest Daicroze Eur-
ythmics and the Tomatis Listening
Program. They then would begin their
lessons with an enhanced awareness
of a creative and responsive body, an
inner rhythmic security, and an im-
proved ear and voice coordination. It
would make my work very much eas-
ier, because I often find myself teach-
ing theory and musicianship as well
as singing.
The purposeful and energizing
inspiratory breath connects the head
with the body and ignites our emo-
tions. In return, the efficient expira-
tory breath connects the body to our
sound that then becomes our music
and our language. It is a cycle that is
the source and power of the singing
art. It is worthy of our continuing
study as we seek to develop a more
comprehensive pedagogy that incor-
porates the variet
y
of skills necessary
for a lifetime of beautiful singing.
NOT S
I.
Barbara Conable
The Structures and
M oi eme ntforBreathing
(Chicago: GIA
Publications, Inc ., 2001).
2.
James McKinney,
The Diagnosis and
Correction
o f
V ocal Faults
(Nashville:
Genevox
Music
Group,
1994).
3.
Cornelius Reid
Essays on the Nature
ofSingi,j
(Huntsville, TX: Recital Pub-
lications,
1992).
4.
Elizabeth B lades-Zeller, A Spectrum of
Voices
(L a nh a m, MD : Th e Sc a r ec ro w
Press, Inc., 2002).
5.
Robert C . White , On the Teaching of
Breathing for the Singing Voice, Jour-
nal of
Voice 2, no.
1 1988): 26-29.
Shirlee Emmons. Breathing for
Singing,
Journal
of Voice 2,
no.
1988): 30-35.
6.
Paul M adaul e ,
W hen Listening Comes
Alive
(Toronto : Th e Listening Center ,
1993).
7.
A lfred T oinatis , tr . Rober ta Prada ,
h e
arand the
Voice (L a nh a m, MD : Th e
Scarec row Press, Inc., 2004).
8. Barbara Conable,
What
Every Musi-
cian
Needs to Know A bout the
Body
(Portland, OR: Andover Press. 2000).
R S P O N S
reathing for Singing
Donald ell
The Q ue s t ion
Should there be differences in
teaching the genders to breathe for
singing?
Yes, according to Dr. I . A. Kapa ndji .
Respiratory mechanics also vary wi th a ge
and sex. In wom en, respirat ion is upper
thoracic with the maximum range of move-
ment seen in the upper thorax, which
shows an increase in i ts anteroposter ior
diameter. In the child it is abdominal and
in man i t is mixed, i .e. upper and low er
thorac ic. . . In the aged it
is
greatly altered
by accentuation of thoracic curvature and
loss
of tone of the abdominal muscles. As
the curvature of the upper thorax increases
the upper ribs are approximated and their
movements curtailed. Thus the upper lobe
is
poorly aera ted and brea th ing becomes
lower thoracic o r even abdom inal .'
These approach parameters appear
quite well defined. I will return to this
useful information later in the arti-
cle to show how this relates to teach-
ing female and male singers.
T h e A i m
Supplying a dependable, respon-
sive, and easily managed supply of
breath is the aim of a breath manage-
ment system. Should stiffening of the
abdominal wall or poor alignment of
the body enter the action of breath
management, a dysfunction arises,
bringing with it subtle losses of con-
trol to the singer. The importance
o
breath management lies in its role to
supply power (dynamics), nuances
(stresses), crescendi and decrescendi,
and to provide a source of energy that
will automatically adapt to pitch and
power. Breath management is an inte-
gral part of the singing instrument.
The F unct ion
Breath management arises from
three anatomical areas: the upper
chest (the thorax), which contains
the lungs and the ribs; the diaphragm
forms the floor of the pleural cavity,
thereby separating the lungs (air) from
the viscera, which are mostly water;
the lower abdominal muscles, found
below, around, over, and above the
diaphragm. Each one of these areas
s
important for the role that it plays
in gathering and using the breath.
Thinking of the breath in three parts
helps to define the area when a mal-
function takes place.
Posture is all-important because it
balances the body, thereby allowing
the head, neck, and torso to interact
without tension. The first question
is how to align the body. This is done
when the singer raises the arms above
the head, then lowers them without
dropping the chest, which remains
raised. It is an important first step,
resulting in the chest or rib cage being
maximized in a comfortable manner;
a posture that can and must now be
maintained throughout the act of
s inging.
With the act of enlarging the rib
cage through raising of the sternum,
an intake of breath results that low-
ers the diaphragm. Along with this
act several additional actions within
the rib cage occur: ribs 8, 9, and 10
are moved outward enlarging the
lower area of the chest cavity, the ster-
num is also raised and moved forward
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through the pulling down of the
diaphragm, and the whole rib cage is
elevated. These actions are critical in
that they increase the amount of air
available for exhalation. In methods
that pay little attention to chest posi-
tioning, the whole chest is moved with
each breath renewal, whereas for
those applying the principles of the
Italianate school, the chest remains
elevated throughout the inhalation
and exhalation phases, the only move-
ment occurring in the lower abdomen
as the muscles release to allow the
diaphragm to drop. As this happens,
the lungs fill due to elastic reco il action
prompted by differences in atmos-
pheric pressure. Due to the elevated
sternum and resulting rib cage shape
as air is used for phonation, a negative
pressure is created in the chest cav-
ity. When the work of the vocal folds
is finished at the end of the phrase,
utterance, etc., the glottis opens, and
atmospheric pressure now being
greater, air rushes into the lungs. The
singer's main concern here is to allow
this to happen naturally and to resist
the impulse to breathe in (i.e., to
take a breath).
After the raising of the rib cage, the
diaphragm is set in motion. Lowering
it allows air to be pulled into the lungs.
Simultaneously, the lower abdominal
muscles release, allowing the dia-
phragm the freedom to reach its low-
est position. This pulling down action
also assists the rib cage to remain
extended outward, upward, and
expanded from front to back. If dur-
ing this quick action the abdominal
wall had remained tense, then the
sucking in of air and the reaffirming
of the rib cage would not have been
fulfilled, resulting in shortness of
breath. Actions such as pulling in the
stomach or pushing it out inhibit this
reciprocal balance between diaphragm
and lower abdominal muscles and
hence do not belong to the Italianate
school of appoggio
Clearly there is a balance, an equi-
librium of actions between the dia-
phragm and the lower abdominal
musculature. Diaphragm and lower
abdominal muscles cannot both be
activated at the same time. Their
actions, while complementing each
other, are too distinct to occur simul-
taneously. Their aims are also oppo-
site: the diaphragm is solely engaged
in breath renewal, whereas the lower
abdominals are responsible for exha-
lation actions. Understanding this
balance between two opposing func-
tions is the basis for establishing a
smoothly running breath machine,
or the appoggio
of breath manage-
ment.
What abdominal muscles do these
wondrous things? From the outer sur-
face of the body to the viscera they
are the rectus abdominus, the exter-
nal obliques, the internal obliques,
and the transversus abdominus.
Considering them in this order will
give a clearer understanding of their
layering within the body and the
importance of that layering.
The rectus abdominus muscle is
important for its ability to hold in the
stomach and its contents and its role
in allowing us to sit, bend, and the
like. However, when used in singing,
it causes flexion of the body posture
and hence would not fit into the
Italianate school, where posture is an
absolute requirement for balanced
function among the parts.
The internal and external obliques
also pull down, but without the result-
ing flexion. Thus they are a ble to func-
tion in accord with the deepest of all
the lower abdominal muscles, the
transversus abdominus.
The transversus abdominus is a
most interesting muscle as it has many
positive benefits for those interested
in what science calls forced breath-
ing, which is in effect singing or loud
oration.
The deepest layer of abdominal m uscles
is the tr nsversus abdorninus
Its horizon-
tal fibers sweep from the vertebrae in the
back of the abdomen around to its inser-
tion into the abdominal aponeurosis. It
attaches above to the lower border of the
ribs (the cartilages of the lower six ribs)
and below to the upper border of the pelvis
coxal bone). Like a corset, it can com-
press the viscera with more power than
any other m uscle. This corset action, to
which the fibers of the internal and exter-
nal oblique muscles contribute,
is
made
possible by their attachment to the abdom-
inal aponeurosis. Because all of these
abdominal muscles are paired, when con-
tracted they pull in a tug-of-war fashion
on opposite sides of the abdominal apo-
neurosis.2
[The abdom inals I ma jor contribution in
breathing is to compress the viscera that
then push up on the diaphragm to dis-
place 60 to 80 percent of the volume of
air exhaled.
The transversus is also sensitive to
postural alignment. In another study
on its characteristics, researchers
found that certain physical actions
such as lifting the head could stop the
transversus from fulfilling its role of
compressing and stabilizing the lower
body.
This kind of movement would
also adversely affect vocal sound.
Further to these responses of the
lower abdominal musculature, the
transversus has the ability to act inde-
pendently, a fact that is most benefi-
cial to those using the
appoggio
technique.' The action in the lower
abdominal area is well described by
the following:
After the breath has entered the lungs
and the glottis is closed in phonation, this
activates the lower abdominal muscles in
concert. When the breath is finished or
it is time to re-breathe, these muscles
so
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Marvin Keenze and Donald ell
active in compressing the abdoinitial con-
tents and causing airflow m ust now relax
to allow breath renewal. This contrac-
tion of the transversus abdom inus results
in increased inspiratory efficiency by
increasing the length of the diaphragm,
and perm its elastic recoil of the thoracic
cavity to contribute to the initiation of
inspiration.
The concerted action of these mus-
cles allows breath to flow, the raised
rib cage to remain elevated, and the
body to remain in alignment as there
is no flexion.
Singing must he able to incorpo-
rate inflections of speech, but it is
important to recognize that in singing
the vowels are extended and factors of
pitch and power must be taken into
consideration. The speech aspects are
well defined by the following:
Three aspects of speec h require control
of pressure. First, the loudness level of the
phrase
is
controlled by the interjection of
all passive and active expiratory forces.
Second, more or less superimposed on
this overall level are variations in stress
from syllable to syllable. These result from
small expiratory con tractions or relations
of expiratory muscles which produce
mom entary changes in alveolar and sub-
glottal pressure. Third, variations in inten-
sity from sound to sound occur within
the syllable. These result mainly from
instant-to-instant changes in airway resist-
ance that cause m omentary f luctuations
in intraoral pressure.
Demands such as these are found in
all the vocal literature, and the Italians
met those demands when they coined
the adage si canta conesi parla
(one
sings as one speaks). Both functions
are related, as they are created by the
same instrument; however, there are
differences. Singing requires greater
overall breath pressure than speech;
the pitch for singing goes above nor-
mal speech demands. Finally, length
of utterances is longer; sung phrases
can be extended upward to twenty-
two seconds as opposed to four to five
seconds in speech.
o n c l u s i o n
As mentioned earlier, there are dif-
ferences in teaching women and men
the
appoggio
breath technique. For
both sexes, flexibilit
ydoes not come
easily. Differences are found in sev-
eral important areas with respect to
posture; and as a result, women tend
to use the upper chest or clavicular
breathing more than men do. When
female students' attention is diverted
to the lower abdominal wall and lower
rib cage expansion, then the first
results appear as tension and a stiffen-
ing of these areas mentioned. Men,
like their female counterparts, tend
to slouch their way through the day.
Their chests also must be consciously
raised. In lessons men do use the lower
abdomen, but more by pulling in or
just stiffening the whole lower abdom-
inal area. Over time men adapt more
quickly to maintaining a raised chest
than do women. My supposition is
that women are generally weaker in
the upper body and time is needed in
order to build the necessary strength
to maintain a balanced posture that
contains a raised sternum.
Another characteristic I find is that
women almost always initially stand
with their knees locked. Naturally,
the result is a poorly aligned body, as
the hips and the rest of the upper body
move out of alignment. Various sug-
gestions, such as think you are ski-
ing downhill, cause them to bend
their knees and balance their body as
it should be.
My personal findings show me that
in relearning a breath management
discipline,
appog
gio
my voice gained
in flexibility, in a higher dyn am ic level,
and in the ability to sustain the voice
in the upper registers. Overall fewer
problems were encountered than in
my earlier singing da
y
s when I fol-
lowed a different discipline. My grat-
itude for being redirected to this
pedagoic school is never ending. At
age seventy, it is great to be among
those able to perform rather than sit-
ting back reflecting on past singing
events.
NOT S
I. I. A.
Kapandji,
The Physiology oft/u
Joints
(Edinburgh and London: C hurchill
and Livingstone
1974) .
2.
William 11. Perkins and Raymond D.
Kent,
Functional Anatomy o Speech,
Language, and Hearing
(Boston: Allyn
and Bacon,
1986) , 32 .
3.
Arolyn Richardson, Gwendolyn
Juli
M urphy , et a l ., T herapeut ic Exercises
for S pinal S egmen tal S tabi lization in
Low Back Pain
(Edinburgh: Churchil l
and Livingstone, 1999) .
4. Ibid.
5.
Ibid.
6.
Ibid.
7. Perkins and Kent
5 2
M arvin K cenz e, bari tone, i s Professor o
V oice and Pedagogy at the W estminster
Choir College of R ider Univ ersity where he
has taught s ince 1 97 6.
He
has also served
on the faculty of the University
o Delaware
and taught voic e at S w arthmore Co llege
and Boston University s Tanglewood Insti-
tute He is the founder and codirector
o
t h e
W estminster Voice R esource Center and
Coordinator
o
the annual Master Teach-
ers and S inging W eek. He is C oordinator
of International A ctivities fOr N A TS and an
advisor to the International Congress
o
V oice Teachers. He has presented classes
for numerous N A TS convent ions and w ork-
shops and was a facul ty m ember Jbr the
19 99 N A TS Intern Proqrarn. He w as chair-
man o
the sec ond international conf erence
(JCV T) in 199 1 and of the NA TS Phi ladel-
phia national convention in 2000. As a
teacher; singer, conductor, pianist, and a4ju-
7
OURNAL OFSINGING
8/10/2019 diferencias hombre y mujer breathing.PDF
7/7
Voice edagogy
the Bayreuth Festival, the Lucerne Festi- most challenging was his tour ofA ustralia
val, Berlin Festwoche, Glyndebourne Opera and New Zealand with the Fires
of
Lon-
dica tor. he has visited forty-seven countries
around the world. He has adjudicated Met-
ropolitan Opera auditions for the district
and regional auditions. Australian Opera
competitions, Nova Scotia Kiwanis Festi-
val, Dunedin, N.Z. Voice Competitions,
National Opera Association competition,
and NATS state, regional, and national
artist awards (NATSAA). In 1998 he was
the recipient of the V oice Foundation/NA TS
V an Lawrence A wa rdfbr his work in voice
pedagogy and teaching, and in 1995 he
received the Westminster Choir College
Alumni Merit Award, Heisa member
of the
A merican A cademy of T eachers of Singing,
the European Voice Teachers Association,
the New Y ork Singing Teachers Associa-
tion, the National Opera Association, the
Australia National Association of
Teach-
ers of Singing. the Association Francaise
des Professeurs de Chant, and the Sloven-
ian Association
of Singing Teachers. He
can he heard on the recently released CD,
The Art Songs of Stefan Hayden
ayden Young.
In addition to his teaching at Westminster/
Rider University, he maintains a private
voice studio in Philadelphia where he lives
with his w ife, Kaij.
Donald Bell s debut at the Wigmore flail
received acclaim fro?n the London Times,
the
Telegraph, the Observer, and the Man-
chester Guardian, thereby securing an
international singing career. His operatic
debut followed this event under the patron-
age of W ieland Wagner at Bayreuth where
he sang the Night Watchman in
Die Meis-
tersinger von Nurnberg.
Bell s career took him through twenty-three
countries, appearing in many major cities
with their leading orchestras: London, Paris,
New Y ork, M ilan, Rome, etc. He petformed
with Thomas Beecham. Malcolm Sargent,
Otto Klemperer, Benjamin Britten, Peter
Maxwell Davies, Michael Tippet, Bernard
Haitink Leonard Bernstein Loren Maazel
Bernard Hermann, and George SzeIl. He
also appeared in major frstivals such as
Festival, Tanglewood, and Saratoga
Bell s tours included North America, the
Soviet Union, Australia. and Italy, where
he premiered Britten s
War Requiem
under
the direction oJ the composer. He has also
broadcast for RIAS Berlin, the BBC, the
CBC, and appeared on American national
television in a broadcast of the opening of
Lincoln Center. In addition, herecordedfbr
Columbia, now Sony, a liederalbum; also
under the Sony label, Bach s St.
Matthew
Passion under Leonard Bernstein, and
Beethoven s 9th Symphony under Geoige
Szell;for HMV Brahms
Liebeslieder
Waltzes,
and for Dccca (London) Walton
Beishazzar s Feast
under the baton
of Si,
William himself.
Bell devoted the latter years
of
his career
to contemporary music Among one
of the
don, performing Peter Maxwell Davies s
Eight
Songs
for a Mad King
He now
teaches voice at the University of Calgary,
performsona regular basis, and directs the
school s C elebrity S eries.
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