Vocal Music Advice

I remember reading about it in Miller and I’ve come across it again in recent study for my students. It seems extremely helpful but I don’t remember talking very much about it in vocal pedagogy class or using it in my own study. What do you think of it and have you found it useful?

My answer is that the “appoggio” technique is sound. However, all of this is described – without identifying it as “appoggio” or with any unnecessary verbiage in McKinney’s book as he describes the “breathing for singing” process, and is captured especially in the step of “suspension” which is the “set up” for phonatory onset or attack. “Appoggio” literally means “leaning upon” – and in vocal technique is applied to – the respiratory support of the sound.  On pages 24 and 25 of The Structure of Singing, what Miller describes is a) the sense of expansion, b) high posture maintained, c) upper abdomen stays free to move, d) suspension and expansion maintained in balance, e) the lower abdomen is tucked in slightly, e) with inhalation expansion occurs in every direction including the ribs outwardly, f) and the concept of maintaining the small of the back “straightened” or the “hips swiveled” with lower abdomen tucked, g) and inhaling fully without “tanking up” or “crowding” the breath, h) high posture is maintained throughout the singing process, i) inhalation is quick and quiet.  (It almost sounds like he’s quoting McKinney–whose writing came first.)  All of this McKinney writes so clearly in his well organized systematic volume: The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. The bottom line is that “appoggio” refers to the coordinated balance of muscle tension between respiration and glottal closure/resistance to the breath. If a student can understand all the ramifications, as she should, “appoggio” is wonderful. In any case all the aspects need to be taught in such a way that each segment is mastered – until all can be coordinated – which is what McKinney accomplishes so well, systematically and wisely without much unnecessary jargon and Italian – perhaps reflecting his mentor, William Vennard.

A word on voice teaching jargon: Richard Miller is a much revered pedagogue these days.  While I find Miller’s writings informative, I also find that there is frequently much to wade through – thus I’ve found that I always appreciate the conciseness and the easy-to-understand language of McKinney’s book. My blog attempts to reflect the latter although I know I can be wordy too.  Many studios and teachers like to use a lot of foreign jargon that sounds impressive – but for which an Italian dictionary and glossary are necessary to understand (it keeps students in ‘awe’ of the teachers).  Students have to decipher what is really being communicated.  That said, I’d guess that students and teachers who have been thoroughly engrained from that perspective are comfortable with it.  However, in English-speaking America, I don’t think that is necessary most of the time – but that is a personal choice and preference of mine.  Miller has done a lot of research—it’s what he enjoys—and he is convinced that the Italian school “has it right.”  With that, he brings a lot of Italian terms – from such Old Italian masters as Manual Garcia, Lamperti, Caccini and others. For this reason I prefer to use Vennard and McKinney and similar pedagogues for my first semester of Vocal Pedagogy – and then branch off into Miller and others who like a lot of “jargon,” in the second semester – so as to help students recognize and decipher it. From my perspective, if it needs translation, then it can be said more simply, straightforwardly and understandably in English.

Tags: appoggio, coordinated singing, voice teaching, voice teaching jargon

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 11:56 am and is filed under Advice about Singing, Breathing for Singing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.