DO YOU KNOW HOW TO BREATHE?

Belting is easy, breathing is hard. Everything you know is wrong. But really, we’ve covered belting, and now we’re moving to breathing. It’s so important, it has its own video. Often, it has entire lessons to itself. And you thought you already aced this one.

I remember a singer once came to me after we talked about breathing, and she said, “Wow. I thought I was coming to learn how to sing. It never occurred to me I didn’t even know how to breathe.”

Breathing is something that we, as humans, do without thinking about it. Then, someone like me starts talking about it, and then we start thinking about it, and it’s suddenly as though we were sick the day they taught breathing in school and now every breath is a pop quiz and we’re faking it and probably naked in front of the whole class.

No? Too far? Ok. Point is, it’s harder than you think.

Listen, I work with some of the best professional singers, and it is EXTREMELY rare that a student starts with me knowing how to breathe properly when singing from day one. If you have kids or know anyone who has kids, I want you to observe something the next time you’re around them. If you happen to see them when they’re sleeping, watch the body move as the child is breathing. Why? Because THAT is proper breath in its purest form. Then, when that same exact kid gets up from a nap, ask her to show you what it looks like to take in a big breath. Watch how completely different that kiddo takes a breath when awake and thinking about it. Just for fun, try the same exercise with an adult because the exact same thing will happen, only they might look at you strangely and ask why on earth you were watching them sleep. Adults are judgey like that.

Ok, enough hot air. Let’s get to breathing!