Category: Cossu method

An old precious perspective on voice with new exercises to work through it in a contemporary way; the old instrumental italian belcanto technique and a corpus of new exercises to obtain that instrument the voice is. A perspective useful for professionals, beginners and in rehabilitative field.

A new paradigm of biomechanics for voice production

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What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

My ambition is to see the step into the paradigm of voice production as the sum and interrelations of proper vocal tract with basic biological musculoskeletal functions and actions.

My system with its constant relevant original outcome is integrating more advanced biomechanical findings with historical practices and more contemporary commercial styles and I succeeded in putting the question in the plate of peers discussion.

I would aim to see the general public thinking of voice and voice quality as a dynamic biological adaptation of tissues and muscles of the overall body, developable reachable trainable.

My first The Voice Foundation Symposium

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Thank you The Voice Foundation Symposium: you showed an immense unexpected quantity of interest in my work, some huge enthusiasm, some doubts and then interest, the interest from exceptional from the field who took my contact recognising the unusual and relevance and unprecedented of my practical results, not asked and precious advice for the next steps and last the -Sometimes you must be controversial to assess new knowledges, said by one of the most respected voice surgeons.
I come out reinforced, with an upgrown view of the weaknesses in communicating and expressing those controversial points I represent, being viewed and mostly feeling existing now the topic on the table, a better view on when and where my work is not the good option and the other options available to address my clients to and new knowledge and what and how they are doing in the field. Some dance was even refreshing and so fun. Thank you

My Three Posters for The Voice Foundation 52nd Symposium, the Abstracts

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Here the three abstracts of the Posters I presented at the Voice Foundation 52nd Symposium. Very happy to see that this innovative vision I apply and preach and research about is coming out of the controversial shadow and be in its first steps in the sun.

To have future development and collaborations between voice technical and training specialists as I am and biomechanists and kinesiologist so to build knowledge on the common mechanisms well studied in other fields and voice production and nuances for artistic use. The first steps are here, feel honoured and happy being the pioneering of that and opening at such high science/pedagogy places as The Voice Foundation.

1.

Sitting on Sacro-Iliac and Hips Joint: Effects for Singing, Strategies, Management in Professional Voice Requirements. Biomechanical Tools for Professional Voice Requirements.

For a Biomechanical View on Voice Production.

Lucia Cossu MM

ABSTRACT Singing career is a demanding one on many aspects, minimising the tolls of lifestyle impact can be crucial. One overlooked aspect is the impact of joints biomechanics on voice production: 1. As a disfavourable  element directly impacting technique, development and stamina, well sustained by the joint by joint approach and biomechanical research and practices correlated (in its direct translation for voice production my presentation at PEVoC14 2022, on YouTube) 2. The other way around is also true, meaning that we can contribute to voice improvement, maintenance and longevity by using the biomechanical correlations of joints work and actions. Joints present some kind of hierarchy of importance that vary according to frame applied: developmental, biomechanical or fascial. The hips joint is specially high positioned in all those frames: it is the joint to be properly developed to get to upright posture (and maintain it), it is a central, complex and very specific system to all postural activities of the body, it is at the crossline of fascial and skeleton/skeletal muscles system with an anatomical cohabitation of both (and a study from 2020 has assessed the presence of smooth muscle as skeletal muscle in the same muscle of pelvic floor, posing so a more nuanced view of interactions and control of muscle actions). It is well recognised the adverse role of prolonged sitting on hips and lumbar segment on muscles functionality, its effects migrating to the lumbar segment in the form of mobilisation to it. Also sitting in usual chairs interfere with the ligaments of the sacro-lumbar segment of the spine, and  as found by Solomonov the lack of proper agonist/antagonist coactivation is a common consequence of ligament deviation from proper norm. I will give some biomechanical rationale, sitting tools easy to implement in daily life, example of exercises to reverse the adverse adaptations and age related changes adapted to singers specificities with a joint by joint approach and research informed logic. Results of this approach on this specific joint are here in some examples on professional voices and general population. https://youtu.be/CLcL_buf9tc  https://youtu.be/OUH9sXqKjRw   https://atomic-temporary-42869468.wpcomstaging.com/cossu-method-program/    https://youtu.be/FOC05-9iYZk

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Breath in a Biomechanical View: Breath as an Elastic Springlike Energy into the Eccentric/Concentric Functional Work of Respiratory/Postural Muscles.

For a Biomechanical View on Voice Production.

Lucia Cossu MM

ABSTRACT Biomechanics, training and rehabilitation is showing a complex and opposed system of muscles activations when it comes to skeleton/skeletal muscles systems, valid for the same structures involved in breath management. Research on not relaxed or underused contexts and in functional systems shows system of opposed functions which activate (functionally or dysfunctionally) according to: position of the joint, intensity/speed of the force, state of the ligaments of the joints involved. Attention and understanding of the opposed function is revolutionising the approach to training, development, longevity and injury prevention in athletes and rehabilitation protocols, putting the accent on the specifics of tissues, adaptations and neurologic kind of activations in the contracting states of muscles if concentric, isometric or eccentric. In here I will focus on the eccentric work of breath muscles, giving a rationale of different schools of breath management in this biomechanical view and making an hypothesis on the multifidi muscles action in breathing and strategies to work others than the well established Alexander technique. What does this tell about our breath management? Breath relies on a skeletal muscles and skeleton joints components that can be viewed and trained in their contributions. One of these contributions are the spring like quality of the eccentric action of muscles, the neurological reactivity of this state according to duration/load of the eccentric phase and grade of elongation of the same that makes a great difference in medium/long term adaptations of the soft tissues.Is it all breath an elastic muscles force? Of course not but it is a crucial contribution, style/individual context specific that managed and rationally planned can give tools in making the difference between a medium or high skilled voice and a more pronounced style/individual asset so important in determining the level of success/artistic satisfaction of a career. 

In here I will focus on the eccentric work of breath muscles, a rationale of different schools of breath management in this biomechanical view, an hypothesis on the multifidi muscles role in breathing and strategies to train and functionally develop it, other than the well established Alexander Technique

3.

Singing as a Plyometric Activity: Rationale and Utility of this Point of View. For a Biomechanical View on Voice Production.

For a Biomechanical View on Voice Production.

Lucia Cossu MM

ABSTRACT Singing requires an alternation of dynamics, accents, changes of words, consonants style specific production that translates in a different opposed functions, changes of rhythms and character often in short time, alternating more rhythmically or tessitura demanding pieces to more legato and “on the breath” ones. All those are different from a biomechanical point of view and the firsts present a challenge in voice production and training.The firsts can be translated as plyometric activity (defined as the shortening and lengthening during the same action of a muscle) into a range of motion of the joints involved, into or outside the vocal tract, requiring the coactivation or opposed action of agonist/antagonist muscles involved (laryngeal or not laryngeal) in the biomechanical logic of concentric/eccentric/isometric. Plyometric with its high demanding/high gains quality involved, is one of the most challenging training tasks, especially how to develop it safely and into the favourable adaptations desired. The emerged concept of how agonist and antagonist work in a functional system of constant eccentric/concentric work is of the utmost importance for training and developing systems and apply also to us, not only in the correlation body joints/voice production (see my PEVoC14 presentation on that, on YouTube) but also in the deepening of the understanding of intrinsic/extrinsic larynx muscles that work in this way even if with some specificities to the system due to the small size of the structure and the specific material/structure context of the vocal system. Great steps in training the plyometric’s sports have been made in the functional training movement, those can be paralleled with studies and research on coactivations, gender specifics of ligaments in coactivations, soft tissues adaptations following precise protocols of eccentric, load and periodisation a new door is opening for both:1. working on joints involved in voice production out of the vocal tract; 2. understanding mechanisms or developing strategies of traditional or more contemporary strategies in voice training or rehab. This view can integrate the musical aspect or phrasé and dynamics in a joints/skeletal muscles biomechanical view so to start separating lungs and respiratory system from skeleton/skeletal muscles contributions.

My students: 16 years old, winner of many competitions here live on SKYTV

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Italian Pop Teen voice
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A 16 years old singer covering Almeno tu nell’universo in a SkyTV show, she won competitions, sung in local tv shows, opening concerts. We worked also international repertoire but her focus was mostly in the Italian one.
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Short version on Instagram, entire the YouTube

vocalcoaching #voiceteacher #teensingers #coversong #almenotunelluniverso #cossumethod #singingisbeautiful

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If you could have something named after you, what would it be?

A Voice practicing room, to remember and cherish this pioneering of voice practice and model integrating precise joints biomechanics that is mine and cossumethod

23, 24 and 27 my Posters at Voice Foundation Symposium.

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23, 24 & 27: my three Posters for Voice Foundation Symposium, program is out. https://voicefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-SYMP-Program.pdf And here the specifics of my view in integrating directly biomechanics into voice production/training for this Symposium. Come say hello or come to the presentation Thursday 1st of June 2023.
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voicescience #thevoicefoundation #thevoicefoundationsymposium #voiceandjoints

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What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

Seeing the singing as body segments and ligaments and tendons activated by sympathetic or parasympathetic with infinite nuances.

Three abstracts accepted at The Voice Foundation 52nd Annual Symposium

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Very Happy to announce: three abstracts on three I have submitted have been accepted at next The Voice Foundation 52nd Annual Symposium in Philadelphia May 31- June 4 2023 https://voicefoundation.org/symp/

It will be a great 12 months as first time presenting my work both at PEVoC14 and at the Voice Foundation. Very grateful, honoured, profoundly happy and I cherish to get to Philadelphia and meet all the amazing authors and researchers in there.

Thank you all who have supported me in this time of developing and researching, to all my students amateurs or professionals who have inspired me with our proficuous work, it is an amazing news for voice innovation and biomechanics at artistic service to be present in the major Symposium on Voice and at a prestigious international Conference as PEVoC during the same 12 months; and I am honoured to be the bridge to implement it into artistic voice and singing.

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#cossumethod#voiceteacher#ingredientsofvoice#voiceandjoints#voicebiomechanics#thevoicefoundationsymposium#thevoicefoundation#work#voiceteacher#voiceteacherlife#knowledge

My presentation (and workshops) at Pan-European Voice Conference PEVoC14 25th August 2022

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Here the presentation (the two workshops will not be published) at Pan-European Voice Conference PEVoC14 on the central topic of how body’s joints far from vocal tract are directly implied into voice production and development. Does posture relate to voice? Yes but the how is the conundrum and I am opening since some years a path toward a rationale unifying all the practices with what science and research says about the subject and how to implement it in vocal practices for vocal health, voice development and training, career and artistic research and achievements, for amateurs. For confidentiality reasons the two one hour long workshops will not be published but I will publish some practices and exercises. At the end in the video you find my notes, this is just a path toward a model of voice including the interrelations of overall body (big box) on vocal system (small box into the big box). It does not pretend to be complete or correct in all its sides, just a useful work model that has helped in more than ten years my practice and students and general population and voice teachers and singers and that has a solid scientific background and confirmation. Enjoy.

JOINTS AND VOICE: DOES VOICE PRODUCTION REACTS TO JOINTS DYSFUNCTIONALITY FAR FROM VOCAL TRACT? SOME CASES AND AN HYPOTHESIS
Copyright all rights reserved Lucia Cossu
Vocal system is into the body and into specific segments of the body, it uses muscles and structures having multiple functions, you know better than me probably on those, today we focus on the respiratory and vocal and postural functions with a joint to joint approach, and the questions are HOW THEY correlate in PRECISE terms? In here I would open a path, I hope, to more sophisticated thoughts and directions of researching and getting specific in WHAT HOW WHY WHEN of those correlations, and IF as an effect on the vocal system or a direct contribution SO to be the vocal system thought in a less narrow way (I know it is more precise the more restricted a system is, but if we get specific we can expand). I think of it as a big box and a smaller box, being the smaller the vocal one, the smaller is into the bigger, they are independent in some ways, share some parts and even something more tricky as the cervical segment, as we will see what this can mean in the joint by joint approach.
(I anticipate that I look at posture and overall all body as the environment in which the vocal system can operate and develop, we know it happens also the other way around, but I remain focused on this direction in here).

From static alignment and managing the breath air to compensate for a not naturally gifted voice to a dynamic alignment and an hypothesis on how asymmetries, defensive stiffnesses and joints dysfunctionality or underdevelopement can be directly worked and change directly voice production. Many methods exist to help body connection, relaxation of defensive veto, help alignement. They are useful and sometimes fundamental, what lacks is a systematic and rationale on the precise mechanism related to voice production, and if there is one. This is a presentation with some examples of work on Sacroiliac joint and transversus abdominis, examples that present a discontinuity in voice production, some with medical control of it and a couple with the level of performance achieved. I make an hypothesis of this specific relation using the joint by joint approach of M. Boyle and G. Cook, the functional findings on SI joint of G. Cook and B. Contreras, some insights from C. Weingroff and the fascia system as a suggestion of a worth field to research. I use their work because in physical therapies and athletes training the literature and research is vast and rich; the body is one and the biological rules and muscles kinetics do not change, then the joint by joint approach can give insight on how joints are reciprocally related. The defensive system will be presented as a blocking and braking system, sometimes a veto system and sometimes a decelarating and expressive system, and it is presented with an hypothesis of its muscular structure and gestures with strategies to manage it with positions and exercises. C. Weingroff says citing Dostal, Soderberg and Andrews ‘the hip musculature changes dramatically through various range of motion and some muscles can reverse their function depending on the positioning’, so no surprise that if a muscle reverse role in the SI tract the expiratories will be affected and they will affect the diaphagm etc.
Here some links for a general view of the examples, in the presentation clips not publicly disclosed of the exercises will be presented.
https://youtube.be/CLcL_buf9tc
https://atomic-temporary-42869468.wpcomstaging.com/2016/09/13/cos…
https:/youtu.be/OUH9sXqKjRw

Lucia Cossu Voice teacher online/in person
Rue Charles Morren 9 – 4000 Liège BELGIUM
TVA: BE0723776188
Mail: cossuvoiceteacher@gmail.com

Breath exercise: unblock lungs and vocal tract

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Thoracic segment and vocal tract can present some blocks into a fundamental function for singers.
This is an exercise that can unblock a physiological movement, used more consistently it helps developing the high sternum preaching of many (from Tetrazzini to Seth Riggs and many others).
You can do it then forget about while singing or use it and sing with it.
Try it and if you want you can ask about in my Thursday ask me session in my stories.
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The Cossu method is a way to manipulate directly voice production from the body and not just from vocal tract and air. It is an amazing and at today new tool to obtain a voice in difficult objectives situations and conditions. It has had results confirmed by voice production and abilities, careers with a clear discontinuity from before it, confirmed in medical objectives exams and cases.
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. I am a voice teacher specialised in technique and solutions for professional singers and future professionals. I use italian Belcanto and Cossu method, a way to manipulate directly voice production from the body and not just from vocal tract and air. It is an amazing and at today new tool to obtain a voice in difficult objectives situations and conditions. It has had results confirmed by voice production and abilities, careers with a clear discontinuity from before it, confirmed in medical objectives exams and cases. I come from a soloist career in classical music interrupted by a long septicaemia.
I had results also in vocal issues of organic and functional origin under medical control, called by their doctors or speech therapists, here some of them https://atomic-temporary-42869468.wpcomstaging.com/cossu-method-program

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healthyvoice #vocalcoaching #breathforsingers #voicetools #functionalvoice #functionalbelcanto #functionalitalianbelcanto #cossumethod #improveyourvoice #vocalfolds #breathexercises #breathexercise #voicecoach #breathmanagement #breath #vocaltips #voiceteacher #voiceproduction #onlinecoaching #voiceonline #freeyourvoice #vocalcoach #voicecoaching #voicecoaches

What to expect from voice lessons: a list.

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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM VOICE LESSONS
I made a little list, since some frustration or effort or good satisfaction is the way of moving between some points.
I did not made 5 points for not professionals and 5 for professionals since the points go in the order I made the list. What happens in my practice is that some amateur want to just use lessons to be happy into point 10 jumping or with no appreciation of the previous and the joy of accomplish points 3 and 5. Sometimes professionals get scared of exploring points 6 and 10 and remain safely (but internally dissatisfied) into point 2 and 3. Other times some think of lessons and teachers as a substitute from moving from one point to the other. Sometimes they just use the lessons and teacher for what they are: tools to move from one point to the other while singing and enjoying and giving often better and with a great deal of satisfaction.
We can use technique and some tricks of experience and creativity to start the moving and progress, when we will get to each point is to no one to really say and control; certainly reality and sound and music will just tell us and can be surprisingly fast as pretty slow according to us and many factors that are not to be solved during or with the lessons.
The list can help to put in perspective some bad strategies and also relax in enjoying the actual point without stressing in doubt of not having yet a three steps after.
Good music and Friday all everywhere you are.

Is our voice really like a horse?

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CLe35YoH5oI/?igshid=3ji3uitlmeep

Last week a voice teacher in a group of professional teachers I follow wrote a witty and brilliant post with a list of points he follows in its lessons. I wrote that all the ones from his point 2 are mine and this takes away all the other points but the last. The last was on having a perfectly clean bathroom, yeah everybody still in lockdown and online lessons.

What was his second point to take away every other one? He does not accept students who do not sing in pitch: and as him many others do, as those who not have yet a voice. He asked me about my answer and I told him that basically I have all the students out of pitch the others did not want, the singers who start losing their pitch or never solved it really and have by that some career problems and I have had also many teachers when they start losing something and they do not know what to do about. In my concept they have to be treated in the same way, because they have something in common and it is the main reason teachers historically do not accept them.

To explain that I do a little diversion: some decades ago, as teen, it was discovered I could bring back into balance horses got dangerous. I am a pretty serious soul and I spent then summers in Uk to perfect my training skills and also there they gave me school horses not happy with kids anymore, or with various stiffnesses inexplicable or after surgeries while I did refine the technique. What I thought was that I could use some movements that were typical of a happy and joyful situation to change the emotional state of the horse, so to destress him and take away the preventive fear, and open back to what they mostly love: playing and collaborate with us. Also the joyful and happy gesture will improve and condition muscles and muscular chains and patterns so to have them present in every moment more than before. The origin being a physical trauma or not skilled kids moving heavy on their back or a not respectful or violent or inappropriate trainer? If repeated with no other input they would go in burnout as we do. So I was just putting back functionality and reopening the thing horses love most doing with us.

Why do I talk about horses? The voice is a horse and reacts as a horse. So is the student the horse? Not exactly. The student or the singer is both the horse and me, meaning by that the one the horse live playing with. Why teachers do not want the kind of singers we said previously? Because they have a bad horse? Not exactly, they do not refuse the horse but something the person clearly have shown of not being able to do: they have a burnout horse. So again: is the horse?

Do you remember bullies at school? Were they fragile or strong kids? We well see they are kids with a huge energy that has taken a bad flip, we see and experiment them as fragile as violent. Violent, not aggressive; their energy is not well expressed and it becomes the frustration of it in burst of violence. When do they save themselves, they discover that this fantastic energy they have inside is a hell of a gift. Taking care of their burnout horse is easy and will give some fresh air and good vibe to the other part, the smell of what they can really be and have inside. They will then have to learn not to always escalate but reopening easiness for their horse and by that the dialogue and playing with the other players. They have to learn to restrain themselves not to act the bully actions, suspending them for a certain time and thus letting the place for other things.

If they do then they will be the singers ev’ry teacher and musician want, as many of my students or professional have become. It is not easy and sometimes really annoying, and as teacher you must not have a problem in being profoundly straight as profoundly respectful of the human inside and fond of his qualities, with the vibe of the admiration of the true soul you have in front, acting protecting the horse but not loving less the non horse of that person. How this: not teaching the person but teaching on focusing and freeing and respecting the horse, that at the end is what we call in music listening and playing. Because a happy horse is sign of a hell of a rider ;).

In the group I will only write of how to free technically the horse. Have a good weekend everybody.