Tag: vocalcoaching

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

Here the presentation (the two workshops will not be published) at Pan-European Voice Conference PEVoC14 on the central topic of how body’s joints far from vocal tract are directly implied into voice production and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 For confidentiality reasons the two one hour long workshops will not be published but I will publish some practices and exercises.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://luciacossu.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

by Lucia Cossu

I will give one presentation and two workshops at Pan-European Voice Conference PEVoC14 in August in Tallinn, honoured and very happy to announce.

Very happy to announce.

Lucia Cossu

Very happy to announce. Three abstracts on three submitted have been accepted and I will be presenting them at 14th Pan-European Voice Conference PEVoC14 in August in Tallin. I will present on some topics which are at the centre of my practice, cossumethod and ideas; there will be some of them and an hypothesis on some biomechanics of our instrument. Very excited and pleased, also happy to go and to encounter the other participants and our hosts from Tallin Academy of Music, University and Estonian Society of Otorhinolaryngology.

Wish me luck, it is my first time (also first time ever I submitted abstract) Will it be so different than singing Bach or teaching?
Very pleased, see you there if you come.

#pevoc14 #voiceteacher #vocaltechnique #vocalcoach #tallin #voice #singing #singerbiomechanics

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


by Lucia Cossu

Breath exercise: unblock lungs and vocal tract

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://luciacossu.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

by Lucia Cossu

Ask me series

On Thursday in my Instagram @lucia_cossu_voiceteacher ask me a question in English, French and Italian. Follow me if you want to ask or just come by to read, you were many more I thought. See you next Thursday.

voicelessons #voiceteacher #vocalcoachingonline #askmeaquestion #voiceteachersofinstagram #funthursday #luciacossu #vocaltechnique #vocaltips

by Lucia Cossu

What to expect from voice lessons: a list.

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.

by Lucia Cossu

Is our voice really like a horse?

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.

by Lucia Cossu

Alice and me the series the end

*the series was streamed on YouTube where it remains available to see the process and the proceeding, here you hear that she can just go and record.   @lucia_cossu_voiceteacher    #aliceandme #aliceandmetheseries

We are at the end of these 6 weeks, Alice performs again. She decides to stream it on her Instagram while we stream on Youtube. She decides to sing 5 songs. She risks more, enjoy.

by Lucia Cossu