Maggie - McCoy - Ch. 3

 I loved reading this chapter because I have always had a fascination with how our bodies play a role in our voices. I took an anatomy class my freshman year of college solely for the purpose of applying my newfound knowledge of my body to my singing ability. Luckily, this did make the reading very easy to understand all of the anatomical language, but the direct application to singing and breathing made it much more satisfying than my anatomy class. I was fascinated by the discussion of the three different ways to breath and what muscles are being used. 

All of this made me think of my upbringing in Kansas City, Missouri which I now feel very lucky for. My choir teacher did focus a lot on the anatomical difference between men and women--which was discussed briefly in the chapter--and how that affects our breathing and he actively taught that difference so we could improve individually. He also spoke a lot about the diaphragm and the fact that he hated it when people said "Breath through your diaphragm." I couldn't tell (frankly) if this chapter proved that right or wrong. If I'm being honest, however, I do agree with my teacher. The chapter did mention that we don't feel our diaphragm nor do most singers have control over it. This director would commonly say that if we focus on breathing through our ribs and abdomen instead, our diaphragm will naturally be engaged and we don't have to worry about controlling it. In my experience, focusing on "breathing with my diaphragm" creates forced and shallow breaths but just expanding my ribs and relaxing my abdomen is what gives me the most support and control. My voice teacher (married to my choir teacher) was also very consistent with connecting my body to my voice and would provide as much anatomical insight as she could to help me improve my breath control and support. 

I like that he acknowledged that our thoracic region is not the only factor in our breathing; it spans up through the larynx as well. However, this chapter did a very good job at simplifying the anatomy of the breath enough that it was easy to apply, experiment with, and understand what breathing techniques I use and how my own body specifically contributes to my voice. 

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