Reflections on Singing: The Soft Palate

As I watched some seagulls glide in circles in an air current today, I took a moment to stop and look up and take a deep breath. As I felt my soft palate rise and my breath go deep, I thought "Hey, this is good for singing!" Singing is all about biofeedback--learning to open up the body, and create a state of relaxed alertness--fight or flight, but in a good way. And when your voice floats and spins easily on your breath, it is a lot like flying and you, my friend, are the pilot. So take a moment, look up in the sky, take a deep breath through your nose and feel that soft palate prepare for take off! Think of the words "awe" and "awesome"--nice big fat vowels to play with and get ready to fly.