Exploring Learning and Unlearning in Singing Technique (Breath)

Abstract

"The future belongs to those who will never stop learning - this is a very modern mindset. Learning is a lifelong habit. It is a process, a work in progress for a lifetime. This process can have many stages and I want to explore them in this article, because becoming aware of them we can improve our knowledge and our benefits from learning. This information can be useful in pedagogy but also in the self-control of professionals, because this article is regarding the professional singer’s development, focusing on the breathing technique in singing. The society we live in is an extremely dynamic one, changes are happening faster and faster, and knowledge is a must, a continuous process that does not stop with the completion of studies. Discovering one’s own ignorance can be the start of progress. The most modern learning process admits and embraces the dynamic between learning, unlearning, and relearning - at whatever professional stage we are. The present article is not intended to be a new breathing technique proposal, nor an exposition or a debate of the multiple existing breathing techniques... but to state the main objectives of the optimal breathing of a professional singer and the possible defects that must be corrected. The focus of this article is the availability of learning, experimentation and permanent discovery of one’s own body and mind - corelating them with the functionality of the technique, under the guidance of a teacher or in the individual study of each singer - in short, an invitation to make the rehearsals much more flexibles. Keywords: learning, unlearning, relearning, singing technique, breath"