No preamble. Let's just jump into it.
Get on the floor or on your bed. Lie on your back with your knees bent.
Take a couple of deep breaths.
Notice that you are breathing from your stomach area.
Make several high pitched fire engine siren imitations, each time going higher and louder.
Notice that you are breathing and pushing from the stomach area.
Notice that your shoulders are not going up.
Notice that your chest may not be going up.
If your chest did go up, good. Keep it there.
Keep
it there as if you were in the Army and your drill sergeant barked at
you (from his diaphragm) "STICK OUT YOUR CHEST! SUCK IN THAT GUT."
Now cough.
Notice it came from the stomach area, or diaphragm.
Yell "NO. BAD." as if your dog is about to void on your new white carpet.
Notice it came from your diaphragm.
Yell "FIRE."
Yell (quietly-in case someone hears you) "help."
Whisper "Awwwww . . ." while thinking about a new born baby.
Where did you feel it?
Notice that in order to project both loudly and quietly, it came from your diaphragm.
These
are all great exercises to awaken you on how to breath properly. Now
for the hard part. Stand up and try it. You may succeed a few times
but as the day goes on, you will most likely lapse into shallow upper
chest breathing again. That's okay. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Get back on the floor and keep in mind your drill sergeant's
instruction: Stick out the chest (to make room for air) and suck in the
gut (to push the air out). What goes in must also come out, so, in
order to breath again, your diaphragm or stomach must expand.
Breathing while on your back is how the machine of your body is designed
to operate. Maintaining that mechanism while standing takes a little
bit of work. The stomach expands to let air into the lungs so the
stomach must pull in to push the air out.
The summer Olympic
Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are not until 2016 but this summer, if
there are swimming competitions on TV, watch them. Professional
athletes are not only trained to breath from the diaphragm but by nature
and physical demand, they do so naturally. Watch the swimmers when
they get out of the pool. Look at their stomachs. Most will be
breathing from there. Sure, a few shoulders may rise and a few chests
may collapse but keep an eye on the stomach. That is where all the work
is being done.
Professional singers are not always good to watch
because many do not breath properly. Isn't it ironic. Some of them
think they know what they are doing but don't, while others are more
concerned with how they look and won't expand their stomachs. Another
hindrance is that their clothing may hide the true action of the
diaphragm. That is why shirtless athletes are easy to learn from.
Many
teachers who teach singing from the diaphragm fail because they either
don't truly know what they are doing or are too afraid to look at or
touch their students out of fear of a sexual harassment charge. You
will often see singers touching their own stomachs to assert or verify
they are breathing properly but that isn't necessary for, if you are
breathing properly, you feel it in your voice, head and whole being.
When
you blow up a balloon, it doesn't fill up just on one side but, the
entire balloon fills up. Your whole upper body must do the same.
Someone looking at you from behind should be able to see your whole
upper body expand from the back, sides and front. When you take a
breath, imagine your whole body is a balloon and you are filling it. Your ribs are designed to expand, let them.
Breathing
should be effortless. To take a breath, we need only to relax the
diaphragm and the air should fall into our lungs effortlessly. To
exhale, or yell help or fire or bad or hey, that takes pushing or
pulling in. If we find taking the breath requires effort, that is
because we are trying to breath in and push out at the same time. You
can't inhale and exhale at the same time. If a singer runs out of
breath on simple phrases, chances are they are trying to take in more
air before they used up or pushed out what is already inside them. You
can't fill what is already full. You need to empty first, completley.
Get back on the bed for more practice.
Mark Wahlberg does a great
job demonstrating proper breathing in the movie "Rock Star" where he
spends most of his on stage scenes shirtless and you can see him breath
properly. Even though many pop stars and rappers run around the stage
shirtless, I advise not watching them for, many of them are breathing
from their chest and shoulders. Anyone who runs out of breath, cracks
or wavers is doing it wrong. Don't try to learn from them. Well, learn
what not to do.
Breathing properly is good for oxygenating the
blood. Oxygenated blood gives you energy, promotes healing, helps with
clearer thinking and is beneficial for overall health. You can't heal
or lose weight or think clearly if you are not breathing properly. If
you ever develop breathing issues from smoking or some disorder such as
COPD, you'll be glad that you took the time to learn how to breath
fully.
So everybody, for your homework, go to bed.
Musician Malcolm Kogut has been tickling the ivories since he was 14 and won the NPM DMMD Musician of the Year award in 99. He has CDs along with many published books. Malcolm played in the pit for many Broadway touring shows. When away from the keyboard, he loves exploring the nooks, crannies and arresting beauty of the Adirondack Mountains, battling gravity on the ski slopes and roller coasters.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Culinary Institute of America, Second Annual Beef Buffet
Thursday, January 29, 2015
St. Fabian and St. Sebastian: Saint of the Day
Several years ago I used to attend a daily Mass said by a priest who had
an affinity to the Saints. He always made their stories and
accomplishments so meaningful so I thought I'd share some of my notes
here. I kept copious notes in case I was ever called upon creating a
liturgical celebration based on the person of interest. Today, of
course, we have the internet.
January 20th is the optional memorial day of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian. Both were martyrs and persecuted for simply being Christian. Fabian holds the honor of being elected Pope but was not even a priest at the time of his election. Sebastian was a soldier who comforted the people he was about to kill. When the emperor found out that Sebastian was a Christian, he was ordered to be killed by a bowmen firing squad. There are many famous paintings of Sebastian with a dozen or so arrows sticking out of him. That isn't all he is famous for. He survived his execution and after being nursed to health, he confronted the emperor yet again and of course, was executed again. Sebastian is the patron saint of athletes.
It must have taken tremendous courage to be a Christian in a time when they were hated. Even today we're no stranger to hate. The Nazi's hated the Jews, Lebanon hates Israel, the Puritans who escaped Europe from religious persecution came to North America only to persecute people who were not pure like them, European settlers hated the Native Americans because the Native Americans resented being forced off their land so they had the nerve to fight back. Other classes and groups of people we loved to hate in recent history: blacks, gays, women, Irish, Mexicans, English, French, Muslim, Japanese, rich people and even poor people.
In my town a business was going to build two halfway houses for people newly released from prison with arrest records. Everyone thought it was a noble idea and the purchase of the property was approved in a non-residential area. Then someone found out that the people living there could include the dreaded sex offender. As word spread like wildfire the next town hall meeting was filled to capacity by people protesting this halfway house rumored to be full of registered sex offenders. All permissions were rescinded. What is amazing is that when people thought these buildings would house drug dealers, gang members, burglars, robbers, wife beaters, drunk drivers, drug users, murderers and animal abusers, nobody had a problem with it because everyone deserves a second chance. But, if a 19 year old high school senior who had sex with his 16 year old high school sweetheart might move in - he is a child molester and rapist and nobody saw anything wrong with ostracizing him and everyone else along with him. Even though the halfway house was for anyone arrested, not just the good criminals like murderers, armed robbers and drug dealers.
When Charlie Hebdo was attacked by terrorists, the West united with rallies and protests reciting the phrase "Je suis Charlie." The West saw this as a statement in support for freedom of speech while the Islamic religion saw the rallies as an affront to the Prophet Muhammad. Neither party is wrong because of their cultural differences but it shouldn't be that difficult for either party to say they're sorry; maybe it is.
It is good to remember Fabian and Sebastian and their persecution. Both fought and peacefully stood up for what they believed. Did they have to die for it? Must history repeat itself?
January 20th is the optional memorial day of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian. Both were martyrs and persecuted for simply being Christian. Fabian holds the honor of being elected Pope but was not even a priest at the time of his election. Sebastian was a soldier who comforted the people he was about to kill. When the emperor found out that Sebastian was a Christian, he was ordered to be killed by a bowmen firing squad. There are many famous paintings of Sebastian with a dozen or so arrows sticking out of him. That isn't all he is famous for. He survived his execution and after being nursed to health, he confronted the emperor yet again and of course, was executed again. Sebastian is the patron saint of athletes.
It must have taken tremendous courage to be a Christian in a time when they were hated. Even today we're no stranger to hate. The Nazi's hated the Jews, Lebanon hates Israel, the Puritans who escaped Europe from religious persecution came to North America only to persecute people who were not pure like them, European settlers hated the Native Americans because the Native Americans resented being forced off their land so they had the nerve to fight back. Other classes and groups of people we loved to hate in recent history: blacks, gays, women, Irish, Mexicans, English, French, Muslim, Japanese, rich people and even poor people.
In my town a business was going to build two halfway houses for people newly released from prison with arrest records. Everyone thought it was a noble idea and the purchase of the property was approved in a non-residential area. Then someone found out that the people living there could include the dreaded sex offender. As word spread like wildfire the next town hall meeting was filled to capacity by people protesting this halfway house rumored to be full of registered sex offenders. All permissions were rescinded. What is amazing is that when people thought these buildings would house drug dealers, gang members, burglars, robbers, wife beaters, drunk drivers, drug users, murderers and animal abusers, nobody had a problem with it because everyone deserves a second chance. But, if a 19 year old high school senior who had sex with his 16 year old high school sweetheart might move in - he is a child molester and rapist and nobody saw anything wrong with ostracizing him and everyone else along with him. Even though the halfway house was for anyone arrested, not just the good criminals like murderers, armed robbers and drug dealers.
When Charlie Hebdo was attacked by terrorists, the West united with rallies and protests reciting the phrase "Je suis Charlie." The West saw this as a statement in support for freedom of speech while the Islamic religion saw the rallies as an affront to the Prophet Muhammad. Neither party is wrong because of their cultural differences but it shouldn't be that difficult for either party to say they're sorry; maybe it is.
It is good to remember Fabian and Sebastian and their persecution. Both fought and peacefully stood up for what they believed. Did they have to die for it? Must history repeat itself?
Labels:
arrest,
cultural differences,
differences,
executed,
hate,
malcolm kogut,
persecution,
prison,
saint,
sex offender,
shirtless,
St. Fabian,
St. Sebastian,
terrorist. christian,
town meeting
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
THE HUMANITY
Last Sunday, the phone calls and emails started coming in saying "We're canceling Tuesday." Even some of my Wednesday appointments have been canceled. You see, a once every hundred years, storm of the century, snowmagedden was coming and people were canceling appointments, meetings and life in general to prepare to be socked in and and thusly pounded by Mother Nature.
Well, let me tell you, the storm was so bad, that the plows haven't even been down my street yet. I live at the end of a dead end street so we are always the last to be plowed so, here is a picture of my street Tuesday morning at the height of the blizzard.
The weather forecasters are so embarrassed (none have yet to admit or apologize for their error), that they are showing footage from cities over 300 miles away in an effort to justify their "sky is falling" mentality. It's all about the ratings, isn't it.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Cantors Verses Soloist
For a series of cantor workshops, I complied a video of cantors singing the responsorial psalm. These clips were culled from the Sunday morning Roman Catholic televised Mass in my diocese.
As you listen and watch, don't judge the singer. Don't judge their training or quality of voice. Instead, listen for inflection. Do you beleive what they are proclaiming? Do you think they beleive what they are proclaiming? Are they proclaiming? Are they preoccupied with performing? Do they appear warm and welcoming? Do they seem nervous? Are their gestures on the beat? Do they have any unnecessary movements? Do they make eye contact with everyone? Do they stare at their music? Does it seem like they are proclaiming the Word of God or singing a song? Do they look happy to be there? Are they dynamic? Do they smile?
I had a conversation with a singer regarding the subtle difference between a cantor and soloist. Here are some of the thoughts I shared with her.
A cantor proclaims.
A soloist sings.
A cantor looks at the congregation during the introduction.
A soloist looks at the music, floor, pianist.
A cantor has part of the music memorized (like the refrain) and looks at the people while singing it.
A soloist stares at the music.
A cantor gestures and cues the assembly.
A soloist just stands there.
A cantor (during the Psalm) doesn't sing the refrain but looks at the people as they respond to her.
A soloist sings her own response.
A cantor prayed the text during the week that she is going to proclaim on Sunday.
A soloist learned the song she is going to sing.
A cantor has people come up to them after the service to tell them how the text spoke to them.
A soloist has people come up to them after the service to tell them how beautiful they sang.
I demand that all my cantors memorize part of the Psalm so that they can look out at the people. If a cantor sings from Psalm 27, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, of whom shall I be afraid." and looks out at someone who is scheduled for surgery tomorrow, it can have a huge impact on that person.
If a cantor sings from Psalm 42, "Why should I mourn and toil within when it is mine to hope in God?" and looks out at a teen thinking about suicide, it can make a difference in their life.
If a cantor sings from Psalm 63, "As morning breaks, I look to you to be my strength this day." and looks at someone starting a new job tomorrow, it could make a difference for that person.
If a cantor sings from Isaiah 43, "I have called you each by name. I love you and you are mine." and looks at someone who is lonely, it might make a difference in their life.
A cantor, if they do all those things, will grow by leaps and bounds.
A soloist, may grow through years of repetition.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Christian Unity Octave
Happy Unity Octave, January 18 - 25th.
"Octave" is a Latin word meaning eight. According to the first creation story, God created the world in seven days. The resurrection of Jesus was called the "eight day" by early Christians because now life was to be lived in a whole new dimension of freedom.
Many churches have forgotten that we are all one body and all are welcome. We are quick to judge, deny, exclude and ostracize others under the banner of our own brand of Christianity. Some churches love to hate.
I played at the funeral of a Protestant minister's mother. In attendance were several clergy including a Roman Catholic priest. He both received and distributed Communion. Afterward he asked me not to tell anyone. I thought it was a beautiful ecumenical example of brotherhood, Christianity, communion, passion and breaking of the bread.
So during this octave, we are to pray that all may come together, not judge, put aside our differences and celebrate our commonalities. The Church Unity Octave ends on January 25, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. If Paul, Saul of Tarsus, the crazed terrorist and murderer of Christians is welcome . . .
"Octave" is a Latin word meaning eight. According to the first creation story, God created the world in seven days. The resurrection of Jesus was called the "eight day" by early Christians because now life was to be lived in a whole new dimension of freedom.
Many churches have forgotten that we are all one body and all are welcome. We are quick to judge, deny, exclude and ostracize others under the banner of our own brand of Christianity. Some churches love to hate.
I played at the funeral of a Protestant minister's mother. In attendance were several clergy including a Roman Catholic priest. He both received and distributed Communion. Afterward he asked me not to tell anyone. I thought it was a beautiful ecumenical example of brotherhood, Christianity, communion, passion and breaking of the bread.
So during this octave, we are to pray that all may come together, not judge, put aside our differences and celebrate our commonalities. The Church Unity Octave ends on January 25, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. If Paul, Saul of Tarsus, the crazed terrorist and murderer of Christians is welcome . . .
Saturday, January 17, 2015
The Holy Man in the Mountains
Today, January 17, is the memorial of one of my favorite
saints; St. Anthony of Egypt. At the age of 20 both of his parents had
died and he inherited a fortune. He gave it away to the poor and then
went to live in the quietest place he could find which was a tomb in a
cemetery in the desert. The only people he spoke to were other hermits
and outcasts of society.
He later moved to an abandoned fort high in the mountains where for 20 years he didn't see another person. He was the legendary Holy Man in the mountains whom people began to seek for counsel. It was said that his face glowed with radiant happiness.
When Christians were being persecuted and thrown into prison he left the mountains to comfort them and because of who he was and the holiness he exuded, he himself was never arrested. He then returned to the desert and founded a monastery where he took care of his pets and garden for 45 years, living to the age of 105. He read no books saying that it was nature which spoke to him of God.
I have an elderly friend from Mexico who told me that on St. Anthony's feast day, when my friend was a child, they would paint their pets, animals and livestock, dress them up in clothes and wreaths of flowers, then bring them to the church for a blessing.
In my state, if you painted your pet, you'd go to prison for ten years under Buster's Law.
He later moved to an abandoned fort high in the mountains where for 20 years he didn't see another person. He was the legendary Holy Man in the mountains whom people began to seek for counsel. It was said that his face glowed with radiant happiness.
When Christians were being persecuted and thrown into prison he left the mountains to comfort them and because of who he was and the holiness he exuded, he himself was never arrested. He then returned to the desert and founded a monastery where he took care of his pets and garden for 45 years, living to the age of 105. He read no books saying that it was nature which spoke to him of God.
I have an elderly friend from Mexico who told me that on St. Anthony's feast day, when my friend was a child, they would paint their pets, animals and livestock, dress them up in clothes and wreaths of flowers, then bring them to the church for a blessing.
In my state, if you painted your pet, you'd go to prison for ten years under Buster's Law.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)