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2007/09/11, 07:31 PM
I am a freshman undergrad at the Juilliard School in NYC. I major in classical singing, and have been told by my teacher that i should stop lifting weights because he said that it will screw up my voice. I have been lifting and doing bodybuilding routines for 3 years, so it will be very hard for me to give up lifting. Does anyone have any suggestions on alternative ways to stay muscular, lean, and happy without weights?
-Tobias
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2007/09/11, 07:37 PM
He sounds misinformed to me. One benefit of core exercises would be a stronger diaphram. Could you just lift on the sly? There is no way lifting will hurt your singing ability. Now you probably won't look like the average opera singer but you'll sing as well as ever.
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From aboard MV The Shop
Johns Island
Charlie
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2007/09/11, 07:38 PM
Um.... that's a new one.
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I see the words you are typing, but all I read is *click*click*click*
\"He may be gone, but Sanjaya proved that it doesn\'t matter how talented you are - if you believe in yourself, you can annoy literally millions of people.\" Jimmy Kimmel
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2007/09/11, 08:22 PM
possibly stronger of more defined neck muscles strainging the vocal chords or atleast changing their sound ????
i found this on the net.......
Bodybuilding and Opera
From voiceteacher.com
"This singer made the supreme mistake: working out hours per day at a gym. (I DO recommend reasonable exercise on a daily basis for any singer, but NEVER heavy weights that build up the neck muscles.) His abdominal muscles were so tight and tense that he could not breathe properly. This made it extremely difficult if not impossible to relax a low breath into the body. After 6 months of study, I suggested that he make a choice: continue to embrace extreme exercise and STOP singing or adopt moderate exercise in order to sing well. This created such an emotional crisis for him that he left the studio to seek other instruction. In his mind I am sure he felt that he could continue bodybuilding and still sing well. This did not happen and, due to a lack of musicality, he never became an accomplished singer. His inability to create a musical phrase was a direct result of over-exercising the body to the point of locking the breathing muscles. It reminds me of a phrase that a friend of mine made many years ago. ?Real talent is choice making!? This singer made a choice that cost him his career."
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Get busy living or get busy dying.
Rabula Tasa- Latin meaning Clean Slate
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2007/09/11, 08:40 PM
First off, obviously you aren't going to go to an opera teacher for anatomy lessons. That said, I like to believe I know something about the human body...
You're neck muscles won't grow just because you start lifting. They require direct attention just like any other muscle in the body. If you are afraid of them bulking, don't train them.
Second, weak people commonly confuse being muscular or strong with being tight and inflexible. In fact, it is the exact opposite, as more muscular people tend to be able to better relax their muscles and achieve greater flexibility.
You're opera teacher should stick with what he is good at, and leave the rest for us. It is because of people like him/her that there are so many myths about the human body.
Good luck at Julliard.
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SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde
Mortal by birth.
Strongman by the grace of god.
Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
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2007/09/11, 09:03 PM
There you go. In addition to being a Physicalbiomechanicalhumanexercise major, Wrestler is the lead singer for "The Clash"
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From aboard MV The Shop
Johns Island
Charlie
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2007/09/11, 09:39 PM
thought it was duran duran :)
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Get busy living or get busy dying.
Rabula Tasa- Latin meaning Clean Slate
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2007/09/11, 10:01 PM
if you subtract the physicalalhumanexercise, then you have my major correct...
And you all should know, I was Pavoratti's voice coach.
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SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde
Mortal by birth.
Strongman by the grace of god.
Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
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2007/09/11, 10:13 PM
And I heard Luciano squatted upwards of 600. Like I told you, the blond kid's pretty smart.
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From aboard MV The Shop
Johns Island
Charlie
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2007/09/12, 08:15 AM
Hmm, sounds like the guy didn't have a very good voicei nstructor - your voice teacher should teach you to breath correctly. Your training should enhance that.
My Dad is a voice teacher and refers his clients to me for training....
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Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
Thomas Carlyle
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2007/09/13, 12:43 PM
How does your teacher look? Sorry, just curious about that. I find it hard to believe that a teacher would say something like that! Even harder that it would be a teacher from one of the greatest performing arts schools in the United States.
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Bettia
Life is all about timing... the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable become available, the unattainable... attainable. Have the patience, wait it out It is all about timing.
-Stacey Chapman
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2007/10/01, 05:43 AM
I was told that doing a lot of sit-ups was a bad idea for a singer, and so I used that as an excise not to do them. When you're starting out to learn how to sing properly, weight training might get in the way a bit, but... If you already have the technique and the training, I think weights might be good for you. The thing is... the quick inhale where you sort of "drop" your bottom so the air gushes in to fill the vacuum, is something you learn in the beginning if you have good training. That might be tough if you have a very mascular abdomen. For keeping the tone even, long and stong, you need a strong back as well as a strong diaphragm, and weights will help you there (as do horseback riding). Working out also teaches you a lot about your own body, which is useful for a singer as well. If you worry about your breathing, then do some test breathing exercises after working out, and you'll know if it is still OK or if you have to change your routine a little.
BTW... I'm a singer with classical schooling.
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Getting there...
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2007/11/01, 09:19 PM
I would have to say that your teacher isn't well informed. We have had some of our schools weightlifters and football players in choir before and they can sing perfectly fine.
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2008/10/28, 12:01 PM
I understand your situation. I graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Vocal Perf. and am now working on my M.M. in Voice. To a greater extent, working out the body can be great and swimming is very good for support. Dramatic soprano, Birgit Nilsson, used to swim a lot to help her singing and claimed it was a great tool to help her breath. Last year, I was in a similar situation as you. I had worked my core out way too much by doing hundreds of crunches and ab exercises a day. I looked great, but my vocal production was much harder to sustain due to constriction of breath. My abs/diaghram were not working properly because they were too tight and they could not release in the manner that is right for classical/operatic singing. There is a doctoral student at my school who is doing her dissertation on pilates and singing. She claims that it is a great way to help your body, as well as, your vocal technique. I think a big secret is not to do any exercises that allow the body to breath shallow and chesty. All singing begins with muscle memory, and too many repetitions of bad breathing will manifest into a basis for bad technique. I am in the process of getting back in shape. If you find any good core exercises that don't effect your singing technique, let me know!
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