Chordaires practice posture and breath management while blowing air through a flexible straw into water. They are (from left) Janet Lewis, Nancy Roberts, Libby Bender, and Denise Van Dyke.
Linda Ryan
In the past, the Chordaires took a vacation from singing and, instead, played cards or did craft projects together. This summer, they decided they would rather sing than do other activities, since the love of music brought them together in the first place.
Tenor Loraine Taneja volunteered to put together a learning and practice course for the year-round residents. The course consists of 10 sessions.
“The sessions are in person and are intended to be a time to sing together and keep vocal skills from deteriorating all summer,” Loraine says. “We learn new, useful techniques to apply and have actual time to work on voice production in a low-key, low-pressure environment. Each of us can work individually to learn and apply techniques while not under the time constraints of rehearsal during the show season,” she says.
Using a straw to make vocal sounds, often called straw phonation, is super helpful for older voices. As we get older, our vocal cords can become thinner, less flexible, and not work together as smoothly. This can make our voices sound breathy, weaker, and get tired easily.
“When you hum or make sounds into a straw, it creates a little bit of back pressure in your mouth and throat. This pressure helps your vocal cords come together more easily and vibrate with less effort. It’s like giving your vocal cords a gentle workout,” Loraine explains. “This can lead to a clearer, stronger, and richer voice. The straw also helps your vocal cords vibrate in a healthier way, which can actually help keep them from getting too thin as you age.”
The group also sings the songs from their repertoire and the spring show for fun and to apply the techniques.
If you love music and singing, even if you haven’t sung with a group for a long time, this would be a great opportunity to get acquainted with the Chordaires, learn some new skills, and play with music. All of those benefits have been proven to help keep people young and vibrant.
If you’re interested, contact Linda Ryan at lindagryan@live.com to attend a session.