Phillip Simpson Music

One thing that often gets overlooked in voice lessons is the treatment and classification of the voice an instrument. Just as a cello uses a bow, strings, a sound post and many other anatomical components to make sound, so does the voice have the diaphragm, intercostal muscles, lungs, vocal cords and more.

But why does this get overlooked? As infants, we learn to speak a language, sometimes more than one, fairly effortlessly through copying sounds heard by those close to us and putting them together to create words and sentences. We also, have the very innate ability to hum or sing along to a song on the radio. Neither of these really allows for a conscious thought on the subject of technique or the mechanisms at play and as a result, it can be easy to separate the voice from other musical instruments.

When it comes to vocal coaching as a whole and not simply singing, it is important to address this and teach the student the physiological aspects of vocal production and not just the musical ones to allow a better understanding of their individual instrument.