Institute for Vocal Advancement

I came across this article by the teachers at the Institute for Vocal Advancement, and it’s on style and technique – Singing Technique vs. Style – The IVA Singers Site … and it struck me that many of you might find this helpful.
 

 
The Institute for Vocal Advancement website describes the technique with the following. Their definition is a little verbose, but we’ll break it down.

The Institute for Vocal Advancement technique is based on 17th and 18th Century principles of singing developed by the Schola Cantorum. Our goal is to train voices to sing in a free and natural manner, smoothly, from the bottom of the range to the top with no breaks or sudden changes in quality. Training in this technique gives the singer access to all dynamics, with tonal clarity and flexibility. Also, training in this technique helps improve a singer’s range, endurance, stamina, breath control, resonance, vocal strength and vocal quality across all styles of music without fatigue or damage to the voice. We accomplish these results by training the singer to find a balance between airflow and intrinsic muscular resistance, all within a resting laryngeal posture.

 
The technique is (for the most part) based on techniques that have been used for centuries by specific very effective voice trainers.

In general, this is the philosophy underpinning what the Institute for Vocal Advancement tries to do. When the voice is trained well, with effective techniques that also respect the way the voice works, we see dramatic results. Not only do we suddenly find that it feels a lot easier to sing, but your voice and vocal tone also sounds better. This is often very counter-intuitive and confusing for singers, as many singers and coaches seem to insist the opposite. Whether implicitly or explicitly, many seem to think it’s normal to encounter discomfort when singing, and you have to put up with that.

This is just NOT true.

When singers experience what good technique can do for their voices, they are often astounded by how relaxing and freeing it is to sing. Simultaneously they also notice a dramatic improvement in the tone of their voice.

Where I differ in my views from the Institute for Vocal Advancement

While I studied with IVA, in my own development as a coach I have found the technique in isolation to be lacking or insufficient. More specifically, I found that the technique led to a less well-developed and well-rounded state of vocal development than great singing requires. Finding ease of phonation is of course important, but must then be accompanied by development of a full dynamic range. It is in this regard that the IVA technique as taught, in my opinion, does not develop the voice far enough.

This was also a common complaint levelled at many SLS teachers, in that they never encouraged singers to find their full dynamic range. In my experience and interactions with numerous SLS teachers, this was more a failing of proponents of SLS, rather than SLS itself. Talk to Seth Riggs or any of his close understudies and you’ll realise maximal dynamic range was CRITICAL to fulfilling every voices’ true potential. Often starting light was essential, but was only ever a stepping stone to full development of a voice.
 

 
When you get an MOT for your car, the mechanic identifies where your car isn’t operating as perfectly as it should. From there, the mechanics adjusts those elements that are out of balance. As soon as the mechanic does that, the car just runs and drives smoothly. Everything just works.

The same is true with your voice.

That means that not only does it feel easier to sing, and not only does it sound better, but it results in an increase in range (yes, that’s right!). Not only is there an increase in range, but it’s also free from breaks, flips, inconsistencies, etc.

An increase in range is an automatic result of the voice operating functionally the way it is intended to operate. It takes time to smooth out this new range, but it is a by-product of good vocal function.

All this information about muscular resistance is the science-y way of saying ‘we get your voice to work as intended’. Vocal balance is the key here. We don’t want too much muscle, too little muscle, too much air, too little air, too much resistance, too little resistance, etc. We want to train the voice to keep all of these factors in equilibrium. Once we have that balance, we then work on exploring dynamic range within that balance. This is a much longer process than some might think.

 
Singing is NOT something that you can learn just by reading about it. No-one can be expected to learn to drive a car well just by reading a manual. You need to get in a car and do it. But like driving a car, you need an instructor. Otherwise it can be frustrating or even dangerous.

It’s not that we don’t want to tell you how to do it in a blog article, it’s that we cannot adequately describe it in words. It requires specific tools to deliver that experience to you and your specific voice. It’s only by experiencing it for yourself that it begins to make sense.

It really doesn’t do it justice to just describe good technique in words, it quite literally has to be felt to be understood. Believe me, when studying with a high quality voice teacher who knows how to build and maximise your voice, you should immediately feel the benefits.
 

 
If you’d like to experience this for yourself, by all means drop me a line and we can get your voice working the way you need it to.