Joy Gardner teaching credentials:

  • BFA degree in Music Dance Theater from Brigham Young University Provo, UT
  • Drama teacher at Heritage Academy 2016-2019
  • Music adjunct faculty at Mesa Community College 2010-2011
  • Guest lecturer at University of Florida Musical Theater department 2008
  • Music adjunct faculty at Brigham Young University 2001-2004
  • Joy Gardner teaching studio established 1999

VOCAL EXERCISES

“Singing is not a natural process; it is a highly skilled art, and requires highly developed muscle reflexes. Singing does not demand much muscle strength, but it does call for a high degree of muscle coordination. At the beginning of vocal study, establishing vocal freedom is more important than learning to sing high or low. Warmup exercises should start in the most comfortable part of your range. Avoid singing any high notes until your voice is thoroughly warmed up; it is better to start with exercises of limited range and then move to wider and wider ones as the voice becomes more responsive.”
~James C. McKinney, The Diagnosis & Correction of Vocal Faults (Waveland Press 1994) pgs.109, 179

Voice Warmup Exercises

  • TOM BURKE Speech-Pathologist and Voice Coach: www.broadwayvoicebox.mykajabi.com
      • Practice GLIDING an octave. The goal is 2.5- 3 octaves
        • Glide from low to high
        • Glide high to low
        • Glide from middle to low then high.  
          1. Start with Straws Exercises. (If you're new to those, check out my oldie but goodie, bad lighting YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FStqHThEY9M )
          2. Then move to lip trills. 
          3. Next up: Fricatives. These include /v/ /z/ /zh/ and /th/. Do each of these while gliding over an octave. Record and number which ones are the easiest to hardest. Practice in that sequence. 1 8av, 2 8av in both ascending and descending glides. Then from middle to low then high.
          4. If Fricatives feel good, move to Nasals. Your nasals include /m/ /n/ /ng/. Test and glide in sequence like #3.
          5.  Finally work on vowels in this sequence: "ee" "ooh" "eh" "oh" "ah" 'uh. 


    • POSTURE:
      • Rib cage high throughout both taking a low breath and singing
      • Shoulders rolled back and down (Demonstrate with back against the wall.)
      • Neck long, back, and free. (Demonstrate with lengthen neck, ears over shoulders.)
      • Head lifting up and away from the spine, tipping slightly forward and down. This leaves space for the jaw to release and open the vocal tract as is needed on all vowels, but particularly for those vowels sung on higher pitches. Higher pitches require even more vocal tract space in order to preserve full, beautiful singing.
      • Hips brought forward in alignment with the upper torso while the buttocks are rolled slightly back and down. The singer should find a middle point between a full forward and a full rearward rotation of the hips
        •  Take a whole bodied LEAP as if into freezing cold water
          • purpose - Establish watery/fluid structural interrelationships in the body
        • Reach for apples- breath falls to the abdominal floor between each fragment of the warmup
        • Reach for tall, heavy suitcases- Chest out over toes; top of neck back over seat, shoulders rolled back.
          • purpose- Get body structures and breath foundation as far away from the larynx as possible.
    • ENERGIZE BREATH:
      • Staccato: --- shh shh shh shh shhee he he he he --- (5. 5. 5. 5. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1 --- moving successively DOWN the scale)
        • Purpose- Balance FORCE and FLOW of the breath 
      • Breathing Exercise
    • RESONANCE:
      • --- shay. o---ay---o---ay. o---ay---o---ay. hay. hay! (5. 3---4---2---3. 1---2---7---1. 5. 1.)
      • FACIAL POSITION to achieve resonance in singing and to keep vocal folds floppy:
        • Lift top of pharynx by lifting the soft palate- Cheeks squeezing your nose off your face  
        • To stretch the space open at the back of the pharynx pull lip corners open and forward as if sucking on a large apple.
        • The bottom of the pharynx will open as you release your jaw hinge throughout singing. (“The jaw goes down to the devil and the cheeks go up to the angels”)
        • Keep your tongue forward as if tasting your bottom, lower teeth (this facial position is not natural, and so your tongue will want to pull back...do NOT let it!
    • DICTION / ARTICULATION:
      • Sing on 5 note scale: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, wa, ha...ha...ha...han.” (moving successively UP the scale)
        • As pitches rise: REDUCE FORCE as diaphragm continues to fall in the body, but ADD FLOW “spitting” freely through the lips and tongue.
    • EXTEND VOCAL RANGE:
      • ------she. e,e,e. e,e,e. e,e,e. e,e,e,e,e,e,e,e,e,e,e. e,e,e. e,e,e. e. e. e. e. ------(1 ... 123. .345. .567..... 71234321765 .....543.. .321. 3. 5. 3. 1)
    Clayne W. Robison, Beautiful Singing: Mind Warp Moments (Clayne Robison) 2001

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