Firstly, despite my best efforts he continues to sing through his nose. Secondly, he's got it into his head that he can't do it, he's panicking and losing all his breath on the opening note. (for those familiar with the show, we're doing Godspell and he's not coping with "Prepare Ye..."). [The Szymanski Studio] Dear Ian: I find great success in having students "speak" the words in a pitch similar to that which they need to sing. This often seems to help find good natural placement, and uses the breath in a natural and appropriate way for the task at hand. Have him do "prepare ye" as if he were speaking the text, getting everyone's attention and "setting the stage" for events to come (as it were). As for the nasality, that's a tough one if it's habitual, but I tell them that they need to lift the soft palate to provide balance in the tone, and use these as hints to feel this: beginning of a yawn, snoring, intake of breath as in a surprise. Other fun ideas for achieving good tone for men: "imitating the "Count" from Sesame Street, imitating an opera singer, and making the sound of a ghost using "oh" or "oo".
Hope this helps! Sharon Szymanski
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