+++It (the yawn-sigh)was a big rage during the 50's and into the 60's but I seldom hear anyone mention it much anymore. The same "popular" techniques idea can also be applied to the rage to "place the voice in the masque", which is still around. +++
I understand that a the idea of the "lowered larynx" was also more in vogue after more Germanic teachers immigrated to the United States after WWII than had previously been the case! At the risk of sounding simplistic, may I simply state: "Balance, balance, balance!". These, and other techniques, may be helpful in achieving certain goals with certain students. The danger occurs when any technical idea is taken to an extreme, resulting in a loss of balanced and natural sound and resonance. (Of course one must trust the teacher's ear to determine this - but that's another thread!) I would also mention that I have had a number of students, most of whom were quite bright and motivated, who would take a given technical concept and push it past the point of usefulness, thereby creating a completely new and different technical problem which needed to be addressed!
Sharon Szymanski
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