Your Skeleton

Your skeleton is pretty important, and you may not have expected to learn about it in your singing class, however - you need it, wouldn't you say?

I won't ask you to learn the name of every bone in your body, but it's pretty important that you get a basic sense of your anatomy and how your body functions, since singing is a function of the human body. Here is a general video of information about the skeleton.

Your Spine

Your spine is made up of 24 individual bones in 3 distinct sections: Your lowest five vertebrae are the lumbar spine, at the base of your back; Your thoracic spine, in the middle, has twelve segments; and the top seven vertebrae are your cervical spine, which holds up your beautiful noggin! There are five additional vertebrae that are fused together at the base of your spine, these form your tailbone. I may refer to segments of the spine when discussing alignment. The spine protects your spinal cord (which travels from your brain), and controls motor function. The core of our spine, which holds that spinal cord, travels through the center of our bodies.

Your Ribs

Yes, the best part of any good barbecue... or the structure that protects your lungs, heart, and diaphragm. Notice on the picture above the shape and placement of your ribs. You can feel for the base of your ribs from the front of your body or behind. Your diaphragm (more info later!) will attach at the base of your ribs. The muscles that are between your ribs help in respiration - inhalation and exhalation, as well as breath control.

Expansion of the ribcage will be a key element when we dive into breath.

The Pelvis

The pelvis doesn't seem like a crucial part of singing, however - the positioning of our pelvic bone has a great bearing on our breath for singing, and our spinal posture. Ideally, we want to have our pelvis in a neutral position, allowing for easy movement of legs and torso. If the pelvis is tilted back, creating a significant sway in the lower back, it makes it more difficult to take a full inhalation and control your exhalation & singing phrases. If the pelvis is tucked too far under, we create tension of the lower abdomen, which also interferes with breath and can cause slouching.