Whether singing pop, country, or operatic classical, breath management is essential to good and safe vocal production. Having worked with injured voices in my teaching career, safety is of utmost importance to me. To that end, I teach the Italian appoggio method of breath management…and yes, it works for all styles of singing! Good and effective breath flow, breath control, and breath support are the foundation of good and safe singing no matter what genre of song being sung. Although skilled breath management is the primary focus of the appoggio, its impact upon phonation and resonance is significant, and my instruction ties all these elements together in a package that teaches basic anatomical functions of vocal production and breath management. Armed with basic anatomical knowledge, students will better understand the purpose of the exercises they will be assigned and work harder to perfect them. 

 My work with injured voices in Dr. Keith Finlayson's Salt Lake Ear, Nose, and Throat Medical Clinic sparked my interest in Vocology-the science and practice of vocal habilitation and rehabilitation. Habilitation is the act or process of becoming fit or making fit for a particular purpose. My particular purpose, and what I hope to instill in my students, is making their singing voice a fit and healthy musical instrument that will never need rehabilitating because of injury. 

As a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), I became an avid follower of Dr. Ingo Titze, Associate Editor for Voice Research and Technology for the NATS Journal of Singing. Dr. Titze is also the director of the National Center for Voice and Speech and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The Straw Technique, invented by Dr. Titze, is one of the exercises I use in my studio to make vocal production more efficient. You may view the videos produced by Dr. Titze and his daughter, Karin Titze Cox, here. These videos demonstrate and explain the Straw Technique in great detail. 

 Along with breathing and vocal exercises, songs are assigned from the beginning to make the learning process fun and enjoyable, but with the sole purpose of aiding in the development of a sound vocal technique. Graduating to more advanced repertoire will be dependent on how quickly the basics can be mastered.