Posture for Singers

Posture

It is very important to consider your posture when you sing. You use your voice as an instruments, and like all instruments, you should know how to hold them correctly. When we sing, we use our heads, throats, chest and abdomen to create our sound, so it is important that we maintain a posture that benefits these areas.

Good Singing Posture has 2 major elements

  •  It has to be flexible enough to allow for expansion and optimal sound production
  •  It has to be efficient, so that you are not expending any extra effort or creating excess tension

Some tips to help with your posture:

  • It is difficult to draw air into the bottom of your lungs if you are sitting down, so stand up.
  • Stand straight and tall, with your shoulders back and let your arms dangle loosely by your side. 
  • Don’t roll your shoulders forward or shrug your shoulders upwards.
  • Keep your head centred and lift your chin, so that it opens your airway
  • Feel yourself being pulled upwards from your navel to the top of your head, so that you create more space for air in your lungs
  • Try standing with your knees unlocked and with one foot slightly in front of the other, about shoulder width apart.  Keep your feet facing forward.  Try not to shift weight from one let to another.
  • Try to keep your tummy muscles pulled in
  • Relax your hands to your side and don’t fidget.
  • Inhale a deep breath and as you exhale, relax and be aware that your posture is still correct and that you are not rolling into a slouch.
  • When all the elements of posture combine, the alignment, means that your ears are directly over your shoulders, which are directly over hips, and so forth down to the feet.
  • Stand up against a wall, placing heels, calves, buttocks, shoulders, and head touch the wall will help you align your body.
  • Place one hand on the abdomen while breathing, to ensure the abdomen is expanding and relaxed.
  • Shift the weight of your body forward until almost standing on tips of the toes. Try to establish a feeling of buoyancy.
  • Stand in a slouched position, then change to the correct position, noticing the difference between the two.