What is the ideal technique for singing?

The short answer… there is NO “ideal” technique.

An ideal voice technique should not only teach a student “how” to sing or speak efficiently, but “why” there is imbalance in the first place.  The student should, in essence, become the teacher.  In addition, the student should develop a level of balance and efficiency through optimal structure and ideal mental acuity.  The body contains the instrument, and therein lies the answer to the balance.  Therefore, the ideal voice technique should address ALL aspects the human instrument, not merely a set of behaviors to help the student “create” a sound that may or may not enhance total functional efficiency. The ideal should not focus on “sound” as it is always a result of “function.”  Function is a result of three components:  process, antagonism and structure.

• PROCESS refers to the mental control of the muscles of singing.

• ANTAGONISM refers to the balance of muscle strength in the voice.  Ideal “relaxation” in the voice comes from muscles working in symbiotic antagonism to create the optimal efficiency.  If a muscle is too strong, its antagonist has to increase effort to compensate.  This creates the majority of tension singers experience.

• STRUCTURE refers to length and alignment.  Much more than “posture,” structure incorporates ideal symmetry between the vocal column, spine, neck, abdominals, pelvis, larynx and other contributing elements of the vocal instrument.  Most often, students cannot be taught to maintain structure by “technique” alone.  Often the soft tissues have to be manually lengthened and manipulated into a permanent state of balance.

These components of voice technique are not anymore independent of each other than are the vocal cords to breath control.  Therefore, the ideal voice technique should not only address these three components, it should effectively INTEGRATE them.

Utilizing key elements of both classical and modern singing techniques, voice physiology, structural integration and performance enhancement psychology, Wickham Vocal Studios has developed a method of voice training that addresses ALL THREE COMPONENTS. 

We call this method Vocal Integration.