Episode Details
Back to EpisodesEp.272 Rethinking How We Teach Breathing for Singing with Barbara Tanze and Flexiflow
Description
What do we really know about breathing for singing? Breathing specialist Barbara Tanze returns to explore the evolving science of airflow and pressure regulation in the singing voice. We discuss what research tells us about the diaphragm and respiratory muscles, and why what singers feel may not reflect what is actually happening physiologically. Barbara also introduces the Flexiflow, a tool that gives singers immediate feedback on airflow and pressure, helping them explore breath coordination without complicated anatomical instructions. Along the way, we question what “breath support” really means, whether breath should always come first in vocal training, and how a more individual, exploratory approach could help singers better understand their voices. Here we go!
WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST?
0:56 What’s changed since 2022?
3:10 What we do know about the body, pressure and airflow
6:30 Barbara’s burning question
8:07 Common breath management issues in singing
11:18 What is typically happening in the body during exhalation?
20:33 Where does ‘breathing’ sit in the hierarchy of vocal training?
24:41 Using balloons as props
33:40 The Flexiflow
About the presenter HERE
RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.45 Discovering Optimal Breathing
Ingo Titze
Johan Sundberg
Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.253 The S-Word: Why It’s Time to Rethink ‘Support’ in Singing Teaching
A Copernican Shift: Reframing How We Think About Breath in Singing by Heidi Moss Erickson
Singing Teachers Talk Podcast - Ep.271 Singer & the Self: Rethinking Singing Teacher CPD
MDH Breathing Coordination by Robin De Haas
ABOUT THE GUEST
A professional singer and vocal pedagogue, Barbara Tanze works at the intersection of voice, movement, physiology and learning. Drawing on a background in opera, vocal pedagogy, manual therapy and breathing coordination, she takes a functional, individual approach to helping singers, speakers and professional voice users understand and develop their voices. Barbara teaches at the Akademija za glasbo, Univerza v Ljubljani, and is currently pursuing doctoral research into expiratory pressure regulation in singing. Her work brings together biomechanics, motor learning and inquiry-based exploration, bridging research with everyday vocal practice. Barbara is also the creator of Flexiflow, a patented airflow-feedback tool, and the author of the interactive children’s book Take a Deep Breath, Charlie!
SEE FULL BIO HERE (Add link to the podcast website page)
Instagram: @btbreathing & @the.flexiflow
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