Running out of air at the end of phrases…
Monday, February 1st, 2010I’m judit i come from holland and i wanted to ask you a question. I want to audition to enter this special school. My best friend already goes to that school so I went there with here and sang a song for her teacher. She told me that when I sing my breath escapes so at the end of the sentence I don’t have any air left so I wanted to ask you how can I sing without doing that. Yours faithfully– Judit
Hi Judit,
Sorry to hear that you did not make the audition you wanted. Regarding running out of air: I could be happening to you for a variety of reasons. I haven’t heard you sing but a few things to look for are:
1. Remembering to breath. Make sure you mark through your music where you are going to take your breaths, and take them. We need air to sing. Sometimes when we are nervous we forget to breath so it could be that simple.
2. You are singing with a breathy tone, not phonating properly with your vocal chords (making a pure sound), and air is escaping as you sing. This would cause you to run out of air sooner then some one who is singing with a pure tone. You would need to do special vocal exercises help bring your chords together to create a purer tone for this one.
3. You may need to build up your air support by doing breathing exercises like the ones on my 1st CD (I don’t know if you have them). Daily breathing exercises and physical exercise such as swimming are great for building your breath support and stamina. This will help you to sing longer phrases, take deeper more productive breaths, and less of them.
I hope this helps a little. I can give you much better feedback if I hear you sing. If you are interested in that. You can sign up for a vocal assessment on my site www.voicelessonstogo.com. -Send me your voice and I will get you the appropriate feedback.
Goodluck!
keep singing, 
