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Voice Studio News & Fun
August 11, 2019 | Issue #2
Use your diaphragm! Uh, where's my diaphragm?
Diaphragm diagram
You may have heard choir directors and voice teachers say "breathe with your diaphragm," but most people don't really know where their diaphragm is or how it works.

The diaphragm is a thin skeletal muscle that sits at the base of the chest and separates the abdomen from the chest. It contracts and flattens when you inhale. This creates a vacuum effect that pulls air into the lungs. When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and the air is pushed out of lungs.

When singing teachers tell you to breathe with your diaphragm, what they mean is to feel the movement of breathing low in your abdomen rather than high in your chest.
Folk Song Favorites
The Riddle Song
Watercolor of cherries
This week's folk song favorite is The Riddle Song , also known as "I Gave My Love a Cherry," descended from a 15th century English song, and carried by settlers to Appalachia. Discover more about this classic folk song, check out this beautiful recording of Joan Baez and Pete Seeger singing the song , or click here to download and sing or play for yourself!
Name That Tune
Have fun sight-reading these folk tunes! Do you recognize them?
You've Got Rhythm!
Here are some exercises for rhythm practice - good luck!
Composer Spotlight: Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over sixty years. Strongly influenced by  Tudor music  and  English folk-song , his output marked a decisive break in British music from its German-dominated style of the 19th century.