Your client is struggling with breath control. What can you do to help?

1 Assess the problem

The first step in helping a client with breath control issues is to identify the root cause, which can be physical, mental, or emotional, or a combination of them. Common causes include poor posture and alignment, tension in the jaw, neck, shoulders, or chest, lack of awareness and coordination of the breathing muscles, habitual shallow or fast breathing, anxiety, stress, or nervousness, and vocal fatigue or damage. To assess your client's breath control, you can use various methods such as listening, observing, asking questions, and measuring. For example, you can ask your client to breathe normally and notice how their chest, ribs, and abdomen move; hold a note for as long as they can and time them; sing or speak a phrase and mark where they take breaths; and rate their level of comfort, confidence, and ease with their breathing.

2 Teach the basics

The next step is to teach your client the basic principles and techniques of breath control for vocalists. You can explain how to adopt a good posture and alignment that supports the breathing mechanism, as well as how to relax and release any tension in the vocal tract and the body. Additionally, you can demonstrate how to breathe deeply and diaphragmatically, using the lower lungs and the abdominal muscles, inhale quietly and smoothly without gasping or lifting the shoulders, and exhale steadily and evenly without pushing or holding the breath. You should also coordinate the breath with the onset and offset of the sound, as well as adjust the breath pressure and flow according to the pitch, volume, and style of the voice.

3 Practice the exercises

The third step is to practice some exercises that can help your client develop and refine their breath control skills. You can choose and adapt the exercises according to your client's goals, needs, and preferences. For instance, breathing through a straw can create resistance and balance the air pressure, while blowing bubbles in a glass of water can regulate the air flow and duration. Making hissing, sipping, or humming sounds is a useful way to control the breath release and intake. Singing or speaking scales, arpeggios, or intervals can vary the breath demand and range, while singing or speaking long phrases or sentences can extend the breath capacity and endurance. Additionally, singing or speaking with different dynamics, emotions, or accents can explore the breath expression and modulation.

4 Apply the feedback

The fourth step is to apply the feedback and corrections you give your client during and after the exercises. To help monitor and improve breath control, you can use a range of tools and strategies, such as mirrors, video recorders, biofeedback devices, metronomes, tuners, pitch pipes, stopwatches, counters, markers, verbal cues, visual cues, tactile cues, positive reinforcement, praise and encouragement. All of these methods can help your client become more aware of their breath techniques and tips while boosting their confidence.

5 Review the progress

The fifth step is to review your client's progress and achievements with their breath control. You can use various measures and indicators to evaluate your client's improvement, such as comparing their initial and current performance on the same or similar tasks, asking them to rate their satisfaction, comfort, and ease with their breathing, and gathering their feedback, challenges, and successes. Additionally, you should set new goals, plans, and challenges for further development. Lastly, it is important to celebrate and reward your client's effort, growth, and results.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?