Mind-Body Awareness for Singers

Karen Leigh-Post, DMA, is on the voice faculty at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, Appleton, WI, and was invited to present her research at the National Conference of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) in 2010. In keeping with the liberal arts tradition, Dr. Leigh-Post has engaged in interdisciplinary studies throughout her performing and teaching career. Her extensive study of the interaction of mind and body includes first-hand work with Alma Thomas, Barbara Conable, Ryugin Myo-O, and Wesley Balk, and spans a broad range of disciplines, including the Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method, yoga, fencing, Chi Qong, and dance. Critics describe her mezzo-soprano as "striking" with "well-formed supple lines," and in her dramatic portrayals, "Leigh is brilliant in her depth of character, her pacing, her facial expressions, her gestures - " Her rich and varied performing career includes the roles of Carmen, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Venus in Tannhauser, Jenny in Die Dreigroschenoper, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Pitti-Sing in The Mikado, and Anita in West Side Story, as well as the premieres of A Death in the Family and Animalen. Leigh-Post's concert appearances include several PBS broadcasts, from the tradition of Mozart with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra to the songs and arias of Bernstein at Lincoln Center, and embrace the intimate chamber works of Loeffler, Respighi, and Ibert as well as the orchestral settings of Ravel's Sheherazade and Martin's Cornet, to name but a few. Among her teachers and coaches are Shirlee Emmons, Joan Dornemann, Emma Small, and Warren Jones.

List of Practical Application Exercises (PAEs) Foreword Introduction Illustrated Reference Guide to Neural Anatomy Acknowledgements Chapter 1: The Role of Cognition in Sensoimotor Processing: "I Think, Therefore I Sing!" What Is Sensorimotor Processing? Sensorimotor Processing Loop System of Singing Chapter 2: Sensory Information Processing: A Perception of Our Environment and Ourselves Transmission of Sensory Information Perception Attentional Focus and Receptivity Integration Mechanisms: The Reticular Formation and Arousal (Awareness) Heightened Awareness, or Mindfulness Two-Way Transmission - "Top-Down" Processing From Upper-Level Controls Selective and Executive Attention Selective Attention and a "Happy Body" Selective Attention and a "Smart Body" Perception and Interpretation Active Perception Passive Perception Active and Passive Memory and Association Perception and Integration of Active and Passive Processes Interpretation and Auditory Perception Awareness, Novelty, and Constancy "Brain Time" and Perceptual Awareness Coping With Change: Novelty Versus Constancy Summary Perception of One's Own Voice While Singing Auditory Perception Multimodal Perception Somatic (Body) Senses The Vestibular System (Sensory) Purposeful Perception in Review Chapter 3: Planning Voluntary Behavior Introduction - Who Is In Charge? Volition, Free Will, and Executive Ignorance Research Trends in Voluntary Motor Behavior Willed and Sensorimotor Intentions What & When Planning - "What Are We Thinking?" Summary Learning and Memory Anatomy of Learning and Memory and Higher-Level Perceptual Processing The Working Memory When Perception Turns to Planning - Images and Imagery Defining Images and Imagery Training the Singer's Brain: Practical Application of Imagery for Developing Musical and Vocal-Motor Expertise Summary Chapter 4: Motor Output Processing Introduction Musculoskeletal Structures - General Anatomy and Function Skeletal (Striated) Muscle Function Axial, Proximal, and Distal Controls Levels of Control Lower-Level Controls Muscle contraction, adaption, and variability of force are reviewed from the perspective of the motor unit and sensory-guided movement. The "stretch," "knee jerk," and "withdrawl" reflexes are reviewed with regard to voluntary adaptions for complex vocal-motor skills, such as the timing controls for reflex resonance associated with vocal vibrato. Upper-Level Controls A review of direct and indirect controls provided by the modulating influences of the basal ganglia and cerebellum, the brainstem, and cortical projections. Developing Expertise Postural and Respiratory Controls - "We've got your back." Reflexive Control Systems and Special Acts of Respiration Postural and Respiratory Controls - Lower Torso, Neck, and Head Summary Chapter 5: Putting it All Together: Planning, Executing, and Monitoring a Rhythmically Entrained Performance Rhythm and Rhythmic Entrainment Predictability and Variability Self-Organization of Forced and Spontaneous Entrainment Summary Practical Application - Putting It All Together Rhythmic Entrainment Simple Systems and Wide-Ranging Cohesion Promoting Rhythmic Entrainment of Ongoing Sequences of Behavior Rhythmic Entrainment and Training The Singer's Brain Concluding Comments Glossary References Index