Singing For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon

Maintaining your posture while walking makes a big difference in your appearance and your ability to sing while walking or moving. You may actually have to sing while walking around the stage. Church choirs sing as they process, and backup singers groove to the music as they dance.

What if you have to cross the stage? You want to look glorious for the entire time that you’re onstage and not just when you land in place next to the piano. To maintain your posture while walking, keep your eyes up and look ahead as you walk. You can still see where you’re going even if you’re not looking at the ground.

You also want to be able to land in correct alignment. When you have to walk onto the stage for a performance, you want to land in alignment so you don’t have to adjust your position. Practice finding your alignment when you’re standing still. Then walk a few steps and land in place.

Did you land in the same alignment? Look down at your feet to see whether they’re parallel and the same distance as your hipbones. If not, try again: Walk around and then land in alignment. Eventually, you’ll confidently land in alignment and know that your body is ready for some fabulous singing.

You also want to practice walking with an awareness of the weight and pressure on your legs. You want to feel the sensation that your weight is evenly distributed on your legs and feet and have a sense of buoyancy. Feeling your weight sink into your legs makes you feel much heavier. Pushing into the floor or pavement causes you to feel pressure and tension in your legs.

Of course, you want to connect your feet to the floor, but you want to feel an opening sensation, as if your feet touching the floor causes your legs and muscles to open — not contract and tense. Try walking and pushing into the floor, and then walking and visualizing your body with springs that open when your feet connect with the floor.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Pamelia S. Phillips is a professional singer with over 35 years of teaching experience. She has designed curriculum for high school students, college BFA programs, and professional training programs, helping thousands of singers refine their singing technique.

This article can be found in the category: