sing with intention

The title of this blog comes from a saying by Rollo Dilworth, an excellent spiritual and gospel composer, pianist and conductor.  Attending his clinic last weekend, he spoke these words to address both airflow and musicality.

Perhaps the hardest aspect of learning how to sing is in developing a vibrant sound based on airflow, not muscle.  Because we cannot manipulate a voice physically, teachers come up with different mental images to describe proper breath management.  You have probably heard some - sing 'buoyantly, sing 'spinning the air' and so forth.  However, I think Rollo's description is the best I've heard and I'm using it!

When he explained 'singing with intention,' it was in context of a spiritual he wrote asking God to 'send it (it being grace).'  He said, don't sing just plain old text, but sing "SEND IT!"  Words cannot describe the physical and emotion energy the man had when he said this.  How he used his air and consonants to create a driving and powerful sound was both technically and musically wonderful.  It was remarkable how quickly the church choir, composed mostly of non-professional musicians, understood his concept and instantly started singing with more breath support and intensify.  As he said, the choir was singing with "intention."

When you sing, proper breath management and support is not just about singing in a way that is healthy and technically correct; it is also the driving force behind musicality.  It is almost impossible to sing musically if the technique is not there.  By using a simple phrase, and explaining the emotional context of his song, it was easy to emulate and deliver a great vocal sound. 

DWS