A case for careful language
The problem.
After teaching many postmenopausal adult cis-female singers, I have noticed a common breathing phenomenon…several of them suck in their bellies when they inhale. There is no world where I am the first teacher who has noticed this in their students, but I was unable to find many instances of people writing about it.
Pulling your stomach in when inhaling is problematic for life in general, but especially for singers who rely on their breath more intensely than speakers. Doing this can cause you to run out of breath more quickly, can cause tension in the throat, and can lead to a less powerful sound.
While there are likely several reasons this breathing pattern occurs, there is one that I’ve observed that waves a huge red flag.
Please note: there are likely to be many singers who experience this without issues, so it is not a universal problem, but do question the reason behind this particular breathing pattern.
What I noticed.
When I first noticed this occurrence in my first 2 retirement-aged adult singers back in 2018, it prompted me to think about what might be the cause. There are many shared issues among singers, like tongue tension, performance anxiety, etc, but this one was only happening with my older singers. Why? Well, once I had built up a trusting relationship with one of them I asked, “When you were younger, were you told to “suck in your tummy”? She said yes.
I asked the next student experiencing this and she also answered yes. Since then I have had 10 singers in this demographic and all of them have answered yes with 7 of them showing less than optimal breathing patterns where they pull in their belly on an inhale. Once new patterns were established over a course of several months, the students were producing higher quality sounds and perceived less effort in their singing.
Working through this journey of “breathing pattern recalibration”, as I’ll call it, has prompted me to think about the harmful effects a “simple” instruction early in life had on these later-in-life singers.
A Case for Careful Language
Let’s get to the soapbox and take singing out of this for a moment, to discuss the potentially harmful ramifications our language can have on others, especially when we address bodies. Our bodies are meant to fluctuate. They are meant to be soft in some places, like our abdomens. This applies no matter if you have a six-pack or not. Your belly should be able to allow for expansion so you can breathe deeply.
As a brief review, when you inhale, your diaphragm contracts, pulling a vacuum in your lungs to invite air in, but it also moves your viscera, aka guts, out of the way to make room for your lungs to expand. If you are unable or unwilling to release your abdominal muscles to make room, you are going to be unable to move everything out of the way and that expansion will try to happen in the chest.
This is not inherently a bad thing if it happens every now and then, but when our trapezius muscles and pectoral muscles (among others) are having to pull the ribs up every time you take a deep breath, chronic tension could occur and less than optimal breathing patterns could be established.
Circling back to the issues of instructing someone to “suck in”. By using this directive you are a) inhibiting a natural breathing pattern, and b) implying that a person’s body is not good enough in a relaxed state.
Given the demographic of people I see who are experiencing the effects of “suck in”, it seems reasonable to say that the damage caused by this type of language can last a lifetime.
This is unacceptable and begs for us to pay attention to the language we use with our students. While society has been trying (very, very, slowly) to move away from toxic body expectations and adopt “body positivity”, or in my opinion the better “body neutrality”, we still see visual and verbal cues that thinness is preferred.
We must be careful of this in our voice studios.
Even if you have a “no-touch” studio, even if you are being careful with your language around bodies, even if you are using inclusive language (which, please, I beg of you, use inclusive language) we can’t let our guard down.
It is not in our scope of practice to address body size or the need for body change. We should help our students find sustainable patterns in their bodies that support the singing body, but any other comments not including the voice should not be said.
For example: Do I discuss the belly when teaching? Yes, in terms of expansion for breathing, when needed. But that is the extent of it.
This opinion piece is not to create a taboo out of body language but to encourage us as voice teachers to be cognizant of the language we use when teaching our students. Our language is important and can leave a lasting impression, hopefully for the better.
Need help putting these steps into action?
Meet the Author
Jennifer Burks is a professional voice teacher and soprano with over 17 years of formal training and degrees in Vocal Performance from the University of Arkansas and Vocal Pedagogy from New England Conservatory of Music (NEC). She is an active performer and has won prestigious vocal competitions such as the 2022 Rhode Island Civic Chorale. Beyond her studio, Jennifer is an active member of NATS, PAVA, and The Voice Foundation and is the incoming Auditions Chair of the New England Chapter of NATS. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, sailing, and cherishing every musical moment.
