About
What gives breath its rhythm, depth, and power? This course explores how respiration fuels sound, energy, and emotion—across voice, songwriting, piano, and music production. In the Voice section, students learn how the body supports the voice from below the larynx. Through trauma-informed approaches to awareness and coordination, they explore the diaphragm, intercostals, abdominals, and posture as sources of breath support. The focus is not on forcing air but on understanding how breath moves naturally—learning to harness it for stability, stamina, and expression. In the Songwriting section, respiration becomes metaphor: the inhale and exhale of story and silence. Students explore pacing, phrasing, and lyrical rhythm as reflections of emotional breath. They learn to write songs that breathe—balancing tension and release, expansion and stillness. In the Piano section, students connect breath to timing and touch. They learn to phrase piano lines as if they were sung, to leave space between chords the way singers pause between phrases, and to shape dynamics that ebb and flow like living breath. This connection deepens their ability to accompany singers with sensitivity and flow. In the Producing section, students study how breath shapes a recording’s life force. They analyze vocal compression, automation, and ambient sound to preserve natural breathing without losing clarity. They experiment with breathing-inspired effects—swells, filters, and sidechain compression—to mirror the pulse of inhaling and exhaling within a mix. Every section encourages mindful awareness of how breath guides both structure and emotion. Trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming, this course honors all ways of breathing—from shallow to deep—and helps students create music that moves, expands, and lives.