Top 10 Christian Songs

Breathing Tips / Tight Jaw issues

If students are in the habit of making their neck muscles tight when they sing I suggest the following. Sometimes I suggest to my students to sit on my couch. Now slide your fanny forward and lean all the way back to relax. Rest your head on the back of the couch. Make sure you are not crimping your neck forward towards your chest. Now put your hands on your tummy just below your ribs (where the ribs come together in the middle of your chest. This is where your diaphragm is). Now take a breath through your mouth and only move your tummy below your hands. Don't let your chest rise at all. Make sure to breath through your mouth not your nose. You will get a much bigger breath in. Now on the next breath try to feel that your ribs are expanding behind you as well across your back ribs. This is a a "singing" breath. Keep practicing that till it becomes more natural. While you sing turn your head side to side touching your cheek to each side of the couch back. Make sure you are not lifting your head / chin up or down as you turn. GO SLOWLY!

1)Breath only moving your tummy under your hands. DON'T let your chest rise at all.
2)Sing and turn your head slowly back and forth.
3)Chew with your jaw. Drop it open very relaxed.
4)Make sure all your face muscles are also relaxed as you sing.

You may be amazed what kinds of wonderful sounds come out when you are relaxed and breathing correctly.
Make sure your jaw is also very relaxed and just dropping open and straight down with every vowel. It is a very relaxed chewing action you are going for.

After you have practiced that sit up straight and see if you are still breathing correctly. Don't let your chest rise and fall.

The next step to think about is that you are letting your air out while you sing. Are you a person who holds their breath as they sing??? Be careful! Make sure you use the air in you lungs as you sing through each phrase.

Make sure your breath is silent as well. No gasping or noisy breaths. :)

Let me know how that works for you. :)

Copyright Kids - Understanding Copyright laws

Copyright Kids

What Is Copyright?

Did you know that whenever you write a poem or story or even a paper for your class, or a drawing or other artwork, you automatically own the copyright to it. Copyright is a form of protection given to the authors or creators of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works. What that means is that, as the author of the work, you alone have the right to do any of the following or to let others do any of the following:


- make copies of your work;
- distribute copies of your work;
- perform your work publicly (such as for plays, film, dances or music);
- display your work publicly (such as for artwork, or stills from audiovisual works, or any material used on the Internet or television); and
- make “derivative works” (including making modifications, adaptations or other new uses of a work, or translating the work to another media).
In general, it is illegal for anyone to do any of the things listed above with a work created by you without your permission, but there are some exceptions and limitations to your rights. One major limitation is the doctrine of “Fair Use.”

Copyright law in the United States is embodied in federal laws enacted by Congress. The current copyright law, the Copyright Act of 1976 (as amended), is codified in Title 17 of the U.S. Code.

Copyright
Basics

MECHANICAL LICENSE: Under the United States Copyright Act, the right to use copyrighted songs in making Sound Recordings for distribution to the public for private use is one of the Exclusive Rights of the Copyright Owner. However, the Copyright Act provides that once a copyright owner has recorded and distributed such a work to the public in the United States or permitted someone else to do so, a "compulsory mechanical license" is available to anyone else who wants to record and distribute the work in the United States. The mechanical license will require that person to pay license fees at the "compulsory" rate set in Section 115 of the Copyright Act. The "compulsory" royalty rate as of January 1, 2000 is $0.0755 per use for Musical Compositions that are 5 minutes or less and the rate is $0.0145 per minute of playing time for compositions over 5 minutes.