[Perform-Talk] Questionable singing advice opinion needed

[Linda Mentink]

Hi Kelsey,

I would trust her and try her for a while. Yes, your abdomen is used to support your voice, and that means that it and its muscles need to be strong. It should move out when you inhale and in when you exhale. I hope this helps.

Blessings and happy New Year to all!

Linda


On Jan 1, 2026 9:49 AM, Kelsey Nicolay via Perform-Talk <perform-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Hello,
> i booked a lesson with a teacher a couple weeks ago who has been teaching in schools for a while but is relatively new to my area. She seemed nice, but I'm not quite sure I trust her advice and was curious what you all think. i struggle with breathing and have for a while, so she proceeded to tell me that the reason I am having trouble getting a deep inhale without raising the shoulders is because of wak abdominal muscles and advised me to do crunches every day for a week and I would notice a difference. I have never been told by any previous teacher to do crunches; she actually had me get down on the floor during the lesion and do some so I could feel proper engagement. i could be wrong, but it is my understanding that you don't use the abdominal muscles to inhale, only to supportthe realease of air when singing. I have another lesson with her on Monday, but I'm considering canceling it since I am not sure her advice is correct. For those of you who have more experience with this than I do, what are your thoughts? Have I been given incorrect advice and should not continue with the lessons or is this accurate technique? luckily the teacher allows booking one lesson at a time, so I can terminate at any time without losing anything. I chose this teacher because she specializes in contemporary genres which is what I'm interested in, but her advice on breathing has me a little concerned about the validity of her training.
> Sent from Kelsey Nicolay’s iPhone 
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