6
Why Kids Don’t Take a Full Breath
Despite the fact that experts concur that
deep
breathing is
healthier, our bodies require only minimal airflow to function. We
gently sip in a little air – and release – some 17,000 to 20,000 times
a day! By the time a child starts a musical instrument, say at age
10, he or she has taken approximately 70 million
shallow
breaths.
It’s no wonder kids don’t instinctively breathe fully when they play.
Let’s say that with this normal daily breathing cycle we inhale to
25% capacity and exhale to 10% capacity [Fig. 1]
(this is by no
means scientific, but seems to be basically what’s going on).
What
is misleading to young players is that since we always have some
air in our lungs, a sound
can
be made without taking a good breath
– or any
extra
breath at all! Many young players play in that air
range as they are just relying on their normal breathing pattern. The
quality of the sound is…well… questionable, but they are pleased
if they can just play a tune no matter how inferior the sound.
Normal (shallow) breath
Full playing breath
We should think in terms of filling up to 90% (Fig. 2)! This will
enable us to support a steady and extended exhalation – for quality
tone, phrasing, technique, flexibility, dynamics, range, articulations,
and
endurance.
The fact is, we can only blow out what we take in.
Developing the
inhalation is the primary intention of the
WindMaster.
25%
10%
90%
10%
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
