The Joy Of Singing

Introduction

Connect the voice, breath and the whole body

Playing Together With Our Voices

Letting Our Voices Dance With The Music

My name is Pauline Down, and with the help of these short videos, I want to share the joy and fun I get from singing.

These three short films explore how singing in a simple, embodied and playful way can be fun and can support our well-being.

I’ve been passionate about singing since I was very small. Through most of my adult life I’ve been leading community choirs here in Wales.

Singing can be uplifting, bringing refreshed energy to the body, boosting the immune system, regulating cortisol levels and so helping us to de-stress. These are just a few of the well-being benefits.

In the first short film, I’ll be helping you to establish a strong and pleasurable connection between your voice, your breath and your whole body with some simple and fun exercises that I find can transform my energy and boost my mood really quickly.

In the second film, I’ll be guiding you towards using your voice more freely with some fun creative exercises and with my voice and my loop station to support you.

By the third film you will be ready to improvise with me and let yourself go as we sing together over some simple vocal harmonies.

Firstly, I’d like to reassure you that there is no right or wrong way of doing any of these exercises.

The beauty of singing freely in this way is that it is simply about responding intuitively to what you hear and how you feel and experimenting with your voice until you find sounds that feel really good in the body.

I encourage you to simply play and be curious. Try out the videos on different days and at different times of day. Treat this exploration as a voyage of discovery and who knows where it might take you!

I’d like to thank all the incredible singing teachers who have inspired me along the path of my own singing journey. I’d also particularly like to thank my professional network, the Natural Voice Network (NVN) for all of their incredible support and inspiration over the years and for their tireless devotion to promoting community singing and making it accessible for all. If you’d like to check out community choir or other singing opportunities in your area the NVN website is a great place to start.
https://www.naturalvoice.net/

If you enjoy these videos and if you gain anything positive from any of them, I’d love to hear from you.

The three videos have been devised by and are presented by Pauline Down

Production by Gordon Plant