Strength Training for Singers
Laura McCall performing a back squat at 115kg in 2018
This past week I was sent an article titled, “Fitness Training and the Singing Voice: Successful Strategies for Integration” by Chuck Chandler. As a singer and a weightlifter I was eager to find out this authors view and experience with merging these two domains: fitness training and singing. Please note, I don’t know Chuck Chandler and I have never heard of him prior to reading this article. I have no doubt he is a reputable teacher with nothing but good intentions for the singing community. I applaud his efforts in bringing the topic of utilizing fitness and strength training to the forefront. However, there are many points presented in this article that “miss the mark” for me. This article did a poor job of distinguishing the difference between training to build strength and training for aesthetics. Can the two be tied together? of course, but that doesn’t mean they are one and the same.
As I read through Chuck’s article a stream of questions began to play through my mind. Below are just a few I jotted down:
1) What is Strength training?
2) What is the difference between training to build strength vs. quality of health vs. aesthetic purposes?
3) Is there a difference between flexibility and mobility? What is Chuck’s understanding of mobility?
4) Chuck mentions body building often. Why doesn’t he mention other sport specific training? Is all sport specific training created equally?
5) Should a singer be concerned about sport specific training, such as body building, or are there other strength training options that allow for overall general wellness?
Aside from the questions above, I was confused about the audience for this article. Is this geared towards all singers in the community or perhaps a specific generation? I ask this because there is sense of assuming that the singers being address are lazy. Sorry for being blunt, but I’m not sure how else to put it. Chuck writes as if this audience doesn’t understand what it feels like to work hard and hustle. As if there isn’t enough curiosity in a singer’s DNA to want to learn more about their body, how it functions, and how they can perform the most optimally. Since our body is our instrument, aren’t we (singers, that is) always looking for ways to connect with our body, understand our body, and always analyzing (sometimes over analyzing) how we feel? Aren’t we always day in and day out learning how to confidently move our body through space and develop a hyper awareness of our surroundings? The majority of singers I know already have a physical activity they enjoy doing to supplement their singing. Furthermore, I find they are the first ones to go explore new physical activities. So, with all that being said, who is Chuck talking to? If the scope of this article actually narrowed in on strength training for the singer and how to utilize resources they didn’t know were available, then this article would be incredibly useful. Right now, this article reads as a confusing mess of ideas that don’t actually integrate fitness training and singing. I don’t think this article helped bring the singing community any closer to understanding how to explore and enjoy the benefits of physical training in any capacity.
Finally, I want to say thank you for making it this far with me. I know that I brought up a lot of questions but didn’t give you any closure on these concerns. But fret not! Writing a blog series about this exact topic has been heavy on my heart for a long time. When I say a long time I literally mean YEARS. I am grateful that Chuck Chandler’s article made its rounds to me because the fact that people are interested in engaging with this topic really helps fuel my drive to buckle down and share the information I have been gathering over the last 10 years!
Thanks again for joining me on this journey. I hope you are as intrigued and excited about my upcoming blog series as I am!
-Laura
