Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The "mouth" that roars!

Credit: Edward J. Walsh,
Boys Town National Research Hospital
Linked is a 2011 Science Daily summary of a study by Klemuk, Riede, Walsh, and Titze of the vocal cords of lions--and why they can roar so magnificently. (You are wondering already . . . how does that connect to HICP/EHIEP?) Simple. One key finding was that the fundamental frequency of the sound comes from the unique structure of the vocal cords, not via a signal from the brain. In other words, the big cat just "lets it go" and doesn't rip up things at the same time.

Humans can "roar" as well, with a little training. And every HICP instructor should be able to do it. In the Lessac system, the key benchmark, the "watershed" of the training, is achieved when the student can perform "the call," such as with the phrase, "Ahoy there!" It is done with complete abandon, no vocal stress and loud enough to be heard for (literally) a couple hundred meters, at least--even coming out of the most petite of bodies. It is a often a life-changing experience, one understood well by opera singers and (before the age of electronic amplification) most successful politicians.

Stressing your voice? Need a little more authority in your classroom? Have trouble getting students' attention? Try "calling" on the Lessac system, either from a licensed practitioner or get the book and do it yourself (recommended--takes about 3 months.)

1 comment:

  1. For those not up on their 1950s movies, the title of the blogpost is a take off on, The Mouse that Roared, starring Peter Sellers, et al. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053084/

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