Now, this is going to sound pretty silly, I'm sure, but I've noticed that when my daughter is practising singing a song, she often has to yawn, apparently completely involuntarily, in mid song. I really don't think this is just boredom or tiredness. Last night she was practising a song she intends to sing in a choir audition on Friday and suddenly yawned mid-note, and it was at the climax of the song! I'd like to think this is just something that happens when she's feeling relaxed at home, but it seems to happen so often these days that I'm worried it might happen during an exam or audition.

Any ideas why this might be happening? I presume it's somehow related to the way she's breathing in and out. Can she do anything about it?

If she's got an iffy teacher, there's a fair chance she's being told to imagine that she's yawning whilst she sings (it's a practise that people believed to induce safe voicing, although this isn't the case. There's no health concern to the yawn business, just a slightly darker sound owing to a longer pharynx - it also means that the dark sound is then considered to be part of the basic sound, which stops students from being able to get rid of it later if they want) - find out if this is the case.

If she's singing in a light and gentle way, it won't hurt her to lower the larynx, but it could cause undue yawning and may lead to this hideous muffled pseudo-classical sound that people seem to covet so much for exam purposes.

It's not necessary for good classical voicing either - doesn't really have anything going for it, and a lot against it!

Anyway, it may be that, if not - I don't really know without hearing her. Maybe the other teachers have some light to shine?

Good luck!

No, she tells me that her teacher has not told her to do this. She's only 12 and I think her teacher just lets her sing..

There are lots of theories as to why we feel the need to yawn. (Who has yawned whilst reading this?) It can be a habit as much as anything else. (Oops, I just yawned!) Ask her to make sure that she is standing correctly and supporting her voice as she has been shown in her lessons and to really concentrate on the words and melody of her song. That may be enough of a distraction to stop the yawns.

I'm not a singing teacher so treat my thoughts with caution

Is she breathing correctly? I occaisionally find myself yawning at innappropriate times (meetings mostly!) when I'm slouching and only breathing with the upper part of my lungs. If I sit up straight and take in a couple of really good deep breaths the urge to yawn usually goes unless the meeting is excrutiatingly boring.

It could be anything then! Perhaps she's not taking in enough air (although singers do tend to over breathe massively) and her brain is panicking. Maybe she's genuinely tired! Perhaps she's opening her mouth too wide or trying to take in too much air too slowly.

If she's being encouraged to sing in the falsetto mode (actively or passively by lack of correction) - this could cause this too.

Just keep an eye on it and see if it goes away. If not, the best thing to do is to refer it to her teacher.

No, she's not asthmatic. I don't think her teacher's encouraging her to do anything weird either. I don't think it's boredom, as I mentioned at the outset. It can happen during any song, but when it happened the other evening my daughter was singing a song she likes - she picked it for her audition - and she really was in the middle of the most exciting note of the piece!

I will quiz my daughter as to the extent to which she and her teacher talk about breathing, support, etc at all. My impression is not much. I will try to speak to her teacher if it continues. The teaching happens at school and communication is not always very easy.

Meanwhile, thanks for thinking about it, and I'm off to research the physiology of yawning...

It seems I'm not the only one that's noticed this! I just found this discussion . I'm at work so haven't had chance to read it all yet..