Abdominal breathing
The rib and abdominal muscles create the support pressure that sustains long phrases, held notes and high notes.
Carmen Moreno
Soprano · Vocal technique teacher · Choral conductor
Auditori AXA · Gaudilart Festival 2015
Singing wellis learnedstep by step.
Carmen Moreno is a light lyric soprano, choral conductor and biomedical scientist. Since 1995 she has taught a vocal technique that explains what breathing, the jaw and the lips do so that the voice sounds free, resonant and effortless.
1995teaching vocal technique
A soprano with a scientist’s eye
Understand the movement before you sing the note
Carmen was born in Cumaná (Venezuela) and holds degrees in Education and Biomedical Science. That scientific training gave her a question that has guided her whole career: what exactly happens in the body when a note sounds free, and when it sounds tight?
Her answer is a concrete method. It means understanding abdominal breathing, jaw protrusion and the work of the lips until the sound is placed on the vomer. Then each interval in the vocalise is applied to those same intervals in the pieces. The student gains independence and stops relying on imitation.
Time invested in learning vocal technique is time gained in studying the repertoire.Carmen MorenoHer full story
30+years teaching vocal technique to students, professionals and amateurs
12appearances on the jury of international choral festivals since 2008
3choirs under her direction: Esperit Cantaire, Coral Nova de Cornellà and Cantoría Re-Quinto
7weekly online courses taught between 2020 and 2022, before opening her school
The method
Four movements for a free voice
Carmen’s method is not about imagining colours or reaching “up” for high notes. It is based on anatomical movements that can be learned, observed and corrected.
Protrusion
The jaw moves forward diagonally, without shifting to one side, to free the high note before it arrives.
Lip corners close together
Corners close together, lower lip dropping and upper lip rising to bring the harmonics closer and give the sound its ring.
Placement on the vomer
The final goal of the vocalise: a resonant, free and bright sound, in the same place in the face for low and high notes.
A four-question test
What is your starting point?
Answer honestly and we’ll tell you which programme suits you. Then you can request your lesson with the message already written.
Programmes
One technique, four paths
The technical foundation is the same for everyone. What changes is the starting point, the repertoire and the demands of each style.
From scratch
Choirs
Soloists
Working voice
Beginners
The basics of singing: breathing, jaw, lips and placement, applied to a piece from day one.
See programmeChoristers
A soloist’s technique at the service of the pieces your choir rehearses.
See programmeProfessionals
A diagnosis of what goes wrong in a passage, and exercises with those very intervals.
See programmeProfessional voice
For teachers, broadcasters and anyone who talks all day: caring for the voice without straining the vocal folds.
See programmeIn her own words
“Hello, I’m Carmen Moreno…”
In her new video, coming very soon (in Spanish), Carmen will introduce her work, how she understands vocal technique and what anyone starting to study with her can expect.
- Why vocal technique has no age or training limit.
- How to move from the vocalise exercise to the piece.
- What it means to “become independent” from your singing teacher.
Testimonials
Voices that have worked with Carmen
Video messages from people who have taken her lessons. Hover to watch them silently or click to see them in full.
Online school
A live lesson, wherever you are
Carmen sees and hears you, and shares the score on screen to point out each interval while you sing. All you need is a quiet space, a connection and the wish to sing better.
Request your lesson
Tell her what you want to work on and which times suit you.
Carmen confirms
She suggests a day, time and format, and tells you how to pay.
Join your lesson
You receive a private video call link for that day.
Vocalise · octave leaps
Score shared on screenCarmenStudent · Mexico City
The book
Mi técnica vocal paso a paso
Everything a singer wants to know (in Spanish): how to breathe, how to let the jaw drop, where to place the sound and what role the lips and their corners play.
It was launched on Sant Jordi’s Day 2012 in Barcelona. It includes a 3D DVD showing what happens inside the abdominal cavity and the face while you sing.
Beyond the classroom
From the Sagrada Família to Warsaw
Carmen has conducted choirs since 1999, has sung in some of Barcelona’s most beautiful venues and has sat on the jury of choral festivals in Wales, Poland, Slovakia and Catalonia.
Spain is my land now, but Venezuela will always be my sky.Carmen Moreno · Warsaw, 2014
Your first lesson
Your voice already knows how to sing. Let’s show it how.
Tell Carmen what you want to sing and what you find difficult. She will suggest a starting point and a schedule that suits you, online or in Barcelona.