Choir Breathing Demystified: How to Breathe Better When You Sing-PT 1

Hi, I’m Elizabeth Lusty, choir director of the Love2sing Choir in Ealing, West London. One of the questions I get asked all the time by singers is this:

“How should I breathe when I sing in choir?”

It’s a great question—and one that comes up whether you’ve been singing for years or are just getting back into it. In this post, I’ll break down what really matters when it comes to breathing for choir singing—based on years of leading large, vibrant community choirs and helping singers find freedom and confidence in their voices.

⚠️ Just a quick note: I’m not a classically trained singer, and this post reflects my experience with contemporary and popular choir styles (the kind we love at The Love2sing Ealing Choir!).

Breathing: Is It Really the Problem?

If you’ve ever felt like:

• Your tone is shaky

• You run out of breath too quickly

• You struggle to hit high or low notes…

…it’s easy to assume your breathing is the issue. But in my experience, breath control is rarely the problem on its own.

Often the real culprits are:

• Poor posture

• Tension (especially in the abs or tongue)

• Overblown or inefficient tone production

• Even good old-fashioned performance anxiety

  
  

That said, breathing does matter, and once you’ve got the basics in place, your singing will feel easier, stronger, and more enjoyable.

So, How Should You Breathe When Singing in Choir?

First off you already know how to breathe. You’re doing it right now. Breathing is an automatic process that adapts to the task at hand. But once we start singing, we often overthink it.

Here’s the key:👉 The amount and type of breath you need depends on the musical line ahead.

• A long phrase might need a deep, low breath.

• A short lyric may only need a quick inhale.

  
  

So, rather than learning “one correct way” to breathe, think flexibility. So, to start with in part one here are my dos and don'ts.

✅ Breathing Dos

• Take a deep breath when needed (especially for long lines)

• Take a shorter, higher breath when time is limited

• Let your stomach expand when you inhale

• Let your abdomen release as you exhale

• Keep your chest lifted and still

• Ensure you’ve fully exhaled before breathing in again

• Maintain good posture

  
  

❌ Breathing Don’ts

• Don’t raise your shoulders

• Don’t move your chest back and forth

• Don’t take in more air than you need

• Don’t breathe again if you haven’t fully exhaled

• Don’t tense your abs or hold your breath

• Don’t collapse your chest when exhaling

Sing With Us and Learn More

At The Love2sing Ealing Choir, I help adult singers build vocal confidence in a fun, relaxed, and musically satisfying environment. We don’t obsess over perfection—we focus on enjoyment, progress, and sounding great together.

If you’d like to put this breathing advice into action in a real-life choir, why not try us out this autumn?

🗓 Autumn Term: Tuesdays, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM📍 St Barnabas Church Hall, Ealing🎟 Trial session: Just £10 – book yours here