高齢期に意外と大切な発声練習

　私たちは、年々平等に年を重ねます。ところが、中高年になると肉体面や精神面で生き方は人によって違いが出て来る傾向です。肉体面では、生き生きした表情、歩く姿勢、身体の柔軟性、私が特に大切と思う点は「声の高さ」の維持であり、これは人によりかなり差が出てきます。男性はいつまでも「低い響き」を保つことを心掛け、女性は比較的「高い声を保つ」ようしたいものです。

　一方、精神面では、新たな事に挑戦しなくなる傾向で、脳に新たな刺激を与えなくなったり、発想しなくなる傾向です。これを改善するには、日々「適度な運動」の継続、「栄養バランス」を考えた三度の食事、今までにない新たな分野を見たり【好奇心】、何より社会との接点であり、人とよく会話したり、意外と効果があるのは「発声練習と歌うこと」で音域が広げられます。私たちは、知ってる人であれば顔を見なくても、誰が話しているか分かります。それほど声はその人の個性を表してます。

　昨日は、朝から珍しいことがありました。ラジオ体操会場に向かう途中、日の出時刻が早くなったからでしょう。よちよち歩きの２才の幼児と散歩してる２０代後半と想われる若い母親と道で偶然に会い、私は「頑張ってますね。」と声を掛け、話をしつつ一緒に歩きました。

　そして、私はラジオ体操会場へ行こうとその道を離れようとしたら、この母親が、私に向って「お兄さんはこの近くにお住まいですか。」と尋ねたのには驚きました。一般的にはもうお爺さんの年令である私に、叔父さんでもなく、「お兄さん」と呼んでくれたことに「内心しめしめ」と嬉しくなり、昨日は一日中、楽しく過ごせました。私は単純なのでしょうか。

Dear my Facebook friends who want to be healthy and young.

　We all age equally year after year. However, as we reach middle and old age, differences in lifestyle tend to emerge, both physically and mentally. Physically, this includes a lively expression, good posture, and flexibility. What I consider particularly important is maintaining the pitch of our voices, which varies considerably from person to person. Men should strive to maintain a low and resonant voice, while ladies should aim to maintain a relatively high voice. This is perhaps different of man and femininity.

　On the other hand, mentally, there is a tendency to stop challenging with new fields, to stop stimulating the brain with new ideas, and to become less creative. To improve this, it's important for us to continue with moderate exercise daily, eat three balanced meals a day, explore new fields, and, above all, maintain social connections by conversing with people. Surprisingly, vocal exercises and singing can also be effective in expanding our vocal range. We can often recognize who is speaking without seeing their face if we know them. Therefore, a person's voice expresses their individuality.

　Yesterday, unusual something happened in the morning. On my way to the radio gymnastics venue in the park, because the sunrise is earlier now, I happened to meet a young mother, who looked to be in her late twenties, walking with her toddler, a two-year-old. I greeted her with "You and your toddler are walking great!" and we walked together, chatting.

　Then, as I was about to leave the path to head to the radio gymnastics venue, I was surprised when the mother asked me, "Do you live nearby?" I was secretly delighted that she called me "Oniisan big brother," not "uncle," even though I'm generally old enough to be a grandfather. So I had a wonderful day yesterday. Am I too simple minded?