Question about breathing for singing?

Technically no one can actually breathe from the diaphragm because air actually goes into the lungs. You also can't avoid "singing from your throat" despite advice not to do so, since your voicebox is in your throat.

Your choir directors are encouraging singers to take good deep breaths, and try to keep the middle of the body around the ribcage expanded so that not all the air is exhaled at once. Unfortunately this can cause utter confusion to many singers, and what happens frequently is that a bunch of air is pushed out from below against the vocal cords resulting in a sudden "blast" of sound, followed by the singer quickly fading out because they ran of breath too quickly. Too much air against the vocal cords can cause damage. Also knowing how to breathe correctly does nothing to help you correctly place the focus of the sound so that while you are still technically singing with your throat, you are taking a lot of the stress and tension off so that the sound comes out free and easy and with beautiful resonance.

If you have trouble understanding exercises when someone describes them to you directly, how are you going to be able to follow directions given by a 14 year old who writes in text speak and will just tell you some nonsense to begin with.

There is no real substitution for actual singing lessons, and unfortunately not all choir directors necessary know enough about how to actually describe what needs to be done in order to sing correctly. It's not like they don't know, but there is a difference between just having knowledge and knowing how to impart that knowledge to others. Good teachers are vastly underrated.

If you and your choir director would be comfortable with this idea, you can ask if they would demonstrate the correct technique to you while you are actually holding your hands around their middle to feel how it should be expanded and what it does while the choir director is singing. You can also place your own hands on your abdomen to see if it feels the same way. Don't be surprised if you feel a bit "softer" because singers often have abs like steel from singing. Your choir director can also help you with your posture. You can ask to touch their face to feel the vibrations of sound there as well.

Again, if you are both comfortable with that. Otherwise, and really you should do this anyway because choir is no substitute for voice lessons, get an understanding voice teacher with whom you can discuss your visual impairment and know that some things might have to be done literally hands on, or there may other adjustments that can be made to help you learn better. You won't be the first. Just make sure everyone is okay with this, and if you or the teacher feel that someone else needs to be in the room to make sure nothing weird or creepy is going on, you can do that too.

When i was in a choir, we used to do some mouth exercises, this reaches down to your core of your body and produces an easier way to sing. Try to do a buzzing sound through your teeth put when doing this try and produce the sound further down your throat, when you are standing, stand with your feet equally apart with your feet facing straight forward, this then gives you a straight posture to sing, anyway, back to the exercises, try and move your voice up and down like see how high you can go and then see how low you can go. When signing try not to have a quick deep breath otherwise your singing is all over the place, try and breath in slowly and slowly out again this then expands the lungs which then will help with keeping your breath stiller and can control the singing, hope a few of these work! i taught them myself and have worked for me!

1. put yo hands on your upper stomach. 2. hold your breath. 3. notice the natural expansion. 4. do this again but instead of holding your breath, phonate a sound. 5. when your stomach gets all the way flat, stop phonating and take another breath, repeating from 4.

things not to do, 1. push your stomach out actively, 2. suck your stomach in or sing before taking the next breath.

(6.5 years singing)

Do a really big yawn. Or get out of breath and then see how you breathe. This is what they mean by deep breaths. However as Birdgirl has explained just being able to do this doesn't mean that you will sing any better.