- The Point Is Singing Very Well October 22, 2009
I am very strongly committed to the idea that singing teachers should sing well in whatever style they teach. That this takes commitment, dedication and desire is a given. That the standards of the singing are measured by those other than the teacher, meaning the teacher stands up in public and, from time ...
- Doctors, Speech Language Pathologists and US September 20, 2009
Those of us who have taken the time and spent the money to learn about working with injured voices by re-training them after illness, injury or surgery appreciate the MDs who trust us and refer people to us and Speech Language Pathologists who understand how to work as partners alongside us when working with vocalists. There ...
- Throat Specialists Who Don’t Know September 20, 2009
I make a lot of noise on this blog about ignorant singing teachers but we all need to address the throat specialists who don’t know what good singing teachers do, as this is a serious problem, too. Wrong Assumptions About Teachers of Singing Most older MDs who specialized in otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) had no motive to understand ...
- Going Slow September 19, 2009
If you think you want to learn to sing by “taking a few lessons” then go ahead. You might find a bit of information helpful, as long as you are a pretty good singer in the first place and as long as you are only going to sing at church. If, however, you expect to ...
- Opera Versus Functional September 16, 2009
The new rule is: all good training for the voice is functional training. No more “classical” training, anywhere. If you sing classical music (i.e. opera, art song, chamber music, orchestral solos, early music (renaissance, baroque) and oratorio), then you train for that. Singing Verdi is not the same, in any way, ...
- Stepping It Down August 30, 2009
I once met someone who told me she was an opera singer. We became casual friends and I had occasion to invite her one year to a party at my home. At my house, if there is a party, there is singing. All kinds of singing, all of it fun and kind-hearted. ...
- Facing Yourself August 30, 2009
There is no place to run. There is nothing to do except face yourself. The world as you perceive it exists because you perceive it in your field of awareness. In a sense, there is no absolute “there” out there at all….just the one that you perceive. In this century we have increased ...
- Unconsciousness August 25, 2009
By definition, being unconscious means you are not conscious. Conscious means aware of one’s existence, feelings and thoughts and in a waking, not comatose, state, and aware. If you are not dead or in a coma, you are conscious. The question then is, are you aware? And if so, of what are you ...
- Not Listening To Yourself August 6, 2009
It is a common premise in classical vocal training to be told “don’t listen to yourself” or “you can’t hear yourself like others do” so don’t try to hear yourself at all. Students are ENCOURAGED to pay no attention to the sounds they make. HOW STUPID IS THAT? There are many studies in Speech ...
- Another One August 6, 2009
Seeing what I wrote on my previous post, I would like to contradict myself, because today I saw yet another young person is who living the same 45 year old model that I experienced. What kind of profession makes no changes in 45 years?????????? Teaching singing. Those who read this blog regularly already know this ...
- Going A New Way June 21, 2009
Having just returned from the NATS Internship program as a master teacher, I must say that I am greatly encouraged that we are going a new way in the profession. Amongst my three colleagues I sensed no rancor towards Contemporary Commercial Music styles, although they were all strictly classical in orientation, and amongst the ...
- When The Student Doesn’t Improve June 3, 2009
We have all had students who are talented, personable, motivated and perhaps even very musical who do not improve after taking lessons for quite some time. Why? Why would someone not “get it” if they are motivated, trying hard, practicing, and have the ability to play another instrument or do another artistic discipline, ...
- It’s Never Too Late May 23, 2009
No matter how old you are, it’s never too late to work on your singing. The muscles respond to exercise. The production of vocal sound is physical, therefore, if you work at it, you can improve. I am happy to report that more and more training is aimed at function (rather than resonating your ...
- A Grim Fairy Tale May 23, 2009
I met a rock singer recently. He had an interesting story to tell. He has a degree in music composition and has sung in a rock band for 20 years, writing a lot of the band’s music and singing lead. They toured a lot, in Europe and South America, but here, too, in smaller ...
- Covering Your You-Know-What May 9, 2009
So, you have a student in front of you who wants to belt. You are teaching in a college, you have juries to contend with. The kid has to sing “classical” for the juries. You don’t know how to belt, or if it’s safe, but the big musical at her church this ...