Various Posts

In the end, everything passes away. There are many sites in Central and South America left by the Mayan and Incan civilizations that have never been excavated, and no one really knows what happened to the people of those great civilizations, some of whom just seemed to have picked up and disappeared. We do not understand the great markings of the Nazca Plains that can only be seen from the sky, nor do we know who made Stonehenge or why, or how the giant statues got on Easter Island thousands of miles from land. The people who made all these things have been long gone.

In the end, when we die, we will not be able to take our bodies and our voices along for whatever comes after. If there is another life, if we re-incarnate, we will get a new body with new capabilites……this piece of flesh will never be again as it is now. If we have something to offer while we are alive, it is only for a period of time. Infants don’t make recordings and very old people rarely do. For a certain number of years we can use our voices deliberately and can, if we wish, speak and sing in a deliberate manner. We can train the voice and body to do our bidding and we can use it to perform in accordance with our choices of music or words. During this period of time, the voice is always changing…improving, growing and expanding or decaying, losing ability, coming apart. It follows the body and/or the body allows it to do what it does. They are, after all, partners always.

Yet, while it exists, it is a glorious thing, the voice. It carries with it energy that cannot be expressed the same way by any other means. And even though the voice is finite, the idea of singing is not. People have likely always sung and always will sing until there is no longer a human race. The singer passes away but not the singing, not the song. Those who passionately explore, study, examine, develop, create, investigate, express and enjoy singing do so with enthusiasm. They act as if singing were the most important thing in the world. While they are alive, singing is the reason to go on living. As Bernice Johnson Reagon says, “Singing is the reason to get to the songs and the songs are what you came here for”.

All that really matters is how much love we experience. How much love we give out, how much love we can experience (there is no limit), how much love sits under every moment of life. This alone is what gives meaning to everything else. If we truly love singing and singers, if we love everything in the process of singing, then it carries the full measure of what it means to be a human being in it. It has no inherent permanent value in and of itself but as a vehicle for spiritual awakening, it is as good a means as any to discover that which will never pass away. Nothing matters, everything matters. Singing is a doorway between the two.

Tradition is a good thing. Keeping the ways of the past is a very important ingredient in making sense of things. Tradition gives context, history, meaning and weight to our lives. Honoring the past, keeping it significant in the present does matter. All of what we have in every museum says that what happened in the past is important. The people who wrote down what happened, who painted, who sculpted, who built, who created expressions that have come down to the present moment saved for those who came after, give us a sense of what was, of why it was and for whom. Without that, we would have no way to measure where we are now, and plan where we are to go in the future. Those who are responsible for maintaining what has been, so that it does not degrade, or become disrespected, perform a very valuable service.

Innovation, on the other hand, is also a good thing. Without innovation there would never be anything new. There would never be a way to break out of what has always been done in the past. The paths of the past would become prisons. Life is always creating itself newly in each moment. Not allowing things to change is always a mistake, as change is the only constant in all of life.

It isn’t uncommon, however, for these two ideas to end up in some type of conflict. The traditionalists argue with the innovators. Those who would break with the past confront those who hold the past with reverence.

We need both of these things. We cannot do without them. We need to know and understand the past and we need to innovate in the present moment. They are necessary to each other. It is difficult to “break out” and change something when you do not know what that something is or how it got there. It is difficult to “innovate” when your innovation might, in fact, be something that has always been done, it’s just that you personally did not know that.

It is possible to be an excellent singer of any style, and it is very important to understand the history of that style, and what created the parameters of it. It is also possible to break away from that style and do something in a way that is a deliberate break in tradition. Classical singing does not oppose rock and roll or gospel music. They are simply two very different ways of using the throat while making music. It is possible to be a traditionalist and an innovator at the same time. Yes, it is very possible.

The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere was noted in ancient civilizations. It seems they marked the soltices with celebrations of some kind. We have “the holidays” now, as the days are short and darkness comes early on, to cheer us up, to counter the loss of our beloved sun, and, if you are Christian, to honor the birth of a different son. Son of light. Son of the SUN, which IS our light). Even Chanukah, which some say is not of great significance in Judaism, is about lighting candles. Light.

We share with others in the form of music, of gifts, of parties, of feasting, and we look back at the year that has passed with a sense of wonder, both at what transpired and what did not. We look forward to the new year with hope but also perhaps with dread, as we know all too well that we can never know what is around the corner in the upcoming 12 months. We can’t even know what is around the corner is 12 minutes! We mark the darkness and celebrate the coming light.

So, share your light. Sing your song. Receive light and music from the world and from your family and friends. Take time out to listen to the wind in the trees, the waves on the shore, the laughter of little children, and the cheer of the crowds at the game or the show. Enjoy the cacophony of a traffic jam, or a flock of geese honking overhead as they fly, or a noisy restaurant. Listen to the world around you.

Then, go find silence. Go into your own quiet place and be still. It is from there that sound arises, out of nothing, into the world. In your mind, your ears, your awareness. If you were not there to witness the sound, would it exist? It is you that gives the sound reality.

Remember that the sound born in you, as you, through your voice, and through your awareness of what you perceive, is unique. Remember that each sound is born as you make it and dies as it is made, that you create through it continuously and spontaneously and that it is the most powerful way you can communicate with others, sometimes many others (as in an audience, live or in recordings). Remember that sound is a both a wave and a particle, depending on how you perceive it, and that its energy cannot be destroyed — just captured for a milisecond through you.

May your holidays be filled with light and sound, shining and cheerful, may your song go forth and may we all join together for a happy, healthy and peaceful 2010 and the decade which follows. Let us sing in and for the world.

Why is it that some people who are extremely able think they are never good enough and some people who are only so-so think they are great?

It’s frustrating to encounter someone with all kinds of talent, ability, and intelligence, and find that they are absolutely not confident in any of it. People who could step up to the plate who, for whatever reason, are afraid. Fear of success? Fear of failure? Fear of being seen and known? WHAT IS IT???????????

And, because these people who could lead, who SHOULD lead, do not, the people who are willing to be OK — just good enough — who don’t really care about being the best, are very quick to let you know that they will be up front right away thank you very much. I can only squirm and think — well, nevermind what I think, you wouldn’t like it. These people do not question themselves, they don’t probe, they don’t want any depth, they don’t even know that they don’t know. They are often slightly better than lousy but it never enters their minds that they are, so they put themselve out in whatever place they may find themselves and, (this is what makes me crazy), the world says, “Welcome! You are OK with us. We think you are what we need!”

One of the “spiritual gifts” that is supposed to come with wisdom is discrimination. The discrimination to know what is good and what is not, what is right and what is not, what is real and what is only a facade. Of course, our society is built largely upon what is cheap and available, what “sells” and what is “hot” — not what is lasting, of substance, has some real value, and is a reflection of something that is truly illuminating about the human condition. (I can only imagine what our world would be like if everyone cared about such things).

If you are someone who thinks you are flawed, ask another person in your field who is an expert. If that person is respected by others and she tells you that you are GREAT, please believe her. Then, go out and do whatever you can to bring your own voice, vision and gifts into the world. Do not shrink from challenging yourself in this way, go towards it with courage. Only you can make a difference in the special way that is yours alone.

If you are someone who is ready to be visible, a leader, an up-front figure, find out from another person in your field who is an expert whether or not you are leader material. If that person tells you that you have work to do, that you are not yet really ready, that you must work on yourself for a little more time, LISTEN to her and take their advice. Do not inflict yourself upon the world just because you think you should. PLEASE.

On the first day of singing my true love gave to me: My heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the second day of singing my true love gave to me: Two dulcet tones, and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the third day of singing my true love gave to me: Three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the fourth day of singing my true love gave to me: Four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the fifth day of singing my true love gave to me: FIVE GOOD DEEP BREATHS, four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the six day of singing my true love gave to me: Six tenors yelping, FIVE GOOD DEEP BREATHS, four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the seventh day of singing my true love gave to me: Seven hefty mezzos, six tenors yelping, FIVE GOOD DEEP BREATHS, four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the eighth day of singing my true love gave to me: Eight jazz cats scatting, seven hefty mezzos, six tenors yelping, FIVE GOOD DEEP BREATHS, four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the ninth day of singing my true love gave to me: Nine crooners sighing, eight jazz cats scatting, seven hefty mezzos, six tenors yelping, FIVE GOOD DEEP BREATHS, four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the tenth day of singing my true love gave to me: Ten fancy phrases, nine crooners sighing, eight jazz cats scatting, seven hefty mezzos, six tenors yelping, FIVE GOOD DEEP BREATHS, four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the eleventh day of singing my true love gave to me: Eleven growling basses, ten fancy phrases, nine crooners sighing, eight rockers screaming, seven hefty mezzos, six tenors yelping, FIVE GOOD DEEP BREATHS, four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

On the twelveth day of singing my true love gave to me: Twelve rockers screaming, eleven growling basses, ten fancy phrases, nine crooners sighing, eight rockers screaming, seven hefty mezzos, six tenors yelping, FIVE GOOD DEEP BREATHS, four lovely “ah’s”, three high notes, two dulcet tones and my heart’s song to sing out gayly.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

(Feel free to copy this and send it around or sing it yourself at your holiday party!)

Recently I posted a blurb which caused so much trouble I took it down. That’s the trouble with the truth…..it can be very unpopular.

Most people put up with things because of fear. They are afraid of looking bad, afraid of being judged negatively by others, afraid of rocking the boat, causing trouble, making enemies, throwing stones…….on and on. If, however, what is being stated is true, then perhaps the price of truth is to cause trouble, rock the boat, make enemies (if necessary) and throw stones in order to get people’s attention. If you take a stand, then someone will come to knock you down just because you have. If you don’t take a stand, and most people do not, then things happen that shouldn’t happen. The list of events that start that way and is long and is thousands of years old. What if more people had opposed Hitler? What if the protests against the war in Vietnam had happened BEFORE we went there?

Those who have a stake in a situation that shouldn’t be, or those who are most at risk, often do not speak up because others are involved who may be dependent upon them. If you are a parent who is supporting a child and speaking up might cost you your job, you will probably just put up and shut up. If you are a spouse suporting a sick husband or wife, you, too would look the other way at something that you know shouldn’t be happening, unless you have another job waiting for you.

After many years being very active in his Laborer’s union, my father was elected Treasurer when I was about 12. It took him a long time to get the books from the previous Treasurer but he finally did. With no formal financial training, he laboriously poured over the accounts that he and his fellow workers had paid into with their wages and finally concluded that more than $5,000 had been embezzled from the union by the previous Treasurer (this was in the 50s, so that was a lot of money). When he brought this to the attention of the elected union officials, they actually told him to keep quiet. The Treasurer had a lot of friends, he was a “nice guy” and the union bosses felt that the ensuing notoriety would be “bad” for the union. The man got away with the theft, my father made lots of enemies, and he was forced to quit his post, and never again went to a union meeting. He was extremely disillusioned, but I was proud of him.

So, with that in mind, the situation about which I wrote in my missing post is true and not bringing it to light is a mistake. It is thus: There is a college vocal music program that is operating under very restricted thinking, firing those who do not go along with the “party line”. They refer to the college students as “babies”. They do not teach belting because they think it is harmful, and they do not teach “to the marketplace”, in spite of the fact that this is professed to be a professional training program preparing people to go straight to Broadway. They insist that they are going to make Broadway come around to THEIR standards and the price for this entire arrangement in terms of tuition is at the very high end of what colleges cost. The students have been on the receiving end of profanity by some teachers and have also been told not to question their instructors. Faculty that have their own ideas about singing or acting are quickly fired. If any of this is mentioned, the parties involved get angry. I solicited responses from anyone in any program anywhere that operates under such out-of-balance conditions and did hear from a few people. That solicitation is made again now.

Because the profession in general has no set standards, because we do not yet agree that belting is just another way to use the voice and should be healthy when done correctly, because we do not yet certify singing teachers and require that they actually be able to sing what they teach and sing it well, because we do not openly criticize things that are just plain wrong — we are complicit in their continuing to go on, and continuing to cause innocent singers (students) to become, at best, confused, and at worst, injured. Because we are afraid to speak up and speak out, we are part of the problem.

I have no one to answer to except myself. I do not depend on anyone other than myself for financial support, and no one is relying upon me for financial support. Therefore, I believe I have a moral duty to discuss situations that exist in vocal education that need to see the light of day and are made known to me by reliable sources. The opportunity is then made available for others to discuss these issues represented by these situations with the hope that everyone everywhere will look at them. No, it won’t change the specific scenario mentioned (at least in a direct way), but it may make it harder for other circumstances of similar nature to develop because people (students and teachers alike) will be alerted beforehand.

I have taken a stand with my work. I have an obligation to uphold this stand. Others may disagree with me, as that is their right, but I will speak the truth and take the consequences of so doing.

I have just heard about a substantial college music theater training program that is being narrowed to the point of making all the training there ridiculous. This is important to everyone everywhere because it shouldn’t happen at all, and it is happening and at a place that has “a reputation” it doesn’t deserve, but it reflects the conflict that is going on world-wide with CCM training programs. It reflects the huge tension between those that want to deal with real-world demands and those that cannot face those same demands in terms of how they teach singing.

Although I know the names of all the individuals involved, and the specific school, I cannot, for legal reasons, mention them here. I will say whatever I can to be clear about the issues.

The person in charge of the department has no training or experience in singing or music. He has a fixed idea of acting from which the students must not deviate, and it does not support imagination, creativity, diversity or physical groundedness in musical expression. The other person in charge is a classically trained singer with no music theater experience who tried to train herself to sing outside her own box, got in trouble, panicked, and blamed others. She went for rescue to someone else in the same department who had taken the time to get vocal training in CCM styles. The woman decided belting was dangerous and bad. The third ingredient in this scenario is the newest member of the team who is an expert at voice science but who has the reputation of being “not a good singer with no high notes” although he is a tenor. The department talks about itself as a stepping stone to Broadway but does not “train the students to the marketplace”. They actually believe they can CHANGE Broadway to come around to what they teach. The students are called “babies” and they are required, yes, REQUIRED, to always sing in head register, no matter what the style. Any teacher who does not walk this party line is fired or “let go”.

That this is taking place is clear to the students and ever more clear to those outside the school who hear about what is going on from the students themselves. That it is allowed to go on is a reflection of the attitude of the man running the entire school of music, who knows zip about music theater, and who in general, could care less about anything that takes place at the school, as long as he has his job.

Meanwhile, the few students who ask questions are chastised by their teachers up to the point of being sworn at on a regular basis. Complaints to Mr. Big, running the school of music, are considered to be “made up” even though there are many of them from an assortment of people.

That music theater can be a cause of such discord anywhere is a real shame. That teachers would become so rigid and frightened and allow their own limitations to dictate policies that effect hundreds of young performers, is criminal. That these same policies would allow students to have training that makes them LESS marketable, and unhappy, and even, in certain cases, (and this I know for a fact) to CAUSE vocal problems, is also criminal. If I thought that the situation was unique, or was even highly unusual, I wouldn’t mention it at all. It is, however, very typical and no one speaks out about it. Most of the students are powerless to change things, many of the teachers need their jobs to stay alive. Only someone who is not dependent on the program or the school would be objective enough to look at what is happening in a more objective manner.

Since I have spent my life working towards having music theater (and all other styles of CCM) respected and placed alongside classical music as being equally important and valid, but different, it is gratifying for me to see that more and more colleges are adding music theater training programs and degrees every year. It is very sad, however, for me to see that as these programs are begin added there is little interest in seeing that those who are being asked to teach them actually have any real skills to do so. This is not the kind of progress I had hoped for.

If you are involved in such a program at your school, would you please let me know? I am interested in seeing just how wide spread this behavior is and how much damage you think it is doing. Please e-mail me directly at: lovetri@thevoiceworkshop.com.

A student arrived recently with a degree in music theater freshly planted under her belt. Lovely young woman, lovely voice, very musical and expressive with a song.

She was missing a whole bunch of ingredients in her vocal technique that should have been there. Why would that be? Was she just a dumb bunny, someone who couldn’t understand her teachers? Was she was recalcitrant, thinking she knew it all, didn’t need to learn anything from anyone? Was it that she just didn’t have a “world class” voice? Maybe she was just not talented enough, vocally speaking. Perhaps she was distracted in her studies, didn’t apply herself, had no motivation?

Or maybe the people who set up the program didn’t know or bother to find out what a well trained singing voice does so that training could be offered to the students. Maybe THEY don’t know what a professional caliber voice is, how it should function and what it should be able to do….regardless of whether the vocalist is truly talented or just average……since function has nothing to do with talent, it has to do with being alive and having vocal folds. Maybe, too, the people who were willing to take her money for four years didn’t think it was all that important for a person getting a degree in MUSIC theater to understand how to sing. Maybe they thought that acting was enough to do the job or that classical vocal training (of all kinds) would somehow magically get the most out of a young throat. Maybe the whole degree is just about learning lots of songs.

What about taking the student and fixing several technical inadequacies in ONE lesson? Could that prove that it was not the student who was at the root of the technical lacks? What about asking “did you learn anything about this” or “anything about that” and being told honestly and without rancor, “no”. Basic information that was never given at all. Is this something that should be blamed upon the student?

The schools are very willing to accommodate the enormous number of kids who want to be in music theater programs because these programs make money. There must be at least 10 new programs opening in colleges every year. How they spring up, overnight, and who runs them, is a mystery, but it does seem that someone decides to get things started because it’s possible, and the thought process ends there.

If you are someone who wants to go into a music theater degree program, beware. If you are someone who is being asked to teach at one, beware. If you are someone who is in charge of one, beware a whole lot, like your life depended on it. And, if you are someone who has never tread the boards in a professional calibre music theater production and you are being asked to teach music theater songs, beware, too.

If you send out a young vocalist with a degree that provides training that is shot full of holes, like Swiss Cheese, remember: you have to look at yourself every day in the mirror.

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 to time, actually sings, is also a given.

What the world does not need is people who are sort of OK teaching other people to be not quite OK and calling that education of any sort. If we are dealing with something that can only be learned by a transference from one person to another, then the stakes are greater than normal. Guess what, that is how singing lessons have always worked. One person to another, one lesson at a time.

Now I do know that people who no longer sing well can teach wonderfully, especially if they were good once upon a time. I also know that some people who don’t sing might be good at explaining to someone what to do when she sings, but a verbal explanation is NEVER going to substitute for an out loud example. We learn to sing by listening, just as we once learned to talk when we were very young, and that is the core attribute of the process that matters. Sure, listening to someone sound bad doesn’t mean the student will also sound bad, but it surely doesn’t make it easier to assume she will sound good, either.

My last teacher was a tenor. I learned a lot from him before I finally left, never to have another singing teacher again. (I’ve had lots of coaches, though). Many years after I no longer studied with him, I had occasion to hear him sing a recital of Shubert’s “Winterreise” and nearly fell out of my chair as I realized that I had internalized this man’s throat constriction for nearly 20 years without having any idea that I had done so. It was only after I worked out my own technical bugs that I was able to recognize his sound as having served as an example for my own, and although I made no effort whatsoever to copy or imitate him, nor did he ever ask me to do so, I had done exactly that, just by hearing him in my lessons for 7 years.

Too many teachers are just plain lazy about their own singing. Too many others never really found the resources to sing well in the first place, but then, somehow, they felt it was just fine to teach what they actually hardly understood themselves. (What gaul!) The people who turned to teaching because they were tired of having to deal with all that a singing career entails at least bring to the profession something in the form of valid experience and the credibility that goes with having been hired for a number of years, having made some kind of vocal music. The only exception I would make here would be the case of someone who is an older teacher who has had health problems. I might cut someone in this situation a little slack. There are, however, a number of octogenarians out there these days who are singing and sounding great, including Tony Bennett and Sheila Jordon, so it isn’t age per se that’s the issue, but the overall shape of the person and their instrument.

So, if you are student, and your teacher sounds odd, you should ask yourself why. If their method wasn’t good enough to help them sound good, how is it going to help you? If you are so young as to have no basis to evaluate their singing in terms of its quality, then go find someone who is knowledgeable and ask that person to have a listen. If the teacher cannot do what you want to learn, don’t study with that person. If the person is a tenor with no high notes and you need help with your high notes, stop! No matter what they tell you, if they don’t do what they want to teach you to do, I repeat, (and you can consider this a yell), DO NOT STUDY WITH THAT PERSON. If you are someone with tension issues, and the person teaching you has a tight constricted sound, you are NOT going to get rid of that sound until you leave and find someone who has a relaxed vocal production and knows it. LET THE BUYER BEWARE.

The point is the teacher should be singing very well.

Don’t buy a car from someone who doesn’t drive!!!!!!!!!

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 are not too many MDs who bother to find out how singing and singers function and who understand the need for re-training to avoid re-injury, but there are a few who have also sought out such knowledge, and are leading their profession towards greater interaction. Speech Language Pathology is important, too, but, again not all SLPs realize that treating the speaking voice is only part of what needs to happen if the person had problems singing that were caused by vocal production. Some SLPs have singing experience and are working to bridge the two professions – speech and song — with their expertise.

It is very possible to have normal vocal folds and dysfunctional vocal behavior. Medicine isn’t going to help such a situation, and if the singer loses the top of his or her range, or has trouble matching pitch, or has less stamina, surgery isn’t the answer and sometimes speech work isn’t enough. The only real answer here is a team approach…..medical doctor first, followed by qualified speech pathologist with expertise in voice issues (that’s a speciality), and then work with a singing teacher who is trained to help someone recover from vocal function issues.

The conference “Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation of the Performance Voice” (mvp2009.blogspot.com/), in October in Michigan at the University of Michigan Medical School is just such a conference. It brings together medical doctors, speech language pathologists, singing teachers and researchers as well as performers, to help them learn from each other how they work and why. It is important that we continue to work with each other so there is greater trust and understanding as patients can only benefit from having guides who have correct information, correctly applied.

Singing teachers who have expertise in re-training injured voices need to press MDs to learn more about what they have to offer. Singing teachers need to find speech language pathologists who will also work with them to be sure that a singer not only has healthy speech but professional level singing as well.

If you are a singing teacher, you might sign up for The New York Singing Teachers’ Association Professional Development Program (www.nyst.org) and learn what you need to know. If you are a SLP, you might try taking singing lessons, and if you are a doctor, you might also learn to sing. Cross training is the best way to know what’s expected in each area.

The 21st Century is going to demand that all of us understand a lot more about each discipline. Please reach out and interact with your sister professions.