Just as I have studiously avoided most of the standard technical and pedagogical “buzz words” in this rather lengthy description of my teaching style, so do I also avoid them when I am in the studio, particularly in the beginning stages of working with a new student. All of these terms (focus, core, ring, resonance, placement, cover, vowel modification, vocal fold closure, support, mask, etc.) can have a multitude of meanings and connotations, depending on the background of the individual singer. This is especially true when teaching a student who is not a beginner and who has studied with one or more previous teachers. As a rule, except in situations where students move to another city (to pursue a career) or to another school (for graduate studies), there is no reason for them to change teachers or even to look elsewhere – that is, if they are meeting with success with their present teacher. On the other hand, there are those students who, for want of a better term, can be called “teacher hoppers”. They seek out the current “flavor of the month” teacher, hoping to find some magic panacea – someone who will simply offer affirmation that the way they are singing is absolutely fabulous – rather than someone who is prepared to get down to some serious “nitty-gritty” work in order to help them improve their vocal skills. Often, these unfortunate souls are in complete denial that there might actually be room for improvement – they feel that they need merely to get that all too illusive “break” which leads to “discovery”. Naïvely, they think that association with a successful teacher and, of course, the inevitable recommendation is actually all that is really needed to set them on their professional path. Suffice it to say, no ethical teacher or coach will continue to take money from these people, nor will they recommend them for engagements. Professional integrity demands that we try as best we can to help them, but that, eventually, we must be absolutely honest with them about where they truly stand in the grand scheme of things. Truth hurts, but it is the only fair thing to do – false praise and dashed hopes are far worse.
Upon first hearing students who are new to my studio, I have never come across a singer whom I considered to be “doing everything wrong” – it is almost invariably a matter of partial misunderstanding, confusion or an unfortunate breakdown in communication that may have prevented the student from learning and incorporating what previous teachers have had to offer. This may well have been exacerbated by personality conflicts or loss of respect, for whatever reason. On the other hand, this is not to say that, in some studios, one occasionally finds a rather alarming amount of misinformation or dangerously limited knowledge about the physiology and acoustics of good singing. Certainly there are exceptions to my next rather sweeping generalization, but it has been my experience that, in most cases, teachers are capable of teaching only slightly beyond the level that they themselves have attained as singers. This is not to say that it is impossible – however, if a teacher has not performed regularly and for extended periods of time (over a period of years) with orchestras, in large halls and with other professional singers, how can they possibly know or fully understand what that feels and sounds like or the amount of mental energy and physical commitment is required? Don’t get me wrong – I do not for one minute mean to imply that all professional singers should or, for that matter, even could become successful vocal pedagogues. Most of them are still locked into the mind set of a professional singer, and for good reason. Voice teaching is every bit as exacting an art as performing – as such, it requires even greater knowledge of the singing art and a more extensive range of experience. In today’s world, there are a number of well qualified “beginning” teachers preparing students to enter university or taking them through their undergraduate degrees and occasionally even through graduate studies. A relatively small group of vocal pedagogues are well suited for teaching only at the advanced levels, such as graduate school, post-graduate or privately in professional studios, where they are providing the requisite “final polish” necessary for singers to enter the profession – curiously, it is often the case that they are not particularly well suited for beginners. Those few teachers who possess the capabilities for teaching all levels comfortably and successfully are indeed rare.
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