Welcome to my first Singing Blog. I will be publishing a new blog every Monday on a variety of subjects connected to the wonderful art of making music.
The right choices.
Learning to do anything that relies on a set of physical movements is, I suspect, a little like programming a computer. Computers can automate many processes at once, allowing a single computed action to seamlessly take place. When we sing, there are so many processes that must be accomplished that it can seem daunting when starting to actually learn to sing. People who can’t play a physical instrument marvel that a player can move both hands independently, observe multiple clefs, move their feet etc. Learning such an instrument takes hours of practice and dedication.
We can all sing-not always pleasantly or in tune. But all of us can sing. To put in the hours to learn what we can all do already isn’t always easy. Often the first few lessons make singing seem difficult, less pleasant or more effort-full. We are trying to get something set up correctly for proper future development. And this is where problems can often arise. A young voice is often able to mask technical faults simply by being young. We are able to sing with faulty support, badly positioned larynxes etc by dint of youthful energy. Sadly I see far too many singers in their thirties and forties who are confused and upset about their singing because they can’t sing as they used to.
As we progress with our voices to ages where our artistry and technique should be deepening and becoming more pleasant and pleasurable, the choices we made as young singers often prohibit this. And it is the job of the singing teacher to instil the right choices in the young singer. The fundamentals of what good healthy singing in any genre should be, and to use language and terminology that is simple and clear.
I recently met up with an old friend of mine who is a very famous opera singer. We joked about how his voice was nothing particularly special at college, yet is now a glory of our musical age. He told me that his pre-college teacher had no interest in making him a grade 8 distinction pupil, or able to sing this difficult song or that-but rather wanted to ‘set the voice and the body up right’. His teacher at college has rightly won plaudits for the work he did on my friend’s voice, yet it was his good fortune to have been taught properly from the start.
I have been incredibly lucky to have been taught be three of the greatest singing teachers of the world. Vocal Legends whose knowledge of the intricate workings of the voice is staggering. These men have never rested on their laurels, but are constantly exploring new ways to better themselves in their quest for knowledge. I find that so inspiring, and have inherited their lust for learning. Unlike these three, I spend many hours teaching complete beginners-young souls who often hunger for a life on the stage. The responsibility to get things ‘right’ is understood very clearly by myself, having had the benefit of a wonderful professional life performing and teaching. Yet I never stop reading and studying. A recent pupil of mine had such a complicated set of issues that it resulted in a transatlantic set of correspondences with an esteemed colleague and friend to explore ways as best to proceed. The learnings I gained with this excellent young soprano have helped me in my teachings of many others.
Yet I’m becoming more and more concerned with what I hear in our local shows, and with what I am observing with our best young singers. There has been many amazing shows recently that I’ve been lucky enough to witness, and with incredible talent and potential, but all too often I see and hear singers that aren’t being taught how the in-breath and posture correctly positions the larynx regardless of music type. When the young singer habitualises their bodies to react to breath pressure thus, there is little chance of a young voice developing as it should. And because of natural talent the results can appear impressive. But will rarely last. And this is a personal little tragedy for the singer involved. I see it so often, the singer that could, and now can not. And it isn’t easy to correct in later life.
Every singing teacher should regard study of the voice as important as the lessons they are paid for. Every new book on the subject should be considered or read, debating the contents with fellow teachers. Minds kept open and complacency banished. We should never be content with our knowledge. All three of my adult teachers had an astonishing ability to ‘see’ the voice, and then articulate the issues that needed addressing in ways that I could understand. That is a gift. But the ability to learn is something we all can and must do, if we are to accept payment for teaching.
The student should never slavishly believe their teacher. They should also trust their teacher. This balance. Singing doesn’t always feel natural (I’ll write about this in a future blog), the easiest way isn’t always the best way. They don’t need to know about why the front of the diaphragm needs to be lifted, or understand the intricate balance of a forward laryngeal tilt. We are teaching them to sing, not to teach. But they do need to understand a set of principals that will lead them to free and open singing engaging their whole bodies.
This blog post isn’t designed to simply criticise my fellow local teachers-I teach many of them and there are many fine teachers close to where I live-but rather a call to the pupil-make sure your teacher is qualified to hold your dreams in their hands! An upward straining larynx is simply wrong. An in-breath that doesn’t lower, anchor and position a larynx is either wrong or work-in-progress. A teacher that has no knowledge of this, yet is determined to use your voice to pass this exam or that to bolster their own reputation should be removed from your training-no matter how nice or cheap they are! Despite what I have just written, I do believe most local voice teachers inadequately qualified to charge for voice teaching. And that is an enormous shame.
If any of this resonates with you, dear reader please get in touch. I often give talks and masterclasses to local choirs and societies-and love to do so. I consider my teaching a responsibility as well as a wage, so if you’d like to know more then again, get in touch. And if you have any ideas for blog posts you’d like to me ramble on about, then just let me know. And thanks for reading. If you enjoyed reading, I’d be so grateful if you could share it on the social network of your choice.
The right choices.
Learning to do anything that relies on a set of physical movements is, I suspect, a little like programming a computer. Computers can automate many processes at once, allowing a single computed action to seamlessly take place. When we sing, there are so many processes that must be accomplished that it can seem daunting when starting to actually learn to sing. People who can’t play a physical instrument marvel that a player can move both hands independently, observe multiple clefs, move their feet etc. Learning such an instrument takes hours of practice and dedication.
We can all sing-not always pleasantly or in tune. But all of us can sing. To put in the hours to learn what we can all do already isn’t always easy. Often the first few lessons make singing seem difficult, less pleasant or more effort-full. We are trying to get something set up correctly for proper future development. And this is where problems can often arise. A young voice is often able to mask technical faults simply by being young. We are able to sing with faulty support, badly positioned larynxes etc by dint of youthful energy. Sadly I see far too many singers in their thirties and forties who are confused and upset about their singing because they can’t sing as they used to.
As we progress with our voices to ages where our artistry and technique should be deepening and becoming more pleasant and pleasurable, the choices we made as young singers often prohibit this. And it is the job of the singing teacher to instil the right choices in the young singer. The fundamentals of what good healthy singing in any genre should be, and to use language and terminology that is simple and clear.
I recently met up with an old friend of mine who is a very famous opera singer. We joked about how his voice was nothing particularly special at college, yet is now a glory of our musical age. He told me that his pre-college teacher had no interest in making him a grade 8 distinction pupil, or able to sing this difficult song or that-but rather wanted to ‘set the voice and the body up right’. His teacher at college has rightly won plaudits for the work he did on my friend’s voice, yet it was his good fortune to have been taught properly from the start.
I have been incredibly lucky to have been taught be three of the greatest singing teachers of the world. Vocal Legends whose knowledge of the intricate workings of the voice is staggering. These men have never rested on their laurels, but are constantly exploring new ways to better themselves in their quest for knowledge. I find that so inspiring, and have inherited their lust for learning. Unlike these three, I spend many hours teaching complete beginners-young souls who often hunger for a life on the stage. The responsibility to get things ‘right’ is understood very clearly by myself, having had the benefit of a wonderful professional life performing and teaching. Yet I never stop reading and studying. A recent pupil of mine had such a complicated set of issues that it resulted in a transatlantic set of correspondences with an esteemed colleague and friend to explore ways as best to proceed. The learnings I gained with this excellent young soprano have helped me in my teachings of many others.
Yet I’m becoming more and more concerned with what I hear in our local shows, and with what I am observing with our best young singers. There has been many amazing shows recently that I’ve been lucky enough to witness, and with incredible talent and potential, but all too often I see and hear singers that aren’t being taught how the in-breath and posture correctly positions the larynx regardless of music type. When the young singer habitualises their bodies to react to breath pressure thus, there is little chance of a young voice developing as it should. And because of natural talent the results can appear impressive. But will rarely last. And this is a personal little tragedy for the singer involved. I see it so often, the singer that could, and now can not. And it isn’t easy to correct in later life.
Every singing teacher should regard study of the voice as important as the lessons they are paid for. Every new book on the subject should be considered or read, debating the contents with fellow teachers. Minds kept open and complacency banished. We should never be content with our knowledge. All three of my adult teachers had an astonishing ability to ‘see’ the voice, and then articulate the issues that needed addressing in ways that I could understand. That is a gift. But the ability to learn is something we all can and must do, if we are to accept payment for teaching.
The student should never slavishly believe their teacher. They should also trust their teacher. This balance. Singing doesn’t always feel natural (I’ll write about this in a future blog), the easiest way isn’t always the best way. They don’t need to know about why the front of the diaphragm needs to be lifted, or understand the intricate balance of a forward laryngeal tilt. We are teaching them to sing, not to teach. But they do need to understand a set of principals that will lead them to free and open singing engaging their whole bodies.
This blog post isn’t designed to simply criticise my fellow local teachers-I teach many of them and there are many fine teachers close to where I live-but rather a call to the pupil-make sure your teacher is qualified to hold your dreams in their hands! An upward straining larynx is simply wrong. An in-breath that doesn’t lower, anchor and position a larynx is either wrong or work-in-progress. A teacher that has no knowledge of this, yet is determined to use your voice to pass this exam or that to bolster their own reputation should be removed from your training-no matter how nice or cheap they are! Despite what I have just written, I do believe most local voice teachers inadequately qualified to charge for voice teaching. And that is an enormous shame.
If any of this resonates with you, dear reader please get in touch. I often give talks and masterclasses to local choirs and societies-and love to do so. I consider my teaching a responsibility as well as a wage, so if you’d like to know more then again, get in touch. And if you have any ideas for blog posts you’d like to me ramble on about, then just let me know. And thanks for reading. If you enjoyed reading, I’d be so grateful if you could share it on the social network of your choice.