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First, a thanks to my Dad for inspiring this topic. My Dad, a chiropractor in the Dallas area, is also is involved with the Garland Summer Musicals. He isn't a professional singer/actor; he simply loves good theater and wanted to get involved.
This summer, he is singing in the barbershop quartet of the musical, The Music Man. A few days ago, I got a call from Dad, asking for some advice on how to sing the high notes. While there is some general advice I could give him, I had to tell him that as a voice teacher, I really need to hear someone sing in person to give tailored and specific advice to address any technical issue. Just as one goes through several diagnostic tests at a doctor's office before the root of the problem is discovered, a good voice teacher has a series of vocal exercises to help discover the root of one's singing troubles. Once the cause is uncovered, a voice teacher can design exercises and new ways of singing to address and eliminate the technical difficulty. DWS Dear students,
Please note that my business line has changed to 832-499-3078. I will be posting more regularly now that most of the recitals have been completed. Congratulations to all my voice students who sang so beautifully in their respective recitals. It takes a lot of courage to sing in public and I am so proud of everyone! DWS Due to several student recitals (tonight, next Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, and then another on the following Tuesday!), my own teaching schedule, and a musical I need to prepare for in June, I will be posting erratically for the next few weeks.
Break a leg to all my students, and I hope everyone comings to the new musical, The Man Who Studied Fear, in June. The musical is based on a Grimm's fairy tale, so it is very cool! DWS Perhaps the most difficult task for high school singers is to sing in a foreign language, memorized. There are several steps to sing in a foreign tongue and be entertaining:
1) Translate the text word-for-word. Preferably by dictionary, though there are excellent websites that have song translations already made. Do not go by the translation in your song because it is often a 'poetic' translation intended for use in singing, as opposed to a literal translation. 2) Speak the text before you sing it. You should be able to speak through your whole song without any pauses. 3) When memory fails, try associating certain phrases with an emotion, picture, or scene. This will speed up the memorization process. 4) Plan out your acting. It is very difficult to improvise acting in a foreign language until you become proficient in that language. The acting will also help memorization as you learn to associate words with certain movements. 5) Be entertaining. Nothing is more boring and makes judges focus on your command of the language if you simply sing a song without emotion. It tells us that either you do not know the meaning of your song or did not care for the piece. 6) If you miss a word in performance, don't worry. In all likelihood, the judges won't catch the mistake unless you do physically react to your mistake (sigh, panic, stop, roll your eyes etc...!). DWS Most people support arts education in the schools. There are several important reasons, and I want to encourage you to visit this Washington Post article, in which a study by the President's Committee shows that involvement in the arts raises math and reading scores.
The fact that music and art makes our kids smarter and more responsible students is not the only reason to promote art education. The arts help make our students: 1) Want to stay in school - choir, band, orchestra, art etc...are much more entertaining and rewarding than the core academic subjects to many kids. 2) Music organizations promote leadership and social skills due to the nature of ensembles and the need for student leadership to make an effective choir, band etc... 3) Arts provide an emotional outlet to teens. I certainly needed it when I was in high school, and my teenage years were relatively easy! 4) Arts serve as an alternative way for kids to find a way to 'fit in' when they may not be athletic or the next valedictorian. We need the arts. The arts are not some luxury item for the rich, or a useless frill to be purchased when times are good. They are a vital part of our lives and we should encourage all our kids to become producers of art, not simply consumers. DWS After hearing some of the TREMENDOUS improvement of some of my voice students this week, I am reminded of the saying "Practice Makes Perfect."
This isn't QUITE true. It really should be "SMART, GOAL-ORIENTED practice makes perfect." Far less catchy to say, but more true. As a voice teacher, my primary responsibility is to give my students songs and exercises that will accelerate their development as singers. When my singers have a goal in mind, and then use the certain exercises to work towards that goal, it is amazing how much they can accomplish in a week, let along a month or semester. Studies have shown that what we think of as talent is simply hard-work, goal-driven practice over a long period of time. Michael Jordan practiced basketball in his backyard - and did not even make his school's varsity team! - YEARS before he was noticed in college. Mozart was driven to be a great pianist by his father, a professional musician who believed his son could be one of the greats. While these and other famous prodigies probably do have some inherent genetic advantages (slightly faster muscles, a mind attuned to music), the fact is 90% of our results is based on the practicing we did beforehand. DWS One of the questions I am most often asked is "Do you teach adults" or "Are voice lessons only for kids"?
Voice lessons are actually great for adults, and adults can improve just as quickly as young singers. All the same vocal techniques and vocal exercises pertain to adults, and if applied, will result in significant improvement. Singing is a life-long activity. There is no reason why you cannot have a beautiful voice even into your seventies and eighties. With voice lessons, you develop strong singing habits that enable your voice to remain healthy. In fact, with voice lessons, people often find that they sing far better than in their youth, simply because they are using their instrument the way it was meant to be used! DWS |
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