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This year I served as a judge for the Tenor 2 Room for the District-level Auditions for Region Choir 2017. Below are some general observations that I wanted to share with my students. 1) I was blown away by how well-prepared most of the singers were. Remember, most students only had two weeks to prepare for the audition due to Hurricane Harvey. I went into the room expecting to hear a plethora of wrong pitches, rhythms etc...Instead, this year was the best District audition I have heard nine years of judging singers. I really was impressed with everyone. 2) The most common mistakes were spreading of vowels and poor high notes. This is where a good singing instructor comes into play. Aside from having an ouside opinion to tell a student what needs work, there are very specific vocal techniques one can aplly to improve your high notes. 3) While pitch errors were rare, there were many problems with intonation (singing just above or below the pitch). This as most likely the result of nerves. When your breathing becomes shallow, or you stop using your air correctly, little imperfections start to emerge on matching pitches. 4) Musicality was excellent on the English song but lacking in the Latin one. There is an easy fix to this: write in an English translation so you know what you are singing! The "Laudamus te" is a song about rejoicing, and yet very few singers sounded happy when they were singing the selection! 5) It did not matter that students only sang two selections this year for auditions versus the usual three. This was the result of coping with the shortened preparation due to Hurricane Harvey. The reality is that a judge really only need a minute or so to make an accurate placement for each singer. 6) Results were good for my students! I'll post their results later this week once I have all the results in and speak to my students. DWS Every week, when I enter Clear Falls High School, I walk by a quote by Aristotle:
"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor." What does this have to do with singing, besides confronting stage anxiety? Plenty. The reality of being a professional or amateur singer is that everyone is a critic. Everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) has a better idea on how you should sing, act, look etc...And because you are a singer, people will not hold back. Have you ever heard a person complain about a tuba player? Nope. Singers? Absolutely! Here is where courage and honor come into a singers' life. Singing actors have to have the courage to make choices musically and not worry about the criticism that may come after. There is nothing more boring than a singer who does not take a risk in how they interpret the music or a role. So instead of worrying about criticism, which will come regardless of how good you are, have the courage to take that risk and be noticed. It doesn't matter how many people think you made the wrong choice; what matters are the people who think you made the RIGHT choice. Those people are the people paying your bills, seeing your performances, and helping you achieve a career in music. Honor is the extension of courage over time. Once you make your choice as a singer, STICK WITH IT! That doesn't mean you do not accept valid criticism or change over time. However, it does mean you listen to the critic's that matter: the people who already love your work and want you to succeed! Those peoples' opinions matter more, because again, their appreciation for your singing is what pays your bills as a professional singer! Finally, I just want to say how happy I am to be back at teaching. I know Houston is still recovering from the Hurricane, but it sure is wonderful to have an element of normalcy with the schools open and music lessons resuming. DWS The title of this blog comes from a saying by Rollo Dilworth, an excellent spiritual and gospel composer, pianist and conductor. Attending his clinic last weekend, he spoke these words to address both airflow and musicality.
Perhaps the hardest aspect of learning how to sing is in developing a vibrant sound based on airflow, not muscle. Because we cannot manipulate a voice physically, teachers come up with different mental images to describe proper breath management. You have probably heard some - sing 'buoyantly, sing 'spinning the air' and so forth. However, I think Rollo's description is the best I've heard and I'm using it! When he explained 'singing with intention,' it was in context of a spiritual he wrote asking God to 'send it (it being grace).' He said, don't sing just plain old text, but sing "SEND IT!" Words cannot describe the physical and emotion energy the man had when he said this. How he used his air and consonants to create a driving and powerful sound was both technically and musically wonderful. It was remarkable how quickly the church choir, composed mostly of non-professional musicians, understood his concept and instantly started singing with more breath support and intensify. As he said, the choir was singing with "intention." When you sing, proper breath management and support is not just about singing in a way that is healthy and technically correct; it is also the driving force behind musicality. It is almost impossible to sing musically if the technique is not there. By using a simple phrase, and explaining the emotional context of his song, it was easy to emulate and deliver a great vocal sound. DWS This post was supposed to go up on August 25th, welcoming the beginning of school and well...Hurricane Harvey happened.
The rainfall that fell on Saturday is something you can't understand unless you went through it. The closest I can come is the intensity of rainfall felt like driving through a bad storm that forces you off the road because driving conditions are so treacherous. Now, imagine that rain is non-stop, with no drop in intensity for a whole night. The amount of rain turned our street into a literal river. As I saw the rain creep up to my house, I felt equal parts fear and bewilderment. This could not be happening. We live on relatively high ground in League City and our house was about to turn into an ark. Fortunately, my family and most of my students did not suffer flood damage, but several students got hit hard. Resuming school today was an incredibly welcoming bit of normalcy, and I imagine most of the students felt the same. Not teaching for two weeks, with two little boys tired of being cooped up inside for a whole week is not an easy experience. Seeing neighbors hit hard by the rain and helping gut their homes is an experience I hope to never repeat again. With school resuming so close to the District Round of All-State Auditions, audition pieces have been shortened to accommodate the lack of preparation time. Many fall concerts have been canceled, shortened or moved. Fortunately, everyone is really pulling together locally to be more friendly, kind, and patient with everyone. When you ask, "how is your family," people know instantly it is about the flood and how well you managed. The hurricane was a disaster, but the silver lining was a community brought closer together out of mutual need and care for each other. DWS Great opportunity for high school juniors and seniors who are interested in majoring or minoring in music. Even if you are not interested in attending the University of Houston, you will get wonderful tips on how to give a great college audition. See below. If you attend, let me know and I'll let the voice teachers and performers know you are coming! I am very lucky to have a super-smart younger brother who is studying Alzheimer's, as well as other forms of dementia. While we don't understand the causes exactly, we do know that patients with Alzheimer's are unable to get rid of the 'plaque' that builds up between and inside nerve cells in the brain over time.
Here's where singing comes into play. We do know that people with higher levels of education seem to be less at risk to developing Alzheimers' than others. While the role of education is unknown, there are two possible theories. One, that the brain is like any muscle; if you keep it active, it resists disease more effectively. And two, that learning strengthen and creates new connections between nerve cells to resist this buildup of plaque in the brain. When you take voice lessons, you are engaged in a very diverse and broad form of education that engages numerous functions of the brain. While music certainly engages the creative sections of our brain, music also engages the more 'logic' oriented parts of our brain. Music is actually a form of math (frequencies and harmonies). Singing also develops our motor skills and languages (especially if you are learning to sing in multiple languages!). In addition to giving your brain a mental workout, we do know that singing reduces stress, enhances your lung capacity, and reduces your heart rate. Now, I don't want to give the impression that taking voice lessons stops Alzheimer's (it doesn't). But voice lessons are not just about 'singing better.' It is a form of continuing education for people of all ages that enhances our physical and mental health. DS The terms of voice teacher, therapist, and voice coach are often used interchangeably by advertisements. However, those term mean very specific skill sets that designate the focus of an instructor.
A voice teacher is an instructor who specializes in building the vocal instrument of a student, usually in a one-on-one lesson. In many ways, voice teachers are similar to a good doctor: they listen to you, analyze your vocal strengths and weaknesses, and devise a course of action to make you a better singer. A good voice teacher should be able to work with all types of voices, male or female, but may specialize with certain types of genres and singers depending on their knowledge and experience. A voice therapist is an actual doctor (ENT) who specializes in treating singers who have developed physical impediments to their singing. Before you get worried, most singers will never need to visit an ENT! However, if you are singing professionally, bad habits can cause physical problems such as nodules and polyps. These problems need the help of a doctor before a student should resume their normal singing routine. A voice coach is a pianist who specializes in the style of a certain genre of music, such as Mozart opera, modern musical theater, or French art song. Their job is not to improve your singing technique but to make you a better singer stylistically. While some coaches do have knowledge of vocal instruction, they generally refrain from that instruction and refer you to a voice teacher for help. DS First, best of luck to all my students who are taking final exams!
If I haven't already spoken to you, please send me a message by email or call me to setup your voice lesson time for the summer. I will be teaching 8-6 Monday through Thursday. Thank you everyone for a wonderful year. DS ...is to do no harm!
Every medical student takes the Hippocratic Oath, which states that every doctor must promise, "first, do no harm." A voice teacher must also serve that same ethical standard. When I first hear a new student, my first question is not what needs work, but what does the student ALREADY do well, and makes them special as a singer? Once I have identified those strengths, I try to build upon them so that singer develops a unique sound. I never want a 'cookie-cutter, everyone sounds the same' sound from my studio. The best singers are not necessarily the best technical singers; rather, they have a unique tone and presence that draws peoples' attention. Voice lessons are about improving a singer, which means a good voice teacher addresses both the singer's strenghts and weaknesses. Lessons are not all about criticism; in fact, many times I praise a student's ability because they need to know what the are doing right as much as what they need to work on. DWS One of the great honors and rewards of teaching is watching how young students mature over the years. One of my long-time students (five years of lessons) stopped this month as she is about to graduate from Clear Lake HS.
When she first started lessons, I was not sure she wanted to be there - she was very quiet, rarely made comments, and did not show any emotion. Over the years, however, she has grown into a confident young lady who has a quick wit. Her voice blossomed from your typical junior high soprano sound to a strong light lyric that could sing high notes above the staff with ease. These years were also personally transformative for me as I had two young children, and she saw how I changed when I became a father of two young boys. While I am excited for her future, it is always sad to see a long-time student go. I will look forward to hearing from her parents on her college and career choices and will always remember her as the little shy girl that matured into a wonderful young lady full of potential. Best wishes to you! DWS |
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