Teaching Philosophy.

The voice is an instrument that is uniquely tied to the total being of the student: body, mind, and soul, the seat of emotion. The passion for the art can only genuinely be expressed by coordinating these elements. Most beginning voice students understand that there is an inner craving to express personal feeling in song that compels them to seek voice lessons. They may have sung in choirs or in school musicals where the waves of enjoyment of the audience filled them with a sense of meaning. They may have been told that their [unique] voice was “beautiful.” Their soul/emotions tell them there is a talent to explore.

Many beginning students are surprised that vocal lessons start with the body as the instrument: alignment, breath management, and jaw/tongue flexibility. Coordinating these muscle patterns, some of which are involuntary and/or foreign to the “natural” function, takes concentration and a new mental discipline. There are vocal exercises to train these muscle groups that are not just “warm-ups.” It is a slow but rewarding process; results are immediate and can be lasting with another new discipline, practice.

Along with body training is “ear training.” Students learn to distinguish between vowel sounds that tune and project the tone (“release”) and those that inhibit the natural beauty. They learn to select vowels that aid register alignment, the connection of disparate sounds into a homogeneous “whole,” the goal of all voice teaching. In ear training, students learn to sight sing simple melodies and tonal memory (the repetition of short melodic motives).

In every lesson there is a time for body preparation and vocal exercises (body & mind warm-up) and a time to put these skills into practice in a song (body, mind, and soul). The text (and character who is expressing the text) is the message; the voice is the conduit. The melody inspires the emotions inherent in the text. The artistry of the student grows by connecting first to the message in a personal way and then allowing the desire to communicate to flow. There is a time to focus on the physical (vowels, breathing, alignment) when working on a song and a time to let inner instincts and emotions take over. Magic cannot happen without integration of all: technique, concentration, and inner release. It is a deeply fulfilling experience for all involved.