The online forums are perfect cages for the exhibition of mental imbalance. There is so much meanness, pettiness, insult, and defensiveness. How did so many teachers and singers become so nasty? There is so much pain and fear evident in these places.
Tag: ego
Am I a singer?
I’m linking to an excellent essay from Camilla Strandberg. We can get caught up in our identities as singers, and become unhealthy about it. This essay and manifesto frees us from that. What is a singer? by Camilla Strandberg
When authority turns ugly
I have recently been watching a lot of videos from various voice pedagogy “leaders in the field”. Some are people I know personally, others I have only experienced from the audience or have never seen before. The manner in which they express themselves varies widely. These experts inspire me to remember how much communication style […]
The biggest challenge
When discussing politics, pedagogy, problems, conflicts – The hardest thing is to not let our hearts harden. Sometimes we must work very hard to cultivate lightness, humor, kindness, truth, love, and openness. Let’s work together.
But that’s not me!
In your journey through Voiceland, you will make many interesting discoveries if you have an open mind and a desire to improve. If you follow a functional approach, you may make sounds that work better, but are strange to you. You may say, “Well it’s good, but it doesn’t sound like me. It seems fake.” […]
Let the student be better than you
When I was a flute major, the university I attended required that all new flute students work on a syllabus of “basics” for a semester, whether they were first year, transfers, or graduate students. This consisted of playing mostly low and middle Gs, performing a systematic series of experiments. It was a classic example of […]
Teacher Talk: How to express standards
As a teacher, you can have high standards and be particular, honest, and clear with students, and still be kind and fair. Whether you want to be nice or not, you will get better results by stating what is needed rather than delivering a judgement about a future you can’t know. Instead of: “You are […]
The difference between polishing biases and cross-referencing
Polishing biases: Looking for snippets of knowledge to support something already firmly believed. Discarding that which conflicts with your agenda. Building a case. Preference for received instruction versus independent study. “My teacher said…”
Mind your manners – civil discourse
A detour from voice topics to something “meta” When someone questions something I state, I may at first usually feel annoyance, anxiety, or confusion. I want to engage people but can be somewhat shocked when it actually happens! Lately, I have been questioning those feelings using Byron Katie’s four questions. It has helped me to […]
Bubbles
It is easy for anyone who leads to become encased in a bubble, including voice teachers. When they develop followings, there is the danger that they can be surrounded by people who do not challenge them. All the “yes people” become the bubble. Once the bubble forms, some typically soapy behaviors may increase. There are […]
Discourse and Dissent in Vocal Pedagogy
Recently a voice teacher posted a controversial statement on his Facebook page. When others responded to it, he allowed comments that agreed with him and removed those that did not. This has been his pattern in the past. He is accustomed to writing large articles and posting them on his website without an opportunity for […]
Changing Vocal Identity
A colleague recently posted a question about this situation: A student makes great progress on an exercise leading to better vocal function, but does not take that better function to his singing. “Everything reverts to the way it was” as soon as he starts singing. It frustrates both teacher and student. I am reproducing my […]