When pondering training possibilities, the question for me is “Go deep, or go broad?” I tend to go deep (into one approach) when I find something especially resonant. When I…
Tag: pedagogy
[This is an excerpt from Chapter 3 “The Confusions”.] Long ago I thought of the human voice as an instrument, just in a different family than brasses and woodwinds and…
As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries…
I have written about the dangers of an imagery-based mode of instruction for voice. Images are generally conveyed with words, sometimes also with gestures. Examples of imagery in voice teaching…
I have recently read Herbert Witherspoon’s fascinating and well-written Singing: A Treatise for Singers and Students (1925). His Chapter 13 is titled “Phonetics”, which begins as follows: The phonetics, or…
In the online forums I’m seeing many discussions about voice science – Explanations of “open throat”. Descriptions of sound profiles of ideal (so they claim) vocal attributes. Assumptions about desirable…
What is the purpose of vocal exercises in general? What is the purpose of a specific exercise, given at a specific time? Why this particular one, right now? If you…
When teacher works with student, he needs to keep in mind that he is trying to help the student to do something that she has never done before. Each party…
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…
Brad Jenks, a Chicago area voice teacher, recently made me aware of his excellent blog post. He questions the walls that exist between “classical” and “____” voice instruction. I agree…
I have dared to enter the fray in yet another social media discussion on the value of voice science in the teaching of singing. It gets so heated, but my…
There is a wealth of great reading for singers and voice teachers that you can access for free. Several books that are out of copyright that I highly recommend are:…
