Have you hunted any wabbits recently?
When we voice teacher’s hear a singer we immediately begin to process the voice – is the sound effortless, does it move you in some way, is their too much tongue involvement or jaw tension, etc. How often do you put your mind at rest and just listen?
As teachers of voice we spend our time living in the critique mode- seeking out the flaws and embarking upon repairing and reprogramming how those sounds are made to make them more effortless, powerful, efficient, expressive. We live in the “what is wrong” and “how do we fix it” mode.
I challenge you as you embark on your fall teaching to step out of that critique box and into the audience mode. Marvel that even your weakest singers have improved upon something. Hunt for the wabbit! Share that success with the singer! If they are family dependent share that with their families too! Drop them a note or send them an email or stop everything and run out to their car as they pick up their singer and tell them how excited you are about this progress! Read more…
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Posted in Music & Technology, Performing, Practicing, Professional Development, Promoting Your Studio, Studio Management, Teaching Tips
Stickers, games, prizes, music money, or competitions…is that what it takes to lure students to stick with an instrument? Is the magic triangular support of student, teacher and parent a promise of guaranteed success?
Gold Medal Winner at Piano Olympics
Dr. Randall Faber with wife Nancy co-authors of Piano Adventures
Dr. Randall Faber states that teaching an instrument is completely dependent upon students’ level of engagement at weekly lessons. As teachers, we must be involved more in the learning that is going on rather than the teaching. Monitoring students’ emotional engagement is the key to making the unfamiliar familiar, and the biggest motivating factor.
At a recent workshop, Faber listed the “facilitative factors of motivation”, in other words, the ages and stages of motivation. His insightful expertise validated and inspired how I teach. For those interested in the scientific facts of his findings see http://pianoadventures.com/about/pdf/MotivationA4.pdf
So…what does it take to motivate? First: KNOW the STAGES of Motivation:
I Can DO It! Ages 4-6. Activities during lessons must be engines of FUN which generate
learning. Fun or “play” magically holds the students attention and the motivation to “DO it” (again and again) keeps the kiddos coming back for more. Read more…
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Posted in Performing, Practicing, Professional Development, Teaching Tips
This is one of the really successful music camp activities we’ve done this summer. During our Let’s Get Creative Camp, the students all made music creativity journals. For basic journals, you can use school composition notebooks found at the local drug store or school/office supplies store. They have a solid cardboard cover that is easy to cover with varied pieces of scrap booking papers and decorations. I chose to use card stock for the covers, with various lined, blank and music manuscript papers for the insides. I have a binding machine, which makes it easy to put together booklets with whatever filler paper you desire. They can also be taken to a copy store and bound for a small fee. After the journals were completed, the students used them to write and illustrate on of each:
- Poem
- Silly Song (lyrics set to melody)
- Simple Instrumental Composition (for piano, drum or other instruments using standard notation)
- Lead Sheet (notated melody with chord symbols, like you find in a “fake” book, for a nursery song or other simple song)
- Lyric Song Chart (lyrics with chord symbol above to indicate chord changes)
- and…last but not least…
“My Big Event” Improvisation Game -
(Learning how to organize music while having fun improvising!)
Here’s how it went:
1 ~ We started out by writing a title at the top of one of the blank unlined pages in their journal. This title was determined by answering this simple question, “What favorite thing did you do this summer?” Some of my students’ titles were: “Sea World”, “At the Fair” and “The Big Swim Meet”.
2 ~ Next, the students were asked to draw three big circles on their page, and illustrate each, depicting three different scenes from their “Big Adventure”. Read more…
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Posted in Composing & Arranging, Performing, Teaching Tips
Have you ever wanted to record a student’s performance prior to a recital, or a difficult passage that the student needs to work on, but lacked the equipment or knowledge to do so? I would like to share the ways in which I use recordings in my studio, and the very accessible and simple equipment that I use to produce recordings. Read more…
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Posted in Composing & Arranging, Music & Technology, Performing, Teaching Tips, Using Music Teacher's Helper
Last season I got out of La Boheme run-through with Arizona Opera. We had two fabulous casts. All the singers were wonderful. But, one, tenor Gaston Rivero, drew me in and made me pay attention EVERY time he opened his mouth. For those of you who’ve sat through opera run-through rehearsals (especially as chorus), you know how rare this is.
On the final run-through (1/19/10), I could NOT stay in my “rut” of just reading & waiting until it was my turn to go on. I was drawn into Mr. Rivero’s singing each time he sang. Even in rehearsal, with the chorus sitting upstage of all the action (i.e. the soloists had their back to us), I couldn’t do anything BUT pay attention to his voice. There is something special about this man.
Both of our Mimi’s and Rodolfo’s were technically fabulous. I didn’t worry about the high notes or the line and everything was very well-sung. Final dress’s Mimi & Rodolfo (I won’t name names) were technically wonderful, but just didn’t move me. I was happy when I was offstage reading my book and working on the computer with wonderful singing going on in the background, even when the Mimi was told by our stage director “That’s perfect. Do it that way every time. Don’t change a thing. Every time.” I just wasn’t moved – it was technical perfection, and perhaps her face showed more emotion, but it wasn’t PAIRED with the sound to draw me in.
So, what IS it that makes an artist so special that you can’t help but pay attention to them? What makes you hold your breath while you’re listening and then just release it on a sigh when the aria is over? It’s NOT musical perfection. It’s not “acting” everything exactly as the director requests of you. Read more…
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Posted in Performing, Teaching Tips
Just what are the chances that your students may someday be asked to play or sing for a wedding? Probably pretty good! A couple of years ago one of my 11 year-old boys was asked to play for his cousins’ wedding. I couldn’t imagine how that was going to happen, but it did!!
A couple of my graduating seniors will continue on through the summer months before heading off to college. I am so grateful to put off having to say good bye, but I know my time left with them will go by really fast. The other day, it occurred to me that one last thing I’d like to do for these students is to prepare them for the inevitable… Read more…
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Posted in Performing
As an artist who sings in both fields, I treasure my classic technique along with my ability to crossover. What is the correct balance for a young singer? If a student wants to sing theatre or pop music, this question is much more vague than in the classical world. And what about the ones who don’t know yet where they would like to end up?
There are set standards to sing opera and oratorio – the voice must be strong enough to be heard in the back of the house and over the orchestra. Idiosyncrasies and character of the voice must be smoothed over and sanded down for beauty’s sake. Accurate pitch is a necessity, and freedom from tension an absolute. Line is a necessity. Superb breath support and full body engagement and support are key, as is maximum relaxation and minimal involvement of any extraneous tension or small muscle groups.
Theatre, pop and rock have different requirements. Popular music including country and rock music desire and even promote vocal idiosyncrasies whiled desiring great range and stamina. Character voices and pop singers take Macy Gray for instance – an R&B singer with such great character to her voice who hardly sings on pitch – need to maintain their “character” and uniqueness.
Subsequently I opt for teaching “classic” technique to all of my singers unsure of the style they decide, to sing to a point. There comes a “fork-in-the-road” moment when we are beginning the “point of no return” where I stop and reassess their new path. I talk to my singers about how we can proceed, classical, character, theatre, pop, again ask them what there feelings desires, and dreams are, and then share with them which road I feel is more available to them, if I have an opinion at that point. We then move forward based on the information gained at that discussion.
I will discuss several students I have had this discussion with next month. Meanwhile, I believe a prime example of a good mix of “organic with technique” is seen in the vocal prowess of Kristen Chenowith. She has great flexibility with her classic training yet her ability to also sing country, theatre, and pop sublimely. Listen to her meld several styles on “This Moment” by John Buccioni – and follow it up with a gander of her singing Leonard Bernstein’s “Glitter and Be Gay” from Candide. Zowee.
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Posted in Music & Technology, Performing, Practicing, Teaching Tips
This past week my husband took my car for 3 days. Mine gets WAY better gas mileage and he had to go on a road trip, so I was stuck with the minivan for the interim. I love my little car – it gets great gas mileage and I can fit my daughters AND a trip to Costco into it. Who needs the minivan? Plus, I made sure when I got it that it had a standard (manual, i.e. “stick”) transmission.
When I drive a car with an automatic transmission, I just go. I am less aware of my surroundings. I am MUCH less aware of my speed. I just get in the car and drive. Especially in the U.S., manual transmissions in cars tend to be the exception, rather than the rule.
It occurred to me this week that driving an automatic is how we can sometimes be in the studio – we get onto a path and stay there, unless something jars us out of it. We ARE on “automatic.” So, I’d like to pose these questions to you:
Do you make sure you make time in your schedule for exercise?
Do you still take lessons yourself?
Do you give yourself professional development time annually? Quarterly? Monthly? Do you regularly interact with other teachers?
What are your goals for your studio? What have you done lately to energize your student population?
Has your teaching evolved throughout the past year? Why or why not? Read more…
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Posted in Performing, Practicing, Studio Management, Teaching Tips
The Plan
In celebration of years at the piano together, I am holding my first (annual?) Senior Showcase featuring three senior pianists in late May. Each student will perform some newly-prepared pieces along with favorites of the past. They will also perform duets with each other and some with friends singing, whistling (!) playing the guitar, violin and cello. FYI–one hopes to major in music with a piano/education degree, one with a music major in harp, minoring in piano, another will study Biology.
As a way to lure my younger students to attend the event, each senior will be attending the annual spring recital I hold for all other students. The seniors will choose top performers from each recital. These top performers will be invited to play before the Showcase begins. They are guaranteed a large audience as the Showcase will be followed by a large reception with great food. Two of the seniors are turning 18 that very day and the reception is also serving as a graduation open house.
This is all new for me–I have never planned such an event. At times the anxiety of HOW the program will work and IF the students will be ready keep me up at night. However, I am certain that this will be a fun-filled program and a unique celebration of WHO: long-time students, and of course, WHAT: music.
The Program
I plan to provide a lovely color printed program including senior pictures of each student along with student-written paragraphs about their piano experience. Priceless quotes include…
“I wanted to quit piano lessons–I was too stubborn about putting in more practice, but also, was too stubborn to quit so, I stuck with it.”
“My favorite song ever (even more than any other genre of music, in the WHOLE world) is “Clair de lune” by Debussy.”
The Parting Words
The following are my words that will be included in the program to the seniors and all those in attendance celebrating their accomplishments. Read more…
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Posted in Performing, Promoting Your Studio, Studio Management, Teaching Tips
When did you last sit down at your instrument and improvise a piece of music? I find it a great way to boost my creative energy. Were you even encouraged to do that as a student? I know I wasn’t. My job, growing up, was to play my scales, pieces, studies, and sight-reading with impeccable fidelity to the required text and technique, and then to close the piano lid when it was time for dinner. Anything else was considered ‘playing around’, and was strongly discouraged.
These days, fortunately, children who learn instruments generally feel a lot freer to play and to improvise at their instrument, and we can learn a lot from them. What do they do when they sit at the piano? Experiment with sounds and colors? Enjoy the feeling of flapping their hands up and down on the notes? Stick to the extreme ends of the keyboard?
As a piano teacher, I often begin by improvising around a simple chord sequence, and inviting the student to create a melody. If they’re shy, I set a tempo and suggest they play only whole notes to start with. When they begin to become more confident, I move to half notes and then quarter notes, before encouraging them to start to create a more inventive rhythm. What works particularly well is to play in F sharp major and let the student know that playing just on the black notes will work fine. Read more…
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Posted in Composing & Arranging, Performing, Practicing, Teaching Tips
