10 Things You Shouldn't Say to Your Voice Teacher

I may regret posting this as it may seem somewhat harsh. It's not really a rant since I am quite calm. I just think that some students don't think before they open their mouths. Here is a list, in no particular order, of things you should not say to your voice teacher and why.

1. "It's been a long time since I've sung this."

If that song was part of your assignment for this week, the last time you sang that song should have been as part of your warm-up before you walked into the lesson. If your lesson is during the school day and you can't warm up before, the last time you sang the song should have been at your practice session yesterday.

2. "I think I have strep, but my mom won't take me to the Dr."

First, if you think you have strep and you are not on antibiotics, I don't want you anywhere near me. Second, a sore throat does not necessarily equal strep, but if the sore throat is accompanied by fever and/or lots of pus pockets on your swollen tonsils, you absolutely must see a doctor. Untreated strep can cause other health problems (including heart problems).

3. "I couldn't practice because I had laryngitis."

No, you couldn't SING because you had laryngitis. Practicing isn't just singing. You can learn a lot of music and work a lot of technique without phonating. Unless you are so sick that you are non-functional, you practice.

4. "I need to find a song to learn and sing for an audition on Saturday."

The only time you should be learning a song right before an audition is when they request a specific song. The rest of the time, you should be choosing songs from your repertoire list of things that you know well and have already polished. Show the directors the best of what you have to offer. If you don't have an appropriate song in your repertoire, maybe you shouldn't be auditioning for that part yet.

5. "You didn't go over this part with me yet."

The fact that I didn't play it for you does not excuse you from learning the melody. You have solfege skills. You have a recording of the melodic line (or should ask for one.) You have YouTube. Use them. Don't wait for me to spoon-feed you the melody. With foreign languages that you have not studied, I will walk you through it it first time, but there is no excuse for not knowing your notes and rhythms when you have the skills and resources to take care of that yourself.

6. "You didn't tell me."

To be honest, this only bugs me when I've said it in your lesson, emailed it in lesson notes, posted it on the bulletin board and given you a piece if paper containing the information. Please, just say, "I forgot." I love personal responsibility.

7. "I need to cancel or change my lesson because today is the only day my whole family is free to (fill in fun activity that teacher doesn't get to do because she is committed to being at school for lessons.)"

First, your whole family is not free that day. YOU have committed to be at a voice lesson for 30-60 minutes of that day. Second, if your family had planned ahead a little and had given me more notice, it would have helped me to help you.

8. "I need to cancel because I have a dentist appointment."

Why did you schedule a dentist appointment during your lesson time?

9. "I can't pay you when tuition is due because we went (or are going) to Mexico (or Florida or NYC or Europe) on vacation so money is really tight right now."

And voice lessons aren't very important to you, so I'll put someone in your time that values what happens here. Also, someday I would really like to go to Mexico myself, but I can't afford it.

10. "My music is in my locker. Do I need to go get it?"

If your accompanist or I have a copy of the music, you are 100% percent memorized, and you can remember perfectly every little detail of the things we work on without marking your music, then no, you don't need to bring your music. Basically, that means everyone should bring all the songs they are working on to every lesson.

Too harsh???

-- Posted from my iPhone

Slightly annoyed

I don't usually teach on Fridays, but I figured that since I was meeting a friend earlier, I would already be out of the house, so I scheduled a lesson with a student whose email I missed and therefore didn't get her in earlier in the week. Then, since I had one student, I decided to let another come to do a makeup for one she forgot.

My friend had to cancel. The student I owed a lesson to because of my mistake cancelled.

Now I'm leaving the house for 1 lesson that technically I would get paid for even if I didn't allow the makeup.

I'm trying to change my attitude and look forward to this lesson. She's a good kid and rarely misses which is why I allowed the makeup in the first place.

I want to teach this lesson.
I want to teach this lesson.
I want to teach this lesson.
I want to teach this lesson.
I want to teach this lesson.
I want to teach this lesson.
I want to teach this lesson.

(It's not working.)

OK, let's try a new approach.

While at school I can do my own practicing and sing some amazing Poulenc and Mahler.
While at school, I will have a large quiet place to do some Tai Chi and Qigong.
If I get my butt out of the house I can stop for some yummy food on the way home.

Now I'm slightly more motivated, but still need to write a note reminding myself: DO NOT schedule lessons on your day off. You need the time to relax and recharge.

-- Posted from my iPhone

Dealing with music program cuts

Yesterday, MusicTeachersHelper tweeted this question:

With school #budgets being #reduced and schools #closing #music programs, what have your schools done to prevent this?

Using "schools" this way is like talking about what the "government" is or isn't doing. The government isn't some other group out there. It is us. The schools are us--parents, teachers, students, administrators, etc. With budget and program cuts, what are we doing to save music in the schools, and if it can't be saved, what are we doing to step in and fill the needs for those students that won't be getting music at school?

I can't tell you what our "schools" are doing, but I can tell you a little about one teacher that I know and his efforts. As someone who is genuinely concerned about the future of our program (and not just his job) he has gone out of his way to form relationships with other music teachers of all levels in our district. He understands that the sucess of our high school program depends on what happens in elementary and middle school classrooms. He supports them and that helps us.

He works closely with administors both in our building and in the district helping them to understand both the needs and the benefits of a strong music program.

And last, but certainly not least, he brings excellence to the classroom everyday, demonstrating to students and parents how important music is.

So that is what he is doing. What are you doing? What am I doing to make sure music education is available to anyone that wants it?

Last year, the community where one of my friends teaches held a huge fund-raiser to help keep their music program.

Parents and others from the community can let the school board know their feelings about music education.

When we can't save music programs, we can help provide other opportunities for those students. Allegro Choral Academy is expanding to help serve kids in a district where the choir program has been severely reduced. You can help them by donating. Your donation can help
them add programs and keep tuition low. Go to http://allegroca.org/donationinfo.html and donate.

Over the years, I've given private scholarships to a few students that wanted voice lessons but couldn't afford it. It is a way for me to give back and show appreciation for the people that helped me. But each year as we do registrations there are more students that want lessons but can't afford it. If I could, I would teach them all for free, but I am feeling the financial crunch of the times too. So, this is the year. I've talked about it forever and now it is time to do something. Keep checking back for info about my new voice lesson scholarship program. It will be small at first, starting with just a few kids that study with teachers associated with our school. I hope it will grow until any child in our district that wants lessons will be able to afford them. Big dream? Of course. Those are the only ones that count.

P.S. If you want to help with setting up the scholarship program, or if you want to donate, let me know.




-- Posted from my iPhone

It Takes Time

I am loving my new journey of learning Tai Chi. And I am amazed (though I probably shouldn't be) and how many similarities there are between this and studying/teaching voice. When I first began my Master's degree in vocal performance, my teacher had me read Brenda Ueland's book If You Want to Write. She said to just substitute sing whenever Ueland said write. The book is amazing and has influenced me both as a writer and a singer. In Dr. Paul Lam's latest newsletter, I found an article and a link to a video that once again reminded me how closely related the things that I love are.

The article is actually the text from Brenda Hum's talk that she gave at a Tai Chi Conference. "What does the Spirit of Tai Chi Mean?" is a beautiful exploration of what Tai Chi can do for us as individuals and as a group. If you substitute the word music, you could give this talk at a music educators' conference. Please read it. All I can add is AMEN!



The video of Marty Kidder's talk is hilarious, especially as he shares "code" phrases for how to encourage your students and what the teacher might really be thinking. Students--I just want you to know that I've been using these phrases for years, and not because you are clueless, but for the reasons he states at the end. The pursuit of any worthy goal takes time and discipline and a willingness to risk and even embrace failure in order to learn.

Someone recently asked me about my interests and activities and I mumbled a few things and then felt like I must live a pretty boring life. I think she just caught me at a bad time. The truth is, I live a pretty amazing life. I love to explore--places, ideas, feelings. I read a lot. Lately it's been more news and blogs than books, but I can't stop reading. I love watching plants and animals and people. You can learn so much from quiet observation. I love music, tai chi, and writing and those 3 interests alone could provide a lifetime of learning and challenges. I'm not perfect, and I don't have to be to really enjoy them. The mastering of any skill or art takes time, and even the greatest masters never stop learning and practicing.

I'm not sadistic

I'm not sadistic. Really I'm not. Maybe my students think so, but the pure joy I feel is not because of their suffering, but because I actually think that what we are doing is fun. (And no, I'm not masochistic either.)

Last week, each student got a new song. Because choir auditions for next year are just a few weeks away, we need to be working on music reading skills, so I've been having students learn their new music by count singing and singing on solfege. And I've been having a blast! Except of course when they have complete melt downs and I have to tell them that it will take time and work but they will get it eventually.

Why do I love count singing and solfege? Because I am a total geek. This is the logical, straight-forward, one-right-answer part of music. It's a game and I love a good challenge. In fact, a few years ago on a long road trip, I kept myself entertained by singing on solfege every folk song and hymn I could think of. It was awesome.

But solfege was not always my friend. I had had a very brief introduction to it in high school, and of course, I sang along with The Sound of Music, but I never really worked with solfege until I became a music major and skipped first semester theory and skills. I missed all of the first semester easy stuff and went right in to the tougher second semester. I did well enough to pass, but I would never have said that I loved sight-singing. In grad school I took a remedial class and got much better, but still no love. The love actually came from teaching it.

As a teacher, I learned to love solfege because I was doing it nearly every day and I saw how much the students improved over all as their reading skills increased. And that is what the students just don't get at this point. It's totally normal for it to be hard. (There are those freaks, and you know who you are, that get it immediately, but most of us have to work at it.) I love it because it is now familiar, an old friend. And like any friendship, there are still times that I am challenged, but that challenge is exciting rather than discouraging.

I keep thinking of the medical teaching model of see one, do one, teach one. For me, the see one step was easy. I understood it intellectually. The do one was trickier, but necessary. The teach one step is where you really learn. I need to find ways to have students teach each other or ask more questions and get them to "teach" me. Most of them get it, they just have not spent enough time applying it and teaching it.

I suppose that the same ideas apply to count singing, but to be honest, I don't remember my own learning process. I began piano lessons at 4 and I didn't just count out loud, I sang along, so I was count singing long before I knew what it was. I know a lot of people hate it, but I've had lots of light bulb moments with kids this week as they finally get the big picture of rhythm. And if it was good enough for Shaw and his choirs, it is good enough for my kids.

I am a firm believer in the fact that theory and music history knowledge makes you sing better. Yes, I teach better tone and proper use of the instrument, but I want my students to be musicians not just singers.

Long live sight-reading and count singing!


-- Posted from my iPhone