Holiday/Winter/Christmas Music

Note:  I started this blog in the summer and almost had it done, but decided to wait to post until closer to Christmas.  Then I got busy.  It's a little late for finding things for students this year, but not too late for some Holiday celebrations of your own.  

In real life, the Christmas season begins the day after Thanksgiving.  I don't play Christmas recordings before then.  I don't want to see Christmas stuff in stores before then.  But, if young students want to polish a piece for a Holiday studio class or recital, we can't wait until the end of November to start finding songs.  My official start date for holiday music is the beginning of 2nd quarter which is in early November, but sometimes I even start kids in late October.

Holiday music is one opportunity for my students to sing whatever they want.  I do reserve the right to veto if they are not vocally ready for the song or if we can't find it in a key that works for them, but other than that, I'm pretty open to whatever style or song they want.  They just have to purchase the music and bring it to their lessons.

I never require students to do Holiday music, they can always choose to do something else.  I would estimate that probably 90% of my students do end up choosing a Holiday song.  Those that don't sing holiday songs have a variety of reasons:  they need to work on classical rep for an upcoming audition, they're doing so much in their choirs at church and school that they just want something different, they prefer not to because of their religion. (Although I must say, I've had several Jewish kids ask to sing "Silent Night" or "O Holy Night" just because they are beautiful songs.)

Speaking of "O Holy Night"...this is one of the things I veto a lot.  I do let advanced students sing it, and sometimes in other keys or arrangements, but I insist that they use good classical production.  This is one of those times when my music snob shows.  I won't work with students on singing this song in any popular style.

With the exception of the songs from Ready to Sing...Christmas, I do not copy songs for students.  This is the information that I give them regarding Holiday Music.

♦ The 14 “legal to copy” songs that I have are:
Jingle Bells; Away in a Manger; The First Noel; Over the River and Through the Woods; Silent Night; Ding, Dong! Merrily on High; Deck the Hall; Fum, Fum, Fum; Still, Still, Still; Joy to the World; A-Rockin’ All Night; Go Tell it on the Mountain; Frozen December; and Good King Wenceslaus.

♦ If you want to purchase just one song, I suggest trying out one of these web sites, where you can find the song, put it in the key that is best for you, and print it on your printer at home. Most songs are $4-$5.
Sheetmusicdirect.com or jwpepper.com musicnotes.com or sheetmusicplus.com or musicnotes.com

♦ If you love holiday songs, you may want to invest in a book that you can use for many years to come. I have the following books at school that you can look at to decide which book you want to buy. (I then give them pretty close to the same book list you see below.)

In the first section of this blog, I will do short reviews of several books of Christmas song arrangements.  The second section will cover mostly bigger Christmas collections that include carols and popular style songs.

Part I

15 Easy Christmas Carol Arrangements
Edited by Richard Walters. Great for Beginners. Available in High and Low keys.
The arrangements of familiar carols in this book are fairly simply and in most of the songs, the piano part doubles the melody.  My favorites in this book are the arrangements of "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger," both by Christopher Ruck.

Christmas for Two
Alfred.
Several of the songs in this book are actually partner songs, using the melodies from two different songs and then intertwining them.  My favorite song here is "Joyful, Joyful to the World" which combines "Joy to the World" and "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee".

Carols for Two 
Alfred.  Christmas duets.

Ready to Sing...Christmas
Compiled and edited by Jay Althouse.
I use these simple arrangements a lot in my studio, partly because I can legally copy them, and partly just because they are good.  This book includes my favorite arrangement of "The First Noel".

The Mark Hayes Vocal Solo Collection:  10 Christmas Songs for Solo Voice
Arranged by Mark Hayes. Available in Medium High and Medium Low keys. Vocal difficulty varies, but piano accompaniments tend to be more difficult, so if you plan to sing for church, check it out with whoever will be playing for you.  I love these arrangements.   In "Away in a Manger" Hayes uses 3 different melodies, including "Normandy Carol" for the "Be near me, Lord Jesus" verse.  This verse in minor creates a beautiful bridge between the two more well know melodies.  My other favorite is "The Coventry Carol".  I've always loved this tune, but I love it even more here where he uses a minor key version of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" as the basic accompaniment pattern.

Favorite Christmas Classics for Solo Singers
Compiled and edited by Patrick M. Liebergen. Available in medium high and medium low keys.  This book contains my favorite holiday song ever, a haunting setting of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" by Patrick M. Liebergen.  I also use "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "The Virgin's Slumber Song" frequently.  

The Christmas Soloist
Compiled and Edited by Jay Althouse. Available in medium high and medium low keys.
If I remember correctly, this book was actually my introduction to the music of Jay Althouse and the publications of Alfred Publishing.  This book also contains the Christmas carol and song arrangements that I most like to perform.    Favorites in this collection include "God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen", "Once in Royal David's City" (with trumpet!), and "Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow!"

Christmas for Solo Singers
Compiled and Edited by Jay Althouse. Medium high and medium low keys. Contains beautiful arrangements of Christmas favorites that are very singable for high school students.  The poem "In the Bleak Midwinter" shows up in this book too, this time as "Winter Carol" with a new melody by Sherri Porterfied.  A simple, yet beautiful arrangement of "Silent Night" is a favorite with my students.   "Jingle Bells" is another student favorite.

Christmas Solos for All Ages
Compiled by Joan Frey Boytim. High, Medium, and Low keys. Includes songs that range from easy to moderately difficult.  Arrangements of lesser known carols (no "Silent Night" or "Away in a Manger"), Art Songs/Traditional songs, and 3 popular songs ("The Christmas Song", "Do You Hear What I Hear", "White Christmas").

Part II

The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas

The Ultimate Series:  Christmas:100 Seasonal Favorites
Hal Leonard. Many standard carols and popular style holiday songs.

Seasons Greetings.
Hal Leonard. Many standard carols and popular style holiday songs.

Once Upon a December and 50 Christmas Favorites
Warner Bros. Publications. Many standard carols and popular style holiday songs.

The Christmas Collection--53 Songs for the Classical Singer
Hal Leonard. Art Songs and Arrangements of popular songs and carols. Moderately difficult to advanced. Low and High keys available.

Home for Christmas—Amy Grant
Hal Leonard. Arrangements from her CD.

Mary, Did You Know? Plus 24 New Inspirational Christmas Favorites
Word Music.  Contemporary Christian.  I'm not a huge fan of contemporary christian music, but there are some songs in here that I really like.  "Breath of Heaven", "Christmas Lullaby (I Will Lead You Home)", "Not that Far From Bethlehem," and "Welcome to Our World" are my favorites.

30 Christmas Favorites Then and Now. Cherry Lane Music Company. Contemporary songs and arrangements from popular artists.  This book may be out of print now, but you can occasionally still find used copies.  This book includes two songs recorded by Linda Eder that I haven't found in other books.  "The Gift" is my favorite.

Big Book of Christmas Songs.  Hal Leonard.

The World's Most Beloved Christmas Songs.  Alfred.

A little controversy

This

is not this



This

is not this



This

is not this


By the same token, this

is not this


And this (although I love her scatting)

is not this


But is it wrong?

I have very mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, I am a firm believer in honoring the intent of the composer and demands of the music itself, both in terms of technique and artistry.  On the other hand, if Sarah Brightman singing a Czech aria in Italian gets someone interested in opera, isn't that a good thing?  I appreciate the fact that these artists cared enough about this incredibly beautiful music that they wanted to sing it and share it with the world.

As a teacher, I do feel that I have the right and responsibility to educate my students about the really good performances of these songs, so when someone brings in Paul Potts singing "Nessun Dorma", I introduce them to Bjorling.  And when they ask to sing "Nessun Dorma", I tell them, "No way in hell!!!" Actually, I explain the difficulty of this aria and tell them that in 15 or 20 years they can ask whoever they are studying with then if they can do it.  I also explain that not every voice should sing this.  Only a very special kind of tenor should be singing this.  (Side note:  Several years ago, someone at the local music store just gave me a couple of copies of "Nessun Dorma" because they hadn't sold them and they thought someone at our school might be able to use them.  I'm pretty sure I didn't actually burn them, but they are definitely not at the high school where I teach.)

Then there are these duets that make you go, "Huh?"  At least they did the first time I heard them.  The more I listen the more I like them.  I think my family had every John Denver recording ever made.  Although as a voice teacher I sometimes hear things in his voice that I want to fix, I love the color of his voice and I love the songs he writes.  But I remember being really confused by this duet.  Domingo's accent and classical technique were a big disconnect for me.  It didn't seem to fit.  But it introduced me to Domingo who has become one of my favorite singers of all time and definitely my favorite of The Three Tenors.



I actually knew Caballé before I knew Freddie Mercury.  Her "Casta Diva" is exquisite.  To be completely honest, I had heard Queen songs, but I wasn't really into that kind of music in high school and college.  It's really only been that last few years that I learned about him and how amazing his talent was.


These pairings introduced audiences to people and sounds that they might not have encountered on their own.  And the artists themselves learn and grow from the experiences.  In a quick search, I didn't find any super reliable sources, but I've heard that it was Freddie Mercury's dream to sing with Montserrat Caballé and that John Denver changed his approach to how he used his words after working with Placido Domingo.  We all have something we can learn even if it seems like we are so different that we couldn't have anything in common.

Maybe sometimes the question shouldn't be, "Did the singer do the song justice?"

Maybe sometimes it should be, "How did this music change this person?"

So what do you think?  What offends you musically?

Here is what many classical singers want you to know

How Hard Should I Push?

Although I love teaching voice lessons, it isn't always easy and it isn't always fun.  One of the things I struggle with is knowing how much to demand of my students.  I firmly believe in teaching that emphasizes process and progress instead of just product.  I believe that my first job is teaching people, not building voices.

The school where I teach is a triple A school meaning that they emphasize excellence in arts, academics, and athletics.  Students are challenged to be the very best they can be. Many of my voice students are the stars in not just one area, but in all three of the A's. That's awesome, but it doesn't leave much time, energy, or focus for practicing for their voice lessons.  And voice lessons always seem to be at the bottom of the priority list.

I struggle with how to inspire them to practice more when I know I'm adding to a work load that is already close to impossible.  I don't want to add stress, but I want them to understand that if they want to win competitions and/or pursue music professionally they need to invest more than just the time they spend with me in lessons.

This all came to a head again this week with the lessons of three very talented students who have a competition in less than two weeks.  One is doing OK, but in an effort to improve technically has completely ignored the interpretative side of things over the last couple of weeks.  Another was exhausted and sick and not yet memorized even though the person has had the song since the summer.  The third (normally a very responsible student) just didn't show up for the last lesson and doesn't have any other lessons scheduled before the competition.  And of course because it is always about me (or so I think sometimes) I began to stress out about how I was failing these kids.  I wondered how to make them realize that they have to do more if they want to reach their goals.

Not only did I struggle with how to talk to them, I couldn't find the words to reach out to my colleagues and ask for advise.  I didn't want to look like a bad teacher.

Then another teacher reached out with a concern and in addressing her situation, I found my answer.  My teacher friend has a student dealing with depression and anxiety and asked for feedback about how she should approach things in lessons.  This was my response:

I have been the student struggling with depression and anxiety, and I have worked with several too. At my worst, music was my anchor, and if my teacher had insisted that I take a break, it would have made the situation worse.

Talking with the student and her parents is probably the best option right now. For the student that I have right now in this situation, together we decided that I will offer her performance and competition opportunities, but she gets to make the decision based on what she thinks she can handle and there is no pressure from me. I also remind her frequently that if I'm pushing her too hard in a lesson and she just needs to have a fun sing day that she can request that.

Several years ago, a student's parents sat next to me at the final choir concert of the year and made a point of thanking me for helping their child make it to graduation.

We can't be therapists, but we can support and encourage, and the healing potential of music is why I keep teaching.

As I thought about that response, I realized that I don't know all the details of everything going on the lives of my students.  With rare exceptions, I don't know who is dealing with depression or anxiety.  I don't know who is still experiencing PTSD from a past trauma.  I can't know all that, and I can't make myself responsible for everything in their lives.  But I can offer every student the options that I give to those that I know are struggling.

I've mentioned my tai chi study before.  Every tai chi class I take and every tai chi class I teach reinforces those ideals that first led made me want to teach voice lessons.  Every student comes to us with different needs and each of those students will need to discover the specifics of how singing (or tai chi) happens in their own unique body.  

In his book Teaching Tai Chi Effectively, Dr. Paul Lam says

When working with the young people, you must be well prepared and yet, very flexible.  Listen to them--with your eyes, as well as ears--and adjust as you go.

We must also listen with our hearts.  We must develop empathy and teach with compassion.

Another of my tai chi heroes, Caroline Demoise wrote this her her book, Tai Chi as a Spiritual Practice.    All you have to do to make this apply to voice lessons is substitute singing for every time she uses tai chi here.

Being interested in them as people and desiring to help them achieve their potential are quite different from having expectations about how good their tai chi should be, how far they could progress or how well they have taken advantage of the instruction they have been given.
Don't have expectations for the class.  Students will feel the pressure of your expectations, and it activates their critical voice when they are not progressing to your satisfaction.  Remember whose journey is unfolding.  It is not about you.  Class is each student's personal journey.  As the teacher, you are coaching, providing an environment for learning, giving encouragement, offering feedback and holding the space for them to unfold their potential.
As a teacher you want your student to succeed and reflect your teaching skill, but ideally your ego will take a backseat to your student's own timetable and development.  Students with incredible natural talent may have multiple priorities and may not be focused solely on tai chi, which influences the unfolding of their potential.  Means do not justify the end, and pressure and criticism are never appropriate as inducements to achieve.  Tai chi is not about competition, but about self-development.  Students who have only a little ability but who regularly show up in class, try their best, have a lot of enthusiasm for learning and feel better at the end of class are a visible demonstration of your success as a teacher.  

So how hard should I push? Maybe I don't need to push at all.  I need to give up the word should, and invite and encourage rather than setting expectations or demanding.  At this point, I think all I can do is offer opportunities and provide tools.  Each student needs to decide for himself or herself what to take and how far they want to go.  And I need to be OK with that.

When Parents Have Concerns

I just finished up my response to the first email of the school year from a parent concerned that her child did not get into an auditioned choir or the musical.  For the most part, when I receive these kinds of emails, it's not because the parent thinks their kid is the most awesome thing ever and is upset that their kid wasn't cast.  Usually it is a loving parent wondering if this is the right path for their child or if they should encourage them to pursue other interests where they might have a better chance for what the child and the parent view as success.  

I love the school where I teach, but no situation is perfect.  The philosophy is one of excellence in academics, arts, and athletics.  Excellence is great, but it creates a lot of competition.  Yes, competition pushes us to achieve more, but it also means that there only are a few stars.  Kids who would have leads in smaller, less competitive schools might not even make a show at this school.  The average students sometimes feel lost in the shuffle.

And so I get letters from parents wondering where their child stands.  Because it comes up at least a few times a year, I thought I'd share some of the general comments I made here.

Do you see an improvement in her skills as a singer?
Yes, definitely. (The rest of my answers to this question refer to specific skills and the progress the student has made with each.)
 

Do you ever see her being able to be in the musicals?
Yes. I can't guarantee that it will be next year, but I think that making a show is a realistic goal. It is important to remember that very few freshmen make the shows. Chances improve each year. For example, if a senior and freshman audition at exactly the same level of proficiency, the senior has a better chance of being cast.

Because she loves music and theatre, she may want to explore some of the off-stage opportunities related to the shows, like tech crew, costume production, set building, etc. This will give her a chance to still be involved in the show even if she isn't on stage.


Do you think she could make it into the choirs that she would need an audition for?
There are always possibilities, especially when students practice and work hard on building their skills. [The choir teacher] will be re-auditioning for [a particular select ensemble] after the Holiday Concert, and she almost always adds more students at that point. To increase [the student's] chances of making a select choir this year or next, she should develop a habit of regular practice, working on solfege and sight-reading skills, learning music quickly, and applying the principles of vocal technique that we are covering in lessons. Staying focused and being a leader in choir everyday also helps.


Is there something more we could be doing to help her succeed?
Each week I send lesson notes to both you and [the student]. Encourage her to practice and make practicing more than just singing through the song. (There are several handouts on the website that can help her structure her practice time.) I'm attaching a practice journal. Some students have found this very helpful. It asks students to set goals for the week and for each practice session. If we talked about it at a lesson, that would be a good thing to include as one of the goals.

Continue being positive and encourage her to do things she loves, not just the things that she can be the best at. Passion and persistence are far more important to success that any perceived innate talent. I say perceived because researchers are finding that many of the people we assume must be just naturally gifted by God or DNA have actually invested a lot of time and practice in what they do. But that practice doesn't always look the same from person to person.

Also, everyone is on a different learning path and each person is moving along their own path at a speed that may be different for everybody else. That is really hard for high school kids to understand. We've had All-State singers that haven't really done much singing since they graduated from high school, and we've had kids that were average to slightly above average in [our school's] pool, that are now succeeding in music careers.

When I first went to college and auditioned for choirs, the only thing that got me into one of the auditioned choirs is that they wanted to use me as an accompanist. I had a good voice, but very little training, and some severe tuning issues (especially when I was nervous). Ranked against everyone at that school where choral music was extremely important, I was pretty close to the bottom of the pile. But I worked, and I persevered, and I now really understand why tuning issues happen and what to do about them. And I make my living using my voice.

What things would you share with a parent that is concerned about his or her child's potential for success in music?  

Breathing into the dan tien

This past week has been a breath focused week in my studio.  I have several new students, so we are talking about the science of how breathing works, how a good breath feels, and things that we can imagine that help us get a better breath.  Returning students are getting informal quizzes and reminders about these basics, and then we're taking it a step further adding information and exercises based on their current level of technique.

One student needed and was ready for a new approach that would help her internalize the concepts that I know she understands intellectually, but doesn't always apply.  So we talked about Chines concept of dan tiens.  The lower dan tien is located just below the navel and 2-3 finger widths in, which just happens to be a great place to feel the sensation of a low, relaxed breath.  Energy can move up the body to the middle dan tien (about heart level) and the upper dan tien (forehead, between the eyebrows).  (Energy can actually move anywhere in the body along the meridians, but that is a longer more complicated discussion.)

We talked about imagining the breath as energy and drawing it to the lower dan tien. Then, since imagining the sound coming from her forehead (sometimes I say "sing out your unicorn horn") I had her try singing again, thinking of the energy flowing up from the lower dan tien to the upper dan tien to create the sound.  It made a huge difference for her.

Yes, I do realize that technically speaking, there are some issues with this (both from voice science and Chinese medicine perspectives), but the basic concept works and made a huge difference for her.  Plus, I am always careful to fully explain that we are just using imagery, and I also explain the science of what that image tricks us into.  The same image might not work for someone else, and that's OK.

New Book: The Boy's Changing Voice

The Boy's Changing Voice is the newest of Hal Leonard's books for the student singer.  It is designed to meet the needs of those boys right in the middle of the voice change, with songs in that range that is so hard to find music in:  F below middle C to the G above middle C.

If you are like me and own most of the Hal Leonard books for beginning and intermediate students, you already have all these songs, just in different keys.  Like most Hal Leonard products, this comes with a CD that allows you to change the key, which can be especially helpful for these young voices who may need a different key each week.

To help you get the most from this book, here's a list of the songs in the book and what keys they are in, plus where each songs shows up in other Hal Leonard publications.

• All Through the Night, Key of Bb.  
• The Student Singer, High Voice, Key of Eb
• The Student Singer, Low Voice, Key of Ab
• Aura Lee, Key of C
• Easy Songs for the Beginning Baritone/Bass, Key of F
• Barbara Allen, Key of F
• 15 Easy Folksong Arrangements for the Progressing Singer, High Voice, Key of G
• 15 Easy Folksong Arrangements for the Progressing Singer, Low Voice, Key of Bb
• Bendemeer's Stream, Key of C
• Easy Songs for the Beginning Tenor Part II, Key of A
• Bill Groggin's Goat, Key of D
• Easy Songs for the Beginning Tenor Part II, Key of D
• Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie, Key of Bb
• 36 More Solos for Young Singers, Key of F
• Come Again, Sweet Love, Key of Bb
• The Student Singer, High Voice, Key of A
• The Student Singer, Low Voice, Key of F
• Drink to me Only with Thine Eyes, Key of G
• 15 Easy Folksong Arrangements for the Progressing Singer, High Voice, Key of Eb
• 15 Easy Folksong Arrangements for the Progressing Singer, Low Voice, Key of C
• The Erie Canal, Key of gm/Bb
• Easy Songs for the Beginning Baritone/Bass, Key of cm/Eb
• I Gave My Love a Cherry, Key of Bb
• 15 Easy Folksong Arrangements for the Progressing Singer, High Voice, Key of G
• 15 Easy Folksong Arrangements for the Progressing Singer, Low Voice, Key of Eb
• It was a lover and his lass, Key of F
• The Student Singer, High Voice, Key of F
• The Student Singer, Low Voice, Key of D
• The Jolly Miller, Key of b flat minor
• Easy Songs for the Beginning Baritone/Bass, Key of f minor
• The Lark in the Morn, Key of Bb
• Easy Songs for the Beginning Baritone/Bass, Key of Bb
• Pastime with good company, Key of b minor
• The Student Singer, High Voice, Key of b minor
• The Student Singer, Low Voice, Key of g minor
• The Rambling Sailor, Key of F
• Young Ladies, Shipmates, and Journeys Baritone/Bass, Key of D
• It is also in the Tenor book of the same title, but I don't have that book.  
• Shenandoah, Key of F
• 36 More Solos for Young Singers, Key of F
• The Silver Swan, Key of F
• The Student Singer, High Voice, Key of Eb
• The Student Singer, Low Voice, Key of C
• Simple Gifts, Key of Bb
• Easy Songs for the Beginning Baritone/Bass, Key of E
• Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, Key of b minor
• The Student Singer, High Voice, Key of g minor
• The Student Singer, Low Voice, Key of e minor
• The Streets of Laredo, Key of Bb
• 15 Easy Folksong Arrangements for the Progressing Singer, High Voice, Key of G
• 15 Easy Folksong Arrangements for the Progressing Singer, Low Voice, Key of Eb

I have one boy that I will be sending to get this book.  The keys aren't perfect for him (and I probably won't find a book that is perfect), but with my other books and the ability to choose the best key when using the CD, I feel like this will be something that we will be able to use until his voice matures a little more and I know whether to have him get tenor or baritone/bass books.  

Another great bonus of this book, although it might be slightly confusing to students at first, is that all the songs are written in treble clef.  It means that students will have to get used to reading as low as F in ledger lines, but it also means that these songs look low, and that has a major psychological effect.  Many boys at this age are anxiously awaiting their lower voices.  I think it will make a big difference in how a student approaches the song if he things of the ledger lines in treble clef as low notes as opposed to seeing ledger lines in bass clef as high notes.  

Guest post: Duets

Since I'm not teaching a lot of duets these days, Nicole Marschall has written a guest post to share some of her favorites duets and duet books.  Thanks, Nicole!

Are there other books or sheet music sources that you use for duets?  Please share.  

Treasures for Two, Andy Beck – This is my FAVORITE duet book for young singers.  Any voice combination.  Both parts have melody and harmony.  Favorites:  Who Has Seen the Wind?, Till the Stars fall from the sky, The Snow Begins to Fall, Remember Me and Benedictus.  My young women especially love these songs, very lyrical and beautiful melodies.

Standards For Two, Sally K. Albrecht  - Great jazz songs and jazz musical theatre songs with mid range songs, lots of harmony.    All duets can be m/m, f/f, or m/f.  Some of my favorites:  Button Up Your Overcoat, Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye, Friendship, When I Fall in Love

The Contemporary Singing Actor, Duets Edition – Many options of duets from contemporary musical theatre shows.  Some of my favorites:  For Good (Wicked), In His Eyes (Jekyll & Hyde), Who Will Love Me As I Am?  (Sideshow), I’ll Cover You (Rent), All I Ask of You (Phantom), I’d Give It All For You (Songs for a New World), The Last Night of the World (Miss Saigon), The Proposal (Titanic), Sun and Moon (Miss Saigon)

Classics for Two, Patrick M. Liebergen – A nice mix of well known classics.  Favorites include:  Laudamus te (Vivaldi), Pachelbel’s Canon of Peace, Panis Angelicus (Cesar Franck) and When at Night I Go to Sleep (Humperdinck)

Duet Album, Boosey & Hawkes – Great classical duets that are both well known and a bit more obscure.  Favorites – Die Schwestern (Brahms), Lost Is My Quiet (Purcell), Sound the Trumpet (Purcell), and Spring Wind (Eric Thiman)

American Folk Songs for Two, Andy Beck – I have just discovered this book and have not used it much yet.    Traditional folk songs arrangements include:  Go ‘Way from My Window, How Can I Keep from Singing?, Simple Gifts and The Water is Wide

Folk Songs for Two, Jay Althouse – Another of my favorite books for young singer duets.  Favorite arrangements include:  Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound, Cindy and Shenandoah

The Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology Duets Editions

Musical Theatre Anthology for Teens, Duets –Lots of great musical theatre duets, some songs are not duets in the actual production.  Some favorites:  My Favorite Things, It’s A Grand Night for Singing, Sisters)

Broadway for Two by Andy Beck & Brian Fisher – A great mix of duets!  Love this book!  A nice mix of contemporary and classic duets.

Duet sheets:  Ave Maria (Saint-Saens), La ci darem la mano (Don Giovanni), Sull’ aria (from The Marriage of Figaro), Via, resti servita, madama brillante (The Marriage of Figaro)

More Octavos

I went to the music store today to pick up my new music.  Unfortunately, someone had pulled the old editions of 3 books I wanted rather than ordering the newest edition.  Yes, it does matter, especially since I already own the old ones and I wanted the new ones because they have changed the contents somewhat.  Anyway, I didn't get the music that I was excited to review this weekend.  But, I did get copies of 9 octavos that I have not used in this format before.  So that's what today's post will be about.

In July, I wrote this post about using octavos and other options that are cheaper than buying complete books.  I especially like these options for students new to my studio.  By assigning the first two songs from my library of octavos, it gives me a chance to get to know a student's voice better before having them make a big financial commitment in the form of a book.

Most of the songs I'll be writing about today are also found in the books that I recommended for beginners.  Many of the songs in books by BriLee Music are actually solo settings of choral songs.  Heritage Music Press and Alfred also have considerable crossover between their solo and choral works.  I generally only purchase the octavos designated unison.  I do have some that are 2 part and I just walk the student through how to follow the melody.

All of the linked song titles will take you to more information about the songs and choral recordings.

When I purchased Tales of the Land and Sea, I fell in love with the very first song I played through, "Never Far From Home", and I knew that it would be one that would appeal to many students.  But it was in a book with "Solo Songs for the Male Changing Voice" plastered across the cover.  I couldn't really send my girls to buy this book.  Now I don't have to.  The octavo is in D and in the book, the songs is in A flat, so I now also have key options.  Most of my students are fine with looking at one key   but singing in another if I make a recording for them to practice with.

These are the other octavos I purchased and the books that the songs also come in.

• "O Captain" by Mark Patterson.  TB.  Also in Tales of the Land and Sea in the same key.  
• "I'm Bound Away" by Mark Patterson.  TB.  The octavo is in F, and in Heroes and Vagabonds you find the solo version in Eb.  
• "My Lord, What a Morning" by Ruth Elaine Schram.  Unison.  In Traveling On in the same key.  
• "How Can I Keep from Singing" by Laura Farnell.  Unison/Two-Part.  In Let Nature Sing in the same key.  
• "Night Winds" by Laura Farnell.  SA. This song is in the key of G in the octavo, and the key of F in Let Nature Sing.
• "The Arrow and the Song" by Mary Lynn Lightfoot.  Unison.  Both the octavo and the Medium Low book of And This Shall be for Music have this in the key of Eb.  The Medium High book is in the key of G.  

I haven't had anyone sing "Velvet Shoes" by Randall Thompson in a long time because I only had it in one ancient book that I got at a used book store.  I just bought the SA octavos from ECS Publishing (No. 2526). The music says that it is also available as a solo, but the SA version only really breaks into parts for the last phrase, so it is easy for a solo singer to work from, and I still have the option of using the music for ensembles.  (The recording of this is the SSATTBB.  I haven't heard it before, but I think I love it.)

My only totally new to me purchase was "O Rushing Wind" by Mark Patterson.  I'll let you know if students like it.

Part of me wants a few more weeks of summer, but all these new music options are getting me excited for school to start so I can try them out.

Giving Praise

How do you find a good balance between praise and constructive criticism?  Is saying one nice thing per lesson enough?  Is one compliment per criticism a good balance?  The sandwich method involves telling the student something they did well, then something they can work on, and then wrapping it up with something else that they did well.  I've even heard people say that we need to hear 5 positive things for every negative comment.  

I believe that it will be a little bit different for every lesson.  Sometimes one well-phrased comment about a student achievement will let you sail through a whole lesson of picky details.  Some students don't want to waste time hearing what's already right.  They want to spend every possible minute learning how to be better.  Some students can't see what is working well for themselves.  They only see the flaws, and part of teaching them to sing better is teaching them to acknowledge and trust what they are doing right.  Those kids may need 90% of their lessons to be carefully chosen, honest compliments.  I have also had students that just want to pay me to tell them how awesome they are.  Just building kids up without really teaching them how to sing does not serve them or me.  So in the beginning, these kids also need more compliments so they can swallow the truth I will be giving them next.

What you say and how you say it matters.  It must be sincere and it must be true.  That's not always easy.  While going through my files, I recently found a single sheet of paper titled 99 Ways to Say "Very Good".  I don't know if I received it at a contest I judged or in a class, but I know that I've had it probably close to 20 years.  I love that someone thought we needed to not get stuck it the same boring compliment.  I'm concerned that someone might just pull items from the list at random.  "You've just about mastered that" is very different from "FANTASTIC!"  That's like thinking that all the synonyms listed in the thesaurus for the word nice can be used interchangeably.

When I have a student sing through a song for me, I listen both for things I want to work on and things that worked well.  Very often a trouble spot can be fixed by analyzing what was working well in another spot.  One of my students was singing "Here Amid the Shady Wood" and had a very tight [i] vowel on "seat", but the vowel was gorgeous on "retreat". We discovered that it was actually the way she was creating the s that was causing the tension.  We also found that even though it was on the same  high pitch, when she sang the the word "soul", she released the s tension faster.  By using two good spots, she found beauty and freedom in a trouble spot.  

Elly Ameling has been known to stop a singer, not to correct something, but to comment on the beauty that just occurred, from the singer, the pianist, or both.  Try it with your students.  It's fun.  Most people expect that when they are stopped that it is to fix something.  Some of my students even tell me what was bad before I get a chance to say anything.  No one expects to be stopped because of something they did well.  Maybe we need to do more of that in lessons, and in the world.

I have a couple of secret clubs in my studio.  They are secret because I don't usually tell people about them until they earn membership in the first club.  Plus, no one knows who else is in the club.  Many students perform well and sing beautifully, but membership in these clubs requires a little more.

When I play for my students at lessons, I am playing, listening, trying to help them move through the line, etc.  It's not always as musical as I would like it to be.  But sometimes, one of my singers brings so much to the interpretation of the song that they make me change the way I am playing.  (I've been accompanying for years.  It's habit. If someone gives me something to follow, I will.) Sometimes they will even make me look at a song in a completely different way.  When they make me play musically, then they are given membership in the first club and told about the second.

The second club is harder to get into because it takes a lot to get this response from me. I love and appreciate good music, but apparently I'm not moved as easily as other people are.  Standing ovations bug me because only a handful of times have I been sufficiently moved to justify one.  But that's a post for another day.  Students gain membership in the second club when they give me goosebumps, or when they make me cry.  And this is a very small club.  But, I had a student reach it this week.  She has one more lesson with me before she leaves for college.  Her performance was stunning.  We both wish we had recorded it, because I would put it up against any professional.  The technique was solid. The tone was pure.  She became the character, showing all the subtle changes in emotion.  She found artistry.  And you can bet that I told her just how well she had done. The interesting thing is that when you reach this level, you don't need to be told that it was good.  You know.  She felt it.

Song of the River

I actually have my wonderful friend and colleague Kari Douma to thank for discovering Mark Patterson's "Song of the River" and the BriLee publication My Heart Sings that also contains this song.   She used it with one of her choirs, and since then I've had many students choose to work on this song.

Mark Patterson wrote new words to the tune of "Salley Gardens."  Like "Give Me Wings," this is a text that young students easily relate to.  I love the beautiful, flowing accompaniment.  In addition to being in a very singable range for most young voices (just over an octave), this song gives me many opportunities to teach both theory and vocal technique.

• The first thing I talk about with students even before we sight-read the piece is that this song is in AABA or song form.  I point out the patterns, and the places that those patterns vary slightly.  Because they recognize that pattern, by the time we get to the last A phrase of the 2nd verse, they are singing with confidence and I can tell if the song is going to be one that will work well for them.  
• The B phrase gives me an opportunity to work on high notes. It begins with a Do to Sol jump, and ends with an almost step-wise progression to the high Re, so in one simple phrase I learn which approach is easiest for the student, and I can also give instruction on making both approaches easier.  
• In the first verse, the melody is almost always doubled in the accompaniment, providing a little more security for the student early in the learning process. After that, the accompaniment has more variation, and although the piano part gives harmonic support, the student must be fairly confident to hold on to the part.  
• Phrases are mostly 4 measures, but commas mid-phrase allow for extra breaths if needed.  I use this song to talk to students about how to decide where to breathe if you can't make it to the next rest or editor's breath mark.  
• The song ends with a slowed down repetition of the last phrase.  Although it is not pure augmentation (everything doubled exactly), I do introduce the student to that concept.  

"Song of the River" is available as an octavo (in both Unison/Two-Part and SATB settings) and in the book My Heart Sings.  The song is in the Key of D in both the octavo and the book.  

Music Teacher's Helper and Me Part 3 (or Part 2 Rewritten)

Sometimes technology hates me.  Actually, I just made a dumb mistake and didn't catch it soon enough to undo it, so I totally lost the text for the post "Music Teacher's Helper and Me Part 2".  If anyone was so amazed by it that you saved it and printed it, please send me a copy.  Since the chance of that are slim to none, I decided to try to reconstruct something resembling what the first post looked like.  I remember that although it was intended to be a post about what I learned at convention about MTH, I didn't really learn a lot new, so I used that post to comment on how I am using all the cool new things I learned about while preparing the session.

This post will hopefully help me pull some thoughts together.  I have an article to write for the MMTA newsletter.  It won't really resemble this much, but believe it or not, it really does help me to just write like this.  I'll try to remember to post a link to the article when it is done.

Home Page

Your home page can be customized to include any or all of the following:  unreconciled events, upcoming events, birthdays, latest blog articles, account information, a monthly earnings chart, and overdue lent items.  I like having the account and earnings info come up every time I log in.  If you are up to date with charging fees and reconciling lessons, you can see exactly what you pending earnings are and who owes you.  (Unfortunately, due to a change in the way I am entering the charges in the system, and the fact that I haven't updated old accounts, this feature isn't as helpful for me as it could be.)  I also have the unreconciled events show up on my home page, but I've decide not to include more items because it was just too much for me on one page.  

Students Tab

The pages included under this tab are the ones that I've been trying to make better use of in the last few months.  MTH recently updated the manage student page.  One of the helps of that update is that now when you click on "view", you are taken to one page from which you can easily access all information relating to that particular student.  It's still not quite as clean a process as I would like it to be, but it is an improvement.  

I've always used the email feature, but now that I am being more complete on the information that I include on students' individual files, I can also quickly select just the particular group that I want.  For example, if something applies only to my EVHS students, I can enter EVHS in the filter and it will pull up only the EVHS students and their parents. I'm also getting more comfortable with some of the formatting options in the MTH email page.

Only a few of my students are using the MTH practice log.  (I don't require it.)  I'm also having trouble remembering to check the logs.  I wish the practice log information was included in the daily summary emails that I receive.  Although there is great potential with this feature, I'm not using it as well as I probably could.  

I am doing much better with the Lending Library.  All of my materials that circulate are now entered in the system.  I've been checking things in and out during lessons so I'm not forgetting or getting behind.  Once it is all set up, the Lending Library is very quick and easy to use.  

Repertoire Tracker is another area where I'm just not doing all I would like to.  I think I really do need to spend lesson time on this or it won't get done.  I might end up just using it to record songs that students use for contests.  I like the ability to record information about the score the student received.  

Calendar Tab

I am pleased to announce that the calendar features are being well used.  I am now using my MTH calendar as my personal calendar too.  (I just added myself as a student.)  I've added several new categories and locations with their own individual colors and icons.  It looks pretty good.  

I required all students and parents to have log in information, and now all scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling is on the website.  I love it!   No more phone or email tag trying to set things up.  A student signs up on the website, it is automatically changed on my calendar, and I receive an email to let me know that a change has been made.  The only tricky thing is that I still need to go in a change the price when a student cancels with the required 48 hours notice.

I've also discovered that when setting up the calendar, if you use the blocked dates page, you can choose a range of days rather than blocking just one day at a time on the actual calendar.

My MTH calendar also sends updated to the calendars on my computer and phone so I see things there too.  Unfortunately, it doesn't work the other way around, so everything has to be entered in MTH first.  I also can't edit events in iCal or on my phone.  If someone has found ways around this, please let me know.

Billing Tab

There are things I need to clean up and do better with in this area.  Because I charge quarterly, but it isn't at a regular interval (like the 15th of every 3 months), I can't set it up to charge tuition automatically.  What I used to do was divide the tuition by the number of lessons and have the system charge a per lesson fee.  But that got messy when dealing with make up lessons, etc.  Last year, I changed to making lessons $0 and then using the charge a fee function to enter the full price of tuition.  It worked much better, but unfortunately, there are still a few things to clean up from previous years.  

I also want to get better at using the mileage tracker and expenses records.  I always put my expenses in, but it's usually as I'm preparing my taxes at the end of the year.  I want to get better at recording things right away.  I also think that some of the travel I am doing could count as a business expense, so I need to do a better job of recording that.  

My goal for reports is to download and back up the information more often.  If the entire MTH site crashed (which is highly unlikely, but still possible) would I still be able to reconstruct my records?  I'm a firm believer in having multiple back ups in place.  I just downloaded my latest reports and in addition to saving them on my computer, I emailed them to myself so there is a copy in my email too.  

Website Tab

This tab is where you control all the content of your site.  One of the reasons I chose MTH is that it allowed me to make password protected files available to my students.  I have about 30 handouts that I used to copy and give to students as we discussed that material. Now I just put a note in their lesson notes to go log in and look at the related file on the website.  I'm saving paper and time by having these all ready to go and making them easily accessible to my students.  I've been working revising all of my handouts (about 30 right now), creating PDFs of them, and posting them in the File Area.  

I need to learn more about how to post photos.  I don't like the way it is set up right now.  

I'm also hoping to get better about posting announcements on the website.  I send out a lot of email communications, but I need to remember to get the short version on the website too.  

I just spent some time updating the information on the various pages of my website.  I'm not saying that it's totally what I want yet, but it is better.

Affiliate Program

I haven't made any money yet through the affiliate program, but if you're interested in creating your own Music Teacher's Helper website, please click here to get 10% off your first month.  Then you too can join the affiliate program and make money (maybe) just by telling people about Music Teacher's Helper.  

Give Me Wings

The next few posts will be about some of my favorite songs to assign to new beginners. The bonus with these is that they are available as octavos, so students don't have to spend a lot of money while I am getting to know their voices.  Some, like today's song, "Give Me Wings", are available a book in one key and in the octavo in another.

In creating "Give Me Wings",  Mark Patterson wrote new words and set them to the familiar tune of "O Waly, Waly".  Teens respond well to the text that essential says give me space to be everything I can be, but let me also return to the safety of home.   Most of my young singers can totally relate because they really want to be seen as adults and given the privileges and rights of an adult, but they still need that connection to home, family, and people that take care of them.

"O Waly, Waly" is one of my favorite tunes to teach.  Many of the concepts I cover in "Give Me Wings" could also be worked on in any setting of "The Water is Wide".  It's not necessarily an easy song, but I do think that it can be done by young singers.

• One of the first things we work on in this song is the idea of keeping the sound moving and growing through the long notes.
• If needed, I let students breathe mid-phrase (after the long note), but I also use the 4-bar phrase to work on going further with the breath.  
• For some students, moving into the high phrase requires a register shift. Young students often haven't sung in anything but chest voice before, so this gives us opportunities to figure out how to negotiate the "break".  And the first thing I tell them is that they can't use the word "break".  A break is a problem. A passaggio is a passage, something we move through, and it can be done with ease.  
• In this particular setting, the first high note is on the word "reach" so we work on how to sing an [ i ] vowel beautifully without compromising the integrity of the vowel.  
• The first verse end on the word "below" and provides a great opportunity for discussing how to deal with diphthongs and creating a clean cut-off without a consonant to help.  
• I also use the opening Sol Do to reinforce this pattern that shows up frequently in other songs.  

"Give Me Wings" is available in the key of G in the octavo from BriLee, or in the key of D in the book Heroes and Vagabond:  Solo Songs for the Male Changing Voice.  The book comes with a CD that has both demos and accompaniments.  If the student is learning the song from the octavo, they can listen to the choral demos on the JWPepper or BriLee Music websites.  

Les Misérables in My Voice Studio

The recent movie, plus a touring company performance in the Twin Cities means that Les Misérables is even more popular than usual with students in my studio.  And I have mixed feelings about that.  I love the music.  There is just something about the music that just resonates with me.  (I have the same reaction with Miss Saigon, and what I've heard of Martin Guerre, and The Pirate Queen).  The students also really love the music which means they work harder to improve.

But...there is always a but...the music is not easy and often is beyond what the student can do well.  Most young voices are simply not ready to give what the music demands. For years, I have told students that I reserve the right to say that we cannot work on certain songs in voice lessons.  Sometimes I tell them that we can work on them as exercises, but they may not perform them yet, and possibly not at all while they study with me.

Because it's been so popular lately, I've used my veto power less.  Instead, I have reinforced the idea that we are working on important concepts, but the song will not be performance ready for a very long time.  A successful performance that honors the composer's intent, the music itself, AND shows that singer at his or her best might be years away.  Under these conditions, I've had some students make big progress.

One student really loves "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables".  In the key found in the vocal selections, it goes to a G, which this particular student has, but it is very strained.  I have the song a step lower in 2 other collections, so we've been working on freeing up the D, E, and F pitches in the lower key.  Although we've been addressing tension in those notes for a very long time in other songs, he has made tremendous progress while working on this song.

I have another student who asked to sing "Stars".  As written, it is totally wrong for him. He is a very low bass who has trouble getting to middle C without extreme tension.  But he insisted he could do the song and it was comfortable, so I had him sing it for me.  He sang it an octave low.  (Yes, he really does have those notes!)  But because it was so low, he was way too heavy and forceful on the lower pitches.  I let him sing it down there, but we talked a lot about finding an easy, free tone down there.  Then because I'm mean and cruel, I've had him work on the lower sections in the octave they are supposed to be sung in.  He's not totally happy about it, but that octave between middle C and the C below is becoming easier for him to sing.

One of my middle school boys wants to sing "Do You Hear the People Sing".  In the vocal selections, the range is simply too big for his mid-change voice.  He can sing the opening chorus easily, so we work that and then move on to other things.  The energy he brings to this is exactly what I want him to bring to other songs we are working on.

The girls at least have "Castle on a Cloud" which I am pretty much OK with letting anyone sing.  "On my Own" is more of a challenge, but again, I've had a few students that have amazed me with their willingness to work to improve because they love the song.  "I Dreamed a Dream" has a few places that are vocally difficult, but I think the challenge in this song actually lies in the interpretation.  A high school singer may be able to sing this, but as freshmen in high school, few have lost enough and had enough dreams killed to really understand it.

Yes, I am letting students sing Les Mis.  Yes, I'm even letting a few of them, mostly advanced seniors, perform these songs.  They can be done well by some high school students, but they can't be done well by every high school student, and therefore, I still reserve the right to say no.

When Love is Kind

I moved through the books part of my repertoire series extremely quickly, but addressing individual songs will be a slower process.  I promise.  Some of the songs included here will be listed because they are wonderful works of art.  And others will be listed because students like them and the give me opportunities to discuss certain concepts related to technique or theory.

"When Love is Kind" is not on the list of the top 10 songs I'd want on my desert island playlist, but it is a song that I have found quite useful in the studio, and here's why.

• I'm the queen of slow, pretty songs, but many students new to classical music appreciate an occasional up tempo piece, and this song fits that requirement.  
• This is a great song for exploring expression.  The first half of each verse is happy while we sing about how wonderful love it, and then the second half tells just what happens when love is not so wonderful.  
• Once students have a little experience with solfege and sight-reading, I often use this song as a sight-reading exercise even if we don't intend to polish it later.  
• The song begins with Sol Do and each section ends with a Sol La Ti Do, both patterns that I like to point out and reinforce with students since they show up so much in music.  
• The first 6 bars basically create a sequence.  Each part starts on Sol, but the first chunk starts Sol Do and after a few other notes ends on Re. The second starts Sol Re, and ends on Mi.  The third Sol Mi.  Each new start invites the student to remember the pitch they just left.  
• I love this song for working on melismas because the melismas are short and not too difficult.  You only have 4-6 pitches to worry about on one vowel, so it's easier to focus on vowel purity than it might be in one of Handel's 4-6 measure melismas.  
• Sometimes students are a little overwhelmed by seeing the extra little notes.  In those cases, I often just teach that measure by rote using a consonant vowel combination to clarify the pitches.  (Sometimes I use buh-duh or bum buddy dum.)
• If students are ready to show off their high notes and their flexibility, then I have them add Liza Lehmann's cadenza.  It sounds showy, but is not particularly difficult.  
• The second half of the last verse is a great place to talk about non-harmonic tones and help students develop independence.  In all other verses, the melody has been Sol Mi Mi.  At "For aught I care", we get Sol Fa Mi Fa Mi in the voice part with the Fa pitches occurring against the prominent Mi in the piano part.  Although they sing it just fine a cappella, many students have a difficult time here when we add the accompaniment and it does require a little drill.  

"When Love is Kind" is available in these collections (and probably several others).  

• Songs Through the Centuries High Voice (Key of A flat--does not include the Lehmann cadenza)
• Songs Through the Centuries Low Voice (Key of E flat--does not include the Lehmann cadenza)
• Pathways of Song Vol. 3 Low Voice (Key of F)
• Pathways of Song Vol. 3 High Voice (Key of A flat)
• Art Songs for School and Studio First Year Medium Low (Key of F)
• The Best of Pathways of Song Low Voice (Key of F)
• The Best of Pathways of Song High Voice (Key of A flat)
• Lovers, Lasses & Spring (Key of A flat)
• The Young Singer Soprano (Key of A flat)
• The Young Singer Contralto (Key of F)
• Royal Conservatory of Music Songbook Series Voice Repertoire 5, 2nd edition (Key of A flat--does not include the Lehmann cadenza)
• Royal Conservatory of Music Voice Series Voice Repertoire 5, 3rd edition (Key of A flat)
• Something to Sing Medium Voice (Key of F)

Guest Post on NFMC by Ann Robinett

This is the first in a new series that will be exploring professional organizations for voice teachers.  I will be writing a little about some organizations and the programs they offer, and I've also asked a few people to do guest posts.  

Today we have a guest post from Ann Robinett about the National Federation of Music Clubs.  

As a long-time teacher of piano and voice, I have enjoyed my associate with the National Federation of Music Clubs for over 30 years. The organization has more than 200,000 members throughout the United States. Membership is open to senior, student, and junior members who form community and state clubs.

Federated in 1898, NFMC was created to promote music education as well as the creative and performing arts. One of its primary goals is to promote all aspects of American music.

NFMC is chartered by the Congress of the United States and is the only music organization affiliate with the United Nations.

Awards are available on local, state, and national levels. Each year NFMC provides over three-quarters of a million dollars for awards for performers and composers of all ages. Performance opportunities are offered through the Festival program, with 117,000 juniors AND adults being adjudicated each year.

Participants can earn points toward festival cups by playing piano, strings, organ, winds, brass, and voice. Festival cups are also earned in composition, theory, sight-reading, ensembles, and dance.

Collegiate awards are available in voice, piano, and many instruments.

Every two years auditions are held for young musicians who are ready to pursue concert careers. The national winner of each division wins a $10,000 award as well as a two-year contract for personal appearances throughout the country.

NFMC offers a wide variety of performance and awards for musicians of all ages and levels of study from the young beginner to the virtuoso. Innumerable programs offer assistance to teachers for their own progress and the progress of their students. 

For a more complete overview of the National Federation of Music Clubs, please go to the website at www.nfmc-music.org 

Finding Songs in Popular Styles for Students

Many of my students do sing popular style songs, especially during 4th quarter where the focus is on musical theatre and popular styles and comparing them to what we have learned about classical production.  But sadly, I will admit that I often just let students bring in what they want to sing.  Most of the time I ask them to choose 3-4 songs they would be interested in working on.  At a lesson, I have them sing along with YouTube, and I evaluate using very similar guidelines to the ones I use when I am choosing their classical songs. Then I choose the song that I think would work best.  These are a few of the things that I'm listening for:  

• Does the song fall not just within the student’s range, but also within a comfortable tessitura?  Have you tried multiple keys to find the best option for that student?  
• At musicnotes.com you can get most of the current hits transposed into the best key for that student.  
• At karaoke-version.com you can find backing tracks and then transpose them up or down by a half step or a whole step.  
• Does the song offer opportunities for growth AND does it also show the voice at its best?  Are the technical demands appropriate to where the student is today?
• Does the student like the song?
• Are the student’s musical skills advanced enough for the difficulties of the melodic line and rhythms?
• Is the text appropriate for a student this age?  Do they understand what they are singing about and can they communicate the meaning to an audience?

I reserve the right to veto, and often I do if it just doesn't fit their range and the key they need is not available, or if the text is not one that I am comfortable with them singing at our family friendly recital.  

If a student asks me for recommendations, that is where I have more difficulty.  Often, I offer the titles that other students have brought in the last few years that I think might fit their voices.  I don't spend a lot of my own personal time and energy listening to a lot of music and learning it myself like I do with classical, and therefore, the list of possibilities I can give them is much smaller.  

In the perfect world, I would know all the newest songs in every genre.  The reality though is that the popular music world is so huge in terms of styles, that there just plain isn't the time in my life for that and for learning new classical music and repertoire, which is the main focus of my teaching.  

Please share your favorite ways to find popular style music for your students.  

Contests, Festivals, and Other Learning Opportunities

My goal in this post is to explore a few of the performance and learning opportunities for students outside of regular lesson and practice time.  These are things I know about, not necessarily things I am offering to my students right now.  Please feel free to comment to add more information about specific events or programs.  Also add programs that I might not be aware of.

We'll start small with a couple of additions that can happen just with your studio.

Recitals

Most teachers offer recitals.  Where we differ is the number or structure of those recitals. How many recitals do you offer each year?  Are recitals open to anyone who wants to attend, or do you make them for just the students?  Do you charge for your recitals? Admission?  Accompanist fees?  How formal are your recitals?  In reality, a recital could be all your students in their nicest clothing, performing memorized in a rented concert hall, for anyone will to pay the admission price, with catered refreshments, of course.  Or, a recital could be a pajama party in your studio where only students attend and they munch on their favorite breakfast cereals as they sit on the floor and listen to each other sing.  

Studio Classes

I tend to think of recitals being performance oriented and studio classes being learning oriented.  Often my students perform at studio class, but we then give some feedback on what we saw and heard.  Sometimes it will be similar to a master class where I work with the students in front of the group.  Other times, I don't have enough students that want to sing or are sufficiently prepared to sing, so I present mini-workshops.  

Masterclasses

At our school, I prepare the students, but the planning and organization for the day, and any associated fees are taken care of my the choir department.  I also know many teachers that hire clinicians to do masterclasses for just their studio.  I've also seen teachers offer joint masterclasses for their students.  

Solo and Ensemble Contest

Contests are great ways to feedback from someone besides the student's regular teachers.  Many schools offer Solo and Ensemble Contest through their choir departments.  Ask your students if they plan to be involved.  Ask the local choir teachers if they offer this and if you can select the music and prepare your students for it.  

National Association of Teachers of Singing

MN-NATS sponsors students adjudications every fall.  Many other states have similar programs.  The MN program is for students 14 years old through adult avocational, and is strictly classical repertoire.  

Hal Leonard Vocal Competition

Click here for the rules for 2014.  One of the reasons I started offering this option to my students is that it has a 12 and under category, so my youngest students get opportunities.  Since the 2nd year, they have also offered a musical theatre category, which again interests more students than I might get for  NATS which is strictly classical.  

National Federation of Music Clubs

I grew up with NFMC and participated in many local festivals in the voice, organ, and piano categories. In the local association festivals, students can sing in either musical theatre or classical categories.  They do have options for young children, and I just found out that my local association also offers adults the opportunity to sing for festival.  I am not currently a member because I'm spread too thin right now, but I would love to get back to this at some point in the future.  

Music Teachers National Association

Our state division of MTNA, Minnesota Music Teachers Association, offers wonderful educational programs.  In my studio, I am currently offering MMTA Theory Exams, Voice Exams, Voice Contest, and Young Artist Contest.  I have not yet added the MTNA competitions, but I'm interested in learning more.  

Royal Conservatory Music Development Program

This is another program that I am very interested in, but simply don't have the time to commit to at this point.  Exams cover vocal skills, theory, and performance.  Another benefit of this, as pointed out by a parent who wants me to add this for her child, is that the standards and testing are global.  A student that could pass the test here, would also be able to pass the test in any part of the world where the program is offered.  

Music Camps

I have wonderful memories of the music camps I attended and the people I met there. Many colleges and universities offer camps for middle school and/or high school students. Check with local music and theatre organizations to see what they offer.  

What do you offer your students outside of regular lesson time?  How have you selected the options that work best for your studio?  

Workshops

I offer my students studio classes every quarter, plus a recital at the end of the year. They also have performance opportunities like MMTA Contest and Exams, NATS, the Masterclass Day sponsored by the school, and our district Solo and Ensemble Contest. This year, I'm throwing in some new learning experiences, some covered by their quarterly tuition, and some with a small fee.  It's a trial program.  I'll see what kind of response I get and then decide if I want to continue these, modify the offerings, or drop the idea completely.

One of the advantages of offering workshops is the opportunity for me as a teacher to give informations to many students at once, instead of taking a little bit of time from everyone's lessons.  Workshops also allow us to explore more depth of the topic than I would probably take in a single lesson.

This year I will be offering 5 workshops:

• MMTA Theory and Voice Exam Prep (Fall session)
• MMTA Theory and Voice Exam Prep (January session)
• Memorization Strategies
• Dealing with Performance Anxiety
• Tai Chi and Singing

MMTA Theory and Voice Exam Prep

Last year was my first year really preparing students for MMTA Theory Exams.  I had a student take the exam the year before, but he had had extensive piano training, so we hardly had to review at all.  Last year, 3 students chose to take the theory exams, and this year, I have a few more that are interested.  I've changed my approach to warm-ups and skills work in lessons for all students so that they are getting a little exposure, and I've asked students who want to take the exams to sign up for longer lessons or extra lessons to make sure we have time to work through everything.  

I'm adding two 90 minutes theory workshops to help students review the material in a group setting.  I'll have different activities and games to help reinforce concepts in a fun way.  Students will pay a small fee for this workshop.

I'm one of those people that is continually revising, but as it stand right now, this is what the structure of the workshop will look like:

• Part I:  Review and Instruction
• Prior to the first workshop, all of the students will have had at least a short introduction to each of these terms or concepts. Many of my students have already learned these things from choir class or other music lessons.  
• Rhythm tree (whole note=two half notes, half note=two quarters, etc.)
• time signature, bar lines, measure
• Sharp, flat, natural
• bass and treble clef
• repeat signs
• tempo, dynamics, articulation (Specific terms for this test)
• intervals--visual and aural identification--use interval songs.  (Only the intervals that the exams cover.)

• Part II:  Individual Work and Tutor Stations  
• Students work in their Theory workbooks.  Worksheets will be provided for students that are taking the voice exam instead of the theory exam.
• If needed, during this time students may move to a station where one of my  advanced students can answer questions.  I will also float during this time, checking student progress and answering questions.  
• Part III:  Reinforce With Games 
• Speed drills with flashcards, reviewing note names, terms, and intervals.  The team that gets the most correct in a certain amount of time wins.  
• Bingo
• Basketball.  Every correct answer earns one shot. 

Memorization Strategies

I've presented this full workshop 5 times now, and I've also incorporated chunks of it into studio classes when I didn't have a full session of singers.  Memorization skills are essential for singers. Until you can get out of the music and really focus on what you are communicating, you can't really make music.  I am a firm believer that everyone can memorize, we just need to find the right strategies and not wait until the last minute to start the memorization process.   

Most young singers still think that the best way to memorize is just to sing the song over and over with the music in front of you just in case you forget.  My workshop explores multiple methods of memorization, employing aural, visual, kinesthetic, and analytical approaches to make memorization faster and more secure.  Several of these options actually work well in a group.  We will also take a little time for individual work with a few of the strategies.  By the end of the session, students will be fairly secure on a song that most of them see for the first time at the beginning of the workshop.  (Yes, it is a very simple folk song, but still, learning and memorizing that quickly is an accomplishment to be proud of.)

Dealing With Performance Anxiety

Because anxiety has been an issue for me, I've done a lot of reading and exploration on this topic.  Pieces of this workshop have found their way into lessons, but I haven't presented the full workshop in a few years, so it's definitely time to do it again.  One of my favorite parts of this workshop it talking about how feeling fear/anxiety and feeling excited actually cause many of the same physiological responses in the body.  We can transform our fear into energy that helps us perform well. I also cover several techniques for calming the body and mind.  And of course, I emphasize that being well prepared goes a long way towards making a performance a more enjoyable experience.  

Tai Chi and Singing

This is my newest workshop.  Although I've been bringing tai chi and qigong into voice lessons for a couple years now, I've only given one workshop on incorporating the two, and that was for the last MMTA convention.  This will be a slight variation on that, teaching students more of the depth of the movements and body alignment.  Tai chi and qigong exercises will be done as we might do them in a tai chi class, and then repeated while singing to reinforce breath and phrase shaping.  

For this year, the memorization, anxiety, and tai chi workshops will be free to all of my students.  In future years, I will offer them for a small fee and I will invite other teachers and students to attend.  All 3 workshops have enough material and depth that students could attend multiple times and still be learning new things.  

If you are interested in having me present any of these workshops to your students or your teacher group, please contact me for more information about rates and scheduling.