Sunday Musings (in pursuit of classical singing)
From the Little Soprano archive.
Originally written one Sunday morning, almost ten years ago, the comment it makes is still as pertinent as ever, especially for new or beginner singers, or those who have a penchant to return to classical singing.
August 2014
I read the quote below earlier this morning and paused to think on it a while.
I love to sing - everyone knows that - but I also love to write, and that love goes way, way back to before I ever sang a note. It was, I think my love of words that lit that first little singing flame. A beautiful marriage between verse and music. I was clearly thinking about singing at quite an early age ...
I’m not fearful of my singing path; I’ve pursued my craft tenaciously, very conscious of the journey and the absolute need to improve, spurred on by the excitement of improving ability and the lure of achieving my goal. But writing is something else - ultimately far more private. I’m more fearful of failure when I write.
Breathing for singers: the ins and outs of it.
One of my teachers, Ilse Wolf, would always talk about ‘singing on the breath’.
Back then, I really didn’t have a clue what she actually meant. I would quietly listen while she explained, while she showed me diagrams in books that had pretty much been worn out by her fingertips over the years, as she pointed out the movement of AIRFLOW in the body as we breathe in and sing OUT.
But that was more than 30 years ago - and now I so GET everything she was sharing with me.
She meant: focus on the out-breath.
I didn’t understand then, but I’ve pursued my learning journey to the point where I now teach the same principles, just as she did then, to all my own singing students.
This infographic is a favourite of mine because it provokes thought. It also gives a hint of what is truly involved in the rather paradoxical ‘breathing mindset’.
But, in truth? It’s the tip of the iceberg.
There’s the fear that since breath is always...
The Serendipity Project for Singers
Serendipity sounds beautiful …
For singers, the meaning can be beautiful, too.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary website defines “serendipity” as “luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.” So serendipity is a happy accident. It comes from being in the right place at the right time.
I’m launching The Serendipity Project as a new idea/area of study for the 2022-23 academic year and on 7th - 10th October we're kicking things off with an inaugural residential weekend workshop for singers at Church Farmhouse, Winsham, in Somerset, UK. This is a well-beloved venue, where many such workshop weekends have been held.
Thank you so much for an excellent weekend in such a perfect setting. My love of singing has been an important part of my life for 50 years or so, interfered often by work! I found your encouragement, advice and praise very stimulating and has given me more confidence in solo work and...
Study Weekends for Singers: what's in it for you?
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."T.S Elliot
Fabulous words aren't they? And so on point; their message so intimately familiar, easy to recognise as a singer. But if you're keen to improve your vocal skills, the actual trigger to do so could be one of many things.
And person-to-person the deciding criteria may be quite diverse. But, wherever you are on your vocal journey, if you seek improvement or have a quest in mind you'll need to make room for some serious - but rewarding - learning experiences.
As singers, we're still picking up the pieces of what's possible in this post-pandemic scenario and for many vocalists, it isn't always clear. Voice-work Study Weekends embrace this difficulty in their aim to deliver workshop content both virtually and actually to participating singers. It's a question of choice ... Meaning, those...
Making you a better singer: the process.
I've been teaching singing and vocal technique for many years, yet it still surprises me (in a good way) just how much repetition there needs to be, addressing the same old pain points for so many different people no matter where they are on their learning journey.
The easiest and most rewarding teaching experience is undoubtedly with those open souls who are driven by the JOY of the whole thing and who never expect the learning curve to finish. It's an exciting and often unexpected ride!
The hardest students to reach are without fail those who imagine they have their goal in sight and once it is achieved, it's a given that they've mastered the skill. That's a tough nut to crack.
Their journey to the OK Plateau will only be a short one.
To learn well, we must surrender to the vulnerability of it all and forgive vocal imperfections BUT also be inquisitive, and questioning about the WHY.
Singers are, of course, buoyed along by the love of music, the quest to express...
Technique Tuesday: Did you know ... about vocal support?
One of the trickiest concepts of vocal technique (spoken or sung) to grasp is the delicate question of ‘support’.
What is it? I’m not fond of using that word when teaching actually, because of the picture or feeling that it can evoke.
Usually, that word physically translates to actions like ‘grip’, ‘tense’, and ‘block’ rather than ‘release’, ‘allow’ and ‘enable’.
When you’ve got it, you’ve GOT it, and that word becomes part of the skillset, a component that is so hard to explain. Unlocking the puzzle initially, finding new ways to nudge students along the path of learning is a challenge because different ideas both mean and feel differently to each person.
The infographic below focusses on ‘Expiration’ or the ‘outbreath’.
All singers worry about how long their breath will last, often running out...
Singer's Learning Tip: Trust the wait
A short video note dedicated to a few good singing souls out there: you know who you are!
(Confession: I found this blog post lurking in my unpublished folder. Too good to pass up! It's a year old, but honestly, the advice is timeless. Pertinent to the same degree, right now.)
I have witnessed frustration and even disappointment in students when I am teaching and it's important to give it the space it needs. Every singer is different. Learning how to sing well takes time, you can't rush it. Persistence is key, and it's my job to pave the way for experimentation and experience.
I like to create a working environment where everyone feels at ease - freedom to bring true voices to the fore. Mistakes will happen, odd sounds will be heard but always there must be a feeling of creation, happy trial and error, with true learning at its core. It's a journey and it takes persistence, as do most things of true worth.
American baritone, Thomas Hampson says it all here ... No more words...
Teaching: freedom to inspire.
“Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding.”
William Arthur Ward
When it arrives, this kind of synergy brings an exciting dynamic to the relationship between student and mentor. If present, the two elements generously combine to create an unwritten contract of possibility.
Where the mentor provides a thought-provoking, boundary-busting structure to learning practices, so the student is encouraged to open themselves up to new ideas and patterns of work.
There is co-operative freedom to inspire. Magical when you experience it.
Dartington Hall, near Totnes in South Devon, provides the perfect vibe for such exchanges to happen and with my next residential weekend in March just visible on the horizon, those of us who have already signed up to be there are beginning to feel the buzz of excitement.
For solo singers, the Love Your Voice weekend...
A 2020 note to self: learn to get uncomfortable. NOTICE.
Singing imperfections and the OK Plateau.
It is Technique Tuesday. As a professional musician with a lifetime of technical vocal learning behind me and a trusty ongoing pursuit of future perfection in front of me, I regularly invest in telling my students to be at ease with where they are on their vocal journey. At ease, but not too comfy. To forgive their vocal imperfections BUT also be inquisitive, and questioning about the WHY. Be precise with how they invest their learning time when winkling out precious moments to focus on what they hope to achieve in their learning.
In 2013, I blogged a link to Joshua Foer’s wise words above and thereby also to a fabulous Brain Pickings post, by Maria Popova. It was called: The Psychology of Getting Unstuck: How to Overcome the “OK Plateau” of Performance & Personal Growth. In a nutshell, it seemed to set out everything so clearly and I at once recognised my own vocal-learning...
Learning how to sing: why community matters.
In March 2017, the Universe neatly delivered the opportunity for me to build an online mentoring group for singers. I had just hosted an initial weekend course at Dartington Hall; called ‘Love Your Voice’. It was nurturing, inclusive, and organic, tempting some of the participants to sing out for the first time in more than 10 years.
We sang all weekend, of course, immersed in solo song, in finding their voice. I built a feeling of trust and safety in the exploration, and emotions began to stir.
There was much discussion at the end of sessions, in the tea breaks and in the evening around the table as we all dined together. I listened hard to the vocal wants, needs, and desires of everyone involved and came away charged with the task of creating an online membership, a location-independent community. The experiences of the weekend workshop could be extended, and continued through a central hub.
And so, Virtually Vocalise was born. A...
Singing Basics Guide
Getting to grips with or making improvements to your singing and the methods to achieve progress are all far easier and more accessible than you think.
