Only then can the student build a technique suitable to his temperament and talent. Technique leads to artistry, which in turn leads to enlightenment and sharing the richness of life.Īs a voice teacher, I translate this to mean that, in working with each singer, I begin by helping the student find the voice that best suits his individual personality, the voice that most aptly reflects his spirit and character. Technique helps one find what is best and brightest within each person involved in singing, both performer and audience member, the performer by drawing out her inner beauty, the audience member by resonating with that beauty. It is a way of achieving beauty, goodness, and truth. The technique of singing deals with concepts of tone and beauty, musicality and meaning, and expression and identification. Describing these concepts is easy putting them into practice and making them second nature proves difficult. Certain concepts about good singing are universally accepted by singers and teachers of singing. Perhaps a certain amount of quantifiable knowledge is necessary in order for teachers to let go of that knowledge and get on to the business at hand, the business of creativity. I heard Victoria de los Angeles tell students at a talk she gave that it is important to find teachers that teach technique in a simple, common-sense manner. Our obsession with the "scientific method" has led us to over-analyze, to focus on the trees rather than the forest, and many teachers of singing have trouble helping their students synthesize good habits into a process over which the student feels adequate control. We seem caught in a trap of our own making. Scientific knowledge of the singing mechanism helps assuage the intellect and fill it with information in case the teacher has to stop creating and start justifying his existence. The connection between vocal science and singing is tenuous at best. At the same time, he demonstrated little knowledge of vocal science and scoffed at the need to know physiology and science in approaching the art of singing. He succeeded with all types of voices and personalities, in the face of all types of vocal problems. Bergonzi displayed greater vocal knowledge and artistry than any teacher I had seen. In 1984, I witnessed Carlo Bergonzi teach at the Bel Canto Seminar in Busseto, Italy. This is not "pie in the sky" idealism that knowledgeable people rightly reject it is the hard work that surrounds building trust with a student, teaching her technique in a way that builds her self-confidence, and encouraging that student to perform openly and freely at her level of competence. How do we help people realize the beauty of their souls? By nurturing them in love. Teaching students technique is secondary. Shinichi Suzuki tells teachers that what we must aim to create in teaching music is beautiful souls. The previous paragraph aptly portrays the opposite of what vocal technique is and what technique accomplishes. Beware the teacher who uses metaphorical language or concepts of tone. For instance, you learn to keep the larynx low. You must learn the names of those portions of your anatomy that are involved and how to control them. There is one technique that works for everyone. You simply learn to apply the correct muscular control to breathing, phonation, resonation, and articulation, and then sing. It is predictable, repeatable, and can be taught in a uniform manner. Meaning of Vocal Technique THE MEANING OF VOCAL TECHNIQUE
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