Tags
s
05 Sunday May 2013
Tags
s
17 Wednesday Apr 2013
Posted Voice
in01 Friday Mar 2013
30 Wednesday Jan 2013
Tags
Goals, Milestones, Motivation, piano, singing, vocal, Voice
Learning an instrument can be a slow, difficult process. I think it’s important that students know that they are progressing, even when it seems as though they’re stuck in the same place. I’m going to buy a notice board for my studio, and along with my studio newsletter (see post here), the first thing I’m going to stick up is a list of milestones for all my students. Once they complete a task, they can sign their name and then see what’s next is on the list! All of my students are beginners, so I’ve kept the tasks simple and easily-achievable. Since I already told you how I teach vocalists, I thought I’d give you a snapshot of my milestones list for singers.
On my “Milestones for Pianists” list, I’ve got items such as “can identify Middle C,” “can play hands together,” etc.
What do you think of my idea? How do you keep your students motivated and help them see what their goals are? Do you have any suggestions for milestones I can add to my lists?
24 Thursday Jan 2013
Tags
Most voice teachers do not teach their students how to read music. This has always baffled me, because in most cases the teacher herself can understand notation, so why not teach it? Sure, teaching by ear is easier – “listen to this and sing it back” is the quickest way to teach someone a song; it’s the way they’ve always sung at home; it develops their musical ear. But notation gives the student independence – they no longer have to rely on listening to something in order to sing it.
This blog post is going to outline why I think notation is important and how I teach it. If you’re a singing teacher struggling with the same problem, I hope it gives you some ideas!
Some benefits of teaching notation to singers
– most serious choirs require members to have a solid grasp on note-reading so they can sight-sing
– students can compose their own music, notate and share it
– they can pick up any sheet music and sing through it, whether or not they have heard it before
– they are not just learning how to use their voices, but they are getting a complete music education and an understanding of theory
– they will be able to pick up other instruments afterwards or alongside if they so choose
Now, the matter of how to teach notation to singers is where problems arise. Perhaps most voice teachers don’t teach it because there’s just no method or book to follow? After spending months looking for a method book and struggling to teach notation (do I hand them a sheet with note-name mnemonics and another sheet explaining rhythm and be done with it? Is there a way to progress their learning without hindering their repertoire?), I decided to create my own method.
The two main elements of music that I want beginner singers to understand is rhythm and note-reading, and this is how I teach both:
Rhythm
I think the best way to understand rhythm is to “feel” it. Sometimes I give students a rhythm to clap back, and once they internalize it, I show them how it looks and briefly explain the concept. I give them a simple 4-bar rhythm exercise each week, adding different types of rhythms sequentially. Their music contains only (or mostly) the rhythms they are working on, so their understanding of rhythm links up with the music they are singing.
Notation
This one is a toughie. How can I give them repertoire that contains only 3 notes while they are learning the names of those notes (so easy with piano, but not so easy with singers)? How can I get them interested in learning notation? In this case I focus on what is most “useful” to singers, which is solfège (using the moveable “do” system) and understanding of intervals. They learn note names, too, but these are addressed mostly when it comes to key signatures. To teach this, I use syllable sheets – which work as vocalises as well as sight-singing exercises – to teach solfège and intervals.
Of course, the key is to tie all of the above into their repertoire. Show them how to draw parallels between the elements, or else they simply won’t understand the point.
I’d love to hear from any vocal teachers reading this… do you teach your students how to read music? Why or why not? What methods do you use?
22 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted Voice
inIt’s okay to sing in your comfortable range.
Growing up, I truly thought that all the best singers were sopranos. And that if I couldn’t reach certain notes, I wasn’t really a good singer. (In those days, I could reach E6! Now I can barely reach E5. If you don’t understand scientific pitch notation, look here.) I’ve been taught that all good singers have similar ranges – i.e. even altos should be able to reach G5 – and the color of your voice determines which range you should be singing in. But being a Soprano I made me feel prestigious – why? I have no idea!
A few months ago, when I joined a choir here and was told that I should sing alto (mostly to fill missing numbers in that section!), I felt like I was back in middle school, being told that I got second chair clarinet instead of first. I know it’s silly for a musician and music teacher to feel that way, especially because I know that harmony is what colors and flavors the music! I wasn’t disregarding the importance of harmony… but I wanted to sing soprano.
Anyway… I’ve been watching “Glee” for the past few years, and we all know that Lea Michele is an exceptionally talented singer (even though I’m not personally a fan of belting). Recently I was listening to her latest rendition of O Holy Night, and I noticed that it was in A major, and her highest note wasn’t higher than D5. I love the song, but I usually refrain from singing it, because all versions I have seen are in D or higher, sometimes reaching an A5, and I’m just not able to reach those notes comfortably anymore. But I am moved to tears every time I hear Lea singing it, and the key in which she sings is really comfortable for me. Lesson learned: you don’t have to sing high to sing well – and don’t let your range limitations stop you from transposing a piece down and singing it anyway! Of course I already do this with my students, so why not apply it to my own singing as well?
See Lea singing it here, as Rachel Berry in one of the episodes of Glee from the latest season. And try not to shed a tear!
19 Saturday Jan 2013
Tags
One of the major changes I’ve made this year in my studio is to create a curriculum for all of my voice students. Sometimes I feel that piano teaching is “easier” than teaching voice, because the former comes with method books that teach rhythm, note-reading, and technique at a measured pace, while new repertoire is constantly being introduced. Voice teachers aren’t so lucky (well, if there IS such a method book for voice teachers, I certainly don’t know about it!). Piano students are quite content to play the same 5 notes for an entire month, but can you imagine if I restricted all vocal repertoire to just a few notes?
I have had to design a method of teaching voice that includes learning all the essentials of music theory along with the repertoire and technique that we work on each class. And don’t even get me started on repertoire! Each student is at a different age, different stage in his/her learning, and has different tastes, so selecting repertoire has always been the most difficult part of lesson prep for me.
So, in order to make the process easier, I created a sort of “rough draft” 6-month curriculum. The benefit of this is that I can see, at a glance, where the student should be in x amount of time, or what we should be doing today in class. Plus, it makes lesson planning SO much easier! At the beginning of the month, I get all the materials ready and I don’t have to worry about it till the next month. Of course, I have to constantly update the curriculum; some students move at a slower or faster pace than anticipated, so every month I update it before printing it out.
Here’s a sample of my curriculum charts (I’m sure there are much better ways, but this is simple and works for me!):
In a 30-minute lesson, it’s almost impossible to do ALL of the above, every single time. So, sometimes I space out certain elements; for example, in the first week of the month all my students will work on composition, in the second week there will be a set sight-reading, and so on. That way, if we can’t compose every class, I know that they’ll be working on it at least once a month.
Other unexpected benefits of creating a curriculum:
~ Parents who closely follow their child’s music education really appreciate being able to visualize their progress
~ It allows me to prepare students easily for exams, recitals, etc. well in advance
~ I will be able to use ideas from these charts for future students in similar age groups
And the list goes on! I would like to create a similar curriculum for my piano students, but right now there’s just a handful of them so it’s easy to keep track of who is doing what.
Do you create a curriculum for your students? If so, leave a comment below! I would love to hear all about it.