Dale Cox – Singing

I will be starting lessons again on February 1st 2010, at Eatons Hill. In February (TBC) I will be moving to Bunya. 

I think I am ready to get back to work. How do I know? I am reading textbooks and getting excited about teaching. I am listening to singers I love and singing myself. I am thinking with JOY about the new year! Breaks from learning and teaching are great. We get the chance to refresh and renew our mind – and bodies – and think about what we have absorbed over the previous year. I find that things I have learnt and thought about and worked on in my body and mind come to be established after quite a lengthy period of time. And I don't think I am a slow learner. Sometimes concepts, or new training patterns, take time to become automatic in both the mind and the body.  I reflect on the value of thoughtful focused practice in those students who have grown vocally over the previous 12 months. Learning to sing is often seen as a short course – 6 weeks to a term. Most students do see instant improvements fairly quickly, but not all, and mastery can take years. I think if you thought you could master the piano in a term you would perhaps be mistaken – and, I humbly suggest, the same is true of learning to sing!

So as I reflect on last year and the new year, I am excited by those students I wave goodbye to as they start a new career or interstate study (special congratulations Emma!) , by existing students who are surely moving toward beauty of expression, competency and mastery of their voices,  and by the new students starting to contact me for the few places I think I may have available. I am excited at the increasing opportunities in Brisbane afforded to learner singers to perform. I am excited by the new music we will discover together this year. And I am excited as a singer myself. What will I sing? What do I want to learn? What do I want to express? I have some projects to work on which excite me and motivate me to press onwards in my singing journey – now standing at 29 years since I first performed on a stage! Happy singing in 2010!

I hope everyone is having a relaxing break. I love this time of year. Reflecting on what worked last year, and what didn't. Considering what changes I need to make to lessons to enhance the learning experience for students. Catching up on journal reading, new texts and listening to beautiful singing.

One of the best things we singers can do in our down time is listen to great singers. It helps to create a singing library in our body / mind. When you listen to great singers often you unintentially mimic the singer. You begin to breathe in the same places, open the throat up for those gorgeous open vowels, all while simply listening. You create an idea of the type of sounds you want to make. Often, if you listen to not so great singing, you feel your throat tighten, your breathing restricts, as you mimic the physical actions that singer is using to create that sound. Does it matter? Well, if you want to belt high and well, but listen to tight, heavy function belting you could be subconsiously absorbing that technique and damaging your own voice in the process. I know this may seem a stretch, but put on a beautiful singer, sit down and close your eyes and just listen. Does your body feel more open? Do you feel like singing? I always feel inspired and NEED to sing after listening to someone wonderful. I rarely feel inspired to sing when listening to a tight, tense voice. Be careful whose voice you listen to!

So, who am I listening to at the moment? I have been enjoying some Alison Krauss. Her music makes me smile, her voice moves me and her lyrics take me somewhere else. I love listening to her chat with the audience and band in between songs. I plug in my ipod and I feel like I am there.

Send me your suggestions of singers you love.

All continuing students will be contacted by mid January to confirm their timeslots, and any remaining times will then be advertised on my availability page. Should you be interested in lessons they should be commencing in February, and I will be contacting existing and new students to confirm lesson times in mid January. 

Monday 7th December was the night for the end of year concert, and what a great night we had! I will get some photos posted soon. Congratulations to all students for great performances and some truly spellbinding moments. Lessons are set to commence again on February 1st, but feel free to contact me via email over the break if you want to secure your timeslot! Have a wonderful and refeshing break!

We are having a great time in lessons finalising songs for the end of year concert on Monday 7th December. I am enjoying hearing the fruit of all the work students have been putting in to their voices this year. Good singing is sometimes a factor of time. Over time we learn how to refine our belt from something unwieldy and large to a sound we can manipulate to suit the intensity and emotional impact required for the song. Some students are learning to find what I call their inner “fluffy bunny”! This is learning how to sing softly and intimately on the microphone, again, to suit the requirements of the song. Other students are mastering interpretation. They have heard a song and love how it is sung by a favourite singer, but the world doesn’t need another generic sound, it needs to hear YOUR sound! Some students are mastering breath management, alignment, speech quality, appropriate amounts of twang and everyone is hearing me talk about space space space! Opening up and singing, using our whole body when we sing and not just where you think your voice is produced. So exciting! I love teaching singing, and it is a joy to hear students as they improve and master new techniques that set their voices free!

Due my recent travel to Canada and my trip to Japan in October, I am teaching during the September school holidays. Classes are available for existing students for make up lessons and new students. Please contact via the contact page for a lesson time that suits you!

After returning from Canada and ploughing through my mail, I found the Sept / Oct "Journal of Singing" from NATS. Always great reading for singers and singing teachers, the article which stood out for me was Robert Edwin's "Popular Song and Music Theatre: What's Going On On Broadway?" In this article he discusses the latest musical to be cast on Broadway, "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark" with a score by Bono and The Edge. He says "there is no Broadway sound … there are many, many Broadway sounds and our job (singing teachers) is to help singers develop as many of those sounds as they are willing and able to do." Think about the styles from some of the shows produced in the last ten years: Pop (Elton John's Aida and The Lion King, ABBA's music in Mamma Mia, Phil Collin's music in Tarzan), Rock (We Will Rock You – music by Queen), Belt and Legit mixes (Wicked, Little Women, The Last Five Years, Cats), Legit (Guys and Dolls, Phantom of the Opera). Singers who are serious about Music Theatre need to be able to belt, mix and sing in legit style.

"I believe it is not generally recognized how tender is the performing self, or the student's "heart" in the one-on-one voice lesson. The tennis star John McEnroe said,"It's difficult when you're out there on the court. You're really exposing your whole soul." If this is true for someone who just needs to hit a ball with a racket, how far more true for someone to let go of sounds that reveal his innermost thoughts and feelings." 

p 16, "With a Song in my Psyche" pearl Shinn Wormhoudt

This is such a big issue. Singers do have to be mentally tough, I think, to survive, to get over anxieties and worries and self concern and put themselves out there after criticism and judgement (often their own!). But the tender heartedness to share and reveal what is in your heart when you perform – that is where the magic is. When the practice and technical work are in your muscle memory and you can rely on your instrument, your voice, and then reveal what is in your heart through your voice – isn't that what we all long to do as singers? It is a vulnerable place, sometimes a lonely place, but I believe it is our job, to reveal emotions which often we don't share. Those emotions which are uncomfortable, or socially unacceptable such as anger, fear, despair or even ecstasy, joy, jubilation, are our turf!

We enjoyed great concerts during the holidays and a wonderful performance workshop. One of my students from the Performance Workshop commented:

" Whow! Dale, what a day! thanks so much, you'd put so much into the prep with our notes etc, it was wonderful. "

Another turned up at lessons and told how she was so inspired, she hasn't stopped practicing her singing since she left left the workshop! Some great outcomes – thanks to all participated. 

Term three has started and I have two availabilities – Tuesday at 11am for half an hour and Thursday at 1.30pm for one hour fortnightly.  

"Humanity needs to understand and control the inner world, the thoughts, emotions and beliefs that energize either constructive or destructive activities. This is what we sing about, in many metaphors and circumstances."

Pearl Shinn Wormhoudt, "With a Song in my Psyche" , 2001, Xlibris. 

One down, four to go. The little concert last night with yr 12 girls was terrific – well done Emma, Hayley and Fabienne. Beautiful singing, and a great audience. Tonight I look forward to hearing what my first adult group come up with, and Monday night will be the high school performers! There are still two places left in the performance workshop next Saturday – don't hesitate to contact me if you are interested in coming. 

Students are preparing well for their mid year perfromances. Kudos this week to Lauren who astounded me with the standard of work she has put into her singing in this last week. She is performing a legit music theatre piece, a jazz piece and a rock piece, all with authenticity and finesse. Great style, Lauren!

I am conducting a Performance Workshop on Saturday 11th July. This is for those students who would like to not only overcome performance anxiety, but to understand it's origins and to put in place practical solutions for this challenging issue. I have been researching the psychology of performance for the last couple of years and have put together an afternoon of information and practical application. Students will perform to each other in a small workshop environment,and leave with greater understanding of what their bodies and minds are doing when they are performing. The cost is $80 including afternon tea and materials, and the workshop runs from 1pm to 5pm. I only have four places left, so please contact me to register today.

"The voice is the only instrument that is totally dependant upon a physical and psychological unity of instrument and performer." Richard Miller.

 Richard Miller, giant among singing teachers and incredible pedagogue, passed away last month. For more information on his influence in the singing world, check out www.nats.org. For those of you who have been in my studio you will recognise the maroon book which sits on my desk or piano for at least half of most weeks – "The Structure of Singing". Miller's writings have challenged and taught me much as a teacher, especially his book "The Art Of Singing", which is a collection of his articles writing for the journal. 

I am very excited about term two. I have been finalising dates for the first small performances for students this week. Those involved will be getting their information about these invitation only events over the next week or so!

For those of you who are on Facebook you will have seen my excitement at the purchase of my new computer. I am still working my way around the imac from the old Dell laptop and should be 100% working on the MAC soon – just trying to adapt from my old slow set up to the new. I am so excited – and so are my kids! They are just waiting to get their hands on it when I stop working!

Thanks to my first student to turn up with their own recording equipment for lessons. Carissa and her dad arrived with a fabulous digital recorder for her own personal use. This saved about 5 minutes at the end of the lesson – precious time we can use to sing!

At the moment places are limited – I have Fridays at 11am for one hour on a fortnightly basis still available.  

Those students who are gearing up for Year 12 Extension Music – Singing Program are busy finalising songs and preparing for their performances – stay focused singers!

I had a great lesson today with a student who has been with me for a while now. We were talking about  what is the worst thing that could happen if you actually did give your best when you sing. If you did exactly what I asked (which sounded like a scary thing to her). My student's response was that the worst thing you could do was talk yourself out of even trying. To have this attitude is not helpful, and it is not going to help to change anything. So she was brave and had a go – she didn't try to justify or think it through or think about how she felt about what i was asking her to do – and there it was – a beautiful, open magnificent voice that we BOTH know is in there just longing to come out. As Yoda says, do or do not do, there is no try!

 Sometimes I suspect I have one of the best jobs in the world!