Term Two

Posted on | April 20, 2006 | No Comments

Congratulations to Kiara who has won a role in the PRIMA production of ANNIE, as a proud mother I must also mention that my Maddison will be in the chorus of rampaging orphan girls! Grace also has a role in her school musical, Rebeka and Sam are singing solos in Genesis’ musical, and Ainslie is singing with bands and performing wherever she can – you go girl!

At the ANATS seminar, one of the things which really struck home to me was the very big difference between what Contemporary Singing teachers teach and what Classical Singing teachers teach. I think it is really important you know which style of music you wish to learn. I met up with a wonderful teacher who discussed her Masters paper with me. The subject was the effect a classical training can have on someone who wants to sing contemporary and how such training should not occur. There IS a difference between Classical technique and Contemporary technique. I am the first to admit feeling a little out of my depth in the classical master class presentation, but feeling completely reasssured and “ticking the boxes” in the contemporary master class. I have heard many students say to me that they have been taught Classical technique to get good habits established before approaching Contemporary singing, often seen as an easy alternative!

Hmmm, is my response. I am quite opinionated on the subject, having fixed up the register problems (especially in male voices accessing their upper registers!), breath control problems, articulation problems, etc of classically trained singers who come into problems trying to sing a Sinatra tune, or a Musical Theatre Ballad.

The other comment which interested me was from a male teacher who in a throw away line said that male teachers should teach teenage boys, because they can get the “sound” right and provide an inspiring example. I would be interested to know what any of the teenage boys I teach think about this comment, most of them having had both a male and a female teacher. I think it can be easier for the boys to pitch off a male, with me they are dropping an octave (assuming their voice has fully dropped), but I have had great success with my teenage boys, I have really enjoyed teaching them and have seen them develop so well, especially in the past six months!

The other comment about inspiring them with a big male voice (classically trained). I suppose most of the boys I see are more inspried by Bono, James Blunt, Shannon Noll, Michael Buble or Sinatra, or their favourite bands than by music they “don’t get”. I think this is a shame – I love classical music, but I think that this is just reality. There is the argument that it is up to me as the singing teacher to inspire them to sing Lieder, or arias, whatever, but from experience, they are just not interested. If they were i would send them to a Classical teacher. Often I am pushing the envelope by offering a musical song – especially an older-style musical!

There, today I am in the mood for throwing the cat among the pigeons! Do you have any comments? Post them on the site! ask me some questions!! We may get into an argument – but we’ll probably all learn something!

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