Criticism

Posted on | August 20, 2010 | No Comments

I have been teaching for over ten years, performing for 30, training for 23 years. I am certain, in fact I know, that at times I have performed badly, sung badly, taught badly. I have also performed well, sung well, taught well. I would suggest that you do not expect a baby who is learning to walk  to get it right first time around, or even second time. We are so good at giving grace to babies and obvious new learners. When we get a little bit older, and you are new at something, you are going to make mistakes. Sometimes we can have done something for a long time and still get it wrong. (Hands up – honestly – who doesn’t make foolish mistake at something they are proficient at from time to time). I think that is just being human. It may take a student a LONG time to get something “right”. Like pitching. Pitch problems are most often the result of insufficient technical ability. Some people have it naturally, some people don’t. Some people pitch perfectly all the time, some get it wrong sometimes, some need lots of help. You could say the same thing about style – changing styles can take time and practice. Or performance which can be so challenging when learning new neuro-muscular patterns. This is true of so many aspects of singing – it is a neuro-muscular activity involving body, mind and spirit.

One thing that is NEVER helpful is pointing out to someone who desires to sing that they “have no voice”, “cannot sing in tune”,  ”you are simply untalented” or “you cannot sing”.  I have heard many many more variations on this theme from students. It is incredibly hurtful and the comments can wound quite deeply. The person who makes such comments often knows nothing about singing or has a smallsmattering of knowledge. They often have no idea how much these comments hurt, but they always do. Even if the comment is true, can you imagine how you would feel if someone took the the thing that you loved to do, sometimes most in the whole world, even though you KNOW you have a long way to go, and told you “you are just not good enough”. Would you feel confident next time you attempted the activity, or would those thoughts ring around in your head? Maybe you would feel a little sick in the stomach. You might feel a bit angry at yourself and upset at your achievement, or lack of it, so far. Then think about how this would make your body feel. Imagine if your instrument is a finely balanced bit of muscle placed right in the centre of this tight tense body. How would it feel to try again? Harder? Does the criticism compound the problem?

Yes some people are talented and just “have it”. Others need work. I teach some incredibly naturally gifted singers and some who have further to go on the journey. They are all singers. They all want to express themselves through singing. And they are all brave enough to put themselves before a teacher and ask for help. When loved ones (parents, friends, partners, people in positions of authority) make unhelpful comments, it is just SO much harder for them to focus on the technical issues. If someone criticizes an aspect of our work it can be helpful, or hurtful, or both, but we can usually continue on physically with the job. Singing is different. If the brain is upset, the body will react, and this will affect voice production. Criticism in singing needs to be given in the context of giving a solution to the problem, and this is best done within lessons. Criticism from a loved one, well meaning friend or authority figure can often damage the relationship.

Perhaps we need to think twice before commenting on another person’s voice. They may not be quite as strong inside (yet!) as you think they are.

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