Vocalist.org archive


From:  Dean FH Macy <deanmacy@a...>
Date:  Sat Nov 16, 2002  12:40 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] amplification

buzzcen@a... wrote in part:

>I know and you know she's had lessons from several people, but she tells
>everyone she's never had a lesson... lol. She certainly does not sing in a
>purely classical manner, even her very heady stuff has a different cut in it
>than an opera singer. If in fact you did train her "classically" she eventually
went in a totally different direction and chose to ignore her past instruction.
>
When I first met Barbra she was a very obnoxious, loud, rude,
opinionated 13 year old. Her mother told her that she'd asked me to
teach her how to sing. Barbra sneered at her and then, with the same
rude sneer, told me she didn't need a voice teacher, that she already
knew how to sing. Her mom shot me a desperate look. In an effort to
mollify I suggested to Barbra that I could be her vocal coach. She had
no idea what that meant nor that I really meant voice teacher, so she
said okay. Naturally we had quite a few verbal battles especially over
her learning to sing classically. Not Opera. Opera she learned later.
But she was/is head strong and she was bound and determined not to sing
classically. She fought me as a teenager for years but she never quit
learning and applying. She was, all in all, my best student and we have
remained friends. Barbra is living proof that a child can be taught
classically and still sing everything else. Of note: She applied much
of her earlier training when she did her classical albums. However, I
never compare her to other singers. Barbra is unique. Always has been-
always will be.

Dr Dean




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