Dear Mike and Vocalisters:
You asked how I go about teaching voice, especially in light of my obvious
interest in what is occurring functionally with the vocal instrument.
In one paragraph of your post you wrote:
"Seriously, the perceptions a singer has (and they seem to be different for
each singer) are sometimes so far removed from what is measurably going on,
I wonder how you make the connection or, do you not make the connection? I
will often design exercises for students based on what I understand of the
actual workings of the voice and as far as the student is concerned, it's
just one more silly-ass thing I thought of them doing that accidently makes
them sound better."
COMMENT: Most of the exercises I use or create are based on what I
understand to be the functional workings of the voice. Many of these
exercises are traditional and have been used by voice teachers for hundreds
of years. I use them if I am convinced that they address what I understand
about the voice. Off hand, I cannot think of any exercises I use that do
not meet that criteria.
The contrast between the perceptions of student and the goals of the teacher
is the major communication difficulty in teaching any subject or skill.
Body usage is especially prone to this difficulty, and singing is basically
body usage.
I structure my exercise work with my students toward giving them a working
knowledge of what exercises work for them and WHY they work for them. I
encourage them to create their own exercises, if they so desire, based on
what they know of the "WHY" of their present exercises.
Our comrades in the voice therapy profession are carefully trained to
diagnose vocal speech problems and then use proven and well researched
corrective exercises to help patients overcome their vocal difficulties.
These exercise are based on knowledge of the healthy function of the vocal
mechanism. There is no reason that a similar kind of training could not be
developed and promoted for those who teach singing.
We have many such well researched corrective devices (such as onset
exercises, for example), which are used by only a small percentage (it
appears) of our profession. Instead, many voice teachers prefer to use
unproven exercises for no other reason than that is how they were taught.
At best, a poor exercise is inefficient, at worst it teaches a practice
that can be damaging to the singer.
The idea of targeted exercises based on accurate diagnosis to facilitate the
singer and help remove vocal difficulties implies that a scientific
knowledge of vocal function be known and understood. The fact that the
singer (or the speech patient) may not "feel" the vocal function that is
being corrected, is irrelevant. If the singer (patient) can experience
results that are positive, the teacher (therapist) will have been
successful. It is at that point that most singers will want to know why
this or that exercise worked for them.
Regards
--
Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Vocal Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
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