| |
How do we inspire young singers?
Jenny Morgan
In my 20 years of
teaching singing, some of my most memorable and surprising moments
have been through my work with 14 to 16 year olds.
In many ways I
suppose, my approach could be regarded as old fashioned. I believe
in strong boundaries: designated practice time, sometimes written as
a personal statement and signed by the student; punctual lesson
attendance, which I personally chase up; remembering to bring
practice books, music, tape and so on; and most important of all
100% attention during the half-hour lesson.
Initially I like to
concentrate on body use: posture and general health. Teenagers are
very body aware at this age. I promote the positive: such as
improving their figures through correcting posture and breathing. I
talk about the importance of physical stillness, without rigidity,
to provide the best housing for efficient functioning of the larynx.
I encounter a lot of fidgeting at this age, this no doubt stems from
self-consciousness about changes in the body. I find that talking
about these issues in a holistic way, taking into account their
emotional, spiritual and physical selves, is a way to encourage them
to take some responsibility for their development.
I remember a very
difficult, sulky 15 year old girl, who I despaired of ever getting
through GCSE Music, turning up at her lesson, not just having learnt
the song but having learnt it with real feeling and thought. Or the
16 year old girl, who’d never even listened to a note of classical
music, telling me she wanted to do Grade 5 singing, and when was I
going to teach her ‘opera’? On both these occasions I was careful to
keep my glee to myself, affect a studied nonchalance and casually
extract the syllabus from my file for fear of breaking the magic
that seemed to have taken place. This, I believe is the crux of
one’s success with inspiring, seducing and igniting the imaginations
of our young; they have infinite ways of surprising us. Assume
nothing, be mindful of your prejudices and tastes, and promote
excellence and quality in whatever style you teach.
While encouraging
our young students to sing to the best of their ability is every
teacher’s aim, my most satisfying results have come from a parent
seeking me out at a concert and telling me how much singing lessons
have improved their child’s self confidence and how this is
reflected in their other subjects and their improved general well
being.
This, to me, reminds
us of the fundamental importance music plays in our lives and in
ourselves. Every student has the basic right to learn and experience
music as an integral part of his or her education just like reading
and writing. As Estelle Morris recently said at a Primary Schools
conference, “We would be outraged if our children left school unable
to read or write and we should feel the same about music.” After
all, to be musical is simply to be human.
|
|
Giving the student broader knowledge about the structures of the
larynx can be effective on many levels of their training and
understanding. The 'moveable larynx' has long been the starting
point of Vocal Process courses including Singing and the Actor Training.
Download:
build_your_own_
tilting_larynx.pdf
[2-page PDF, 294kb]
NOTE: Please allow PDF documents time open over slower
connections.
As an alternative to opening a PDF in your browser you may also
download and save the file direct to your computer.
WINDOWS USERS: Right click on the download link > save target as.
MAC USERS: Option > click or click and hold > Save target as.
Link opens in a new window |
|
