Teaching Philosophy
Voice teachers have a tremendous responsibility for our students. Singing is the only instrument you simply can’t put in a case. The things I believe in as a teacher are strong communication between teacher and student, helping a student find their optimal voice that feels good to them, understanding singers as “vocal athletes” and what that means when training, helping students develop healthy singing habits giving them ultimately a flexible instrument they can count on.
Because the voice is an instrument that lives in the body, one of the only ways we can assess progress in the voice (besides what we hear) is our students’ understanding of what feels good. Good communication about sounds produced helps move things forward. It’s important to bring kinesthetic awareness to my students to help them identify what to notice when they sing and communicate about what works for them and what doesn’t. Voice building takes a lot of patience and for my students I want them to feel like they can talk to me about their journey whether it be breakthroughs and accomplishments or frustrations and confusing concepts. Communication is key for a vocal student and their teacher because it is a delicate and personal skill that requires trust.
Finding one’s optimal voice requires patience and discovery through various tools and exercises. Using the various tools in our tool belt we can try things on and discover how our voice produces sound. With those tools we begin to identify what feels good and produces efficient resonance and begins to ring. We can name what feels good and try to remember how to reproduce those sounds and sensations. We can then apply those feelings to repertoire and eventually be able to navigate through any piece of music with ease.
Being a vocalist is a physical activity. Barbra Doscher describes a vocalist as a “vocal athlete.” Being a vocal athlete, it’s important to understand how exercises, tools, acoustics, etc. work. It is my responsibility as a teacher to monitor all of these to best strengthen the muscles of the voice and allow them to grow. It is also important for me to help my students understand the importance of practice. Like exercises at the gym and seeing results, building the voice requires the building of good and healthy habits and practice to achieve optimal strength. By strengthening the muscles of the voice and developing habits and navigational tools, one can approach any piece of music with healthy strategy and coordination that they can count on.
My goal is to find proper balance of flow and resonance so my students will be able to navigate with ease through vocal registers. I want to aid in the ability to sing a wide range of music with healthy habits and optimal control for both male and female students. I believe students should be able to feel the absolute best when producing sound with their individual voices.
I believe, as a teacher, it is my responsibility to foster a safe and creative environment in which they can communicate and discover their best individual voice.