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Welcome to Vocalist's Insightful
Practices(VIP) Newsletter!
January 5, 2001
Table of Contents:
1.
Welcome Notes
2. Vocal "Trivia"
3. VIP Q & A
4. Vocal Tip
5.
Notable Quotables
6. Trivia Answers
1. Welcome Notes HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Welcome
to Vocalist's Insightful Practices (VIP)! Thank you again for all the positive
feedback and for helping make VIP such a successful e-newsletter! Welcome to our
new subscribers and thank you to our friends who forward VIP to their friends.
That's how we grow and have a greater impact on the vocal community! VIP is a
free monthly newsletter that's goal is to promote proper vocal health by providing
valuable, yet simple tips to singers, vocal coaches, speakers and anyone else
who uses their voice! I hope that this electronic publication assists you in creating
a voice which is more healthy, powerful and enjoyable. Please let me know how
I can be of service to you in reaching your vocal goals. Take care of your voice,
if it breaks you can't get a new one! A note to subscribers: Do you have all VIP
issues since it's premier in June 1999? They are now available (Recent issues
will be available by mid January so visit us !) http://www.musicsimplymusic.com/viparchives.htm
If you have a question that you would like to see addressed in an upcoming issue,
e-mail me with the info! I'm getting some really great questions!!! You may contact
me at Mail to: dambrosino@musicsimplymusic.com 2.
Test Your Vocal Knowledge
-
The nasalis is a muscle in your ____. -
To
insure proper alignnent while singing or speaking, should most of your body weight
be placed on the balls of your feet or on your heels? -
True
or False: Pulling in your lower lip while singing can help you control the sustained
tone better. ___________________________________________________ 4.
VIP Q & A Q:
I have very limited knowledge of the voice. How do I go about selecting a voice
teacher for my daughter? A:
Sadly, there have been numerous times over the past 12 years that I have personally
been visited by young girls with damaged voices. Unbelievably, every one of them
came to me after studying with another voice teacher! I share this disturbing
fact to educate you and suggest that you do your homework carefully when selecting
a voice teacher. I get very upset when students (as young as 7!!!) have the beginnings
of life long damage to their vocal cords. More upsetting is the fact that their
condition is due to poor vocal training by someone who is considered a professional!
How horrible is that to the unknowing parent and the deceived student who are
both so excited to nurture this love of singing!?!? Yes,
I know - I obviously have a lot of energy on this topic. Rightly so, as I am directly
affected by this continuing predicament. ANYWAY...here are some tips on choosing
the RIGHT voice teacher for your daughter: - -
A recommendation from someone you know and trust holds a lot more weight than
the teacher who has the biggest or fanciest ad in the paper. Is the person recommending
this teacher pleased with the student's progress? Listening to this student would
be beneficial to you as well. - -
A
great teacher should be vocally skillful to demonstrate all techniques taught
to the student. (There are many teachers who have musical ability but little knowlege
of the voice and how it works. Many don't even know how to sing! -
Degrees
and years of experience sound impressive but should not play a major role in selecting
a teacher. I personally would like to find the teacher who has a "Ph.D. in RESULTS!"
Also, some teachers with decades of experience have not changed with the times.
This is not necessarily a bad thing (They obviously have been successful to have
survived all those years!) but it could be a problem in creating an affective
relationship with a young student. -
Phenomenal
vocal ability is great but can he teach? Can he communicate with a child? Can
he be sensitive to know when or how to present information to the student? Beware
- many voice "teachers" out there are wannabe performers that don't get the gig
so resort to teaching to earn a living. - Have you heard any of this teacher's
students? -
Attending
a recital would allow you to hear what kind of voices this teacher is producing.
Even an uneducated person can hear straining, harsh tones or other problems. Beware
of voices that all sound to same. This indicates a teacher focused on one technique
that works rather than a individual program customized to develop all the talents
and uniqueness of that particular student. Students have different voice qualities
and different vocal goals which need to be addressed in different ways. -
Interview
teachers on the phone and ask them about their program and what their methods
can do for your daughter. -
A
teacher should LISTEN and allow you to express all your concerns. -
Trust
your instincts - Do you feel comfortable with this person? Can you see her interacting
with your daughter? -
Find
out if this teacher has any affiliation with an ENT (ears, nose & throat doctor)
or speech therapist. A speech therapist or ENT would refer their clients only
to a qualified voice teacher who has knowledge of the mechanics of the voice.
You want a voice teacher who knows how to detect damage, how to teach correct
vocal placement and who knows how to work with a damaged or recovering voice.
(It's not just about sound!) -
Choose
a teacher with an upbeat personality, full of enthusiasm - someone who truly enjoys
what she does and can create a wonderful rapport with your child. These qualifications
can help develop a nurturing environment in which your child will have fun while
learning and growing as a singer and performer. 4.
Vocal Tip Instead
of the traditional warm tea with honey and lemon, try warm water with honey and
lemon. While fine for the throat, tea contains tannins which tend to leave you
with dry mouth, which is definitely not a condition conducive to singing or speaking.
5. Notable
Quotables "Sweet
sounds, oh beautiful music, do not cease!" -Edna St. Vincent Millay
"Ignorance is the mother of presumption." -Marie de Gournay 6.
Trivia Answers 1.
nose
2. balls of your feet
3. false - it just adds unnecessary tension
to your lips and jaw. Copyright
© 2000 Diane Ambrosino.All
rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute VIP so
long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author
is attached. The
author of this article is Diane Ambrosino and she may be contacted at: dambrosino@musicsimplymusic.com
To subscribe/unsubscribe
send an email to: Vip-list@musicsimplymusic.com
with the either words the words "subscribe VIP" or the words "unsubscribe VIP"
in the body of the email. "We
enjoy what we do, and so will you!" phone: 631-863-2354
fax: 631-471-8311
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