I've often told singers with whom I am working that I am not teaching them to sing, they know how to sing already! What I am hoping to help with are their housing issues.
What I mean by this is that the voice itself is not what is in need of training, it is the body/housing that needs to be whipped into shape. You have the voice and the physiology with which you arrived on the planet, you can't change the instrument itself any more than you can change your nose. Okay,okay surgery aside! Having said this,the musculature surrounding the vocal folds can certainly develop and change the way the voice is produced but again I am speaking of the voice itself.
Warming up and vocalizing is about making yourself aware of opening up the 'house' and making it habitable for that voice of yours. Is the foundation low? Can you sense where the bottom of your sound is? Are you open and free through the torso? Is the sternum in a relaxed yet active mode? Do you have that crucial attic space behind the sound column? These factors create a safe and secure environment where you can now make the demands of being an opera singer.
All of these housing issues can be aided by Alexander work, yoga, pilates -anything that takes your awareness to the fact that you are not just a singing head!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Tips for applications via recordings
For some time now my husband has been blogging with great regularity and ingenuity.I am inspired and daunted by the whole adventure, what a great way to articulate your thoughts and get it out there into the ether! Who the heck wants to read what I think about anything!???
If nothing else it will compel me to write with some regularity( see spousal inspiration) and it might even get me going on the long simmering book that I have been threatening to create with my friend and colleague Malcolm Balk of Alexander Technique fame.
Of late I have been doing a lot of listening to applications for both the St Andrews Opera Workshop and a arts board on which I serve. There are many things that leap out at me from this experience. What follows is some advice on how to send and present yourself in the best light possible.
1. Always include a cover letter that gives a quick picture of yourself and what it is you are hoping to achieve with your career or what you would like from the program etc. It doesn't need to be fancy, just clear. It should be particular to the application, ie. not a form that you send over and over. Keep one on your computer and tweak it as necessary.
2. Make sure that your recording is clear and shows you at your best. Do not record in your bathroom! I swear that I have heard a few that must have been, no water running though...There are so many ways to get good recordings these days even with your own Ipod or other equipment. The piano needs to be in tune! Simple enough but you would be surprised.
3. Label both the CD itself AND the case with the performers and repertoire. There are often many applicants and lots of materials. If your CD falls out of its case among the others you want to be sure that we can figure that out. Singers please note that simply out of respect you should list who the pianist or other instrumentalists are! You never know who may hear the recording and they might just be looking for a pianist too! You could even charge a finder's fee! Kidding.
4. The first track on the recording should be you at your very best in repertoire that reveals both the beauty of your sound and your musicianship. Using something very contemporary(unless of course this is your milieu) is not advised. I want to hear a voice just role out so I can appreciate it immediately.
5. Quality not quantity both when comes to selections on the recording and the way you list your experience on your resume. Your singing will speak for itself. I always listen first and then consult the resume later so that I won't be swayed by what I read. I want to form my own impression free of knowing whether or not you won the Met auditions in 2009.
6. Remember that you want to reveal yourself artistically/emotionally through your singing. Yes, you want language and style and the right notes(!) to be there but come with an opinion about the music and what you want to say. I find that I notice that before anything else even on a recording.
7. Those of us who listen to applications appreciate the difficulties in capturing an operatic voice on recording especially if you don't have EMI sound engineers at your beck and call- yet. Work for the best you can manage. You should be recording yourself regularly at lessons and rehearsals so that you know what is you at your best.
In bocca al lupo!
If nothing else it will compel me to write with some regularity( see spousal inspiration) and it might even get me going on the long simmering book that I have been threatening to create with my friend and colleague Malcolm Balk of Alexander Technique fame.
Of late I have been doing a lot of listening to applications for both the St Andrews Opera Workshop and a arts board on which I serve. There are many things that leap out at me from this experience. What follows is some advice on how to send and present yourself in the best light possible.
1. Always include a cover letter that gives a quick picture of yourself and what it is you are hoping to achieve with your career or what you would like from the program etc. It doesn't need to be fancy, just clear. It should be particular to the application, ie. not a form that you send over and over. Keep one on your computer and tweak it as necessary.
2. Make sure that your recording is clear and shows you at your best. Do not record in your bathroom! I swear that I have heard a few that must have been, no water running though...There are so many ways to get good recordings these days even with your own Ipod or other equipment. The piano needs to be in tune! Simple enough but you would be surprised.
3. Label both the CD itself AND the case with the performers and repertoire. There are often many applicants and lots of materials. If your CD falls out of its case among the others you want to be sure that we can figure that out. Singers please note that simply out of respect you should list who the pianist or other instrumentalists are! You never know who may hear the recording and they might just be looking for a pianist too! You could even charge a finder's fee! Kidding.
4. The first track on the recording should be you at your very best in repertoire that reveals both the beauty of your sound and your musicianship. Using something very contemporary(unless of course this is your milieu) is not advised. I want to hear a voice just role out so I can appreciate it immediately.
5. Quality not quantity both when comes to selections on the recording and the way you list your experience on your resume. Your singing will speak for itself. I always listen first and then consult the resume later so that I won't be swayed by what I read. I want to form my own impression free of knowing whether or not you won the Met auditions in 2009.
6. Remember that you want to reveal yourself artistically/emotionally through your singing. Yes, you want language and style and the right notes(!) to be there but come with an opinion about the music and what you want to say. I find that I notice that before anything else even on a recording.
7. Those of us who listen to applications appreciate the difficulties in capturing an operatic voice on recording especially if you don't have EMI sound engineers at your beck and call- yet. Work for the best you can manage. You should be recording yourself regularly at lessons and rehearsals so that you know what is you at your best.
In bocca al lupo!
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