Monday, 31 October 2016
Davids Ch. 15, Williams Ch. 7
I really appreciate that both texts emphasize the importance of the choral director in promoting good vocal health amongst their choristers. I imagine it would be fairly easy for some choral conductors, particularly those who may not have great knowledge of the vocal instrument, to disregard this topic when rehearsing a choir or pass it off as the choristers own responsibility or that of their private voice instructor. I think it is essential that every choral director be educated in vocal health and the functions (both healthy and unhealthy) of the vocal apparatus in order to direct most efficiently. The vocal health of a choir begins with the choral director and how they model, explain, promote, and develop healthy singing.
I question the section where Davids discusses rehearsal cooldowns (p. 244). While I can see that a cooldown after a rehearsal can be slightly beneficial, I wonder how practical or how common-practice this is. I have never been part of a rehearsal that implemented a cooldown as part of the rehearsal schedule. There is simply too much material to cover in a given rehearsal time that priority is not made to cooling down the voice. I question really whether it is necessary at all. A warm up is obviously essential as it not only helps prepare the voice for singing but helps build vocal technique as well. A cooldown, when time is precious, is a little redundant. The voice is already warmed up and if the singers have been given enough break time throughout the rehearsal then they should not be over-tired. Returning to regular speaking after the rehearsal is enough of cooldown for the voice in my opinion.
Williams discusses lifestyles for singers in Chapter 7. I understand that as a singer and/or singing teacher, this is important information to know and keep in mind but I believe it is also important to know that singers can obsess too much over things that they believe negatively affect the voice. Unless an individual is prone to certain vocal stressors, I think it important to focus on maintaining a balanced lifestyle bearing in mind the age-old saying “everything in moderation”. I think singers can obsess too much over what they eat, drink, do, or even say before a performance and often these obsessions can be more in the mind than anything else. I was a little alarmed by the section where Williams discuses medications and deciding whether or not the benefits of the medication outweigh the importance of the performance. While I’m certain she is not suggesting that singers stop taking medication (and if she is she is most likely referring to over-the-counter medication such as Advil or Tylenol) for the benefit of their performance. I think these statements can be easily misconstrued by certain individuals, therefore, perhaps these topics are best discussed on a case-to-case basis by medical specialists rather than in a book about Teaching Singing.
Wednesday, 26 October 2016
Thursday, 13 October 2016
Davids Ch. 7-8
I was surprised to read that vocal vibrato is a result of
nerve impulses in the larynx. I was always under the impression that vibrato
was a natural occurrence in the voice as a result of vibrations related to
airflow. I was not aware that it was caused by actual pulsations of the
laryngeal muscles. This was a very interesting discovery!
When discussing wobble in the voice-ways to avoid a
wobble occurring and ways to improve the wobble if it exists – I feel it is
very important to discuss repertoire. This was not addressed in the text. It is a singing teacher’s responsibility to
choose appropriate repertoire for their students, complimenting their
technical abilities at a given time. If repertoire is too heavy then it is
likely a student will develop technical issues, such as a wobble, in attempt
to push through repertoire that is too technically difficult. It is also possible
that a student in this case will attempt to mimic or artificially produce a
sound they are not yet ready to create naturally.
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
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