Teaching and Learning from “The Greatest”
Gary Catona Posted on Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 04:26PM ;)
Muhammad Ali holds a number of titles: he is one of the most celebrated icons in American pop culture history; he is generally considered the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time (he won the heavyweight title three times); and for many who suffered both physically and emotionally from the agony of the Vietnam war, he is a veritable hero, the one very famous person who stood up against the United States government by refusing to go to war when he was drafted in 1967.
Ali had recently converted to Islam and held that religious considerations prevented him from going to Vietnam. He even stated that he was “willing to die” for his beliefs. Because of his defiance, Ali was stripped of his heavyweight crown (at the height of his powers), and his boxing license was revoked. In response, he traveled across America and gave passionate anti-war speeches. Three years after being banished from boxing, Ali’s license was reinstated, and he ultimately regained his heavyweight title. from then on, he continued in the boxing ring to solidify his legacy as the most dazzling fighter in the history of the sport.
But the great warrior had paid dearly for his triumphs in the ring. Because of the damaging beatings that he took to his head in a number of historic fights, he suffered brain damage and was eventually diagnosed with a neurological disorder called Parkinson’s syndrome (not Parkinson’s Disease). In this condition, the neurotransmitter dopamine (the chemical messenger between nerve cells) is not sufficiently produced; as a result, bodily functions slow down and over time, drastically so. Symptoms usually include muscular rigidity and weakness, as well as physical trembling.
When I began teaching Ali early in 1985, he was 43 years old and already taking the drug L-Dopa to minimize the symptoms of his disorder. He was still very much his energetic, charming, witty, and humorous self (always playing practical jokes), but his speech had become very soft, and he slurred to the point where his words were barely understandable. I had never taught anyone with this sort of organic problem before, but I reasoned that my voice building regimen might improve the capacity of his speaking musculature to receive neurological signals, and/or perhaps “teach” his brain creative ways to activate them. We worked together for several months, and I even accompanied him on a few of his trips around the United States.
When we first began working, I was surprised to discover that Ali had a pleasant singing voice and a very good “musical ear." in fact, he never once vocalized off-pitch during our many sessions together. We became fast friends, and the many delightful anecdotes that I could recite about my time with this wonderful human being will have to wait for another moment.
As far as his speech was concerned, after the first five sessions his voice had become noticeably stronger and he was also able to enunciate more clearly. The Champ continued to make progress along these lines during our time together. I said as much in a New York Times feature article that appeared in April of the same year. The piece was called Age Has Not Cooled The Fire In Ali. By that time, I had realized that my initial guess had, at least, some truth to it—that building his voice must have caused his vocal musculature to become stronger, better coordinated, and more responsive to neurological signals (perhaps newly “wired” ones). As far as my work was concerned, this was a valuable insight into the power of effective voice building. We had to stop our work together only because Ali was scheduled to travel to far off places across the globe to pursue his work as a peace activist, and I had to return to Los Angeles to forge ahead in my life’s mission.
Reader Comments (4)
I HAVE YOUR DVD FROM RANDY JACKSON & PAULA- YOU ONLY INSTRUCT ON VOWELS - I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING ON BREATHING - THE FOUNDATION OF A GOOD VOCAL.
I agree with your blog and like it so much because its has deductive approach.
James, the foundation of singing is in the vowel configurations, they are the building blocks of your voice. As you voice build, and your voice muscles become stronger and more coordinated, the breath control will naturally take care of itself.
Thank you for reading Licensed Builders!