The Natural Singer As Teacher
Gary Catona Posted on Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 05:09PM ;)
I want to confront directly one of most puzzling issues in voice instruction, and I want to do so by posing a simple question: Why are most voice teachers unable to teach their students the best way to improve their singing voices?
I wrestled with this question for years and I believe that I have formulated a good theory: Despite the voice training that they may have undergone, most voice teachers begin as natural singers and never had to learn to sing. That is, they never went through the difficult and eye-opening experience of learning about the mechanics of voice production and how best to use their voices in song. In many instances, young, natural singers gain their ability by simply imitating other singers and find this to be a relatively fast and easy way to practice and learn the art form.
There is yet another down side to a singer having natural ability that is even more fundamental: Since most voice teachers begin as ignorant, natural singers, they are in the bizarre position of trying to teach a complex process that they, at best, only partially understand. So what do they teach to their unwitting students? Concepts and exercise routines that they have learned from their teachers who themselves began as natural singers and who also were largely ignorant of the process of voice production in singing and why they were able to sing artistically. This form of teaching in virtual blindness has a long, unfortunate history and is largely responsible for the battering the noble art form of singing has taken throughout the ages.
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Reader Comments (4)
How does the average person who would just like to learn to sing for fun find the right coach?
Lisa, often it takes some trial and error. From my own experience, I went through many vocal coaches before deciding to find my own way in voice building. If a voice teacher isn't helping you progress, find a new one.
Yes! Lots of kindred thoughts with this post. I started my singing life as a--erm--less than gifted singing and went through several teachers over the course of 10 years. My voice improved, and I thought I knew what I was doing, but I really was a collection of half understood ideas like "Sing from your diaphragm!" and "support from your belly!" When I was in the very beginning of my 20s, I started with a new teacher who kicked my tail and explained each of these concepts, where they came from, what they were trying to get you to do from an anatomy perspective. I'm a vocal teacher now and feel so blessed that I started out so weak and that I wound up with a wonderful mentor that taught me wisely, instead of just parroting phrases that have been passed down from other teachers. Just read the blurb for your singing book and purchased it. I'm excited to learn and nod my head in agreement a lot. Have a great day!
Thank you for commenting Shay, and thank you for purchasing my book, I hope you enjoy it. I had the same problem in my youth. Teachers telling me to "sing into the mask" and work on "breath control" without giving me a reason for why it would help. I'm very happy you were able to find a teacher that helped your voice and could explain what he or she was doing.