|
My Teaching Philosophy
I
teach process over product. Many teachers teach solely with product in mind. Having
to meet certain test requirements and produce a certain amount of work all contribute to this diversion from process and focus
on product.
I am in the position, as a private teacher, to focus on process. I
believe 100% that if knowing how things work. This results in not knowing how to fix problems.
However, focusing on the process automatically fixes challenges as they arise.
Learning how
to sing is not just about singing. It is learning about the following:
•
how to relax and let your body sing; • how to listen to your body; •
what to do physically when you are singing; • what to
do mentally when you are singing; • what to listen for; •
how to interpret song; • how to become a better musician; •
how to sing with your own, unique voice.
What I teach:
I teach an organic, natural approach to singing. I believe easy singing
is better singing. This does not mean singing is not work. It does mean, however, that
the singer has to rely on the feeling of singing and allow the body to create sound in a relaxed, healthy way.
Each person has a unique voice. Tone, pitch, timbre, color and articulation
can be manipulated. I teach my students to be comfortable with their individual, unique sounds without
manipulation.
Singing should be intense not tense. Relaxed singing is healthy singing.
Singers who sing in a relaxed, organic way are able to sing much longer and healthier. Every singer
wants to continue to sing as long as they are able during their lives. I teach my students how to attain
this.
I also take teaching very seriously. If my student does not understand
what I am trying to get them to do, it is not their fault, it is mine. I recognize it is my responsibility
to communicate in a diverse and varied way, tailored to each of my students. My goal is to always have
clear perspective and infinite patience. Healthy solutions to challenges are always possible.
I
have extensive experience teaching interpretation of song. I am able to teach most styles and languages.
Different styles of music demand different interpretations. However, the fundamental production
of sound and articulation all stem from one source: from each singer’s unique, healthy voice.
Why I teach:
I
teach for many reasons:
• It is very satisfying; •
I enjoy the challenges of communicating with people on a very personal level; •
I constantly learn from all my students as I teach; •
I enjoy nurturing future musicians and helping them to discover their unique, dynamic, individual voice; • I have been able to study with a number of different
voice teachers and have learned different approaches and techniques from each teacher; •
I have sung professionally for many years and have a clear perspective on song interpretation as well as performance
technique;
Where I teach:
I
teach in my music studio located in the top floor of our house. Our house is located in south Kansas City,
Missouri between Wornall and Holmes Roads at 128th Street.
When I teach:
I
encourage my students to take a one hour lesson at least once a week. This has proven to be very effective
and produce the best results. However, if a student cannot afford to do this, I completely understand.
Consistency is very important. If it is one hour or ½ hour,
meeting regularly produces excellent results.
Some students schedule lessons on the same day and
time each week. Others are performing or their schedules change weekly so we schedule lessons each week
as it arrives.
I can be contacted for scheduling via email, text message or voice mail.
My schedule
tends to change slightly each week but there are certain slots which do not change. Therefore, I enjoy
a lot of diversity and flexibility working with each of my students to accommodate all of our schedules each week.
How I teach:
I
am a very interactive teacher. I ask a lot of questions and rarely ask rhetorical questions.
I challenge my students to think and find answers. I also teach my students to be smart singers.
I am able to provide my students with tools but they must apply those tools themselves and come to me with further
questions.
Smart, self-aware singers are
able to recognize challenges and find solutions when they have tools to do so. Sometimes it is difficult
for a singer to figure out just what the problem is. My job is to recognize the challenge and offer multiple
possible solutions.
|
