Progress and Expectations

Yesterday I had a student who admitted to me that she wasn't practicing in between sessions. She has come a long way vocally, but she could be so much stronger with more practice. This should be obvious to people, but sadly, we don't always do things that might benefit us.

When people come and ask me if they will be able to sing xyz by the time they are done, I tell them it's up to them. The techniques are sound and they work. I've developed and fine tuned them over a period of five years. I also tell them I am not a magician, meaning ultimately it's up to them.

My program is a 10 session program. People can start with 1 to make sure it's a good fit. Then they make a commitment for the remaining 9 sessions. Results depend on three things: where they were vocally when they came in, how much work is needed to correct problems, and of course, their own efforts.

I had a student last year who had a problem processing pitch. Processing pitch is a function of the brain. We specifically focused on this. He used the bricks on my fireplace as a visual to help him measure the even distance between notes. Doing this lead to his ability to sing do-re-mi all the way up to the top on pitch. I was ecstatic!

Students always have the option of continuing on for another 10 sessions. It's up to them. Progress is a function of where we're starting at and time. Some people come in more advanced and only need 10 sessions. Others may choose to develop their skill further.

The Techniques Work!

I ran into the parents of one of my students today. This kid happens to be my favorite student. She's actually my favorite kid, period. We would get more done if she wasn't so giggly, but the important thing is her progress. Despite the fact that she tries to give me electric shocks by shuffling her feet on the carpet and then touching me, pushes the buttons on my electric piano, and has tried to poke holes in the insulation over my windows, she is absorbing the material. Her mom told me that when she hears her singing now, she hears passion in her voice.

My point is, these are good techniques. They work if you work them! Students who take lessons with me learn to approach singing with a different mindset than they would expect. I asked her to tell me ways in which she thought she was making progress. I was afraid maybe she wasn't getting enough out of it, and I wanted to make sure I was the best teacher I could be.

I was happy to hear from her that she is no longer singing directly with her vocal cords. This probably sounds very strange to someone with no training. How can you possibly sing without vocal cords? You need them to create the sound, but not to make the sound. She assured me that her abdominal support was helping her support her vocals. She's been getting up over high notes more often, because she is remembering the importance of using the lower abdominal muscles. I have told my students that for singing purposes, the lower abdominal muscles are the most important muscles in the body.

What we have to tackle now is her enunciation. I never would have believed it before I taught it, but the way you enunciate when you sing drastically changes the quality of what comes out. Her tendancy is to sound a little bit nasally. I noticed when she sings, some of her consonant sounds aren't happening. So the syllable isn't completely closed. The effect is a sort of muddled sound. So now that she has the basics down, we can tackle the more specific details...if she doesn't electrocute me first :)