Great teachers emanate out of knowledge, passion and compassion. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Many go through times of great struggle. We become broken. Singers often experience this especially in pursuit of a self sustaining career. For me, learning how to sing has been filled with great disappointments and great triumphs. Disappointments have been the majority of my 40 plus years of voice study and performance. From the days of waking up without a voice on performance day, having to sing without a core or high or low register, to Bobby Brady cracking in performance, it has been a humbling ride. But I would do again and again because it has been worth it.
My blog uses “kintsu” as a prefix because of the term Kintsukuroi (金繕い, “golden repair“.
This is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
Kintsukuroi is how I envision my ongoing singing journey and one I am grateful to be a part of, now at the half century mark.
A teacher who knew and worked with me especially in the midst of my kuroi period in my 20s/30s was Dr. Alfonse Anderson.
I had a chance to sing for him this past weekend. It was a great blessing to get his expertise now after 20 years of woodshedding and trudging through this wacky world of singing.
Thank you to all of the many teachers/coaches, including my own students, who continue to help and inspire me with the muse I have been given.
#akintsucrooner
My 11 voice lesson takeaways and bel canto checkup on 11.24.18 with Dr. Anderson:
1. Don’t throw away breath on consonants, they should be within the vowel.
2. Find vowels at adduction and don’t go away from adduction throughout phonation.
3. Keep vocal tract open during inhalation.
4. Trust the track, all vowels don’t have to be formed with the mouth.
5. Don’t reach, go down into your body.
6. Avoid natural body response to collapse throughout support.
7. Feel your voice in your body.
8. I’m not gonna fool with your high note, but I’m gonna fool with it.
9. “Lean into it” APPOGGIO Yesssss
10. Keep ribcage expanded especially with high note approach; sit out when taking a breath.
11. There are no high notes, find the correct adduction and you’ll find the correct phonation.
akintsucrooner 