“AIR TO SPARE”
(Title astutely quoted by Ruth Sytsma)
With good fortune, helpful connections, and a thorough musical background, this spring I will be an adjunct voice faculty at Wagner college. Even though I loved teaching at the collegiate level voice as a graduate teaching assistant in my masters and dma work, I love the little folk and didn’t know if I would find my way back to teaching at this level.
Tonight I had an early opportunity to work with a gifted Wagner voice student. All the feels I get when I enter the Cracker Barrel store were felt. There were many exciting vocal tchotchkes to begin exploring; vowels, air flow, inhibition, position….where to start with a talented and receptive singer. We dug in and had a productive hour. As we found more ease and release, the student remarked about her air to spare with challenging phrases. It’s amazing how much we armor ourselves to protect and eclipse freer sounds. So much of singing is finding ease in the midst of technique implementation. The voice is transit fueled by life force. What is especially challenging is that singers don’t always find themselves in the same place every day. The good news is that adapted high fiber vocal workouts help sustain a technique that you can rely on even on murky days.
I had to chuckle because I got an unexpected ride on the golf cart to the music building from a grounds employee which is straight out of Janet Perryman’s play book. She would have made this happen. And as luck would have it, my student has lovely red hair which my dad, grandma, and cousins have. My dad always wanted to teach at the college level. Perhaps he had a part as well in this new opportunity.
Looking forward to sharing and growing in this new chapter.
#akintsucrooner
akintsucrooner 