Yeah. These Wagner College voice whippersnappers are something else. It’s a great joy to be my voice student’s diagnostician. Generally, vocal study is the balance of vowels, register, focus, energy, compression, and flow. The tricky part is imparting an accurate and legible prescription, so to speak, that is individually suited to the needs of the individual. Our voices are as unique as a fingerprint. A teacher’s guidance is only as good as how the student is able to receive and apply. You may have the great pedagog Lamperti committed to memory but without the meeting of the minds, all the knowledge in the world won’t grow vocal ability. Yes, singing technique can also be an intolerant religion. And what is good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander. One of my voice teachers in my late 20s, Sarah Stedman, was my diagnostician at a crucial time in my development. She edited and devised vocal rudiments for my voice (stepwise staccato ee was my jam) which had become imbalanced from “too much big singing too little technique.” In one year’s time, I was on my way to an even core sound through the registers. At the end of the day, voice teachers who focus on bel canto pedagogy are seeking the code that releases the individual core sound on the breath. Some will come to it more easily but no one escapes the challenges of living with our instrument in our throat and all that affects us in our daily lives. Add to all of this technique talk the primary goal to communicate and we experience one heck of a ride. Singers may grapple with a tenuous singing world but it is one that is ultimately deeply rewarding.
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EAP 3.26.2021
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