From: Isabelle Bracamonte
Subject: re: Dolora Zajick and teachers in New York
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

Lloyd Hanson wrote:

May we know more about you? Tell us about the
audition procedure you went through and the material
you sang for your auditions into the Manhatten School
of Music and also Beverly Johnson's studio. This
might help listers to be better able to offer advice
toward your selection of a teacher.
----

Yes, of course. Thank you, Professor Hanson, for
reminding me that I had given very little information
about myself.

I am a 24-year-old soprano. I took two years abroad
before beginning my undergraduate studies, and as a
result, I was able to participate in more of my
university's opera productions than many
undergraduates. I cannot say enough about waiting
until a young voice is more mature before entering
university (as my voice certainly would not have been
competitive as a 20-year-old, but was as a
22-year-old).

My repertoire is: Gilda, Musetta, Lucia, Juliette,
Gretel (roles), plus various arias - Donna Elvira,
Ernani's Elvira, Violetta, Doretta, Aennchen,
Constanze. In the beginning of my studies (age
18-20)I amassed the soubrette repertoire (the roles of
Susanna, Despina, Zerlina, Werther's Sophie, and
various other -inalike arias) which I now find
confining and low-lying.

I am wary of trying to make a decision about a teacher
based on one or two lessons. But spending six months
here and six months there, shopping around, could just
eat away at these years when I should be solidifying
my technique and preparing for the professional launch
(presumably in my early 30s) or the young-professional
apprenticeship circuit (perhaps in my late 20s).

But is there a better way to find a teacher? I do
feel that I have learned all I can from my university
teacher (plus, I am graduating), and am anxious to go
to New York well-informed about who is out there and
what to expect.

I have heard that you must listen to a teacher's
students to gain an understanding of the general vocal
bend of that teacher. This was my main reason behind
inquiring about Ms. Zajick's technique, as I have
heard her only rarely and as she has said repeatedly
that her vocal production is pure, undistilled Puffer
technique. It's too bad you can't do some sort of
twin study (quadruplets? clones?), putting identical
students exclusively in the hands of various teachers
and examining the resultant voices.

The fact that I have been accepted into two studios --
Mr. Puffer's and Ms. Johnson's -- is certainly
something solid to base my move upon, as well as an
encouragement of my progress thus far. But I am also
open to exploring other teachers once I am there.

Graduate school vs. private study is an issue I am
thinking hard about, also. The money for grad school
(and accumulated debt resulting) is a concern,
although I am willing to make it work if teacher x or
y (in this case, one of the teachers at Manhattan
School) were to be in my best interest. I am quite
self-motivated, and would be willing to put in the
private study (languages, diction, dance, acting,
regional performances) to make up the balance, so to
speak, if I decided to study privately and not enter a
school.

I hope this additional information has helped. These
questions are probably generally applicable, beyond my
personal case, and may stimulate other discussion: How
does one decide between teachers with equally
excellent reputations? What hidden benefits might
graduate school offer that one cannot create with
diligent self-study and outside classwork? What sorts
of classwork would best recreate the graduate school
education? Who *is* out there in the New York (or San
Francisco, or Chicago, or wherever informed Vocalist
subscribers are located) technical scene, and what
types of voices/technical styles are they known for
producing (or faults correcting, or skills imparting)?

Thank you, everyone, for your help thus far.

Mary (Miss X), with the help of a vocalist-subscribing
friend's email access
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