He's probably just following his teacher's > instruction, trying to be > a good student. I'm sure we've all be in these > situations before. > If so- please share. We have been in those positions! I once had a teacher who believed in pushing mixed voice as high as it could go! I was screaming under-pitch notes almost up to high C! All this while my teacher assured me I sounded great and that it was supposed to feel this way! By the time I got ped class and had some science behind my feelings that this was bad for me, it had been several months of screeching. I approached the teacher and told him I felt I should be using more of a head-tome feeling, as well as that it was painful, made me hoarse, gave me a headache, and sounded flat. He again assured me I was hearing incorrectly and that I was SUPPOSED to sound like that! By the time I left the studio I was in seriously bad vocal condition. Bless those teachers who can bring us back from places like that and help us to trust a teacher again!
--- taylor23f@h... wrote: > > Dear Listers, > > I had an interesting experience yesterday as I > judged a NATS > competition for the first time. It was a last > minute decision by > Steve Austin(who was very ill)to ask me to judge in > his place. I was > honored that he asked me and glad to allow him some > needed rest time. > > The students I heard were all males from ages > 17-22. I heard > several excellent young baritiones with tons of > potential. For the > most part they all sang with a pretty stable > laryngeal postion and > good vowels. This was great to hear from young > voices- and says that > there is some fine teaching going on around here. > > One of the contestants did however surprise me. > He was a young man > (I think 18)who announced that he was going to sing > "Che faro." So, > I thought great, he'll sing it in the regular key an > octave lower > like Tito Schipa used to. Well, when he started the > aria on e > natural I knew he would be singing it as a > countertenor-and I became > excited at this prospect. > > Well lets just say that he sang MANY wrong > notes(often way out of > the key) and had a pronounced wobble which got worse > as he added > intensity and pitch. By the time he was done I > still had not started > writing because I didn't know WHERE to start. I was > concerned for > the vocal health of this boy. When he bid us > goodbye he could barely > phonate the words and was extremely raspy. > > I wrote on his comment sheet that he should train > his 'natural' > range first- before moving into countertenor rep. > And that in order > to be a countertenor musical skills must be > exceptional. In the most > diplomatic way possible I wrote that his top voice > was unsteady and > unhealty. Each of us who judged this guy gave him a > rather low grade > and told him that the technique needed much > improvement. > > As I said, I heard many fine voices. But, since > yesterday I have > not been able to get this countertenor-gone-wrong > out of my head. > He's probably just following his teacher's > instruction, trying to be > a good student. I'm sure we've all be in these > situations before. > If so- please share. > > Take Care All, > > Taylor L. Ferranti > Doctoral Candidate in Vocal Pedagogy > Louisiana State University > >
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