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From:  "Margaret L. Harrison"<peggyh@i...>
Date:  Wed Apr 24, 2002  8:37 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Re: teaching theory during voice lessons


>>I don't use the theory books on the market because they are definitely geared
to instrumentalists.

I have a problem when singers are treated differently from other musicians in
terms of being asked to be knowledgeable of the fundementals of musicianship,
including music theory. For example, I think singers as well as violinists and
flautists (for example) should know about keys and key signatures, clefs,
meters, scales, modes, chord notation, how modulations work, proper music
notation, etc.

I think the exercises mentioned in this post are admirable and I mean no
criticism of this individual's approach to music theory during voice lessons
(because voice lessons are not meant to be a theory class).

But singers so often get flak from non-singer musicians for knowing little about
the technical side of the music they perform, (I've heard plenty of horror
stories here on Vocalist), that I urge those who may believe a serious classical
singers doesn't need the same level of music theory training as an instrumental
musician to reconsider.

Peggy



Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA.



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