On Wed, 1 May 2002 12:10:44 -0500 David Grogan <dgrogan@e...> wrote of
possible criteria for grading university voice students:
<<1. Achieve good posture-this means sternum high, shoulders relaxed, neck
centered (not jutting out, or pulled back), feet shoulder-width apart, knees
not locked.
2. Demonstrate low inhalation-this means maintaining good posture, relaxing the
abdominal muscles, and allowing the breath to come in, which means the stomach
area gets wider, due to the action of the diaphragm.
3. Demonstrate proper exhalation-this means that as you exhale, you maintain
proper posture, the upper abs (right below the sternum) pooch out, and the lower
abs feel like they are tucking in. The rib cage should remain out, as in a full
inhalation. The expression "maintain the position of inhalation" is important
in your exhalation process.
4. Be able to lower larynx-this means that you can, without causing physical
distress, lower your larynx (adam's apple). The level of lowering should be
comparable to the beginning of a yawn, or on a proper inhalation.
5. Be able to sing low notes with a lowered larynx-this means you are able to
breathe in (which helps your larynx get low), and sing low pitches without the
larynx moving up and down with the pitch.
First, I personally don't like the low-larynx requirement. You can and probably
have read past discussions, and I'm of the view that the larynx is best left to
its own devices, because forcing the larynx down is as bad as allowing it to
rise. I've always personally dealt with this by thinking a general "down"
feeling from the jaw down, which gets at jaw relaxation, low breath and avoiding
a high larynx.
Second, the stuff you initially listed says nothing about artistry and
musicianship. Nothing about languages and diction (including English diction).
Accuracy in notes and rhythms (some folks make gorgeous sounds but can't make an
accurate entrance with an accompanist to save their life). Memorization. The
effort and time the student puts into his/her voice studies.
Third, and this is just my personal view, because you're the professor and I'm
not, as a student, I want to be dealt with as an individual, with individual
strengths and weaknesses to be evaluated in terms of the whole student - not
some arbitrary if well-meaning formula. Sorry - I'm not an engineering or math
problem to be solved by the teacher. I think a student's progress should be the
major basis for the grade, i.e., how far the singer has progressed from the last
time a grade was given).
Peggy
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
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