----- Original Message -----
From: "Erica Zweig" <ezweig@e...>
To: <vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: 04 July 2002 16:33
Subject: Re: [vocalist] Richard Miller
> >
> > Randy has all it takes...To do what he expects, people would have to
read
> > Miller, UNDERSTAND his books, AND... read other books, do research, etc,
etc.
>
> IF other participants in Miller workshops which Randy attended WERE
better
> prepared, more wide-read, better versed, more knowledgeable overall, does
Randy
> think he, himself, would have gotten more out of the workshop?
Yes I believe he would, although maybe not for the reasons you think. I
recognise the feeling that Randy alluded to in his first response to this
thread. It's not that he didn't get anything out of the workshop (although
maybe he didn't) but mainly the disappointment that his peers seemed so
unprepared, so negligent in following up outside of the studio that which
should make a good all round teacher. Many attendees obviously hadn't
prepared well by reading up on Miller beforehand and so applauded wildly
when given knowledge that has been around and easily accessible for five
years. If everyone had bothered to prepare, and then been obviously less
impressed it may spur on someone like Miller to keep pressing further in his
research to find something newer. I've seen something similar in my own
field. Whilst studying for my doctorate, a new form of carbon was
discovered. I was lucky to attend a lecture by one of the discoverers. 5
years later he was awarded the Nobel prize for chemistry. I then attended
another lecture, only to hear him reel off the same lecture, but also to see
people swoon around him, because he is a Nobel laureate. Whilst recognising
his achievements, I felt that this behaviour will tend to make him rest on
his laurels (almost a pun there), and he is now almost a worse scientist
than he was before his discovery.
If teachers expect more of Miller, then they will probably get it. Whether
or not you advocate his methods, Miller has achieved a lot. So here's an
idea. The next time you get a chance to go to a Miller workshop, read
everything of his you can find before you go. Then, if there's nothing new
in the workshop say "OK, that was good, but what's new. I've seen this
before". If this presses him to go and research harder, then maybe by the
time the next workshop comes around, he'll have something to say that will
make even Randy sit up and take notice!
Colin Reed, tenor
Newark, UK
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