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From:  "EdgewoodVoiceStudio" <EdgewoodVoiceStudio@a...>
Date:  Tue Oct 8, 2002  8:49 pm
Subject:  long rambling thoughts from a small town voice teacher

Hi Everyone,
I'm feeling really discouraged today and I’m using this forum to ramble
hoping people who aren't interested will just delete before having to
read through this whole thing! First of all I want to thank all of you
who responded to my question about good undergraduate schools for vocal
study! I wanted to respond to all of you individually but I've been
really busy, which relates to this rambling.

Somehow I've gotten into being a full time private singing teacher, but
I never really meant to. I've been teaching for over 20 years and in
that time had 2 children and have been divorced so now I'm single and
supporting myself exclusively with my teaching. I enjoy what I do but
for the last 10 years I've had ongoing difficulties with vocal cord
swelling because of over use.. too much talking, too much demonstrating
without being careful, too much singing everyone's part at the church
choir rehearsals.. the swelling will go down and I'll be okay or it'll
go to the other extreme and be really bad, and I don't have nodules,
anyway.. that alone has been discouraging. I've met a couple really
good teachers lately that I wish I had a voice for them to work with. I
"hear" my voice, the voice that is clear with healthy vocal cords, but
that voice isn't there when I want it because of all the teaching and my
own technique was never stellar. But, somehow I can teach, using
experience with other students and what I've read in books and what I've
salvaged from my past teachers and vocalist has been an amazing help in
improving my teaching.

What I've come to today is I want to heal my voice. But, how do I even
approach this task when I have bills to pay and 1 daughter in college
and the other on the way and I'm paying for some of those expenses as
well? Charge more money, take less students... these are suggestions
I've been offered... I've raised my rates a little but I haven't been
able to lessen the number of students... it's odd, they don't seem to
care that my singing voice isn't very good... as long as I'm helping
them sing better and they can see an improvement. But I don't like
that! I want to be able to sing well! Or even be able to sing! I'm
considering even flying out to Chicago to meet with a dr. who was
recommended to me by Randy B... but, I'm afraid... somehow I wish I
could come up with, or someone could help me come up with a plan where I
could deal with the expense and time to do what I need to do to achieve
this vocal cord healing but still be able to pay my rent and car payment
and Sallie Mae loans. I just feel overwhelmed at the thought of trying
to figure out a plan. The older I get the more I just want to be in a
comfortable routine and not have to figure out anything. But I don't
want to be forever the eccentric hoarse voiced voice teacher.
I just finished teaching a lesson with a retired bakery worker. 42
years working in a bakery! He had a stroke and doesn't work, now he is
focused on singing, singing hymns like Crystal Fountain and How Great
Thou Art.. he has a huge big booming bass/baritone voice.. it's really
good! And he's thrilled to know things like how to sing a legato line
but still have good diction and dynamics and how to phrase. He's so
happy after his lesson. I guess this is why I keep my prices low and
teach so many people, because I kinda like seeing these people drive up
in their beat up pick-up trucks with their dogs and their hymn books or
beat up music theatre anthologies... but, it's hard on my own voice,
right now.. if I could just figure out how to do it and still keep my
own vocal integrity for my own personal enjoyment.
I'm just feeling really depressed right now. I'm grateful for this list
because who else would even understand?
Deanna

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  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date  
20454 Re: long rambling thoughts from a small town voice teacherImthurn Melinda   Tue  10/8/2002  
20455 Re: long rambling thoughts from a small town voice teacherjames   Tue  10/8/2002  
20464 Re: long rambling thoughts from a small town voice teacherAnne Cronvich acronvich Wed  10/9/2002  
20465 Anne's response endoscopy? largynscopy?EdgewoodVoiceStudio edgewoodvoicestudio Wed  10/9/2002  
20466 Re: Anne's response endoscopy? largynscopy?Anne Cronvich acronvich Wed  10/9/2002  
20467 Re: Anne's response endoscopy? largynscopy?Anne Cronvich acronvich Wed  10/9/2002  
20468 Re: Anne's response endoscopy? largynscopy?EdgewoodVoiceStudio edgewoodvoicestudio Wed  10/9/2002  
20484 Re: long rambling thoughts from a small town voice teachernorma bowen singerteacher85 Wed  10/9/2002  
20473 Re: long rambling thoughts from a small town voice teacherMichelle drama_diva_au Wed  10/9/2002  

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