Hi Peggy:
You wrote: "Practice isolates certain movements or combinations of movements when the intellect is involved"
I love that, but imagine if we could label those movements specifically and train those specific movements systematically rather than dispense o altitudos!
From my experience with my voice teachers, I would say what they primarily offer me are finely tuned ears. And that feedback is helpful; but the imagery -- their language (they ususally trot out a new metaphor every week) has not been of great help to me to improve what it is that they hear. In fact, I think my athletic trainer has a far better sense of the actual physiology involved in my physical muscular coordination (perhaps it's more visible) than my voice teachers have of the physiology of my vocal function (I keep hearing the most astonishing claims that are routinely refuted on this list -- one benefit of belonging to this list). What I miss from my voice teachers, often, though not always, are simple physiological directions as to what to do to improve -- the kind of thing one would expect any athletic trainer to provide.
I am working on remedying that. But, pretending, for example, that my throat is an elevator shaft is about as helpful in improving my singing as telling someone to pretend to be a bunny while practicing the broad-jump -- not saying that you are claiming that, incidentally, but while I'm on a roll . . .
I suspect that imagery and metaphor mark for the teacher some personal milestone or function achieved and therefore has great personal significance for them and referring to it becomes a kind of personal short-hand. But not having had the same personal experiences that led to the coining of the metaphor, much of the imagery and many of the metaphors feel to me to be rungless ladders.
For what it's worth.
best,
Deb.
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