What do I need for my lesson?
Whether a seasoned regular or coming for your very first lesson, here are a few things you might want to bring or think about to attend your lesson, and to get the most out of the experience.
Music
What have you been studying/learning? Bring that, and bring a second copy to share with your teacher/pianist.
Any music you are performing with your choir, church solos, stage shows. Even if you don’t plan to sing it, it may become relevant for technical or performance reasons.
A pencil
Whether working digitally or with paper music, bring a pencil to make notes and mark your music.
A notebook, or recorder to record the lesson if agreed with your teacher
Either are fine with me, but it makes sense to be able to write down broader technical and performance ideas for your practise later.
An open mind
This is your time to work on your goals - so to help you do this fully come ready to play, work, experiment, and learn. Put aside the everyday distractions for now and enjoy this time to concentrate on your voice and performance.
“You do get better at even the things you’re terrible at, if you practice.”
Before the lesson
What you wear
Think about wearing something you are comfortable in, that allows you to move and work physically. We will be doing stretches, and sometimes use weights/pilates bands and other equipment as part of our work together.
Food and drink
Make sure you have eaten and drunk enough before the lesson to feel comfortable standing and working physically. If you wish to drink water during the lesson, lay it out to bring with you. By personal preference, I prefer not to drink while singing, but I don’t mind if you do.
Warm-up
You may wish to have a short vocalise or warm-up before you arrive, check in with your voice and see how it feels today, if you are experiencing anything different you can bring this up at the start of the lesson. This might also include feeling if you have any tension.
Lastly, a little reassurance. I am human, I have made many mistakes, I have sometimes found practise hard to fit into life or had other things going on that make work/life tricky. Please feel free to let me know of anything that might affect our session together that you think I should know about. I fit around you and your needs.
I do not expect that every pupil arrives a perfect and finished product - that simply isn’t real life! Sometimes the best lessons are the ones that happen responding to the voice and singer as they turn up that day. So please don’t worry that you feel you should have done x, y, or z. Hopefully all teachers feel this way and should be understanding!
birds
Learning to float and soar with your voice.
Birds are a continual fascination and inspiration to us - hardly surprising in music when their birdsong is so admired!
In particular, I’ve found that some people wish to emulate the soaring feeling of a bird in flight in their own singing. They enjoy the feel of ‘soaring’ or floating through the music they are singing, like a bird does. So what is that, and how can we create that in our voices?
“The birds are the opposite of Time...They are our desire for light, for stars, for rainbows and for jubilant outpourings of song!””
When you see a bird soaring above, floating almost effortlessly above the earth, what are you really seeing?
The bird has flown from a perch on/near the ground, risen to a height where it feels the support of the wind that allows it to stay in the air. The view we have is of no effort, when actually some rather complicated physics and effort has helped the bird get there.
Here are the things I suggest pupils think about and use to achieve this with their voice:
Mind
Support
Breath
Reduce the feeling of weight or pushing
Repeat and experiment
Know where your strong beats/words are, and therefor the lighter beats and words
An inflexible voice that is pushed or feels heavy will not float or feel light. How much ‘play’ and ‘give’ do you have at your disposal? Could you find more?
As ever, if you have questions get in touch below, book in for a lesson, or work with your teacher to discuss some of these and how they work in your voice.
“Birds have always had the ability to bring me out of a dark space and provide relief in bad times.”
l’amour
Exploring different types of love as depicted by the Greeks, and how this relates to classical music
“Every heart sings a song incomplete until another heart whispers back.”
In this months blog I’m tackling the complex idea of love and its different forms as categorised by the Greeks.
Within the world of music, opera, and lieder, we are asked to understand and portray all these forms of love. Here is my summation to help you fast-track your research.
By being able to distinguish which type of love you are portraying, you will have a clearer idea of motivation, whether your character is experiencing a deep and powerful reason for the action in the aria, or perhaps a surface and poorly thought out reason.
Do you agree with my different suggestions of opera characters and which are experiencing which type of love? Let me know of any other suggestions in the comments below. Most operas include the tension between Eros and Philia, for instance, and I think sexual passion is probably the main one in most operas!
Eros (sexual passion) - Carmen, Semele, Romeo and Juliette, Turridu for Lola: Cavalleria Rusticana, Manon, La Traviata, La Boheme, probably most operas!
Eros (ἔρως érōs)
(from the Greek deity Eros) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Greek word erotameans in love. Plato refined his own definition. Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself. Eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth. Lovers and philosophers are all inspired to seek truth by eros. Some translations list it as "love of the body".
Philia (deep friendship) - Nadir and Zurga: Les Pêcheurs de perles, Cosi fan Tutti
Philia (φιλία philía)
dispassionate virtuous love, was a concept addressed and developed by Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics Book VIII. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality, and familiarity.
Philia is motivated by practical reasons; one or both of the parties benefit from the relationship. It can also mean "love of the mind."
Ludus (playful/flirtatious love) - Papagena/Papageno: Die Zauberflöte, Cherubino: Le nozze di Figaro
Agape (love for everyone, empathetic love) - Violetta: La Traviata
Agape (ἀγάπη agápē)
love in modern-day Greek. The term s'agapo means I love you in Greek.
Referring to a general "pure," ideal type of love, rather than physical attraction suggested by eros. However, there are some examples of agape used to mean the same as eros. Sometimes translated as "love of the soul."
Pragma (longstanding love, committed companionate love) -The Merry Widow,
Storge (unconditional, family love) - Ilia for her family: Idomeneo, Romeo and Tybalt, Nurse for Juliette, Aida
Storge (στοργή storgē)
natural affection, like that felt by parents for offspring
Mania (obsessive love) - Lady Macbeth
Back to School- Tips for a new term of Music Lessons
Back to School- Tips to start a new term of music lessons fully prepared
Preparing for a New Term - are you ready?
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary”
Prepare
Whether returning to a teacher or beginning a whole new course somewhere new, you will have some idea what is expected. Check up on the syllabus, read up about your new teacher to understand their training and experience.
Begin practice in advance to make sure you have stamina and some strength ahead of the demands of rehearsals, lessons and performances - the term can get busy fast!
2. Make a schedule
Make a practice diary - work out your schedule. Mark out your weekly lessons, lectures and classes so they are all in your diary. Add alarm reminders if this is helpful!
If you know you practice better in the morning or in the afternoon, try work this in to your schedule.
Leave space for everyday life tasks too - gym, running, if you work or do a teaching job or another job to fund your studies.
I know I study better if my workspace is clean and tidy, with no distractions! So I often schedule this into my day.
And of course… leave lots of space for socialising or to switch things around if new things are scheduled.
3. Keep track of Deadlines
If you don’t already have an electronic system/diary, investigate ways of linking your email and calendar so you can keep track of performances, and essay due dates. Use whatever version that best suits you whether digital or pen and paper, or a combination.
4. Tailor your Study Habits and Prepare Study Resources
I know I am a visual learner - but what about you? What will help you learn?
If you know memorising is easier if you write things out or use different coloured pens/paper, make sure you have these things ready to go. This is your chance to indulge your stationery dreams and buy things like a new highlighter for your notes and scores!
If you work digitally with music, make sure your equipment is ready to go, you have a good case for your tablet, a nice feeling pen holder for your electronic pen, and your computer/laptop have plenty of memory for new music, and back up options to charge everything.
Has your teacher been asking you to look at a particular score or to practice a particular technique?… Do this now. Don’t put it off!
5. Find a Healthy Balance
Lastly, your new course/term is likely to take up a lot of your time, but don’t forget to plan and enjoy life outside of this.
I’ve already mentioned planning your fitness regime in to your timetable, or maybe plan to begin one! There is nothing more stress relieving than exercise, a walk is a simple way to start.
Remember to carry on with any hobbies you have and maybe even consider starting something new. Your life is enriched by your diverse experiences, and this includes experiences outside of your study.
Best of luck to everyone starting a new term, I hope these few tips help you feel organised and ready for success in your music making.
How do you like to prepare? Have I missed anything out? Comment below with your favourite tip.
As we head into the autumn, I’m starting to prepare for a new school and University Year. No one likes those ‘Sunday Night’ feelings, so make yourself a hydrating cup of something, sit down with a notebook, and let’s work through some top tips to start your new year of music lessons off with lots of energy and focus.