Category: Pedagogy

a singing woman
Pedagogy, Uncategorized

Voice Placement: What Does It Mean? Should We Use It? // Meredith Colby

Placement is a word many voice professionals use in teaching. But is it a thing? Should we be teaching it? Should we even use the term? For some people, the word “placement” has been very helpful in their singing and teaching. For others, the use of that word may have been problematic or even painful.  Sometimes voice placement is confusing You might be a voice … Continue reading Voice Placement: What Does It Mean? Should We Use It? // Meredith Colby

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Pedagogy

Livestream Replay: Your Western-Classical Degree Did Not Prepare You to Teach Popular Music Styles

Flashback to this livestream with Jess Baldwin and Dr. Shannon Coates, talking about the different ways your Western-Classical Degree probably didn’t prepare you to teach popular music styles. If you want to fill in a few of those pedagogy gaps, Dr. Coates’ Contemporary Voice Ped Pop-Up runs this week! Anatomy on Tuesday June 14, Panel with Jess on Wednesday June 15. $125 for single days … Continue reading Livestream Replay: Your Western-Classical Degree Did Not Prepare You to Teach Popular Music Styles

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Genre Differences, Individual Style, Pedagogy, Rhythm and Groove, Software

Changing the Feel of a Cover Song with Limited Instrumental Skills // Jess Baldwin

There’s no shame in not having major instrumental skills, and it definitely doesn’t have to hold you back in helping your student (or yourself!) reimagine a cover song in a style that feels more authentic. Here are a few tools you can use. Ballad-ize It If you want to ballad-ize something, Look on YouTube/iTunes for stripped down versions of a song. Search terms like “piano … Continue reading Changing the Feel of a Cover Song with Limited Instrumental Skills // Jess Baldwin

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man using brown and black electric guitar while singing
Artist Development, Pedagogy

Good Artistry Doesn’t Require “Good” Vocal Technique // Jess Baldwin

Often, I see us voice teachers describing a good artist as someone who exists at the intersection of good vocal technique and good expression/storytelling/etc. I have absolutely been on this thought train in the past, but I’m seriously questioning it. Here’s why: I work with a lot of voice teachers who are exploring popular musics in their own voices. A common fear most of them … Continue reading Good Artistry Doesn’t Require “Good” Vocal Technique // Jess Baldwin

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Pedagogy, Psychology, Vocal Health

Warming Up to Mindfulness: Using Vocal Warm-Ups to Calm Anxiety and Love Your Voice // Kelly Hoppenjans

Why do we warm up? Some might say we do this for our vocal health, to exercises our voices, to prepare them for a long day of singing and talking. Some might use warm-ups as tools for technical mastery, to work out issues that arise in repertoire. Perhaps some of us warm up (or say we did) because our voice teachers always told us we … Continue reading Warming Up to Mindfulness: Using Vocal Warm-Ups to Calm Anxiety and Love Your Voice // Kelly Hoppenjans

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Gender, Pedagogy, Uncategorized

The Gendered Singing Voice: Burn it all down! // Jessye DeSilva

In recent years, I’ve become somewhat of a “gender killjoy” within my vocal pedagogy community. I wouldn’t say I ever set out to be THAT person, but I’m happy to accept the role. I am myself a nonbinary queer person, and so you could say this issue is personal for me. By “killjoy,” I don’t necessarily mean that I’m out to spoil everyone’s fun, but … Continue reading The Gendered Singing Voice: Burn it all down! // Jessye DeSilva

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Pedagogy, Rhythm and Groove, Vocal Health

Four Essential Aspects for Styling a Contemporary Popular Song: Rhythm, Tone, Dynamics, and Vibrato (Part 1) // Jeannie Gagné

There are many aspects to teaching Contemporary Popular (Commercial) Music (CCM) singing styles. Besides healthy production—a huge topic to be sure, and not that different from traditional Western training—contemporary popular styles vary from traditional training in placement, registers, and tonal qualities. We also focus on stylistic aspects of the many popular genres including jazz, rock, pop, R&B, gospel, blues, country, and latin styles, to name … Continue reading Four Essential Aspects for Styling a Contemporary Popular Song: Rhythm, Tone, Dynamics, and Vibrato (Part 1) // Jeannie Gagné

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Pedagogy

Pay Attention to the “Tions” // Robert Edwin

From the rank beginner to the elite professional, there are certain things that all singers must do when they sing, no matter what their style, age, ethnicity, gender, talent, or training level. Singers are bound by the laws of nature: physics, biomechanics, acoustics, and several other “ics” come into play when we sing.  What are these must-do things? They have many different names and include … Continue reading Pay Attention to the “Tions” // Robert Edwin

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Artist Development, Individual Style, Pedagogy, Psychology

What Matters When Teaching is What Remains After Lessons // Mark Baxter

There’s never been a shortage of advice when it comes to helping singers improve.  However, the most obvious question has never been definitively answered: What matters most?  How is it that there are miles of books and research papers and yet no unified answer?  At first, the search for an answer just leads to more questions.  Does our curiosity set us on a path up … Continue reading What Matters When Teaching is What Remains After Lessons // Mark Baxter

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Books, Interviews, Pedagogy, Research

Elizabeth Benson’s findings in her new book about CCM Voice Teachers: “Consensus is not a path to legitimacy.”

Elizabeth Ann Benson has recently published her book Training Contemporary Commercial Singers, in which she shares her findings from interviewing 26 voice teachers who work with CCM, popular music, jazz, and musical theatre singers. She is trained in Somatic Voicework™ the LoVetri Method, Lisa Popeil’s Voiceworks® method, and Estill Voice Training™, among others. She is a 2016 graduate of the Intern Program of the National … Continue reading Elizabeth Benson’s findings in her new book about CCM Voice Teachers: “Consensus is not a path to legitimacy.”

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