17 - The teaching (and learning) of singing

Summary

Basic approaches

For the singer of today, especially when starting out on a career, finding the right teacher, or the perfect ‘method’, can be fraught with difficulty. One teacher may seem to have some secret that will perfect the student's breathing technique, another may claim to have found the secret of the old Italian bel canto. Add to this the vagaries of what or who is fashionable and it is not surprising that many singers prefer to rely on their own instincts. Many mainly self-taught singers have considerable success in working out an approach that works for them, while others may embark on a career harbouring a sense of insecurity caused by unsolved problems. I hope that this overview of teaching precepts, past and present, will provide an objective framework for the singer, whatever his or her particular needs, thus helping him or her to contribute his own informed input to the complex process involved in the study of singing.

Every singing teacher brings his own individual personality, a different cultural and intellectual background, and different tastes to the teaching/ learning situation. In a sense therefore, one could say that there are as many ways to teach singing as there are teachers and students. However, one can locate most approaches on a scale that ranges from the ‘non-technical’ to the overtly scientific. The existence of a ‘non-technical’ approach demonstrates the unusual nature of the singing voice, compared with other musical instruments. Although the finest instrumental teachers show an understanding of psychology and the importance of motivation, inspiration and so on, it is not possible to avoid some actual discussion of the physical nature of the skill being taught.