[Guest Teacher]

I find YouTube is best taken with a pinch of salt. How can you package good solid technical coaching into a 5 minute video? I tend to find that whilst good for getting a general idea of something, students still need a teacher to guide them through the nuances. I encourage students to do their own learning and encourage debate if they find something that seemingly contradicts what I’m saying. Usually I find that they’re trying to convey the same concept with language I don’t consider accurate, but sometimes this will be a more helpful way of understanding it for that pupil. However sometimes, I find absolute garbage out there. For example, most videos on abdominal support are woeful and essentially tell people to squeeze their six pack and somehow the sound will be amazing. Even then, I can still turn that into a teaching opportunity to get a far better understanding on the subject.

[Guest Teacher]

Hey,
very late in joining conversation! I have a vast age range in students from 4 years to someone in their 80’s so this means that things are v varied as hey are all at so many different stages….for the most part I stick to technique/exercises in 1st half and application of these exercises in 2nd part of lesson in songs depending on what it is we are focusing on e.g. vocal connection, transitioning through voices, consistent air pressure, etc.

Having said this I find 85% of my lessons are totally different from one to the next….sometimes because of exams/auditions/working towards a performance but often because the children I teach need variety within the lesson. I have a fair few with learning difficulties so I do many of the following:-
Music games/quizzes
Pitching through games
Aural tests/games
Sight reading procedure & exercises
Theory-either working through books/worksheets or I apply it to the songs they are learning
Song research-looking at different genres/styles & artists
Song learning
Character research & portrayal
I often end up rewarding them with a song at the end that’s completely just for fun and can be anything they want, especially if they are 8 and under.

[Guest Teacher]

Hey dudes!

So I have a student who wishes to sing at her daughters wedding. I have been teaching her once a month for 8 months and now we have up-ed her lessons to fortnightly.

She has made fantastic improvement but still has a very squeaky singing voice. As the sound is incredibly similar to her speaking voice and she is feeling no pain/strain, I’m not too worried that her larynx is sitting too high or out of it’s comfort zone naturally. However, I was wondering whether anyone has any useful tricks and tips to help encourage a more rounded, slightly deeper resonant sound.

I’d say her speaking voice is very similar to this little character from the movie Bugsy Malone…maybe not as child-like as she is a 50 year old woman but very similar.

https://youtu.be/_dJaqg_XqYE

All the best and thanks in advance:)

youtu.be

Bugsy Malone - Show Bussiness

Bugsy Malone - Show Bussiness

[Guest Teacher]

Here are a couple I’ve done over the past year or so. I haven’t made them perfect so be forgiving The third one with my sister is probably the best

https://soundcloud.com/wesleyhuntley/in-the-bleak-midwinter-wes?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fwesleyhuntley%252Fin-the-bleak-midwinter-wes

https://soundcloud.com/wesleyhuntley/writings-on-the-wall-sam-smith?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fwesleyhuntley%252Fwritings-on-the-wall-sam-smith

https://soundcloud.com/roxybond-1/the-nights-feat-wesley-huntley

[Guest Teacher]

Ah yes that does look like an appealing timetable. Though I don’t currently work Saturdays as it’s basically the only day I see my partner, which is saying something as we just bought a house together! But I do work later so that might make the difference.

And I appreciate that level of organisation, I’m similar myself!

Yeah I do tend to find that a few minutes here or there for crossover doesn’t matter and people are fine if things run over a little. But then I’ve also justified it by feeling like I’m undercharging so if they’re only getting 55 minutes then that’s fair enough! I think I might have to get back to my own spreadsheet and finalise the decision on my future timetable and prices.

Thanks for your help!