Membership Expired Guest Teacher
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PSS Matt who was you’re contact for Exeter college?
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PS Ben peripatetic is just a silly word for a teacher that is not actually employed by a school.
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Kings School in Ottery St Mary. Their singing teacher is now head of music (and was actually not a singing teacher anyway) so I’m going to go in and do Monday mornings there (which is normally a lull for me). So I generally try to be working on three or even four technical aspects over longer lessons. Would you suggest I might spend 10 minutes on one thing, let’s say working with aspirate, glottal and balanced onsets and then I’ve got some time to then apply that to a song and then we’re done?
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eek! hopefully that changes soon for her sake
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I’d start by encouraging them that if they haven’t had laryngitis for a year, then they must be doing something right. If not, it would be happening all the time. For the moment, rest up and soothe the throat as much as possible. It’s inflamed so it needs time to get back to normal. Keep developing a good full vocal fold closure during lessons. That’s ultimately the thing that will stop this from becoming a persistent problem. I try to encourage any of my students that work with a breathy/raspy/distorted sound to listen to other performers who use that sound live. Live performers really have to understand how manage that kind of pressure on the voice. It might be as simple as having a bit of a cough and talk to the audience between songs to calm down a bit, or some songs may require a 5 minute break to recover from. It comes down to understanding what the body is trying to tell you. One of my favourites for this is James Hatfield from Metallica. He really understands that although he can scream his head off in the studio, he won’t be able to regularly performing with that sound so he changes the sound to something more sustainable. Finally, this is something that happens to the best of us. I had a problem just the other week. I was acting in a venue where the sound just went up, not out to the audience. Rather than trusting myself to project the sound out, I was basically yelling my lines and went hoarse the next morning. It happens, we recover, and if we don’t act stupid and try and keep demanding more from a damaged voice then we won’t get the horrible nodules, etc. Hope this long ramble helps!
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Lol I know that feeling. Especially when you teach people that used to be pupils of Matt Pocock! I console myself with the knowledge that even Janice Chapman, whose work I love, says “more research is needed” to various things. Even the best get stumped sometimes
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I’d suggest that’s likely what’s doing it. I’ve always thought of it (well I was taught it like this) the raspy tone requires a kind of partial vocal fold closure. This makes it act like a sail in the wind when the air rushed past it. If we push a lot of air through it, we effectively expose that sail to a storm and it’s likely to rip and tear. I always get my students fully voicing high notes as any kind of vocal distortion effect (like rasp or growl) can really easily damage the throat.
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Maybe there’s too much breath in the rasp? Or is he trying to belt high notes with the raspy tone?
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That sounds like a physical irritation to me. Possibly caused by some incorrect vocal fold closure maybe? Are you hearing any faint raspiness in the voice generally?
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Most of the weekend crowd can do evenings and around Exeter there’s plenty of people either on shift work or retired
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I only teach Monday-Friday unless I have someone with an urgent need, e.g. audition prep
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I do quite like the ring of matthewpocock.com
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lol!
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oh no I didn’t mean you, I was talking about my friend. I appreciated the ‘good for you’!
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cool nice to have some positivity round the idea. It’s definitely harder to be present with the same person for such a long time but the results are there and the students are happy
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Do you guys find that you get any backlash on that when you wake up really ill and have to cancel lessons?
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For the second part of her issue, I reckon if you make an exercise of transitioning between the various vowel sounds somewhere near the top of chest voice (e.g. String all the vowels together on a B or somewhere around there) to get an awareness of the mechanics involved, then slowly go up by semitones until she flips to head then keep going higher and higher. Once the mechanics of the changing mouth shape, tongue placement, etc are sunk in hopefully that will take away that unwanted op sound. Then take that into a song that requires her to go to head voice and see if it helps
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I prefer getting students to learn the control of the tongue by exercising it (basic level stick the tongue out, the direct it up, down, left, right and repeat, then moving on to something like pushing the tongue into the bottom teeth then pushing up and out, then down and back). That way the student learns to control the tongue to lift when they want/need to and retract when they want/need to. I much prefer a slightly raised tongue on an ‘ee’ sound for example
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Is it just a case of needing to work on getting a quick, expansive breath? In which case, I normally get people to call out a rather long sentence several times: “Hey you over there, how are you doing today? I’m fine thank you very much, how’s your *insert as many relations as you can with the rest of the breath*” to show the student that the body knows how to do it already and start to develop a control over it. Then take it into the song by calling out the lyrics instead of the sentence then add the melody back in when that’s comfortable.
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Hi everyone, you can find more information about this topic here – https://musicteacher.com/forums/topic-tag/raising-prices/
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Hi, I am a vocal coach, currently in tier 4, so all my teaching is through ZOOM.US. I use a combination of backing tracks that I play and record myself; Utube backing tracks and then sometimes ask the student to record themselves on ZOOM to then send their rehearsed work to me I also record the session and send the student the recorded lesson…with my comments and practice notes.
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Yea I have people disappear all the time. Unfortunately its actually the ones who stay for months then disappear that are more worrying for me.
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Yeah it’s good to know it happens with other people. Just got me a bit worried. Thanks
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Candi,
I’ve found the same with some of my students. For the ones who really struggled, I planned lessons purely on rhythm and came up with some percussive vocal exercises helping them to learn beats and subdivisions.
It works wonders! Once they get rhythm, even to a basic level, they tend to understand phrasing a LOT better. Plus it means you can tell them what do do in musical terms if they get stuck, which I think is basically an essential skill.
If you want some of these exercises let me know and I’ll happily send them over 🙂
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Sadly, Alan, you are right. Emphasis will shift towards core subjects. Also, with people loosing their jobs, music lessons won’t be priority. I have lost a few students unable to pay….
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A quick tip on where to place your phone…. Use a conductors music stand. It works well as you can put it behind you to show what you are playing as well. I have even placed my phone on the floor to show a young student how to place the heel on the floor to peddle correctly. What a strange time we’re living in!
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I’ve definitely experienced this, (both when I was that age, and teaching) I think if he’s not strained then there’s no real problem for now. I think the advice is generally like that – especially for boys – because their voice will change and they have to be much more careful around that time, so if you discourage them from belting when they’re young they won’t push themselves unhealthily later?
So I’d do some prep for that by giving him the ‘tools’ he might need during the voice change, things like getting him to know the different aspects of his voice and how they feel rather than how they sound because if it’s linked to feeling rather than the specific notes or range based things then when his voice drops he’ll still have the feeling ‘data’ as it were. Hope that helps!
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Hi Jordan,
It is a great question, I know that a lot of teachers and students are taking their first proper holiday in 18 months – so there are a lot of people away at the moment. So I think this is a part of what you are experiencing.
September will be a significant month in terms of people restarting and returning to a lot of activities that they have not undertaken for the last 2 years or so.
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Actually, my rehersal was cancelled! How do I join your chat??
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Hi Chloe,
I would love to but I have choir rehersal that time.
I have Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays free every evening. If you decide to do in any other time, let me know.
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You’ve done a great job researching reputable brands for beginner accordions. Each brand you’ve mentioned has its unique strengths and specialties, which can cater to different needs and preferences. Hohner and Weltmeister, for instance, are known for their long-standing tradition and quality, while Roland is popular for its innovative digital accordions. SofiaMari and Saltarelle, on the other hand, offer great value for money with their affordable yet quality instruments. Excelsior and Castagnari are recognized for their excellent craftsmanship and sound.
However, choosing the right accordion also depends on the type of music you’re interested in. For example, diatonic accordions are often used in folk and traditional music, while piano accordions are more versatile and can be used in various music genres.
It’s also important to consider the size and weight of the accordion. As a beginner, you might want to start with a smaller, lighter model that’s easier to handle.
Lastly, remember that the best accordion is the one that feels right for you. It’s highly recommended to try out different models before making a decision.
Do you have any specific music genres you’re interested in, or any other preferences that could help narrow down your choices?
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Some of the reputable brands for beginner accordions include:
- Hohner: Hohner is one of the oldest and most well-known accordion manufacturers. They offer a range of models suitable for beginners, including diatonic and piano accordions.
- Roland: Known for their digital accordions, Roland provides instruments that can be great options for beginners, especially those interested in exploring different sounds and styles.
- SofiaMari: This brand offers affordable and quality beginner accordions with good playability and sound.
- Weltmeister: Based in Germany, Weltmeister is renowned for producing high-quality accordions at various price points, including those suitable for beginners.
- Excelsior: Excelsior accordions are known for their craftsmanship and sound quality, making them suitable for both beginners and professionals.
- Saltarelle: A brand with a strong focus on diatonic accordions, Saltarelle instruments are highly regarded for their responsiveness and playability.
- Castagnari: Another brand specializing in diatonic accordions, Castagnari instruments are known for their excellent craftsmanship and sound.
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Hiya, I find that some of these issues can be helped by looking at how the student is breathing and supporting the sound. I work constantly with my students on connecting the sound to the body which helps to prevent a breathy tone and avoids singing from the throat. I agree with the ng exercises as well as humming, they are great to find good resonance. Also sing on kieu leading to the oo sound from the tonic, jumping up a 5th and then returning to the tonic down the scale. I find this really helps to blend registers as long as proper support is in use. Plus the K helps to release any tongue tension. Hope that is of some use!
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I agree it’s tricky trying to keep students during the lockdown. Some have altogether stopped playing an instrument, while others hope to return… perhaps in the middle of the year. I try to send a message to all students (even those who stopped lessons during the March 2020 lockdown). I sent a new year message and a Christmas one. Some replied. Others didn’t. For the few I still have left, I give a discount every 12 lessons for the student who has made the best progress. I sometimes deduct the fee or buy a gift voucher either from Amazon or a music shop online, or buy a gift. It motivates them.
I make sure that throughout the academic year, each student gets at gift/discount at least once. It could be a simple gift like a ruler with music notes on it. It keeps adults and children motivated…For the children, they draw a sticker in their notebooks and I keep count in mine. Every so often, I also send students a recording of myself playing my favourites. They love to know I’m practicing as well!
Overall, my numbers are really low because people want to have face to face lessons, which I cannot offer until I get my vaccination (which is not too far now).It’s been a tough year, I believe, for all of us. I’m really glad we have music to keep us going!
