Back to Basics

I recently took a voice lesson that consisted almost entirely of just starting the tone, over and over again. Keep in mind that I have been singing professionally and teaching for almost thirty years. One would think, then, that this lesson was both boring and useless to me. Instead, it was one of the best lessons I’ve had. It is precisely because I have been singing and teaching for so long that this was terrific. One gets so used to one’s routine as well as seeking newer and better ways of doing things that it is easy to forget that the simplest and most basic of elements can often be the most profound.

Particularly in the last decade or so, the voice teaching profession seems to have gotten more competitive with more and more business minded types out on the internet, advertising, blogging, and, sometimes, hyping their wares. “You, too, can learn the secrets to a high C and ultimate success.” In this environment it is easy to think that one is not up to date, or providing the best information and service to one’s students. Yet when I go to a lesson myself, I am not looking for the newest, shiniest “toy”. I am looking for someone to care about me and to hone in on and help me with whatever issue I may be having with my voice; or, just helping me to stay on track. So, it is an excellent lesson to realize that sometimes the simplest of things can be the best of things.

In practicing and in teaching, don’t be afraid to revisit basic tenets of singing and performance. In our quest to constantly advance, these basics can often get left by the wayside. Yet they are the core of what we do. Breathing, easy onsets and phonation; how to walk onto the stage and just be present; these are things that are worth our time and effort, even if it IS the thousandth time!