PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING
My work at UCSC consists of four major categories:
• Teaching a group repertoire/performance class
• Instructor of opera workshop
• Directing and producing the spring opera production
I will focus this discussion on my position as a voice teacher. This intimate work presents a great challenge to me as a teacher, as I have an extended, one-on-one relationship with the same students throughout their entire bachelor's and/or master's degree studies. Training a human being to simultaneously release and control his body in order to make beautiful and often highly complex musical sound is a great and rewarding challenge. This long range and intensive work affords me the opportunity to teach not only the artistry of music, but to expose and instill in my students a work ethic that will serve them throughout, and in every facet of, their lives.
The primary objective of voice instruction is to provide a solid foundation in singing through training in vocal production techniques, performance skills, styles and genres of vocal music, and musicianship. I guide each student through a process of vocal and performance growth, leaving them with a firm foundation and understanding of the human voice as an instrument, which is fundamentally based in physiology. I then attempt to synthesize and solidify, into tangible forms, the physical, intellectual, and spiritual qualities that comprise the experience of singing—all within a teacher-student relationship founded in good communication and honesty.
Because singing is so personal (using one’s body as an instrument), proper development is a gradual process wherein every new development that is deeply comprehended is an important victory. Singing not only requires an understanding of musical concepts, a facility with many languages and the ability to interpret text, but it also requires that the body, as the vehicle of sound production, be simultaneously open and yet disciplined.
One of the greatest difficulties of this work springs from the necessity to comprehend the complex physiology of the human body in terms of basic physics of sound and acoustics and then to apply this knowledge to one’s own body. This accomplishment quite often necessitates helping the student to get beyond deep-seated fears and years of physical habits to face and be with himself as an open person and presence.
The singer-as-performer uses his body as his instrument, which is in an intensely exposed and vulnerable condition. To overcome the natural resistance to this openness, I focus on building self-confidence in my students so that they feel confident and empowered to meet the psychological and physiological challenges of the art form. In this way, each student finds the great strength of self-awareness that enables him or her to excel in all areas of their lives.
As an instructor teaching one-on-one lessons, primarily in a one hour per week format, I approach each student individually. To ascertain the best course of study, these major inquiries must be addressed and revisited before, during, and after each lesson:
• Evaluate the background, present level, and physical and psychological potential of the student.• Determine what motivates the student, ask why one wants to sing/perform, and determine what draws this particular student to this art form.
• Evaluate how each student integrates and applies information at hand; how does this student learn best?
• Develop and assemble a constantly fluctuating group of techniques to advance the individual learning processes, and apply these techniques accordingly.
The initial step is to ask, "How does this individual student learn best?" I then try to teach accordingly, using a different combination of methods for each individual, rather than imposing a predetermined approach to all students. Since each mind learns differently, the challenge and success lies in serving this basic pedagogical principle faithfully. My philosophy of teaching has developed, and continues to grow, out of two main influences:
•Daily interaction with students.•Professional work outside the university I believe that keeping an active singing career both enhances my teaching and serves as a role model for my students.
While singing professionally, I am also made aware of the changing demands of the profession, which I then share with my voice studio. Bringing to them this realistic picture gives them the power to make informed decisions about their future careers in music. For this same reason, I have also helped to implement yearly master classes in which renowned singers and coaches come to work with our students. I, as well, invest time in finding professional venues for my students outside the university setting to help them begin their careers. This exposure to the professional world builds important contacts for the future and helps demystify the profession.
Continuing to learn and continuing to improve my teaching is a priority. Evaluating my students’ growth is a key factor in determining whether my teaching is effective. Personal instruction gives me the opportunity to check in every week with my students to see if their exercises and assignments have helped them to make progress. The repertoire class biweekly performance helps me to see if their application of techniques is effective. At the end of the year, I compare my students’ progress against their work from the beginning of the year.
As a full member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing), I keep abreast of the latest physiological research. For continued pedagogical study, I recently received an instructional improvement grant for the purpose of spending two weeks in residence at the esteemed Eastman School of Music. The purpose of this residency was as follows:
* Interview the voice and opera faculty for advice and direction on how to continue to both build a larger voice and opera department while keeping a high quality of education.
* Observe as many lessons given by the voice and opera faculty as possible. Working with them directly, I acquired new pedagogical approaches useful to my studio at UCSC.
As an educator, I greatly value the importance of being available to students outside the classroom and thereby strive to exemplify team spirit and commitment. I make myself available for work with various ensembles in the department, coaching individual projects, preparing students for recitals and auditions, and giving master classes outside our school to promote our department. This kind of commitment has helped develop camaraderie in my studio, creating a positive and mutually supportive atmosphere for growth.
My greatest hope as an educator and artist is to teach my students that discipline, dedication, critical thinking, and passion are all indispensable tools for building character as well as a career. This, for me, is a noble and rewarding challenge.