Back in 2003, which feels like centuries ago, I reestablished my voice and piano teaching practice in Orange County. About that time, having a website and an Internet presence was becoming essential. Because it was the covered wagon days of online promotion, there were two voice teachers who consistently showed up in searches, me being one of them. As a result, I was able to build my business in fairly short order.
I had some interesting clientele in those first days in my teeny-tiny studio in a building in Newport Beach called the Factory. I taught a young woman who had never sung before to her winning performance in the Miss Huntington Beach competition. I taught a little 7-year-old Make-A-Wish child, leading up to her dream recording session at a local studio where I had recorded. I taught an eclectic graphic designer who worked so fluidly in the zone that he quickly developed a gorgeous baritone voice. One day he confessed to me that he really wanted to sound like the singer Meatloaf. To each his own. I taught another young man who found that magical free and resonant tone, who arrived at the studio one evening to throw down his jacket and exclaim, “I have to find that sound again!” And another young man was enthralled with a recording of Nessun dorma sung by one of the crossover singers who was somewhat popular at the time. I played recordings of the aria featuring Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti for him, alerting him to the difference between some of the crossover singing and schooled opera singing. His comment was, “Enough said.”
A few years later I transitioned to a larger studio in Corporate Center near Fashion Island. Many of my teen and pre-teen students came from Newport Beach and Irvine and were keen on participating in music evaluation programs to enhance their academic résumés. Students sang or played piano in Music Teachers Association of California, Royal Academy of Music, Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and NATS student evaluations. All of them passed with excellent marks. It was a very proud and satisfying time for me and my studio, which had grown to approximately 40 students of all ages.
There are so many stories attached to my students’ lives and musical training. Teachers who are doing the job are more than mere information sources. While it’s important to keep our professional distance, we become life coaches and mentors and teachers of other than music, reaching far beyond the mechanics of learning notes and performing in recital and, “Did you do your theory homework this week?”
There is a wonderful 1988 movie featuring actress Shirley MacClaine titled, Madame Sousatzka. The film is based on a book of the same name by Bernice Rubens. MacLaine plays an aging piano teacher who might have had an international career, had she not choked in performance. My favorite line of hers is, “Let it play.” She was telling a young pianist to get out of the way of the music so that it could speak. How many times have I asked singers to allow the music to happen and not be overly controlling? So many times. In the film, the character is at odds with another entity who wants Sousatzka’s prized pupil to perform before she believes he is ready to perform. In my studio I have dealt with similar issues repeatedly. Performance at a level the student “should” be performing at is wonderful and necessary. Performance of material that is appropriate for the current level of technique at any given time is great. But performance of songs that are out of reach or otherwise inappropriate can lead to degraded technique and potential voice damage. Convincing singers of this who are determined to sing in a school musical requiring skills that are not yet honed is a struggle. Because opportunities to perform and participate in these programs are important for their social and emotional development, I forfeit my concerns and try to help students sing their roles without too much strain.
Another part of Madame Sousatzka that I appreciate is her studio of photographs of performance memories and mentors and past high-achieving students. She lives in a home filled with Bohemian-like comfortable warmth. We see an eccentric grandmotherly figure in flamboyant garb and thick make-up. But behind the persona she has devised for herself lies a wealth of knowledge and experience from which much may be gained. Sousatzka is over the top, with her share of character flaws and demons. I don’t advocate becoming a clone of Madame Sousatzka. But there is truth in the character.
Again, the complete teacher introduces students to complementary arts, history, literature, refinement, social practices of the past and of the present. The studio should be a place of learning and a place of refuge. We all need an environment of structure, but also of calm and safety to grow as artists and as decent human beings. I often say that teaching music is only a small part of what I do. My goal is to be a role model and a positive influence. And to keep from becoming too eccentric along the way. I hope.
Times change creating huge impediments to holding the line and teaching the way teaching ought to be. Students want quick fixes. They want to do what they want, the way they want to do it, when they want to do it. I blame or credit parents for not instilling patience, respect for teachers and others, and a work ethic. But parents are busy in this wild time in which we live. Being there for their children for more than a few hours at a time is difficult. And parents today are at least a few generations removed from kinder, gentler times when those traits were instilled in children, valued and valuable in life. This isn’t true of all parents, of course. And while Internet resources potentially have value, social media tends to be a timewaster keeping students from dedicating time and effort to their music and progress. None of that means that teachers can’t continue to promote values and be complete teachers and positive influences in the lives of young, and not so young, musicians.
As a side note, look up “influencer” to read the history of the word. Most interesting.
Parents of toddlers. Learn and sing nursery rhymes to and with your children at bedtime. Sing softly and not too low in your voice. Try the Itsy-Bitsy Spider with hand signs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXvUKJd9mE You will teach your children pitch, rhythm, and coordination. The quiet and comfort of bedtime are perfect for learning. The younger children will take to the songs and will not find them silly when they grow older. For years I have recommended a lullaby recording with accompanying book. Now found on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjYsB8W5SCM
The image in this post is not of my studio.
Sense and Sentience 