You suspect a student has a severe vocal problem and needs to see an ENT. How do you break the news? Alexa Terry explores ways to approach difficult conversations with empathy and professionalism. As vocal coaches, there is a first… Read More »How to tell a singer they need to see an ENT
Vocal coach Alexa Terry gives her verdict on Dr Jean Callaghan’s book Singing and Science: Body, Brain & Voice. “When I began teaching singing 35 years ago, I asked myself such questions as ‘What is the accepted body of knowledge… Read More »Review – Singing & Science: Body, Brain & Voice by Jean Callaghan
Increase your productivity by sharpening your focus and getting rid of distractions, writes Alexa Terry. ‘… most people do not achieve the use of more than a minute fraction of their potential ability; the minority that outstrips the majority does… Read More »Ten ways to increase your productivity
What makes a singer reluctant to take the advice of their teacher? Here are two case studies for dealing with defensive and hesitant singers. Imagine this: 28-year old Jemima Jenkins arrives for her third singing lesson with you. She’s a… Read More »Working with defensive and hesitant singers
Imagine this: 10-year old Sally Simpson arrives at our studio for a singing lesson; she argues loudly with her twin brothers between bites of a chocolate muffin and bouts of throat clearing. She bounds into the room like an excited… Read More »Case Study: The one with the yelly child
For most of us, teaching is fuelled by the passion for voice – not by the desire to become the next Dragon in the Den. Website design, marketing approaches and creating pricing strategies didn’t crop up in school – things… Read More »Putting a price on it. The art of setting your fees.
In The larynx, home of the voice! we looked at the outer aspect of the voice box, this time we move inside the larynx and take a look at the sound making apparatus, the vocal folds. Where are the vocal… Read More »Vocal cords or vocal folds?
Unlike other instruments, the singer’s instrument is not easily seen or accessed. This makes teaching singing quite challenging, but not impossible. By understanding the structure and mechanics of the vocal instrument we can help guide the singer through exercises and… Read More »The larynx: home of the voice!
There is a lot of information on singing, coaching and pedagogy out there. A brief Google or YouTube search can be enough to start feeling slightly overwhelmed at times and with the pressure on for us to be more visible… Read More »You ARE helping…
For me, one of the most rewarding parts of being a singing teacher is being witness to changes in my students that go beyond just their singing ability. With great training, singers can improve their self awareness, self esteem, confidence,… Read More »Mental block, or lack of skill?
What is the epiglottis? This is a very cool piece of kit that sits at the base of your tongue and essentially keeps you alive! It’s necessary to write about this incredibly significant part of your anatomy because there is… Read More »The Epi-what? The Epiglottis.
The Ageing Voice The Baby Boomer generation was born between 1946 and 1964. That means the eldest of this generation are 70 now. And there are a LOT of us! Many Boomers fully intend to be doing lots of activities… Read More »The Ageing Voice And Singing
From the age of 12 until 40, most of what I experienced as a voice student can best be described as voo-doo. I teach singing because no voice teacher or singing student or vocal artist should have to put up with voo-doo.
I cannot not sing and I’ve been doing that for all my life. A chronic sufferer of compulsory harmony disorder, and with at least two song ideas in my head at any time – singing teaching came as a natural yet unexpected progression of this.
So you are thinking about becoming a singing teacher. Fantastic! What a fabulous opportunity to take all the knowledge and skills you have accumulated so far and share it with others interested in singing, and who are willing to pay for your service.
Like many others before me, I fell into teaching singing. I had recently graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts with a BA in Performing Arts Music and was trying to figure out what happens next.
My first brush with singing tuition was, like many I’m sure, a result of being a gigging singer who did not know how to use their voice correctly and did it some harm as a result.
As with many singers I started off believing I was going to “be famous”. It was a very vague and undefined goal, and given that I started as a clarinetist and ended up choosing the jazz route I was unlikely to be able to attain the kind of commercial success that a pop/rock singer might do.
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