Finding Scores the quick way

For someone who prides herself in being (somewhat) techno-savvy, I can't believe I missed the boat on this one!  A student came to her lesson yesterday with reams of music - nice, clean copies of Mozart, Chausson and the like.  When I asked her where she got it, she said "on-line".  Well, duh...why didn't I think of that? All that public domain music out there to be sorted and organized and, wait for it, Petrucci Music Library has done it for you! Here is what they have to say about themselves:

Our goal is to create a virtual library containing all public domain music, as well as music from composers who are willing to share their work with the world without charge.

The Petrucci Music Library also encourages the exchange of musical ideas, both in the form of musical works and in their analysis. Feel free to post your analysis of a particular piece on the "discussion" pages, or join our forums for interactive discussion with the community.

I'm sure you already knew about them but if you didn't, their web address is www.imslp.org  They will be your life saver when you can't get to the library!

And finally....Welcome Back!

Well we have made it through the first few weeks of this new university academic year so WELCOME BACK!  A special welcome to all freshmen everywhere who finding their way in a new environment with new teachers, a new school and a new place to call home for the next four years!

I am looking forward to this year in particular as I commute for the first time between two very fine but different schools - Queen's University and the University of Toronto.  Additionally, I am looking forward to an exiting blogging year. Whether you are my student or not, this blog is for you - it is the conversation that extends beyond the lesson and hopes to encourage and inspire you to listen more, attend more concerts, learn more music, ask more questions, and get MORE from your learning.

I will be keeping a regular Spotlight on Repertoire section, will post auditions and performance information and sometimes just pose questions to start a discussion.  Feel free to respond whether to agree or challenge so that we all learn MORE!

Masterclass: Getting undressed in front of an audience

Joseph So reviews the recent recital of Matthias Goerne at Koerner Hall in Toronto and has this to say about the masterclass that Goerne led the next day: 

The morning after the recital, Goerne gave a two-hour masterclass at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. There was a good crowd of lieder fans gathered in the Torel Room in the Edward Johnson Building. Three singers participated in the masterclass - soprano Lesley Ann Bradley, tenor Colin Ainsworth and baritone Peter McGillivray. These three singers are scheduled to give a German Art Song Recital on Wednesday, August 4 in Walter Hall at 8 pm. so their participation was sort of a tune-up for the concert next week. Each student prepared three songs, but given the shortness of time (40 minutes per session), they worked on basically one to two pieces. Each student was allowed to sing the first piece all the way through, then the intensive work started. It must be disconcerting to be stopped three notes into the first line. Goerne made corrections and suggestions, and the student started again, and often made to stop again. It could not have been easy for a student to be deconstructed in this fashion, and one would benefit from possessing a very thick skin. There is no doubt that Mr. Goerne is a demanding teacher - not shy to speak his mind, sometimes in a rather blunt fashion. His class reminded me of a Elisabeth Schwarzkopf class I audited during my student days. Goerne wisely stuck to interpretation and stayed away from technical issues - it is always dangerous to fool around with a student's technique, as the master won't be there to offer support in the future. Also, it must have been very uncomfortable to be figuratively undressed in front of an audience, but such is the nature of the masterclass beast! In the final analysis, the advices given make for a better final product.

I think it is always wise to be prepared for anything!  So for you students getting ready to head back to school and preparing for master classes and lessons, get your homework done now!

Planning for a Year of Successful Singing

Getting the Most Out of Your Lessons #4

Right now we are all in the throes of scheduling lessons, looking at academic, audition and exam requirements, selecting repertoire and of course learning and perfecting our technique. I know my overwhelm button will be pushed if I don't plan as much as possible NOW for my students!

Some suggestions for a year of successful singing:

1. Compile a list of your exams and auditions with deadlines, audition/exam dates and repertoire requirements;


2. Work backwards from the performance date setting goals of where you want to be with learning and memorizing and rehearsing with your accompanist;


3. Share these dates with your teacher and accompanist and talk about how to achieve these goals;


4. If you need to do recordings, book them early so you have time for editing and don't have to send your materials by overnight courier (WAY more expensive!);


5. Write/enter all your goals into your day timer/outlook with reminders.

Now you can relax and just get the work done! Planning now can save time and money later and do a lot to help you be a sane and happy singer!

Good luck and keep me posted on your progress!

The Right Tools for Your Successful Singing Lesson

Getting the Most Out of Your Lessons #3



In my studio policy, I talk about getting the right tools for success. Here are the highlights:

1. Recording Equipment: From a laptop with a plugged in mic to a mini iTalk on your iPod, recording your lesson for playback later is an invaluable tool. I know you had to listen to your mistakes but get over it so you can progress faster!
2. Prep Your Music: Do your homework before bringing a new score to a lesson. That means you have listened to a number of different singers perform it (Youtube, iTunes, etc), written out the text and translated it word for word and poetically, done your International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and then written the highlights back into your score!
3. Prep Your Knowledge: Do a little research on your song - who was the composer? When was it written? What else was being written and by whom at that time? What was happening socially, politically, and economically in the world and in Canada? Who is the poet? This may seem obvious but I am constantly amazed that students think they just need to learn notes!
4. Attitude: Get ready to focus and learn in your lesson. I could go on and on about the time wasted on chatter (I'm also guilty) so will just say, acknowledge how you are today and then get to the business of singing. If you have the kind of relationship with your teacher that you can talk to about your life issues, schedule separate time outside the lesson to go for coffee.
5. Memorize you Music: Get your song memorized as soon as possible. My studio policy states that the second time you bring a song to a lesson, it must be memorized. The sooner you get a song on its feet, the sooner you can focus on everything else besides the notes!

Feel free to check out my studio policy which is linked to my website and let me know what works in your studio!

Warms ups VS. Exercises

Getting the Most out of you Lesson #2

Just like working out at the gym, the voice needs to be "warmed up" or stretched before attempting feats of high art. Many times students will come to a lesson saying "I haven't sung yet today". This is OK for a young singer but once you hit university, you need to take control of your own warming up!

Warm up exercises come in all shapes and sizes but should start out easy - 5 note scales, humming, lip trills, triad work and hissing call act to get the blood flowing to the vocal folds and remind your airflow what to do. I usually find that in 5-10 minutes you can get the voice in a good placement and you are ready to go!

After that, you are ready to do your exercises! These of course, are the bigger, longer, more varied exercises/scales that your teacher guides you through listening for vowel accuracy, timbre, pitch, resonance - basically the nitty-gritty of great sound.

Coming to a lesson without having warmed up decreases the time your teacher can spend doing exercises and repertoire.

Get ready for your lessons mentally and physically - get warmed up by yourself (even if you have to hum in the bathroom between classes!) and you will notice a difference in your progress!

If you have any favourite "warm ups", please share!

Getting back into the swing of things....a new year!

Getting the Most out of your Lessons #1

I know some universities started last week but we here at Queens are just getting up and running today. I love looking around at all the excited freshmen getting ready to launch their four year music degrees!

This week I will spend some time talking about how to get the most out of your private voice lessons and your music education in general.

Lets start today with MUSIC SCORES!

Gerrit Theule of the Canadian Opera Blog (not to be confused with the COC Blog) has a great post: Scores! All the Scores You Could Want! Free!. Not every university has a killer library and not everyone can afford to buy all that scores they need so... why not make use of the electronic resources of Indiana University, the Eastman School of Music and others?

If you are looking to buy, you check out Sheet Music Plus for a great selection at even better prices (with cheap shipping to Canada).