Some years ago I became aware that within our vast and varied constellation of voice teachers, I was regarded as a technique specialist.
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When I asked a prospective student why they were interested in working with me, they often replied with something like, âIâve heard you're great at teaching technique, and I really need to get my technique together,â followed by a caveat along the lines of, âI learned so much from Professor Famoso at Conservatorio Stretto, Iâm incredibly grateful to them! but they didn't really teach technique.â
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I would think, âif they arenât teaching technique, then what the hell are they teaching?â
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I would also occasionally receive an SOS from a singer currently enrolled in a conservatory program who urgently needed help their Official Voice Teacher was unable to provide: to resolve habitual tongue tension, or even out their registration, or develop the breath coordination to navigate long phrases. By the time they reached out to me, they were clearly a...