tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80650386636522302902024-03-12T17:20:17.612-07:00Vocal Compass<b>A wide range of notes from voice and piano teacher Patricia Shanks</b>Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-26097371690714776562013-12-28T18:06:00.001-08:002013-12-28T18:07:03.979-08:00A Singing Musician
It seems to me that too many young people who see themselves
as on the road to becoming professional singers would be better served if they
found a road that better suits them, or simply make a bargain with themselves
to concern themselves with learning to sing for the sheer pleasure of singing
and see what happens.
Youngsters and their support contingent tend to be
ill-informed and confused orPatricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-64791104997662875862013-07-10T09:46:00.000-07:002013-07-10T09:50:32.542-07:00My Teenage Vocal Practice Conventions
Practice preparation that served me well back in my
schoolgirl days.
1) Silently read anything that absorbed my thoughts for at
least an hour or more in a quiet room. My voice was always fresh and easy to
produce right after reading. I didn’t realize, then, that the reading was a
form of meditation, promoting deep breathing and relaxation and sharpening
brain function.
2) Singing right Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-52427552425161972602012-03-27T08:30:00.009-07:002012-03-27T10:24:13.761-07:00Creativity, Discovery & Failing. It works that way.Frustration is an integral part of discovery. Failure is an integral part of discovering or creating something. Well-meaning parents often try to protect their children from failure, thinking that failing will defeat them, dash their hopes and dreams, keep them from being successes in life. It doesn't work that way. The protected people who don't know how to fail and get back up on the horse are Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-74654553133585632772012-01-02T15:34:00.000-08:002012-01-02T15:50:01.157-08:00Learning to do the Slow Work is Slow WorkIt’s resolution time, again. It’s the time when people all want to lose weight, tone up and take voice or piano lessons. It’s also a time when people who have not been living authentic lives for years and years, for reasons good and not so good, are looking for an escape. People want to be beautiful. They want to look younger. They want to do glamorous things – like sing onstage. They want to Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-65003562812099859862011-10-09T19:13:00.000-07:002011-10-09T19:48:13.011-07:00Teaching Singing My WayThere can be huge differences between what different voice teachers offer and what those interested in taking voice lessons expect from lessons.Here is a general overview of what I offer and what I do best.I HELP YOU to do the following WORK (because a teacher is merely a guide, an extra set of eyes and ears and a knowledge source)1. Finding YOUR true voice/sound - not a voice that imitates or Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-41072850814147799602011-08-27T09:57:00.001-07:002011-08-27T10:42:21.858-07:00The Subtlety of LearningIt's been too long since I last blogged. I live in awe of those teachers who are able to teach, take care of their business, participate in numerous other activities and pursuits and manage to find time to blog about it all.As fall approaches, and I begin rallying my school-aged singers and pianists in preparation for the NATS Student Evaluations, performances, a studio recital, The Achievement Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-66445101536488226292011-07-07T11:48:00.000-07:002011-07-07T12:18:38.637-07:00Hocus Pocus Focus on the Fourth of JulyThe July 4th holiday offered me an opportunity to do anything other than teaching-related work. So, what did I do? I put on my teaching hat and wrote a lengthy response to a thread in a singers' forum. A singer was complaining about a quick fix offered by a voice coach to a friend of a friend and referring to it as hocus pocus. The friend's friend changed her posture and was able to produce a Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-47808809546428262602011-04-12T21:43:00.000-07:002011-04-13T11:42:33.913-07:00Remembering Working with Natalie LimonickThe late Natalie Limonick was my mentor. She was a coach and a guide. She was artistry and musical intelligence incarnate. The day I first sang for her back in 1980-something, she wasted no time telling me what was deficient in my technique. But she gave me very specific solutions. Diplomatically, she commented that I was very musical. That could have meant something. Or it could have meant Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-90482243266638458272010-12-09T12:14:00.000-08:002010-12-09T12:20:05.217-08:00Ensembles Open HouseJanuary 22 is the International Day of Collaborative Music – a part of the Music Teacher’s National Association Year of Collaborative Music celebration. The time has come. Let’s all start making some beautiful music together!It has long been a desire of mine to bring musicians of all flavors together for ensembles reading sessions, or "woodshedding" get-togethers, where instrumentalists and Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-30632602010164791182010-08-29T19:44:00.000-07:002010-08-29T19:48:30.511-07:00A Singer SingsI wonder about young singers who turn their noses up at an opportunity to sing because they feel that the audience or the venue or the event isn’t exciting or important enough. The way I see it, an opportunity to sing is an opportunity to sing. An opportunity to share my music and my love for my music and my singing is a golden opportunity. If my singing gives pleasure or comfort to others, Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-42580978618310458912010-08-16T12:43:00.000-07:002010-08-16T13:26:46.690-07:00Those Crazy ScalenesThe scalene muscles along the front and sides of your neck can make singing difficult if they are too tight. This has been a major issue for me in recent years. In the never-ending battle against the effects of aging and gravity, I knew that keeping a decent posture and working to tone my abdominal muscles – particularly the lower portion – were important work, if I expected to keep my voice in Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-33968018780454843602010-07-25T10:34:00.000-07:002010-07-25T12:33:05.594-07:00Droplets of ConsciousnessPerhaps 'droppings' of consciousness is a better title. But I don't want to go there.Twitter and Facebook have taught me how to think and write in small snippets. My teaching style has taken on some of this quality, as well. I blurt out directions to my students in short bursts of only enough words to 'fit in the window' of opportunity. I'm even slurring words at times, because I feel like I havePatricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-89677512825489161112010-07-19T12:19:00.000-07:002010-07-19T12:25:44.277-07:00On the AnthemWe need to keep our national anthem. It isn’t difficult to sing. The tune was sung by everyone when it was just a drinking song. Well, it was sung by everyone who drank wine, anyway. It’s odd that when it accompanied the act of imbibing the song was considered easy and fun to sing. But, later, when the tune was attached to something more sobering, the fun of singing it and people’s ability to Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8065038663652230290.post-6230951900426628802010-07-18T21:43:00.000-07:002010-07-19T12:26:27.291-07:00Taking Care of the RestWhen my students vacate the studio en masse for their summer vacations, I find myself periodically involuntarily idled as a voice teacher, which is a bit of a blessing in disguise. The time off from teaching gives me an opportunity to work on my other projects. And the gaps between students provide me with generous buffer time for my own vocal practice, which I consider to be quite a luxury.The Patricia Shankshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04797296249146105549noreply@blogger.com0