“Michael–when I see you teach, I see you connect with the deepest, truest part of yourself.”
This was a note from my Vocal Pedagogy professor, Peggy Baroody. I remember this every time I teach to remind myself of my profound responsibility as a teacher.
Teaching and learning are two inextricably linked activities in my philosophy. Both are ongoing processes, and one cannot exist without the other in all roles within the studio. The relationship between the instructor and the student is partially dependent upon collaboration - both at once are teaching and learning. Within my studio, while I teach technique and artistry, my students teach me how to teach and communicate my ideas both on a granular and global scale. My goal for my students is to train them to become better teachers than I; even if they do not plan to teach others, they will have the necessary critical thinking and problem-solving skills to be their own best teacher when they are on their own at a performance or other similar event. This is cultivated in the studio by creating a collaborative dialogue and asking leading questions. My process is not to give students the answers they seek, but instead, train them to ask the right questions and take notice of certain technical and artistic cues so that they find the answers they need in any moment. Through this method, my students gain independence, autonomy, and confidence as performers and intellectuals. I will often times initiate dialogue in the midst of technical exercises, asking “how did that feel?” or “how was that time different from the previous?” as a method to get students to put these sensations in a language that makes sense to them, which will also help me develop my vocabulary for each individual student.
Another key aspect of my philosophy is trust. I have said very clearly in past iterations of my voice studio that the studio is a safe space, and it is up to all participants and collaborators to maintain the safety and sacredness of the studio. We achieve this through examples of leadership and support from senior members of the studio, fostering clear and effective communication, and establishing a method for providing and receiving constructive feedback. Students should feel safe to experiment vocally and dramatically and make mistakes in the studio with me, and eventually in studio classes with their colleagues. This level of trust and security will encourage students to be as vulnerable as they feel comfortable, which will aid in their artistic growth. Students are encouraged to ask questions, especially when an exercise or imagery is unclear, and should trust that I will do my best to get them to a place of understanding. I also trust that, in time, my students will come to their lessons and classes prepared with material, or questions, or epiphanies, or discoveries, or frustrations. I trust that together we can develop short-term and long-term goals in the best interest of the student and their career, be it performing or otherwise.
Through development of trust and a positive working relationship, I aim to work with student singers holistically. Being a singer, and especially a teacher of singers is a unique and profound responsibility – as singers, we are our instrument. Cultivating a student’s relationship with their voice in turn teaches them about themselves in the process. It is important and necessary to recognise this – one is not just working with a voice, but an entire person. Singing is a deeply personal and truly human activity, so the root of each lesson and curriculum must support the individual and the whole singer to get the greatest vocal benefit.
My approach is technique based, and often comes from a base of objectivity and rationality where appropriate. I can’t think of a time when I’ve worked with a singer who didn’t initially say, “ugh, I hate the sound of my own voice!” Through explaining the phenomenon of perceiving one’s own voice in the moment versus what is happening outside of one’s person in scientific terms, there is a rational explanation for the dissonance, and the work of approaching the voice objectively can begin. I encourage, if not outright require my students to record their lessons, and listen back to parts or the whole thing if need be. This will help them to develop a fine ear for listening to adjustments in vocal quality and remind them of certain technical considerations we develop in the studio. This also gets them over the “I don’t like the sound of my voice” mindset into an “I noticed this here when I did that differently” mentality. Ideally, this helps the student to grow their appreciation for their instrument and their work, by eliminating what was once was flat-out “bad” and focusing more on the processes of learning. I will often discourage students from using the terms “good” and “bad” when I ask them to reflect on an exercise, since those terms have a sense of finality to them. Instead, I opt for “better” or “different,” and then will ask for specifics about why they felt that way, how they made those changes (if any), and what they will do going forward. My approach to artistry and interpretation also stems from a place of technique. For every method of dramatic interpretation, there is a process. When a particular set of processes works for a student’s dramatic success, we can foster those skills to grow the student’s breadth of their artistic/dramatic/emotional toolkit.
My particular interests and fields of study in vocal performance and pedagogy include cross training in bel canto and contemporary commercial techniques, aural and aesthetic considerations in opera and musical theatre, applying music theory and comprehensive musicianship to repertoire, historically informed performance, working with transgender singers, voice science (Voce Vista), extended techniques, programming beyond the gender binary in classical vocal literature, improvisation and ornamentation in baroque and contemporary styles, and choral/ensemble singing. As a transgender singer myself, I have first-hand experience with the issues we face in the classical music world, and the immense amount of opportunity we have to educate, empower, be visible, and promote visibility and inclusion in our field.
My latest pedagogical training has been in Somatic Voicework™ through the LoVetri Institute. This method incorporates tenets central to my own teaching, like do no harm, while focusing on the things that singers can control (pitch, volume, vowel, and registration) in order to achieve a healthy vocalism, and the desired acoustic aesthetic based on the character and style of the music at hand. This grounded, easily accessible, and universally-worded approach to singing and teaching has proven to be transformative in the ways I teach and communicate with students about singing and performing.