Category: Observations/Philosophy of Singing
Talent Means Paying Attention....
Published July 7th, 2014 by Brad Jenks
I think I can honestly say that I don't put a lot of stock in the abstract notion of Talent. Sure, you might catch me saying, "they're really talented!" every so often. But I suppose I generally mean something like, "They are really good at what they do!" But as regards an idea of unique […]
Read Post Talent Means Paying Attention....All About The Voice.....and that other stuff too.
Published May 21st, 2014 by Brad Jenks
I have lately been reading many of the responses to the Glyndebourne reviews. Many people are (rightly) disturbed, citing the Royal Opera House/Voigt incident as the beginning of a trend of body shaming, and fearing a sort of death for opera, while others try to point to the "changing face of opera" and the new […]
Read Post All About The Voice.....and that other stuff too.When Technique Lacks Technique....
Published February 14th, 2014 by Brad Jenks
Over the years I have found myself using the term "technique" less and less. When I was a younger man and starting out to learn about how singing was done, I was obsessed with "technique". Often, as a result I was vocally ineffective, and I was boring. Older now, and hopefully a little wiser, I […]
Read Post When Technique Lacks Technique....The Vocals of Dorian Grey......
Published January 8th, 2014 by Brad Jenks
People are always philosophically arguing back and forth on one subject or another about seeing things in terms of "black and white" versus seeing them as a spectrum. The study of singing is no stranger to this. I myself have always been of the opinion that both things are true. If there is a spectrum, […]
Read Post The Vocals of Dorian Grey......Like Playing The Piano With Mittens.....
Published December 31st, 2013 by Brad Jenks
Let's get personal for a moment- I spent a fair portion of my early twenties being profoundly dull in performance. I bored just enough people and received just enough cold receptions, that for a few years in my mid-twenties I did very little singing. It entered my consciousness that perhaps a lack of musicality was […]
Read Post Like Playing The Piano With Mittens.....Back To School, Part 2......Getting What You Came For.
Published September 13th, 2013 by Brad Jenks
My teacher, on his piano, had a tiny wicker basket, the bottom of which contained a cutout piece of paper that said, “Deposit Brain Here”. And while this anecdote will ring true in the ears of any teacher who has taught a know-it-all, it must be balanced against the reality that we are instructing people […]
Read Post Back To School, Part 2......Getting What You Came For.Back To School, Part 1.......Knowing Why.
Published August 21st, 2013 by Brad Jenks
Much like the terrible person who regularly attends church, there are plenty of people who leave school rather stupid. Affiliation with an institution may be an indication of a possible something, but is a guarantee of nothing. One of the rarely spoken truths about academia is that a degree is decidedly not the same thing […]
Read Post Back To School, Part 1.......Knowing Why.Hmm.... I always preferred Bastianini in this role. Could you sound like him please?
Published July 25th, 2013 by Brad Jenks
This post, a follow-up to my last one on voice-typing, has been surprisingly difficult to write. I began to suspect that it was because I was trying to make too many points at once. Not surprisingly, in my own head, these points are very intimately intwined. However, I kept getting stuck, realizing that as a […]
Read Post Hmm.... I always preferred Bastianini in this role. Could you sound like him please?Hi, I’m a High-low, Lyric-dramatic, Schwarze-spinto, Helden-leggero, something-or-other....and today I will be singing......whatever you want me to.
Published July 17th, 2013 by Brad Jenks
It is an interesting thing to hear young singers talking about their own voices. Probably no people are more prone to categorizing than the not-yet-employed young singer. Somewhere between the predictions of the teacher and the musical preferences of the aspiring singer, words begin to be thrown around, like dramatic, coloratura, helden-, spinto, soubrette, etc..... […]
Read Post Hi, I’m a High-low, Lyric-dramatic, Schwarze-spinto, Helden-leggero, something-or-other....and today I will be singing......whatever you want me to.Betrayed by our own language.......
Published July 10th, 2013 by Brad Jenks
Language is a tricky thing. I don't mean the study of languages, I mean our use of words. They are incredibly useful tools. They paint pictures that communicate things. They can communicate both the vague and the incredibly specific. But they can also communicate things we don't realize. Our choice of words can communicate things […]
Read Post Betrayed by our own language.......