Category: Pedagogy
The Hell of Poor Breathing
Published March 22nd, 2019 by Brad Jenks
It seems there is an appetite right now for shows like Lucifer and The Good Place, which spend many hours of plot reimagining old takes on the Salvation and Damnation theme. I, like many others, have lately found myself enjoying them, especially with their thought-provoking and entertaining takes on the matter; perhaps most especially the […]
Read Post The Hell of Poor BreathingOh, Blow It Out Your Sing-Hole....
Published July 1st, 2015 by Brad Jenks
Cornell MacNeil: "Let us take a word commonly used by singers – support. What does it mean? To some people it means absolute rigidity, which will destroy them!" Jerome Hines: "Support is usually equated with you Italian word appoggio." C. MacNeil: "Appoggio… Which means setting upon… something completely different from support. We think of support […]
Read Post Oh, Blow It Out Your Sing-Hole....The Sound Of Style - Basses Need Not Apply....
Published May 22nd, 2015 by Brad Jenks
Following on the train of thought from my last posting (The Cricothyroid Rosary), I have been reflecting on the issue of style-appropriate sound. This is a common theme in pedagogical circles these days, and even in the voice sciences where observers seek to ascertain what physical changes occur when switching from style to style. This […]
Read Post The Sound Of Style - Basses Need Not Apply....Good Golly Miss Molly, You Sure Talk Purty!
Published March 3rd, 2015 by Brad Jenks
“That’s all poetry is, in a sense. It slows you down rather beautifully. And you just enjoy the bounce and heft and glory of one word following another.” […]
Read Post Good Golly Miss Molly, You Sure Talk Purty!Funny You Should Ask..... I Have No Idea
Published February 7th, 2015 by Brad Jenks
Over the last year I have had a handful of conversations with colleagues on the subject of “technical” content in vocal instruction. Some are strong proponents of in-depth technical instruction. Many find great success with their students teaching largely through sensory imagery. And there is certainly no shortage of strong opinion on which is more […]
Read Post Funny You Should Ask..... I Have No IdeaA Crackin’ Good Time!
Published December 18th, 2014 by Brad Jenks
A little unintentional yodeling around the holidays, anyone? A few days back, my student load was mostly beginners. Throughout the day, this particular crop were shuddering any time their voices wiggled or cracked. Encouraging them to be bold in spite of this, I began to think about the degree of anxiety they demonstrated over cracking. […]
Read Post A Crackin’ Good Time!The Marionette Lesson
Published November 11th, 2014 by Brad Jenks
I have, of late, been doing some pedagogical reflection on the nature of the voice lesson. Over the last two years or so, I have felt increasingly old-school, all the while sensing that social notions of singing are trending quite the opposite direction. Feeling this tension I began to wonder what on earth is to […]
Read Post The Marionette LessonTalent 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....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....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.....