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Amateur Singers

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4150
Printed Date: 5/05/24 at 8:20pm
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Topic: Amateur Singers
Posted By: rjnestor
Subject: Amateur Singers
Date Posted: 7/29/09 at 11:07pm
As a music director for many, many amateur, educational, and professional musicals, I encounter singers at all levels, and I'm sure many of you do too.

I recently created a website where untrained or under-trained singers can download lessons to safely strengthen their voices. It's BeginningToSing.com ( http://www.beginningtosing.com/ - http://www.beginningtosing.com ), and if you encounter anyone who would be interested, please send them my way.

Thanks!



Replies:
Posted By: TonyDi
Date Posted: 7/30/09 at 7:52am
Hmmm?  Interesting!! But aren't YOU doing the same thing as you state here (YOUR words)...... "Many singing lessons marketed online are touted as complete courses, but anyone who claims they can make you a professional singer without hearing you sing is selling you snake oil".
 
How do YOU hear what the student is doing?  Is there some sort of "exchange" of audio files so you CAN determine what they're doing right or wrong?
 
I listened to your clips and those of your students.  They're fine.  But quite frankly, as a trained singer and voice teacher for nearly 50 years myself, I do NOT recommend doing something like this ONLINE or in this case from audio files sent via E-Mail.  If people want to learn to sing then I recommend they find a reputable, LOCAL, trusted teacher who can guide them from the outset, who can recognize the needs to keep a student vocally healthy, safe from damaging concepts and ideas that they might not understand completely but can have clearly and logically defined for them so they DO understand the concepts of correct vocal production.  And truthfully, I've never seen that happen from an audio or video series and produce successful results....ever!!
 
Sorry - don't mean to shoot down your process.  Just don't know how you can make claims about other online courses - complete or not - and do the same thing yourself.....and be honest about it.  I NEVER EVER would try to teach a long-distance student.  Just doesn't work.  The student - each and every one - is unique as an individual and must be nurtured properly, over time and with great care to keep from damaging the instrument and knowing how to correct their problems by being there and seeing what it is they're doing and how they're doing it....or not.  Audio files don't cut it.  And if you think they do, then honestly I must question your abilities.  Been there, done that - for far too long to accept that this method is little more than a basic intro that without proper training, can ruin potential singers when there is no-one there to guide them along the path to proper vocal production.  Just my opinion, and I'm entitled to it I suppose, like anyone else would be. Puts me in mind of Expert Village offerings online or using YouTube to train singers.  I mean....come on!!  Does NOT work.
 
However, I hope you are successful at selling your idea.  I just don't see it as a reasonable, SAFE (and you made that bold too on your website) way to accomplish what is an indepth, lifelong study that requires a good, solid, well versed teacher from the beginning to nurture and build and sculpt the voice naturally, working with whatever is there to begin with, and then CAREFULLY building upon that to whatever potential they might have or can achieve.  Then it's imperative to maintain the voice properly so that the student can enjoy singing for the rest of their lives and not be a "flash in the pan" for a few years to only damage it through misuse, misunderstanding of proper vocal production techniques and concepts and well considered proper usage.  I've seen too many VAGUE representations that a student might SAY  they "get" and really don't.  And without constant contact with the student, they often can confuse what those vague concepts mean and thus can and often DO, more damage than really should have occurred if they were taught properly by a qualified teacher - such that they COULD understand and apply concepts and techniques to properly build a solid foundation for singing properly.
 
Just my opinion.  But I've seen this kind of thing before and I've never seen it work.  I'd have to have a lot more proof and not just a couple endorsements by those for whom this MIGHT have worked - but then perhaps they were talented enough to begin with. Hard to say.
 
Good luck. And again, sorry but I don't mean to offend anyone.  But I'm expressing my educated opinion. Take it or leave it doesn't matter to me. I doubt too many people will read this anyway, so "caveat emptor"..let the buyer beware!!
 
 
TonyDi
 


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"Almost famous"


Posted By: rjnestor
Date Posted: 7/30/09 at 8:13am
Actually, I'm not doing the same thing, because I'm not touting it as a complete course. At several points, both in the website text and in the lessons themselves, I acknowledge that students need to study privately to achieve "complete" results.

The site is called "BeginningToSing.com" for that reason. It is a basic course, with fundamental concepts.

And it IS that way because I agree with you completely.

Thanks for your input!



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