Friends,
There were a LOT of amazing voice teachery things on The Internets this week; it was haaaarrrrd to pick just five (waaaaahhhh). BUT IT DID THAT JUST FOR YOU. BECAUSE I AM KIND AND FULL OF LOVE FOR YOU. yes. that.
1. favourite blog post: How to Teach Someone to Match Pitch by D. Brian Lee*
If you are an independent voice teacher, chances are HIGH that you have worked with a singer (or two, or four hundred thousand) who does not easily match pitch.** Well, in this blog post, Brian sums up some KEY POINTS to working with uncoordinated singers and you know what? They. Are. The. Boss (the key points. not the uncoordinated singers. although uncoordinated singers are also awesome. just in a different way than key points are.).
i may look like i am staring into your soul and willing you to read brian’s blog post. but what i am really doing is reminding you that it is time for wet food and you are a lazy-butt who needs to get out of bed to feed me that wet food. and, yes, an animal who sleeps twenty out of every twenty-four hours is totally judging you for missing the six AM wet food feeding.
2. favourite apps: Theory Apps from the Royal Conservatory of Music
I mean, FAR BE IT FROM ME to be all up in your face about how awesome the RCM is (oh wait: I may have done this already in the past. A little bit.) buuuuuut: these apps are pretty danged awesome. My young students especially really like them and their parents have fun doing the games with their kids so that’s doubly awesome, #amiright? And? Seeing as learning music terms is pretty-much straight memorization (ugh) my students are LOVING the “Terms” apps because they (#clichealert) MAKE LEARNING (aka straight memorization) FUN!
MAKE MEMORIZING TERMS FUN AGAIN. [If I was any kind of fancy blogger, I would photoshop (or whatever the modern equivalent is (canva?)) the picture on that screen to a list of obscure Italian music terms like, “comodo” (which: commode! BAHAHAHA #IAmTwelve). But I am not that blogger.]
3. favourite article: Why Kids with Executive Functioning Issues Have Trouble Starting Tasks from Understood.Org
Next time you think a student is lazy, or just a terrible, terrible student (I mean, you’ve GIVEN THEM ALL THE THINGS TO SUCCEED AT PRACTICING HOW COULD THEY NOT DO IT?!), consider this.
i am not lazy. i am a cat.
4. favourite FB live: Friday Five Live #37 – Studio Marketing 101 with Sara Campbell at Upbeat Piano Teachers
Yeah yeah yeah … Upbeat PIANO Teachers … I know, I KNOW. But guess what? EVERYTHING SARA TALKS ABOUT IN THIS FB LIVE IS TOTALLY, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT APPLICABLE TO UPBEAT SINGING TEACHERS TOO (see what I did there?). #pinkyswear (Also, Sara may or may not be a singing teacher too. #truestory)
[Guess what, friendternets? THERE ARE NO PICTURES OF UPBEAT CATS ON THE INTERNETS. Go ahead and google that. I’ll be right here waiting. Whole lot of humans looking very happy while holding cats, #amiright? Good golly, do I love me some sardonic, better-than-you, resting-beyotch-faced cats.]
5. favourite YouTube video: Human Body for Kids/Larynx for Kids/Larynx Facts for Kids from Kids Learning Tube
You know, if by “favourite” I actually mean “WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?!?”. (Also: #yourewelcome)***
no. seriously. WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?
And on that note, I wish you happy-weekending.
You can teach your face off … I can help.
*This blog post was written nearly EIGHT YEARS AGO. Brian is an early adapter. AND? HE’S WRITTEN A BOOK THAT YOU SHOULD BUY AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT. And in the meantime, you should sign up to get updates from him so you totally know when it comes out. So you can buy it. (Not that I’m telling you what you should do or anything. Except that I really am.)
**If you are an academic teacher, chances are HIGH that you have not worked with a singer who does not easily match pitch. Because: it’s pretty danged tricky / bordering on the MIRACULOUS to get into a university voice programme if you can’t match pitch. #justsayin
*** All y’all can thank my student, Lindsay M for forwarding that little bit of WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW to me.
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