What type of clinician would you like SNATS to provide in Spring 2018?

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Recital today during Convocation

Reverie Berger, mezzo-soprano
and 
Matthew Anderson, guitar

...today in HRH at 12:20 during Convocation!

It's a wonderful program of pieces for guitar and voice and arrangements of same that you'll rarely hear. Plus...it's required attendance for voice students.

Enjoy!

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Performance videos

Hi folks,

I'm enjoying seeing your videos from yesterday's performance class! Keep 'em coming...they're making my day. :-)

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Let's not start a pattern...

Darling students,

This week, I had two students not show up for a lesson. One canceled 18 minutes before her lesson, which counts as a no-show (see the syllabus); one simply did not come to scheduled makeup lesson. These are times set aside weekly for one-on-one work with a teacher devoted to helping you improve, which does not happen anywhere else on campus.

Now, I now what I am writing doesn't apply to some or even most of you. But one occurrance is odd, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. I am writing this post to avoid this becoming a pattern, because it's close.

I encourage you all to review your syllabus.

What if you're not as prepared as you'd like, and you're worried about coming to your lesson? Well, that is for you to weigh. You can come, earn at least some points by being there and sucking it up, and learn at least a little something. You can come and speak through the text if the language is a problem. You can come and work with me to better plan how you spend your practice time. You can at least get some technique work done.

Everyone bombs a lesson once in a while. It won't kill your grade if it happens only once or even twice a semester. Sometimes the weeks fill up, tests accumulate, your roommate is driving you crazy, or someone in your family gets sick. Life happens; I get that. But if coming in unprepared or underprepared, being chronically late, or being unready to sing in performance class is becoming a habit, then it's a problem...for you, not me.

If coming to a lesson when you're unprepared is so painful for you that you refuse to endure the evil eye or even a mini-lecture about your grade, that's your call. Getting a zero for the week may hurt less than taking your licks and getting a 50. But I assure you, the only thing that suffers more than your ego if you don't come is your grade.

This is about more than grades, though. This is about responsibility, learning how to manage your time, and deciding if music is really what you want to do with your life. If your behavior is telling me that you don't really want to do this, believe me when I say that I'm doing you a favor by informing you sooner rather than later.

And know that I am saying all of this because I WANT you to succeed, and I'm trying to prevent you from failing. But only you can make that choice.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Opening for a makeup lesson

HI folks,

I have an opening for a makeup lesson tomorrow (Thursday) at 2. Any takers? Email or text me.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Are you practicing the right things?

This is a great article about practice, with important implications for your work in the practice room.

Are you practicing the things you already do well? If so, you're probably wasting your time.

Are you expecting practice to always be enjoyable? If so, you may be setting expectations that are unhelpful.

Are you planning carefully your practice sessions? If not, you may not be accomplishing what's needed.

Food for thought!

Performance videos

Folks, only one of you sent me a video of Friday's performance, and everyone who performed was required to do so. You know who you are.

I know who you are, too. GIT 'ER DONE!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Missing my students...

Darlings, though I'm away this week, you are in my thoughts. I hope you are practicing diligently!

Since time is short before the student recital on the 23rd, and since there are so many people who need to sing, please plan to sing this week and next, especially if you have not sung yet. I won't be there in person, but if you sing, record yourself just as you do in lessons and send the video to me as an attachment in a text or an email. Have your friends help: just about anyone can hold up your phone and record your performance in class. Because you'll learn so much by seeing what you do under pressure, I recommend you do this every time you sing in class! While I'm gone, though, it's not just a recommendation...it's a requirement.

Break a leg, dears. See you Monday.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Voice Performance Class 4/19

We will all meet together in HRH today, 4/19/19.