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ORIENTATIONS |
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garding identical facts. [Shaw 543] The teacher's lack of information is usually camouflaged by high-sounding phrases that "almost never mean anything to the student." [Redfield 462, p. 265 and p. 280; Scott 501, Foreword] "The ground is overrun by empiric theories . . . tone is worshipped as a fetish and confusion of doctrine prevails." [Davies 127, p. 75]
NEED FOR SYSTEMATIC TEACHER TRAINING
15. Many teachers of singing lack scientific or scholastic training. There is a dearth of thoroughly trained teachers. [Fellows 176] Teachers who are content with empirical knowledge often object to the scientific reports of others when they receive them. [Smith 567] "Specialists [in voice] too often remain ignorant of relevant facts in closely related fields." [Bartholomew 57] Authors of so-called singing methods are woefully ignorant regarding modern acoustical research. [Drew 147, p. 134]
16. Good singers often lack ability as teachers. "Many who are themselves good singers . . . make poor teachers of singing." [Wodell 681] Even the distinguished artists often "do not know how to explain themselves lucidly." [Herbert-Caesari 268] Great artists are seldom great teachers because they seldom know why they sing perfectly and why certain vocal deviations are disastrous. [Dossert 140, p. 16] This is especially true of so-called "natural" singers. [Henley 261] The great singer, preeminent in his art, but woefully lacking in scientific background, often presumes to offer instructions in the most scientific aspects of vocal anatomy, physiology, psychology and physics. Would that he were better equipped to express himself in accurate scientific language. [Drew 147]
17. Good teachers often lack ability as singers. "Out of every hundred persons who teach singing today . . . [there are] two who really know how to sing." [Frances Alda 6, p. 294]
PROFESSIONAL INSTABILITY
18. Lack of teaching standards. Vocal teaching methods and procedures are often haphazard, perfunctory, unscientific and even cabalistic. "Such teaching is apt to spell the ruin of a good voice." [Capell 92] If there are nearly as many methods as teachers it is because there is hardly any agreement among singers or teachers as to a standard, trustworthy method of singing. [Samoiloff 484, p. 5] "Every teacher has his own method." pDunkley 151, Preface] Conflicting methods and theories abound in the teaching of singing. [Hill 272, p. 53] Vocal teaching is less exact than any other branch of musical education. [Dossert 140, p. 11]
19. Lack of regulation of teacher qualifications. Charlatanry is quite |
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