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CONCEPTS OF VOCAL PEDAGOGY |
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Is it steady or unsteady? Is it produced with the right mechanism? Has it the necessary breath support? Has it a vibrato? Is the vocal organ free from tension; if not where is the tension located? Is the tone effortless or strained? Is the tone expressive or characterless? etc. Obviously the pupil cannot possibly check himself on all these criteria during an unsupervised practice period. Hence he needs constant supervision. [112] Wilson disagrees with this viewpoint, however. He writes: "The idea that students should not practice by themselves from the beginning is a strange fallacy. It is the duty of the teacher to establish habits immediately" that will enable the student to practice by himself. However, the student should receive constant guidance and should be cautioned that "frequent short periods of practice are better than one long period that may be too tiring." [674> P- 5]
Silent practicing as a device. Silent practice is an act of mental concentration in which a vocal exercise is visualized and mentally performed without any perceptible audible or visible effects. The suggestion is made that it is possible and advantageous to practice in silence, by singing a song mentally, in proper tempo, until it is learned. This obviates vocal fatigue, aids concentration and, in general facilitates the memorization of songs. [Laine 330] "Silent singing . . . stimulates musical thinking.** [Brown 68] Silent exercises can be practiced "for the development of muscular strength and flexibility in the larynx** and in other vocal muscles. [Skiles 561] All the vocal muscles may be exercised mentally, without producing any audible sound. [Hagara 220, p. 116] Silent exercise is an invaluable form of exercise. It can be practiced abundantly, even **while travelling in the train or street car." [NoveHo-Davies 430, p. 50]
The use of piano accompaniment Accompaniment is defined as "the musical background provided by a less important for a more important
part. . . . The term also refers to the support given to a soloist (singer) by a pianist.** [Harvard Dictionary of Music 704] The main purpose of a piano accompaniment during the vocal lesson or vocal practice period is "to sustain the pitch and give body, variety and completeness to the effect." (W) But the fact that the accompanying instrument tends to guide the voice constantly by keeping it on its true melodic pitch line, creates a type of aural dependency which, in the long run, may be detrimental to the singer, especially while he is practicing. For this reason it is deemed objectionable by some teachers. "All singers should accustom themselves to singing without instrumental aid," is Pierce's advice [447, p. ix] "Use the piano as little as possible in practicing," says Ryan. [480, p. 72] Laine is even more emphatic. "I advise each one (student) to do no vocalizing at the piano at all." [330] "No musician except the singer ever has an- |
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