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CONCEPTS OF VOCAL PEDAGOGY |
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7. "In learning a song, the problem should be simplified and the learning made more effective and frequently faster, by eliminating one or more of the variables/' Experimental research provides evidence to support this conclusion. Bartholomew 39]
8. Humming a tune every day will keep the vocal instrument "properly exercised" and the musical faculty alive. [Samuels 487]
9. Ideally, vocal practice should not be attempted in confined quarters, but rather out in the open, in the out-door environment of the country. [Berg&re 45]
10. When practicing, the use of a mirror, even for the artist, will prevent unnatural grimaces and gestures. [Little 349; Hagara 220]
11. Ten minutes at a time for practicing exercises is the limit for beginners. This period may be repeated two or three times a day. [Drew 147, p. 169]
12. A singing student's voice should never be used much more than an hour at a time. [Elizabeth Schumann 498]
13. In the beginning of the practice period, the work should be "moderate and gradual." [Emma Otero 440]
14. Sing in a standing position, whenever possible. All other positions are "more or less unnatural." [Laine 330]
SUMMARY AND INTERPRETATION
A final consideration of the 690 concepts of vocal pedagogy, subsumed in 29 categories in this chapter, leads to the conclusion that instructional guidance is woefully lacking in this area, in the 702 texts and articles examined. It is also apparent that authors of vocal texts are loathe to reveal their traditional trade secrets. Some authors are more pedagogically minded than others but are ill-equipped to transmit their inept empirical formulations through the impersonal medium of the printed word. Occasional pretentious claims for this or that methodology are weakened for want of factual support, although the laudable reputations and experience of the authors sometimes lend specious credibility to these claims. The brief and fragmentary treatment of many topics confirms the belief that authors are prone to evade the transmission of direct information to the lay reader. In the absence of specific methodological content, a few tenuous generalities often provide the only bases for formulating pedagogical procedures. Altogether, most of these statements cry out for confirmation and proof.
But the material on vocal pedagogy is not without interest and possible value, since the correlation of many diversified instructional viewpoints |
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