What do I need for my lesson?
Whether a seasoned regular or coming for your very first lesson, here are a few things you might want to bring or think about to attend your lesson, and to get the most out of the experience.
Music
What have you been studying/learning? Bring that, and bring a second copy to share with your teacher/pianist.
Any music you are performing with your choir, church solos, stage shows. Even if you don’t plan to sing it, it may become relevant for technical or performance reasons.
A pencil
Whether working digitally or with paper music, bring a pencil to make notes and mark your music.
A notebook, or recorder to record the lesson if agreed with your teacher
Either are fine with me, but it makes sense to be able to write down broader technical and performance ideas for your practise later.
An open mind
This is your time to work on your goals - so to help you do this fully come ready to play, work, experiment, and learn. Put aside the everyday distractions for now and enjoy this time to concentrate on your voice and performance.
“You do get better at even the things you’re terrible at, if you practice.”
Before the lesson
What you wear
Think about wearing something you are comfortable in, that allows you to move and work physically. We will be doing stretches, and sometimes use weights/pilates bands and other equipment as part of our work together.
Food and drink
Make sure you have eaten and drunk enough before the lesson to feel comfortable standing and working physically. If you wish to drink water during the lesson, lay it out to bring with you. By personal preference, I prefer not to drink while singing, but I don’t mind if you do.
Warm-up
You may wish to have a short vocalise or warm-up before you arrive, check in with your voice and see how it feels today, if you are experiencing anything different you can bring this up at the start of the lesson. This might also include feeling if you have any tension.
Lastly, a little reassurance. I am human, I have made many mistakes, I have sometimes found practise hard to fit into life or had other things going on that make work/life tricky. Please feel free to let me know of anything that might affect our session together that you think I should know about. I fit around you and your needs.
I do not expect that every pupil arrives a perfect and finished product - that simply isn’t real life! Sometimes the best lessons are the ones that happen responding to the voice and singer as they turn up that day. So please don’t worry that you feel you should have done x, y, or z. Hopefully all teachers feel this way and should be understanding!
grow
growth as a performer and why it is good for us
“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still”
In our blog today we are thinking about growth. In an attempt to allow balance in my work and personal life I have enjoyed trying to reflect the seasons more. I am learning to accept quiet times and use them for learning/technical work, planning (usually the dark winter months) and enjoy them knowing that busier times always come, particularly in the warm sunny summer months. Some people try ‘wintering’, a sort of modern-day hibernating - is this something you have tried?
So as we are now in spring, I am thinking of growth. What is growth in our performing life? Why is growth important? How can we grow?
What is growth?
We’ve all felt that nagging feeling that we are ‘stuck’, failing to progress, or being given work that does not stretch us - and felt frustration from those feelings! We don't always feel that we are in a position to progress at a pace we are happy with. So taking some ownership is helpful to plan your own development.
So what can you do? It’s a case of ‘Show: don’t tell’. Don't waste time telling people, find ways to do it!
Why is growth good for us?
Having a growth mindset means believing that effort and skill development will better your life.
As humans, having a ‘growth mindset’ is linked with higher levels of wellbeing and better mental health.
Those with a growth mindset are found to have better ability to cope with stress and anxiety.
Have a quick google to read more about growth mindset and how it might help you!
Tips to grow
Choose new repertoire, research something you haven’t yet learned. Perhaps if you are a singer you could brush up your language skills, or learn a new song cycle?
Tackle the technique you have been having difficulty with. We all come to a point where we need to address something that has been causing us difficulty - maybe there is someone who can help you do that or you can ask your teacher to help you find ways to work it out.
Work with someone new. A new accompanist, a new group of musicians, a new teacher, a new coach, a music course… Get a fresh perspective and ask their advice.
Be brave. Challenges help you to figure out the true extent of your abilities. Experimenting in lessons and with teachers is a safe space to try.
Remove the fear of failure. If you try something in a safe space, failure is not a problem, and growth is more likely as you will not be holding back.