Since the fall semester of 2005, I have enjoyed teaching voice and running the Opera program at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. One of the most exciting recent developments for our voice and opera students at UCF is the establishment of its new School of Performing Arts, which encourages increased interaction between the Music and Theatre Departments.
The most important goal of a singer is to express a text, to tell a story, and to evoke an emotional empathy and/or response from his/her audience. Vocal technique is of course a crucial tool used to accomplish that goal, but it is only a tool - a foundation - which allows the singer to express the music and text of their music. Continued and enhanced collaboration with UCF's Department of Theatre promises to offer our voice and opera students increased access to developing their acting skills along with their vocal skills.
Teaching classical voice requires a thorough knowledge of the vocal instrument, but also a basic understanding of the physics of sound [especially those physical properties of sound which allow a singer to be heard over a 100 piece orchestra in a 2,000+ seat theater without amplification], a keen sense of musicality, and accomplished communication skills which allow one to teach a variety of students, each with their own unique vocal instruments, learning styles, maturity/commitment levels, and previous history of musical and vocal study...
Having experienced (and continuing to experience) a first hand perspective of the life of a professional opera singer, I am confident in my understanding of what it takes for one to "make it" in the world of classical voice performance [and of course this means different things to different individuals]. You may read about my experiences elsewhere in this website, but having come to teaching only after a substantial career on the operatic stage, it is very important to me that students "see the big picture", that they understand some of the complexities of the profession, and that they "learn how to learn" [that they become self-teachers and self-motivators].
The study of vocal technique begins with the understanding that the vocal instrument can be divided into three critical parts - breath, phonation, and resonance. I teach students to understand and better control the breathing [first by exploring the simple natural function of the breathing mechanism and then by enhancing our economic control of the rate of exhalation] and resonance components [both in terms of correct language articulation and of vocal tract filtering with the intention of achieving register unification and efficient "projection"], while getting out of the way of the natural phonation aspect of the instrument...
The study of musicianship for a singer begins with a solid understanding of the text one wishes to express [Who am I in this musical selection and what has happened/is happening around me? What is it that I desire as this character, both in this moment and overall? Why does the text repeat here? What are the implications of that idiomatic phrase?, etc.] and music theory [Why does the composer use this rhythm, that ornamentation, this dynamic marking, those tempo, phrasing and articulation markings? etc.]
While voice study on it's own is divisible into these two principal components - technique [the "craft"] and musicianship [the "art"] - there are other aspects of preparation for the profession that must be addressed: professional behavior/responsibility, making good repertoire choices, and being passionate yet patient with one's vocal and career development, to name but a few. In the end, singers must possess an unquenchable thirst to discover, to the best of their ability, the composer's and author/poet/librettist's intent, and to develop the technical, linguistic, and musical skills to express that intent.
Please also check out Thomas's faculty bio page on the UCF website.
The most important goal of a singer is to express a text, to tell a story, and to evoke an emotional empathy and/or response from his/her audience. Vocal technique is of course a crucial tool used to accomplish that goal, but it is only a tool - a foundation - which allows the singer to express the music and text of their music. Continued and enhanced collaboration with UCF's Department of Theatre promises to offer our voice and opera students increased access to developing their acting skills along with their vocal skills.
Teaching classical voice requires a thorough knowledge of the vocal instrument, but also a basic understanding of the physics of sound [especially those physical properties of sound which allow a singer to be heard over a 100 piece orchestra in a 2,000+ seat theater without amplification], a keen sense of musicality, and accomplished communication skills which allow one to teach a variety of students, each with their own unique vocal instruments, learning styles, maturity/commitment levels, and previous history of musical and vocal study...
Having experienced (and continuing to experience) a first hand perspective of the life of a professional opera singer, I am confident in my understanding of what it takes for one to "make it" in the world of classical voice performance [and of course this means different things to different individuals]. You may read about my experiences elsewhere in this website, but having come to teaching only after a substantial career on the operatic stage, it is very important to me that students "see the big picture", that they understand some of the complexities of the profession, and that they "learn how to learn" [that they become self-teachers and self-motivators].
The study of vocal technique begins with the understanding that the vocal instrument can be divided into three critical parts - breath, phonation, and resonance. I teach students to understand and better control the breathing [first by exploring the simple natural function of the breathing mechanism and then by enhancing our economic control of the rate of exhalation] and resonance components [both in terms of correct language articulation and of vocal tract filtering with the intention of achieving register unification and efficient "projection"], while getting out of the way of the natural phonation aspect of the instrument...
The study of musicianship for a singer begins with a solid understanding of the text one wishes to express [Who am I in this musical selection and what has happened/is happening around me? What is it that I desire as this character, both in this moment and overall? Why does the text repeat here? What are the implications of that idiomatic phrase?, etc.] and music theory [Why does the composer use this rhythm, that ornamentation, this dynamic marking, those tempo, phrasing and articulation markings? etc.]
While voice study on it's own is divisible into these two principal components - technique [the "craft"] and musicianship [the "art"] - there are other aspects of preparation for the profession that must be addressed: professional behavior/responsibility, making good repertoire choices, and being passionate yet patient with one's vocal and career development, to name but a few. In the end, singers must possess an unquenchable thirst to discover, to the best of their ability, the composer's and author/poet/librettist's intent, and to develop the technical, linguistic, and musical skills to express that intent.
Please also check out Thomas's faculty bio page on the UCF website.