Gateways Are Not Gates

By John Glenn Paton

Gates may be open or shut. But a gateway invites you in, gives you a friendly access. That’s why three of Alfred’s collections of classical art songs are called “Gateway” books—they invite you to come in and explore a repertoire that, frankly, requires a bit of introduction.

The first two Gateway books gave voice students the basic repertoire they needed in Italian Art Songs and German Lieder. Our third and newest, Gateway to French Mélodies, gives them a helping hand with a style that students often find a bit scary. French is full of pitfalls for singers: unfamiliar vowel sounds, multiple silent letters, and consonants that are sometimes heard and sometimes not, even in the same word. In the Gateway books, such problems are solved by the phonetic system for pronunciation called IPA that is now taught in nearly all university music departments. The IPA pronunciations are placed right next to the printed song, where the teacher and student can look at them together. Translations are there, too, along with notes about interpretation. There’s no need to flip back and forth between different parts of the book or even to buy a separate book.

We expect a lot from classical singers. They are supposed to sing in at least four languages, even if English is the only one they learned in high school. And they have to know the meanings of the words they sing if they want to reach the hearts, not just the ears, of their listeners.

Singing in recitals in my student years, I used to hope that there was no one in the audience who really spoke the language that I was trying to sing! My goal with the Gateway books was that today’s voice students should understand their songs better than I did as a student. Shamefully, I didn’t always understand the meanings of my songs very well. The resources just didn’t exist then. But with the Gateway books, students and teachers have everything they need to prepare for a meaningful performance that makes an emotional impact on their listeners.

Wishing you the best in all your musical endeavors,
John Glenn Paton

Prima la Parola, Seconda la Musica (First the Words, then the Music)

By Jennifer Seiger, Adjunct Instructor of Voice,
North Carolina State University

How does one begin the process of taking a song from an unknown new piece of music to a fully memorized and expressive personal statement? Often, one opens a book, heads to the keyboard, and begins plunking out the notes of the melody bit by bit, singing through short musical and textual phrases in much the same way as one might pick their way along an unfamiliar, rocky path. As a young singer this was my standard method of music learning. Along the way I added translations and IPA for any foreign language songs, but I always began with the notes.

This was until my first opera apprenticeship. The company director looked at the chorus of apprentices during one of the staging rehearsals—most of us armed with index cards for the words we had not yet been able to commit to memory—and shouted, “You all learn your music backwards! It shouldstart with the libretto!” The libretto—the words—and not the notes were his suggested
“point A.”

Backwards is the new forwards. Not only do I approach any songs that I will perform from memory in this way, I encourage this method of learning among all of my private students. As singers, we have to communicate a text in addition to singing beautiful, musical gestures. Using the text as the starting point creates deep, multi-layered memorization.

The first step is to isolate the text. Before going any further, memorize the text of your song completely—including repetitions of words or phrases as they have been set by the composer. For foreign language pieces, this will include the translation and phonetic pronunciation. Speak the text, write it out, record it and listen to your own playback—whatever method enables you to remember each detail. A valuable time of day for memory work is that time just before we go to sleep. Let the poetry you will be singing be the last thing you focus on before you sleep. When you wake in the morning, see how easily you can recall the poem or text.

Next, look at the rhythmic structure of the piece. Often the rhythm of the music will be an outgrowth of the rhythm of the naturally spoken text. Learn to speak the text in rhythm. Notice where the strong beats help emphasize the stressed syllable in a given word, or the climactic word within a phrase. And then, how can you make the text stresses work in the places where the rhythm does not provide this underlying support? When speaking the text rhythmically, use a sing-song approach that allows you to incorporate elements of articulation and dynamics.

With these two steps you have built a solid foundation for the next layer—the music. Students often remark how easily they are able to marry tune and text—even when the melodies are wide-ranging or full of leaps. The more difficult the melodic material, the greater the benefit of already having the text and rhythm memorized. Finally, with all of the information you have accumulated, interpret the piece and allow the diligence of your preparation to blossom into full artistic expression!

Song Selection for Beginning Singers in Five Simple Steps

By Andy Beck
Managing Editor, School Choral and Classroom Publications

One of the most important tasks we take on as vocal teachers is the selection of repertoire for our students. Each of us has an unofficial (or official) list of standard favorites, but finding the perfect fit for our youngest singers’ vocal skills, musicianship, personal tastes, and personalities is critical to their growth.  Here is a simple checklist for approaching repertoire selection.

1. Vocal Range (“I can’t hit that note!”)

There are two things to consider: singing in a comfortable tessitura allows students to develop optimal vocal tone and freedom; and, carefully exploring a few pitches outside of the most comfortable zone can expand a developing vocal range. For beginning singers it is best to err on the side of caution, working primarily in the healthiest part of the voice to develop good singing habits.

2. Appropriate Musical Challenges (“Can I hear that again, please?”)

Again, there are two areas of concern. The first is melody. Are the intervals achievable? Does the melody provide a desirable contour for cultivating this singer’s most beautiful, natural tone quality? The second is rhythm. Can the student comprehend and master the rhythms required? Avoid teaching by rote at all costs. But rather, teach music reading as an essential skill for all singers, slowly progressing to more advanced concepts.

3. Supportive Piano Accompaniments (“Don’t you play my part?”)

Developing vocal independence can be quite challenging. A supportive piano part can make a big difference. For “first-timers,” melodies may need to be doubled note-for-note throughout an arrangement. Then, as next step, look for chordal accompaniments that avoid clashing with the vocal line and provide clear rhythmic direction.

4. Text and Subject Matter (“Sorry, but I don’t get it.”)

In order to create a compelling performance, vocalists of any age should sing with expression and emotion. Even when it’s as simple as joy, sadness, surprise, or anger, the meaning of a text must be fully understood and internalized before a singer can convincingly deliver the song. Choose subjects that are appropriate for the age of the performer, ones with which they can easily associate.

5. Overall Appeal (“I love that song!”)

A big part of teaching a young singer is motivating them with songs that they find enjoyable. It is through an aesthetic connection to repertoire that students will most easily develop artistry. The very best teachers know when to challenge a singer with a foreign language, a sophisticated poem, or an advanced musical concept, but they also know how to balance challenges with songs that are just plain fun!

Finding repertoire that meets all of the criteria above may seem like a tall order, but happily Alfred offers an entire series that fits the bill. Our “READY TO SING . . .” Series features songs arranged for piano and voice in a simple style appropriate for beginning and young soloists, unison classroom singing, and elementary choral groups. Uncomplicated piano accompaniments double or strongly support the singer, keys are carefully selected to accommodate moderate vocal ranges, and the wide variety of texts and subjects are age-appropriate. Plus, these books are cost-effective, offering reproducible melody-line song sheets for each song. Learn more about the four books in this series by clicking through the links in this blog!

Ready to Sing . . .  Folk Songs Arranged by Jay Althouse

Ready to Sing . . .  Spirituals Arranged by Jay Althouse

Ready to Sing . . .  Christmas Arranged by Jay Althouse

Ready to Sing . . .  Broadway Arranged by Andy Beck

Assembling a Vocal Library

By Sally K. Albrecht
Director of School Choral & Classroom Publications

Growing up, I was always busy as an accompanist. I played for musicals, choirs, solo singers, and
instrumentalists alike. When I was in middle school, I accompanied my two older high school sisters and their singing friends at vocal solo contests all over the state of Ohio. Generally, I was handed a vocal collection or some kind of book or piece of sheet music from which to play.

In my junior year of college, I began taking some voice lessons. My teacher always insisted I purchase the necessary books at the beginning of each semester, even if we were only going to study one or two
songs from the collection.

My next voice teacher didn’t do that. She just made me photocopies of specific songs from her fabulous library of music. It saved me some money at the time, but a few years down the road, when I was teaching and wanted to perform those songs or see what else of interest might have been in those
collections, I had no way of knowing where those treasures had come from! (And way back then, in the dark ages, I couldn’t just search a song title on the internet to find out!)

Fast forward a few decades, and here I am now, closing in on my 30th anniversary in the music publishing industry. Maybe I didn’t know all of the rules about photocopying then, but I have a feeling my instructor did. And, to be honest, I did toss those illegal copies many years (and moves) ago. But I still really wish I had at least some of those songs/books in my vocal library.

So do your students a favor: work with them to purchase those wonderful and important tools called vocal anthologies. What a great investment it will be for their future. Teach your singers how to order music from a retailer. Help them start to assemble an appropriate, important, and wonderful vocal library, containing a variety of literature that will help them grow as performers.

Here’s my list of top “basic” books from Alfred that will stand the test of time in your vocal library. Most are available in Medium High and Medium Low voicings, with or without accompaniment CDs.

1. 26 Italian Songs and Arias – Ed. by John Glenn Paton. Contains the most important songs and arias, along with background information and translations. By far, the best edition on the market.

2. Singer’s Library of Song – Compiled & Ed. by Patrick M. Liebergen. Features 37 songs from the Medieval era through the 20th Century, with historical information, IPA, and translations where needed. Includes a few songs in several different languages, plus a handful of folk songs and spirituals… something for everyone. An excellent potpourri for developing vocalists.

3. Folk Songs for Solo Singers – Compiled & Ed. by Jay Althouse. Volume 1 contains 11 arrangements (including the favorite contest solo “Homeward Bound”). I also enjoy the variety of songs in Volume 2 (features 14 arrangements). And now, look to the left side of this email and you’ll see another great new choice, American Folk Songs for Solo Singers!

4. The Spirituals of Harry T. Burleigh – Arr. by Harry T. Burleigh. An incredible anthology of 48 awesome spiritual settings. Did you know that we recently recorded accompaniment CDs (set of 2) for this collection? There’s a reason most of these arrangements have been in print continuously since around 1920. Did I mention that these arrangements are truly awesome?

5. Favorite Sacred Classics for Solo Singers – Compiled & Ed. by Patrick M. Liebergen. Features 18 wellknown sacred classics by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and others. You’ll be ready to sing in any church or recital hall.

6. Singer’s Library of Musical Theatre – Two huge volumes are available for each of the four voice parts, with songs specific to those ranges in their original keys. Songs from Anything Goes, Chicago, Funny Girl, Mamma Mia, My Fair Lady, Pippin, Ragtime, Seussical The Musical, and more. Wow!

7. Standards for Solo Singers – Arr. by Jay Althouse. I just gotta have some Gershwin, Porter, Ellington, Mercer, Carmichael, and Arlen to make me feel complete! The Great American Songbook—”Great American Art Songs” in my book!

8. Holiday Hits for Solo Singers – Compiled by Andy Beck. Truly, the ultimate anthology of popular holiday solos. Great for seasonal recitals and productions. Take this book with you to Grandma’s house on Christmas day, and you’ll get the whole family singing along on their favorite tunes!

A Different Kind of Music

By Lynn Ahrens
Broadway Lyricist

As a lyricist for stage and film, I’ve been privileged to have my work performed by some of the greatest singers of our time—from opera star Bryn Terfel to Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, from the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, to the dazzling soprano, Audra McDonald. In my heart of hearts, I wish I could sing like these artists—with ease, clarity, and bravura. But that wish won’t be coming true any time soon. I have a small, airy voice that can carry a tune but wouldn’t carry past the footlights, much less reach to the last row of a theater. (I do sound pretty good in the shower, though.)

Luckily, I can write. And having auditioned many hundreds of actors over the
years for my own shows, I’ve noticed that it isn’t always the person with the best voice who wins a singing role. Very often we writers are even more persuaded by the intelligence, passion, charm, or emotional honesty a performer is able to convey through the lyrics. In fact, lyrics can show off your abilities in an audition just as effectively as hitting a high C. You don’t necessarily need a “big voice” to put across a song.

Music is mysteriously able to evoke deep feelings and moods in a powerful, nonverbal, and sometimes even subliminal way. It’s pure emotion. My longtime collaborator, composer Stephen Flaherty, is a master musical dramatist, and the music he creates is as evocative as any you will find written for theater.

But it is the lyrics of songs that allow us to literally sing stories, present ideas, and delineate characters. Lyrics are a different kind of music, providing opportunities for acting and storytelling that are every bit as compelling as the spoken scenes in a great play or the highest and most thrilling notes in a song.

Whether it’s a rousing ballad like “I Was Here” from our show The Glorious Ones, the tense drama of “Your Daddy’s Son” from Ragtime, a light, comic number such as “It’s Possible” from Seussical, or the intimate and simple “Love Who You Love” from A Man of No Importance, I work hard to make lyrics that are conversational and accessible. There’s no “replay” button in live performance, so an audience needs to be able to “get” a song in exactly one listening. In striving for clarity, I also make sure that words and phrases are not mis-accented on the wrong “syll-AH-ble” and that rhymes don’t distract the ear by being too fancy. I line up words so they roll easily off the singer’s tongue. And I try to imbue a sense of poetry and imagery, creating word pictures in the lyrics that help the listener “see” what all the singing is about.

Of course, as a performer you’ll always try to sing as well as you possibly can. But if you pay close attention to the lyrics, a song can become not only a showcase for your voice, but also a showcase for you as a person. By all means show off your fantastic “money notes” and your four-octave range. But also choose songs with lyrics that reveal your personality and your heart. That’s just as important.

Whether you plan to perform on a stage or in the shower like me, I hope every
one of our vocal selections will provide you with opportunities not only to sing some beautiful tunes, but also to express yourself truthfully, personally, and compellingly in lyrics.

Please visit our website, ahrensandflaherty.com.

What Can NATS Do For Me?

An Invitation from the National Association of Teachers of Singing

By Deborah Thurlow,
Treasurer, MDDC NATS; co-owner The Musical Source, Inc

In today’s tight teaching market, those who conduct choirs and teach singing may not be trained singers themselves. They often get stuck in a rut of “catch phrases” that are supposed to teach or coach students how to sing better, such as “increase support “ or “sing from your diaphragm.” Are these really understandable instructions to students? Does the director understand what he/she is asking? Vocal instructional language needs clarity. So, where can a vocal instructor go to learn how to be a better educator verbally, and a better singer physically?

Of course, there are numerous resources available to increase your knowledge and vocal skills. Besides books, DVDs, and choral workshops at MEA and ACDA conferences, consider joining NATS (not the Washington, DC baseball team), but the National Association of Teachers of Singing, or at the very least, consider taking a lesson or two with a member.

NATS is an international organization of professional teachers and coaches who teach people how to sing (http://www.nats.org/). Founded in 1944, it now boasts over 6,500 members worldwide. In the US, every state has at least one chapter. As a member, you receive The Journal of Singing, which contains scholarly articles on composers, song literature, diction, vocal pedagogy issues, and vocal health issues, plus reviews of new books, music, CDs, and DVDs on singing. In the last five years, NATS has given greater emphasis to the pedagogy of singing popular styles, especially musical theatre. Both journal articles and national workshops have been devoted to musical theatre vocal training.

Every year, each NATS state chapter holds Student Auditions in high school, collegiate, and continuing education categories for both classical and musical theatre singers. This is an opportunity for students to be evaluated by other voice teachers and for students to learn how to audition—a process necessary for any singer, even the amateur choral singer trying to get into the city chorus. During the yearly state Student Auditions, the top scorers in every category are invited to go on to the regional level. National NATS is split into nine regions throughout the US, and each region has a subsequent weekend event after state conferences, giving another opportunity for voice teachers to meet colleagues from different
states, hear new information from a master clinician, and practice adjudicating students. The topscoring students sing again for another set of adjudicators, and get to observe and learn from their peers.

Yearly, NATS offers national workshops on specific topics in various locations in the US. For example Let’s Make Music Together: The Art of Collaboration is being held in Milwaukee, WI, at the end of March with opera singer Denyce Graves and pianist Warren Jones. In July, NATS is offering Guys and Gals of Broadway featuring musical theatre veteran Craig Carnelia, held at the University of NC, Charlotte. On the alternate year, a national conference is held, which covers numerous topics and offers lots of great recitals, as well as wonderful camaraderie. The next one will be held from June 29-July 3, 2012, in Orlando, FL.

NATS also offers a Young Teaching Intern Program, which offers an intensive workshop for young teachers to teach voice lessons in front of master voice teachers. NATS members who are voice scientists conduct and report on vocal research, and often work in conjunction with The Voice Foundation, a sister organization which offers further scientific study of the voice. NATS is a great network for job and business opportunities that involve singing, such as the Job Board on the NATS website.

For a number of years, NATS leadership has been creating liaisons with other professional music organizations, such as the National Opera Association (NOA), the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Recently, on March 10, 2011, some of the national NATS leadership gave a presentation to about 800 ACDA members attending the national convention in Chicago. Their PowerPoint presentation, “Choral Directors are from Mars and Voice Teachers are from Venus: Sing from the Diaphragm and other Vocal Mistructions” can be found at www.nats.org, for anyone interested in the main topics of discussion. This presentation was an invitation for choral conductors, along with any teacher guiding singing in the classroom or in a one-onone instructional situation, to embrace the concept of healthy singing and look at the kind of language they use to teach.

So why think about joining yet another professional organization, such as NATS? As a vocal educator, you are responsible for shaping and honing your students’ voices. Each of them only has one voice—ever. Healthy singing is key to a successful choral and vocal music program. For information on NATS, go to www.nats.org, or contact me or any NATS member: deb@musicalsource.com, 202-387-7401 x12.

Getting the Meanings Right

By John Glenn Paton
Editor, Alfred Vocal Masterworks Series

I love poetry. I love music more, but poetry and music added together make up the art that grabbed me at an early age. Once a voice teacher said to me, “We sing in Italian because of the vowels. The poetry isn’t so important.” I felt something was wrong with that. I knew that those words meant something, and I wondered what it was.

We are all singers because we want to say something to people, to stir them with feelings that we can all share. To do that, we must know the meanings of our lyrics. There was a time when I didn’t know German, and I hoped that none of my listeners really knew the language either. What kind of communication was that? Pretty limited.

I tried to read the singable translations of my songs. But sorry, a translator just cannot produce an accurate translation while thinking about rhymes, the number of syllables in each phrase, and accents in the right places. I could work through my lieder with a German dictionary. That helped, but it could lead to bizarre misinterpretations, like overlooking the difference between schon and schön or not knowing whether der Zug meant a train, a swig, a facial feature, or one of the other valid dictionary meanings of that one word.

In the 1950s, some collections of German and French songs had readable English translations printed in the front or back pages, a big help toward understanding. Berton Coffin, my senior colleague at the University of Colorado, published a book of phonetic transcriptions of songs and arias. Then he brought out books of word-for-word translations, which are still on the market. My friend William Leyerle combined those features in a three-line formula with the phonetics, words, and literal meanings all vertically aligned.

In addition to the three-line text analysis, the books in Alfred’s Vocal Masterworks Series have one more feature that is my innovation: A readable translation is printed at the foot of each music page. We need such a version because the word order of the original text is usually quite different from English word order.

For example, take the beginning of a famous Italian song: “Nel cor piú non mi sento brillar la gioventú.” That means: “In the heart more not myself I feel sparkle the youth.” But that’s nonsense. So we also provide a readable version: “No longer do I feel youth sparkle in my heart.” And that is printed on the music page, right where singer, pianist, and teacher can all see it immediately.

It’s up to you, the singer, to find the inner meaning of the poem, the personal interpretation that you want to share with the audience. But Alfred has given you the tools you need to do your job and know that you are on the path to successful communication.

How to Make Your Audition Stand Out from the Rest

By David V. Patrick
Vocal Coach/Music Director
So you have an audition coming up and need to choose a song to sing. Should the song be up-tempo or a ballad? Should it be more recent Broadway or a classic? Should it be by the composer of the show for which you are auditioning, or perhaps one from the same era or in a similar style?

Each audition comes with its own spoken and unspoken requirements. Certain Broadway composers love to hear their music sung in an audition, while others cringe when their music is performed in such an intimate environment.

With so many songs from which to choose and so many unique personalities behind the audition table, how does one determine which song (or songs) to sing? Here is a quick checklist of simple ways to make your audition stand out from the rest.

MAKE IT PERSONAL
The first and most important question you should ask is: Do I have a personal connection with this song? Whatever style or type of song you select for your audition, it should first and foremost be one that you can connect with, physically and emotionally. If the gender of the text isn’t yours, adapt it or select another song. Make sure it fits you and your experiences in life.

TELL THE STORY
Ask yourself some questions:
1. Can the text of this song be used to tell my own story?
2. Can I apply my own subtext to this song?
A song comes to life when you can personally tell a story—either the story the lyricist or book writer created or, better yet, your own story overlaid on the existing lyrics.

Drawing upon your own memory is there someone in your life you need to sing this song (tell this story) to? Is there an event in your life you wish for a “do-over?” Bringing these personal experiences into your performance
makes the song come alive for the listener. Liking the song is the first step. With some basic dramatic license you can use the lyricist’s words to tell your story. While the listener will be unaware of your personal subtext, they will be keenly aware of your connection to the song.

KEEP IT REAL
Take “Back To Before” from Ragtime by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. The fact that the story takes place during the early 1900s should have little or no impact on your approach to the song as a solo or audition piece. The first line of the song, “There was a time our happiness seemed never-ending. I was so sure that where we were heading was right.” This could be about you alone, you and a close friend, or you and an organization you belonged to. The only real requirement is that your subtext has some type of real emotional impact for you.

So make it personal, tell the story, and keep it real—three simple statements that can make a world of difference in your musical audition or performance.

David V. Patrick has been a vocal coach/music director at the Walt Disney World® Resort for the past 29 years. He currently serves as a Vocal Performance Manager at The American Idol™ Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.