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All students, whether attending Buon Canto for voice lessons, piano,
guitar, theory, or ear training, will learn keyboard skills. Any
college, high school, or center for music learning would agree that
keyboard curriculum is vital to the overall musical learning process.
Because the piano keys are laid out in consecutive order, music theory
is more easily grasped. Guitar strings, for example, are tuned in
fourths, and the musician attempting to play a simple major scale must
divide the notes amongst several strings, preventing a clear visual
identity to the components of the scale. In contrast, playing a C
major scale on the piano is as simple as identifying "c" and then moving
a finger upward seven times. Of course keyboard theory and
practice become more challenging the more advanced the musician, but
overall, the keyboard/piano is the perfect instrument for learning the
fundamental concepts of music.
At the college undergraduate and graduate levels, all instrumentalists
and vocalists are required to take courses in piano proficiency,
music theory, and ear training, not to mention music history, and the
courses specific to their instrument. Students are
required to sing their theory in many of their music theory and
ear training classes.
This gives the ear a more advanced tonal memory-- one that can reproduce
pitches, with or without vocalizing, within a keener sense of intonation. The development of this "inner ear" requires attention
to both piano and vocal skills.
This being said, I realize my singers
attend my voice lessons to sing. Therefore all music
theory and piano exercises are also sung. Through this process,
the student learns not only keyboard skills, and intellectual theory
concepts, but also how to vocalize in a healthy manner while
concentrating on other aspects of music beyond singing alone. This
skill of distracting-input/healthy-vocal-output, is invaluable. For
example, when sight-singing a new solo or choral piece, many singers
experience vocal tension afterwards--it is very difficult to maintain a
strong technique while sight-singing. While the voice travels
through unfamiliar territory of brand-new pitch patterns, the singer
concentrates so fully on establishing this new melody into the ear, that
the technique fades away and the singer's vocal mechanism tenses.
However, if the singer is accustomed to singing theory exercises,
ear training drills, and even piano repertoire, he/she becomes
accustomed to the idea of singing amidst intellectual, conceptual
distractions. This directly translates to ease within
sight-singing: the singer can maintain technique while addressing new
musical material territory. It also translates to the vast array
of other distractions surrounding a singer during any given rehearsal or
performance: late-arrivals into the concert hall creating a shuffle, a
mis-hit note in the accompaniment, a duet partner's rhythmic mistake,
one's own memory lapse of a foreign language phrase, fatigue, room
temperature, lack of hydration.... there are so many occasions for
lapses in concentration and resulting performance errors. The more the singer is used to
multi-tasking and filtering all types of inputs, the better he/she can
deal with any given surrounding, while maintaining a high level of vocal
technique.
Another wonderful result of keyboard skills is the opportunity for
students to play their own repertoire. The ability of reading
music is priceless when it comes to learning, practicing, and conquering
repertoire. If a student reads music, possesses rhythmic, melodic,
and key signature knowledge, and has developed keyboard skills, he/she
can take home a brand new piece of sheet music, plunk out the notes,
learn to sing the piece, and eventually, even play the accompaniment to
sing along with. If the student need always rely on the
instructor, or other musicians, for repertoire practice, the opportunity
for fine-tuning and song retention diminishes greatly. There is
nothing like the enjoyment of sitting down at the piano to read, play,
and sing a song. It is a feeling of musical independence,
accomplishment, and artistic pleasure.
Throughout the duration of Buon Canto Voice Studio lessons, the student
will learn vocal technique, music theory concepts, ear training methods,
keyboard skills, and will steadily develop a longer repertoire list.
I welcome feedback from my students regarding the balance of these
various components--"more vocal technique please," "more piano practice
please," "more repertoire experience please".... every student is
different, and although every vocalist should become a well-rounded
musician, I firmly believe that people learn at different rates and in
different ways. Feel free to describe what works and does not work
for you, and I will gladly try to accommodate your individual musical
and educational needs.
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