I get asked all the time by parents of little children, if I offer voice lessons. In a different lifetime, a not-so-known-fact… I actually did! Just once - years ago - to a brother & sister. The siblings were the youngest cousins of the man I was involved with at the time. I enjoyed my two summers with them immensely and will always treasure the memory.
At the moment, I’m considering offering private at-home lessons again; if the opportunity arises. But, as I launch this new website and adjust to new work routines - teaching may have to wait for a more predictable time of my life.
Now, for the story of my time with the two youngsters (now beautiful teenagers); for those who would like to read on…
I was still working as a Barista at Starbucks, while halfheartedly pursuing my music degree at York. My then-auntie, recognized that my career ambitions were more than a little unfocused and that I needed a productive outlet for my voice knowledge. Instead of sending her kids for structured lessons at a nearby established music school, at a price she could very-well afford - she decided to take a chance on me. Her proposition: I could run the lesson however I wanted; and, as I already had the advantage of being admired as their ‘artistic older friend’. I would have attentive pupils at my fingertips.
I took the offer. As the weeks leading up to their summer holiday neared, I Googled like mad. ‘What should a new voice student learn?’, ‘How does one pace a beginner lesson?’, ‘What are the proper vocal warm-ups for children?’ & etc… I visited a local instrumental music shop in Markham and grabbed flash cards, a Disney songbook with a CD of instrumental backing tracks (did I mention, I don’t play piano by ear? I read sheet music, but wouldn’t be able to look at their faces while playing), and a theory book for children. I created a homework book, practiced my scales for warm-ups, watched all the YouTube videos… and well, I was as ready as I was ever going to be!
To put into context - when I was in primary school, living in Scarborough, I took group vocal lessons for six months. We were all Filipino and it was a constant battle of trying to one-up each other as we spent our hour doing little recitals for the class with the teacher supervising. All the Filipino students who won accolades at the annual music festival, had their names printed in the local Filipino newspaper. If I was a Filipino child and showed an interest in the stage, there was no excuse why I shouldn’t be able to sing a Mariah Carey ballad (with passion!) at my next party. The community was watching and I had a reputation to protect.
Many years later, I found out that one of my very good friends also took these group singing lessons. We smirkly refer to them as “that time we took ‘Karaoke Lessons”. I was DETERMINED to not do that to these kids. No way, José. My students were going to read sheet music knowingly and value how to vibrate a note well for the long-run; much more than wowing their peers with childhood showmanship.
With all that in mind - on a warm Friday night in early summer - I drove across town to suburban Vaughan in my beat-up mini-van. My heart delighted as I heard their excited voices through the door. ‘Vanessa was coming over to play’. Their main floor living space, where the piano resided, was well-loved. They were the family who hosted the holidays in the west-end and guests were most welcome in their super-comfy sofas.
I headed straight to their digital piano and just as I was about to unload, their mom called me from the kitchen table to eat dinner with them first. I didn’t have the hugest appetite, but I wouldn’t say “no” to an offered dinner. And, so started the tradition… I would arrive anytime between 6 - 7:30 PM, have solid “kitchen-table talk” with their mom over whatever feast she cooked/ordered-in for the family that night, teach the kids for an hour/hour and a half at a time (depending on our energy), then followed the kids to their 2nd floor living room for cousin time - learning about their favourite video game/toy collection until my eyelids felt heavy and it was time for me to make the trek home.
Now, what about the ACTUAL LESSONS? Well, there’s one thing you should know about me - and these blogs - “If Vanessa is telling you a story, come with a snack.” ha! I did assign & follow-up with weekly homework from the theory book, I used the flash cards in the beginning of each lesson to keep the mind sharp,... but the Disney songbook? I ended up scrapping that idea. There’s something to be said for asking the students what THEY want to actually sing FIRST; so that they commit to learning the song well. We did more Taylor Swift & Adele, than Disney.
What about the SCALES? How did I cope with playing the piano whilst watching their faces? For my own vocal warm-ups the order goes like this: stretches, face massages, maintenance of continuous breath support, forming vowel sounds while vibrating the sound in your body properly … THEN scales. After that, I work on extending vocal range in various degrees.
So! You can imagine, to make the lesson fun - we would blow balloons, connect invisible spaghetti, pat our bellies like Tarzan, roar like a gorilla… all in the name of gaining strength to sustain a well-formed sound. We would become movie characters to the affect of getting that consistent vowel or abrasive consonant sound. When we DID get to scales, I was well-versed in the sound of their struggled breath or confident stamina. The air vibrated their curiosity and frustration. It was noticeable right away when they were unsure of the interval. By this time, I didn’t have to look at their faces - we had gained a connection. I knew their sound. I knew their vibration. I sensed what their souls wanted - to make a joyful noise.
I’ll forever be grateful for my first pupils AKA my musical guinea pigs. For the welcomed space to test out what exercises were beneficial for different sound goals and for the push to strengthen my awareness of musicians around me. I learnt how to technically encourage when another vocalist’s sound is struggling and appreciate their voice as a true “instrument” for more.
A lot can happen with an invitation to the dinner table.