Why Should I Learn to Sing in Italian? Or in Another Language at All?

 I very often am asked the question, "Why should I learn to sing in a different language like Italian?"  As Americans, we think everybody speaks English and we listen to most of our music in English, so why should we bother to learn to sing in another language?

Backtrack a minute- what were the first languages of the world?  Latin, Italian, French, German, Hebrew, there are so many.  Therefore a large bulk of music written to date has been in a different language.  I am not speaking of pop music and musical theater, but many other styles of music that seem to be tossed aside.  Why SHOULDN'T you learn to sing in a different language?  Why should you rule it out simply because it is not your first language?  Singing is a form of communication in addition to being a think of beauty.  If we want to be able to communicate our song, we should learn to sing in more than one language.

Why Should You Sing in Italian or Latin?  A short list:

- Italian/Latin have PURE vowels that make it easier to sing than English once you are familiar with the language.  This can carry over to our singing in English since it enhances the resonance and overtones.

-  Because we do not generally speak it, we do not inflect our accent upon it.  (Southern, Mid-western, or Northeastern).

- The beauty of the music itself!  There is a variety of beautiful songs for all ability levels available to study

- Studying music in another language broadens your horizons and exposes you to music you may not even know exists.

-  It increases your historical knowledge of music how we got to the music of today
   Most Italian art songs use the following:
     - Sequence
     - Verse and Chorus
     - Embellishing (adding notes to) a basic melody

- Creating artistic licence through embellishing a melody.
*Think about it -When was the last time you heard the National Anthem sung without added notes or     looked at sheet music for a pop song that is written differently from how you hear the artist perform it? This concept did not develop in the 21st century, but is centuries old.  When songs were performed as entertainment in parlors for guests, singers added notes and embellishments to the melody as personal artistry.

- Learning a little bit about other cultures helps us to appreciate differences and understand our own.

- When you then go and sing English, your singing of English is improved because of your mastery of pure vowels which CARRY the sound.  This is not to say we do not stylistically need to alter vowels, but it helps you to find your true sound first.

What if people don't understand the language or what I am saying?

Few people in your audience would actually claim to know word for word what you are saying. However, if you have researched the meaning of the words, you are able to sing the piece in a way that communicates the MEANING of the song.  Most recitals also provide a translation or opera's have subtitles.

Why not give it a try and see not only if you like it, but what it can do for your singing voice?  It is great to explore singing in many languages.  Some may be more comfortable for you then others, but expose you to so much beautiful music!

Build Confidence in Yourself and Your Abilities through Singing Lessons

 

Build Confidence (In Yourself and Your Abilities) with Singing!

Do you love to sing, but are you afraid to sing in front of others?  Scared to share your voice?  Do you have a shy child who likes to sing and can carry a tune, but afraid to sing out in chorus or audition for that solo?  Yes, you want to make your singing (or a child's) better by taking singing lessons, but how will that help you to be more comfortable in front of others or more confident in yourself?

By taking singing lessons, you are spending time with yourself and working on a part of you.  It's similar to when you spend that time at the gym.  You are working on the overall person that you are and fine tuning a part of YOU!  The endorphins created when you workout make you feel better about yourself, control stress, and affect how you interact with others.

When you take singing lessons, you are also focusing on your body and what it can do for you as a musician.  You not only improve your singing voice, but your confidence level in singing and yourself.   The concentrated time spent with yourself and improving your instrument creates those same endorphins.  This makes you feel good about you and enhances the music that you make.

Singing lessons involve time spent on posture and poise.  This increases your confidence level.  Read more about it: http://www.healthyandconfidentsingingvoice.blogspot.com/2013/05/posture-and-poise.html

When you have more confidence in your skills, you perform a song differently.  Look them in the eye and communicate what you (or your character) have to say! Being someone else for a little while in a play or opera often makes it easier.  Being comfortable enough with yourself to let the inhibitions go and try to sing the song and be the character from Guys and Dolls or convey the meaning of Danny Boy in a performance can unleash a different part of a person.  Once you can do that, it affects YOU in everyday life.

(Remember that quiet girl who had a hard time talking at the party because she was too shy?  Once a student has sung a song in a performance, the quiet, reserved person may start to come out of her shell, be confident enough to look a person in the eye in a conversation, or speak up in class!).

Have you ever had this experience or know of someone who has? I would love to hear about it!

Does a more confident singer and person communicate more effectively? Let me know your thoughts and tune in next week for how singing can help communication skills.

Can Singing Lessons Improve our Academic Skills? How?

 

Studies show that students who study voice or a musical instrument, perform better academically.  In musical study, we learn problem solving, perseverance, and are continually using multiple intelligences at the same time.   Artistic creations cause us to try to figure out how to sing or play that phrase with good support or more musically, answer questions such as  ' How would the character in the musical Guys and Dolls react in the situation?'  or 'How can I help the orchestra perform this piece successfully- what is my role and how can I play my part accurate?' Students are consistently being challenged to solve problems such as these.  This helps to develop important problem-solving skills necessary for success in any career (All Catholic Orchestra Program). www.teacherweb.com/PA?AOP/HSArts

In solving problems in music, one learns perseverance and also develops musical intelligence, a separate trait in the 'theory of multiple intelligences' (both to be expanded up in future blogs).  Music study increases the academic (and musical) functions of the brain!

A few specific examples:

Many of the concepts of music and making music are based on math:  time signature, beat, and rhythm are just a few examples.  By learning how to organize the beat into measures and the rhythm within beats, we are teaching valuable mathematical skills.

Most of the instructions given in music are in Italian.  Piano (soft), mezzo-forte (medium loud), Allegro  (quickly).  Understanding their meaning increases our language awareness.  We start to look at the roots of words to find their meaning.  Since our language is devised from Latin as it Italian, students learn roots of words and prefixes which help their vocabulary and may even help in their success in language study.

In voice lessons we also analyze the words of the song thus working literary skills.  What is the poet really saying with these lyrics from the 16th century?  Put it in your own words.  How does the character feel at this part of the song when you say 'I love you although I can no longer be with you'.  How do you translate this line to English from Italian?  Singing lessons go one step further to not only interpret the written word just like you would in English class, but addresses other languages, and how do we communicate those words while we sing?

In voice lessons, we also learn to organize time and dedication to a craft.  Organizing time to practice and attention to detail in what and how we practice carries over into academic organization and improved study habits. 

We study music for the music itself and the joy it brings us, but the academic benefits of musical study are astounding.  Why not encourage lifelong study?  What else can singing lessons do for us?

Singing Lessons Help Increase Concentration and Focus- where is your focus?

I don't know about you, but through the pandemic my ability to focus and that of many students has been challenged!  Fine tune that ability to focus and increase the quality and length of time you can concentrate (both quality and length of time) by taking Singing Lessons!

How does studying music help that?  Musical study requires the ability to focus on details for periods of time.  How do you sing that phrase with a long, smooth line?  What is that rhythm?  From reading music on the page to creating the music with our bodies,  music making involves concentration and focus.  Do you or your child have difficulty focusing on academic tasks?  Singing lessons may help.

Your body is your whole instrument so it requires a lot of focus and concentration to sing.  You work on getting your body physically in sync with your brain thus really concentrate.  It is not easy to make beautiful music, phrasing, and sing the right words at the same time, so your concentration skills are challenged! 

What is my body really doing?  Not only does your brain need to interpret the notes and words it sees, but it needs to multi-task and tell your body what to do.  It sends a message to your vocal cords to vibrate at a certain speed to create that specific note.  It also sends a note to inhale, fill our lungs with air, and control the exhale.  We are not consciously aware of all of the messages, but learn to help our body control the messages more clearly.  We can think, 'breathe slowly and deeply on the inhale and control the exhale so I can sing the whole phrase' or 'I want to sing this phrase in one breath, let me see how I can stretch my breath to accomplish that.'

These are complex thoughts when put together in a long strand in a sequence.  This helps us increase our focus, concentration, and multi-functioning brain capacity! 

We must block out other influences and concentrate on the task at hand.  No one else can do it for them as they cannot hide in a big class.  The singing teacher helps each student to process the information on the page.  Those notes are small and what do they mean?  Their brains must interpret the notes and tell their bodies what to do.  Repetition of the process to play or sing the phrase as it is written is necessary.  Repeat, repeat, and the body and brain remember it.  Repeat and add another command such as 'make these 4 measures one phrase and sing it in one breath' and one must really focus.  Concentration to do these things carries over to other parts of your life!

Someone learning to read notes must learn to interpret what they are singing as they go, just like when reading aloud as a young child,  .  Remember the days that we spent following the words on the page with our fingers to help us to keep our place when we read?  Were you ever asked if you understood what you just read?   Learning to read can be a challenging task. Learning to read music facilitates reading words as it uses symbols that need to be interpreted just like words do.  Eventually reading and reading music gets easier and you DO understand it the first time.  The process of the eyes following notes (words) left to right gets easier with repetition and processing.

What great qualities to learn to help us to create beautiful music and accomplish so many other things in our lives!!  Get involved in singing lessons at the beginning of the school year and watch how concentration skills in music and your other studies grows!

What are your thoughts about how musical study increases concentration and focus?  What other skills are enhanced by learning to sing?

Why Take Voice Lessons In An Independent Voice Studio? The real reasons!

 Why should you take voice lessons in an Independent Voice Studio?  What does it do for you? Can’t everyone sing? 

Almost anyone who can speak can learn to sing, but most people don’t use their voices to their full potential. Voice lessons teach singers how to control their breath and find vocal resonance to create a fuller, healthier, and more beautiful sound. Lessons also teach general musical skills and build more confident singers.  The average singing student needs weekly guidance to establish a solid technique.  Through solid technique you can find the capabilities of your singing voice, not merely imitating those that you hear on recordings.

What we hear while we’re singing just isn’t true, so we are always dependent on someone we trust to take the role of our ‘outside ears’. Renee Fleming 

We don't always hear ourselves as others hear us.  Think about when you hear yourself speaking on your voicemail greeting.  It sounds different, right?  The same is true with our singing voice.  

In an independent voice studio, the student gets guidance on their own individual voice, not the overall sound of the choir. This individualized attention helps develop the voice in a unique and powerful way.  Together teacher and singer explore a variety of styles of music based on what the teacher hears in the potential of the voice, students' interests and how the voice starts developing.  You gain confidence in your own sound.  Also, there is so much music out there than many of us have never heard!  There are also many styles of music which we particularly like which may or may not be suited to our voice type and range.  Exploring your voice from a solo standpoint can help you find your potential and uncover beautiful things!

Voice lessons can be taught both in person and online!  What are the benefits to each?  (See blogs on Online lessons vs. In Person Lessons).  Many teachers, such as myself, are now incorporating both options into their studios.  Turn around the skills you build in voice lessons and use them in your choral experiences!!

What about the fun of the choral experience, singing with others?

Add to your choral singing with voice lessons and keep having fun in choir!  Other opportunities arise too which give you more confidence and enhanced singing skills.  In an independent voice studio, the singer not only gets access to a voice teacher and vocal coach, but to the camaraderie of belonging to a group of people who enjoy singing.  Most voice studios provide opportunities to perform musical repertoire one or two times a year.  Some also give the opportunity to work on the repertoire in front of and with others in the studio (please see more information on my studio at www.susanandersbrizick.com).  With more opportunities to share music with others, a student has a higher drive to perfect the craft of singing, builds a higher confidence level in their singing and themselves, and the better music we create!

 "Why should I sing an Art Song?  I want to sing something more complex or that's not the music I am interested in singing." This is the question I often get asked when assigning art songs to my voice students.  There are so many reasons:

We learn from any vocal repertoire that we sing!  Art songs give us a chance to work with words as poetry.  Art songs (classical songs) were most often poems before they were set to music.  The words inspired the composers to set them in a song.  

We learn to pay attention to the words and their meaning as the composer interpreted.  To look at how the melody interacts with the piano accompaniment to create a desired effect.  To really communicate our interpretation of that meaning.  

What Singing Art Songs Does For Us:

- Teaches us the power of words and how they function in creating images

- Teaches us to notice details.  (Nuances between the melody and accompaniment to create images)

- Exposes us to poems by many of history's greatest poets from all nationalities

    ** A great exercise is having students sing songs with the same text by a variety of composers and in a variety of eras!!

- It adds to our working vocabulary in various languages (Italian, French, German).  Our vocabulary in the specific language we are singing grows quickly as we study more and more art songs.

- Stretches our imagination and how to analyze a poem.   How do WE interpret the poem?  (A direct correlation to English classes in school)

- It is history and song that leads to so many of the contemporary music of today.  (We didn't just get to where we are in music by magic!)

- It teaches us to communicate a story.  Words are not always straight forward and need to be interpreted and then communicated.

-  It often  teaches a simplified melodic line or recurring theme.  Often melodic lines are simplistic in nature in beginning art songs and folk songs.  Repeated words lend to repeated melodic ideas. These are the backbones of most music regardless of genre.

Art songs (classical songs) are an essential to vocal study and learning to communicate the meaning of any style of music.  Embrace the beauty of text and song to help you share meaningful music!  

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Why Take Voice Lessons? The In Person Option Analyzed (but don't forget online too....)

Voice Lessons are such an important element of improving singing technique and building confidence to sing in front of others.  In the previous article, I analyzed why online lessons may be a good option.  Here are a few benefits of the IN PERSON option!  Please read both and decide which option works best for YOU or YOUR CHILD.  

In Person Benefits:

Being IN PERSON, you really get one on one attention in live time.  Your voice is analyzed exactly as it is heard by another individual.  That opinion and expertise is invaluable!  We do not hear ourselves as others hear us!

Some people are just DONE with the online concept because they have to spend so much time on their computers for work or school.  Zooming meetings and other online concepts are here to stay but this may be a place you can get the 'humanness' of singing back!

One on one singing in person may be less intimidating than jumping back into singing with the choir. You or your child may have gotten a little rusty over the pandemic and singing online for choir class or maybe your church or community choir (or you) took a break over the pandemic.  You want to work on your skills and confidence but have the face to face interaction with another human without technology involved.

You may be ready to venture off the computer to in person singing but still fear singing with multiple people in a group.  Singing lessons give you that opportunity with less of a germ pool.  Build your skills and confidence to get back to it.

Many people say there is just NOTHING like hearing singing and music LIVE!  If that's you, that's your option:-)

Voice Lessons, no matter how you slice it, are beneficial not only to your singing voice but for your soul!  You may want to give it a try but don't know which way will work best for you.  Stop and think about it and go with what feels most comfortable.  I enjoy teaching both online and in person as it presents the singer in a different way and gives a variety of things to work on in lessons.

Many studios (including myself) are offering both options or the best of both worlds.  You may choose or need to go back and forth! The option to primarily take IN PERSON lessons with the option to convert to ONLINE as needed can help you get into a regular lesson pattern regardless of daily life.

- Daily life patterns may change (travel for work, car broke down, to child playing a sport for one season which makes it difficult to make it to lesson on time, but can if online) 

- Public health situations  (COVID-19 exposure and quarantine or variants or you have a little cold but don't want to share it) 

- Weather (an ice storm which leaves roads impassable but with electricity, a lesson still possible)

If we have learned anything through the pandemic, it is that things can always change! Make the move and get started singing more and being happy today with voice lessons!!  Tune in next week for benefits of singing lessons in general!