Are you listening ?
It has been a good teaching week, and the vast majority of my exam candidates are doing very well, and almost ready for the big day ! I loathe teaching the 'aural' section of the syllabus. It always makes pupils very depressed ! I absolutely hate taking time out of the actual singing lesson to work on the aural exercises, it is far more rewarding to add in the final touches to a beautiful song than ask whether a piece is major or minor, or what cadence appears at bar 4 !
I fully realise it is most vital for singers to be quick and accurate on the theoretical and ear front, but my forte (pun pun) is the vocal part of the exam, obviously ! At the RAM we had bright and exciting young teachers who made the aural tests far more interesting, and fired up the pupils with interesting ideas.
I admit whole heartedly that I am 'all out' of scintillating ways of teaching what is essentially quite boring ear training concepts. What a failure am I !? But is HAS to be done, and as nobody else around this part of the world seems to offer it as an option it is left up to me - groan.............let's get on with it guys !
Tomorrow our leading lady and dancer Extrodinaire has the first performance from the children who have become th debut pupils of the new LMPA, Lorayne McLucas Performing Arts. This is a new and exciting venture for Lorayne, giving talented local children the opportunity to learn the art of Musical Theatre. Having watched many of her Showcase concerts in the past, I am very much looking forward to seeing the first tentative steps, literally and figuratively, of this bold step into a new life. I know it will be high quality, full of fun and very enjoyable.
Trouser roles rule !!
I am meeting up tomorrow with Fiona Mackenzie, a former Inner Sound stalwart who has now completed her Under Grad and Post Grad at the Royal College of Music, and is a free spirit, hopefully ready to take on the mad and complex world of professional singing ! She took a break and travelled the world after completing her time at the RCM. A very good move after all the stress of final recitals, operatic finales and leaving the safe place where you have been a star student !
I look forward to hearing what her next move will be - although I imagine she will be in a bit of a quandary ! We are now in full flow with The Mikado, and the last time we did it.....7 or 8 years ago, Fiona was a funny and wonderful KoKo - you see, she started with the mezzo trouser roles here, at home !
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