Why Do We Teach Singing?
One Field - Many Voices
There are as many unique perspectives as there are teachers. We each come to the lesson space with our own histories and experiences, shaping why and how we teach, research, and learn.
Here are just a couple of those many perspectives…
Janine Magnin
Like many of us, I pretty much fell into teaching. After getting my PGCE, I swore I would not be a teacher and, instead, worked in tourism and on the stage. However, I became curious after seeing a job advertisement for maternity cover at a school I liked and decided to give it a go. I’ve not looked back since.
But what made me drop my idea of being a tour guide and pursue singing teaching instead? Really, it was many things. It was that gratification of seeing a student develop vocally and see them recognise that self-improvement. It was the concerts we would work towards and the joy on the students’ faces as they bowed to the audience. It was the startling and unexpectedly gratifying fact that I was good at it - the thing I swore I would never do. And there I was, teaching singing to children and loving it.
For me, growing up, singing enabled me to succeed. Being neurodivergent in the 90s made for rocky schooling and an easy target for bullies. I may have been socially inept and academically challenged, but I could sing. I loved singing. Through lessons and encouragement, my parents enabled this love, success, and self-growth. They took me to auditions, chaperoned me during rehearsal, and watched numerous performances ad nauseam.
For me, the voice can be seen as the locus of the self. It is how we communicate and express our inner worlds. For a study, I asked young singers why they had singing lessons. I also ask my new singing students this same question. Most of the participants and students replied, ‘Because I like to sing.’ It’s as simple as that. The voice is the instrument we have within us, and we use it to externalise who and what we are. And through that externalisation of the self, we feel pleasure. We sing because of the pleasure it gives us. Our students sing because they learn that a deeper engagement with the thing that already gave them pleasure can reward them with even more pleasure. Their voices grow and develop, and they gain control and skills that are tangible and demonstratively felt and heard.
I, like my young students, was finally heard when I sang. I was no longer the awkward social pariah but someone who made people stop and listen to her. This ability to be heard resulted in success and led me, in turn, to become a children’s singing teacher - a singing teacher who wanted to enable in her students that same sense of self-achievement, success, and ability to be heard.
Who is Janine Magnin?
Janine trained as a singer at UCT, South Africa. After moving to the UK, she became a singing teacher and specialised in vocal pedagogy with an MA from the IOE (UCL). She is currently working towards a PhD at the University of Limerick.
Abigail Mann-Daraz
This is a question I ask myself regularly, and it is a question I put to other singing teachers when I am delivering talks and workshops. Understanding why we dedicate our lives to sharing and encouraging the love of singing is crucial to ethical practice and responsible pedagogy. My research and practice regularly uncover multiple perspectives and answers to this question. I would argue that all are valid, but knowing where you stand on this question is paramount to shaping your professional practice as a singing teacher.
I am currently writing a course that looks at answering this question while examining our skills, knowledge, and expertise as singing teachers. This is because I believe that knowing where our strengths and specialties lie can be key to answering the question of why we teach singing.
My own answer has certainly evolved and developed over my 20-year career (which one would expect). Our professional and personal experiences impact our teaching, and the students we teach change individually and collectively. Of course, singing lessons can vary widely in content, facilitation, outcomes, and processes. I have prepared students who are professionals in their field for roles and auditions, and I have worked with individuals who find traditional means of communication a challenge. Working with marginalised groups has been especially rewarding for my own practice, and I believe that is where my strengths lie.
That said, the psychology of my approach remains the same, whoever I am working with. We teach effectively when we are working with the human behind the voice. Holistic approaches to the voice are paramount for building compassionate, musical, and confident singers. While our reasons for teaching singing may vary, we can all agree that the answers lie in the desire to help foster growth, expression, and creativity in any human who walks through the studio doors.
Who is Abigail Mann-Daraz?
Abigail Mann-Daraz is a singing teacher with over 20 years of experience working with marginalised groups. Abigail’s private studio specialises in bespoke 1:1 singing lessons for neurodiversity and mental health. Lessons are crafted within a framework of mindfulness and holistic voice pedagogy, crafted from a BSc (Psychology) and MA (Voice Pedagogy).
Teacher Spotlight
I want to use this part of the Voice Uncovered! to spotlight a member of our community each week. This spotlight can be on the research they’ve conducted in the field of singing teaching/ vocal pedagogy, their singing teaching business, and/or courses/workshops they offer.
Let me know if this is something of interest to you!
We’re Looking for Newsletter Contributions (200-500 words)
I want to hear your thoughts and opinions
Why not write about something that you’re excited about? It could be something that you’ve observed in your lessons, the research you’ve conducted, or a conference/workshop you’ve attended that got your mind buzzing.
The Next Theme
I need opinion contributions on the topic of:
‘The Singer within the Room - How to Create the Best Learning Space for Singers’
and/or - You might like to write on one or more of these themes
‘Neurodivergant Voices - How to be Mindful of Sensory and Communication Diversity ’
‘Just Breathe - How to Teach Singers to Breathe’
‘Learning to Perform - How to Help Singers Communicate Meaning’
Singing Teaching Jobs
St George’s College, Weybridge (UK)
Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh (UK)
Wimbledon High School, Merton (UK)
Aldenham School, Hertfordshire (UK)
Bradford Music & Arts Service (UK)
West Sussex Music (UK)
Waltons New School of Music, Dublin (Ireland)
Let me know if there are more jobs in different countries that can be added …