While I was receiving my own Bel Canto singing instruction in both
London, England and Bologna, Italy my teacher Julian Miller frequently
invited me to sit in on his lessons with other students. We would all
open our imaginations to discuss what was happening in the student’s
voice as well as ideas to make further progress towards VOCAL FREEDOM.
Sometimes we would gather several students together in a discussion. It
was a most rewarding and exhilarating exercise. I saw the potential for
us all to learn from one another and build each other up.
When
I began to teach singing in Germany and in London I followed in that
tradition by getting my students together in groups of two or three and
encouraged similar types of discussions. I soon found that I was
gathering larger and larger groups together in addition to each
student’s individual sessions with me. The students enjoyed
collaborating with one another and encouraging one another about their
singing.
Now it is my regular policy to hold group
classes at the Bel Canto House School of Singing in Dublin. Led by
myself or my associate teacher Edwin Williamson, the students learn from
each other in a relaxed setting, each taking turns singing a variety of
songs from Irish ballads to showband classics operatic arias. The
cardinal rule of my school is that every person’s statement or comment
must be positive and constructive. Negativity is simply not allowed at
the Bel Canto House. My school is a place of learning and growth and joy
where each person is made to feel welcome and encouraged.
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