Evening star., 1951-07-29
News of Music
Voice Teachers Go Into Technical
Aspects of Setting High Standards
By Alice Eversmon

Efforts to better the standards
of vocal teaching have not kept
pace with those of other branches
of music. Part of that is due
perhaps, to the very personal ele-
ment connected with singing which
inclines teachers to. believe that
what they experience and have
practiced is absolutely correct.
Since there is no way in which the
eye can assist the ear and mind
in singing, as in instrumental
study, it becomes an individual
thing, influenced by physical feel
ing and other personal Slants.
The question of establishing one
standard for arriving at the high
aim all sincere instructors have,
has plagued the thinking vocalists
for a long time.
The National Association OF
Teachers of Singing. Inc, is work.
ing hard toward that end. This
summer it has five Voice Teachers
Workshops operating throughout
the country. The idea was started
at Indiana University in the sum-
mer of 1949 under the direction OF
William E. Ross. Its aim was to
improve the quality of voice teach
ing and to implement the associa-
tion's program entitled The
Fundamental Requirements OF
Teachers of Singing" The next
year, two more workshops were
added, one at Connecticut College
in New London, Conn.,, and the
other at University Of Southern
California in Los Angeles. This
summer, the University OF Colo
RADIO at Boulder, Colo, and Salem
College in Winston-Salem, N. c.,
have joined.
Two Approaches Stressed.
The course in the latter ran
the first week in June but the
University of Colorado will hold
its sessions from August 13 to
IS. The meetings of Connecticut
College begin today for a weeks
period. Monday, August s, is the
date set for the 7-day research
at University of Southern Cali
fornia and Indiana University at
Bloomington, Ind.
All of the courses stress two
important approaches. The study
of Anatomy and Physiology
comes first in nearly all the agen-
das. with Educational Psychology
a close second. The sessions at
University of Southern California
will go deeply into the question
of Postural Maladjustment,
Breathing, Laryngeal Anatomy
and the Vibrato. In addition, at
Indiana University, theories and
methods based on Psychological,
Physiological, and Psychco-Physi-
Geological Approaches Applied TO
the Individual Student will be
considered. At Boulder Colo, a.
voice panel will be held where
vocal problems will be discussed
and observation made OF vocal
lessons. Phonetics as applied toI
foreign languages will be studied,
with special attention to Amerl-
can dialects and their effect on a
singers diction at Indiana Uni
versity.
Education in both the psyche
logical and the psychological as
poets of singing is very important.
Maladjustment of one or the ether
in a student may present the
greatest problem to a teacher.
Their smooth, congenial function
ing is necessary if a complete ar
tistic stature is to be obtained.
How to recognize the predominant
trouble in a student and how to
resolve it, requires an extraordl-
nary training in the instructor.
It leads into such delicate and
subtle realm that it would seem
impossible to reduce it to terms
understandable by all people. The
different workshops attack these
difficulties Immediately in their
sessions, reserving the easier ques-
tions such as repertoire, style and
Interpretation to the end.
While members of the MATS