by Shannon Coates | Oct 19, 2018 | Fri Fav Five, Productivity 101, Singing 101, Voice Pedagogy 101, Young Voice 101
~ the once per month edition (aka: the disdainful black cat edition) ~
(Because: SCHOOL IS IN SESSION, Y’ALL. And I am WERKIN’ it.)
Soooo … here are some #voiceped favs from the last MONTH.
Some FANTASTIC advice for your students who are working in CCM genres. Plus? #PENNYTHEDOG!
did you say dog? because that’s just rude.
My friends, “bad behaviour” is rarely actually BAD BEHAVIOUR. #isallImsayin
i am not hiding because i am bad. i am hiding because i do not have the tools or resources to face what’s happening right now.
I mean, is it a little stereotypical? Sure. IS IT ALSO KIND OF NERDY-HILARIOUS? Also sure. (For extra nerdy-goodness, try figuring out what the sound is from the description, BEFORE he makes it. Go on and challenge yourself. heh heh)
where are the phonetic transcriptions of all of the incredible sounds that cats make? HMMMM? WHERE IS THAT HUMAN? #catdiscrimonator
Ugh. Productivity and stuff. Read it and weep. Or make a few small decisions now that will free you up to make better big ones later. For example, because I see different people every day of the week? I often wear the same outfit five days in a row (that’s why essential oils were invented, #amiright?). AND WHY THE HECK NOT? Men have done this for … ummm … WELL HOWEVER LONG THE SUIT HAS BEEN AROUND. Same suit every day, different shirt and socks. Seriously.
i wear my fabulous fur every gosh-darned day of my life. and i LICK IT CLEAN WITH MY OWN TONGUE FOUR OR FIVE MILLION TIMES PER DAY. #getwithithumans
Folks? THIS IS SO MUCH FUN. AND SUPER INFORMATIVE. If you teach CCM styles? It BEHOOVES you to get subscribed. #pinkyswear
“behooves”? really?
As per uzh: you can teach your face off … #pinkyswear
*THANK YOU CATHY! ****
** THANK YOU JOANNE! ****
*** THANK YOU MICHELLE! ****
****apparently, I’m only taking contributions from women this month. #thatscool #whatevs
ps The first FOUR module of my online course have dropped (only four more to go – two more coming this weekend!) and one lovely early-adopter writes: “she is SO much more fun than my science professor in my “Structural Sound and Acoustical Analysis” was”. Which, probably not what I want on my tombstone but, you know, I’ll take it when it’s about my course! Pre-Sale price extended to 1st November (or until all modules are dropped … whichever comes FIRST).
by Shannon Coates | Aug 17, 2018 | Choosing Repertoire 101, FBLive, Fri Fav Five, Singing 101, The Vocal Instrument 101, Vocal Health & Hygiene 101, Voice Pedagogy 101, Young Voice 101
ALLTHETOOLS edition
Seriously folks: even if you teach in a studio and have all of your teaching resources and tools available to you on the regular? YOU WILL LEARN SOMETHING FROM THIS UNBOXING. #pinkyswear (Also: if you think you’re an organizational genius right now? YOU’RE GOING TO NEED TO RETHINK THAT. #justsayin)
my brain. it just exploded. with sheer awesomeness.
What is this? OH JUST A SUPER CHILL READINESS ROUTINE USING EFT TAPPING AND ENERGY DIRECTION TO GET YOU READY TO DO YOUR THANG. #YOUREWELCOME.
and now i am focused and ready to roll. or, you know, do the cat things i need to do.
Is one of your singers giving you the business because they were sick so THEY COULDN’T PRACTICE THIS WEEK?! Yeah well, send them this and tell them to stop their whining already. #noexcuses (Also? If that singer comes to their lesson and they can’t make a sound? Nikki Loney over at The Full Voice HAS YOU COVERED.)
you are the boss and you can shut that business down and now you have the tools.
With topics like “Tremors and Quakes: Involuntary Movement Disorders of the Larynx” and “Practical Pharyngeal and Esophageal High Resolution Manometry” this webinar series appeals to the HIGHEST LEVEL OF GEEKERY POSSIBLE. #thatscool
that is a lot of voice geekery right there. and it is making me tired.
I love Brian’s thought-FULL words. If you have a beverage that’s waiting to be consumed and a few minutes for reflection, WHY NOT DO THAT THING WITH BRIAN?!
this beverage is my favourite thing. i do not want to share it with brian.
And as always … go on and teach your face off.
Go on and find #voicepedme on all the things:
by Shannon Coates | Jul 6, 2018 | Fri Fav Five, Young Voice 101
The “My Kid and His Friends Are Playing D&D VERY LOUDLY at My Kitchen Table So Things Might Get a Little Weird” Edition*
You guys. Nikki put a mic in our faces and asked a question and then we just talked voice ped stuff. And it was SO SO SO fun. Like, SO FUN. Because, if you put a mic in my face and ask me to talk voice ped? I WILL DO THAT THING. ALL NIGHT LONG.**
#forthelovewoman aNOTHer podcast?
This one was floating around the singing teachery sites all week. And for good reason. IT TELLS YOU HOW TO TALK TO CHILDREN. Which, you know, SUPER-USEFUL if you happen to be an independent teacher who works with children. Or a parent. Or ANY PERSON WHO MIGHT ENCOUNTER A CHILD AT ANY TIME IN THEIR LIFE.
i am a little kitty. the way you talk to me matters. (ha!! no it doesn’t. I AM A CAT.)
So, this one time, someone I am working with posted on FaceBook about this great book they’re reading and how FANTASTICALLY AMAZINGLY APPLICABLE it is to teaching voice lessons. And I was all: WOW. THAT BOOK LOOKS SO SO SO GOOD. I’M GOING TO INCLUDE IT IN MY NEXT #FFF. And then I realized that one of my students had loaned me THAT VERY BOOK LAST YEAR and that I HAD ACTUALLY PERUSED IT MY OWN SELF so I KNOW IN PERSON HOW GOOD IT IS****.
I’m awesome that way, y’all.
And? If you work with singers? YOU WILL FIND SOOOO MANY TOOLS and TIPS in this book. Because you know what? WE ALL HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS.
we are all calicoish cats. and yet we are all our own cat. #justsayin
You guys. #ICantEven
i mean. the level of talent it takes to do that? is kind of astounding. truly.
This is an “Oldie But A Goodie”. And by “oldie” I mean “it was written a WHOLE THREE YEARS AGO, so IT’S ANCIENT” and by “goodie” I mean “THIS MAY BE HARD TO BELIEVE BUT IT’S STILL RELEVANT”.
yes. YES IT IS A GOOD ONE. high five, human.
Go on and teach your face off #whydoncha?
*Also? I made an entire package of hot dogs (#ItsFridayNightSoNoJudgy) … and the three of them ate them all. In WAY LESS than ten minutes. TAKE THAT Joey Chestnut.
** NOTE: I use the term ‘diagnose’ / ‘diagnostic’ in this podcast. And I am fully aware that I am not a medical doctor so please note that I do not mean “diagnose” in the “use my medical degree to figure out what pathology that singer has”. I just mean it in the “use my voice ped degree to figure out something about how that singer is producing sound”. So if you are tempted to tell me that I should not use that word (because: NO MEDICAL DEGREE), please just keep in mind that I WAS TIRED and JET LAGGING and PROBABLY DRUNK*** so I used a word *somewhat* carelessly and I AM SORRY.
*** I was not drunk. Like, in NO SENSE of the word. IT’S A JOKE Y’ALL.
**** THANK YOU LINDSAY! I WILL READ IT FULLY ONE DAY! #pinkyswear
by Shannon Coates | Jun 29, 2018 | Fri Fav Five, Singing 101, The Vocal Instrument 101, Voice Pedagogy 101, Young Voice 101
~ Leaving Las Vegas Edition ~
I had SO. MUCH. FUN. hanging with voice teachery peeps at the NATS National Conference in Las Vegas last weekend (at which I may or may not have lead the singing of the Canadian National Anthem at the opening ceremonies. while conducting like a boss. no: literally like a boss. a mafia boss. who has never studied conducting in their life. #THATKINDOFBOSS). So here are some wicked-cool singing teachery things that you can look into and it will feel like you were RIGHT THERE WITH US IN VEGAS (except for the heat. there is nothing that can make you feel like you were right there in that heat. unless you are actually a fire fighter. because I think maybe a fire fighter might understand what it feels like to be right there in that heat. maybe.).
Okay, so … this started out as a talk about my online course, The Vocal Instrument 101 and all the reasons I created it and who it’s for, and all that stuff … and then it turned into SO MUCH FUNNESS that you should just listen even if you couldn’t care less about The Vocal Instrument 101 (although if you couldn’t care less about The Vocal Instrument 101? THEN WHY ARE YOU READING THIS RIGHT NOW? GO AWAY YOU UNCARER, YOU.). Because: JOY! (We recorded it IN LAS VEGAS. Yes. Yes we did.)
JOY? tell me more. or don’t. because i’m actually yawning in this picture and you shouldn’t anthropomorphize it for your own purposes, you sneaky human.
Seriously. IF YOU TEACH YOUNG SINGERS, YOU NEED TO GET THIS BOOK RIGHT THE HECK NOW. GO GO GO. GET IT NOW. It is fun. It is exciting. It is WAAAAY EASY ON THE EYES. And? It is FULL OF ALL OF THE THINGS YOU WISH YOU KNEW BEFORE YOU STARTED TEACHING YOUNG SINGERS. (I held this book in my very hands when I was hanging with Nikki in the Exhibition Hall in Vegas all weekend telling all the singing teachers to get it in person.)
go. go now. even i, disdainful cat of the year, think you should go now and get this thing.
For reals: the kinda-super-secret, definitely-NOT-for-asshats subscription membership for independent voice teachers. It’s real. And it’s fabulous. (And we were pretty-danged well-represented in Vegas this weekend. yes: YES WE WERE.)
check it out, human. what are you waiting for? hmmmm …?
4. favourite singing teachery app: Pano Tuner
I never would have thought of using a tuning app in this way but … this is the app that Mandy Harvey (yeah. THAT Mandy Harvey … she just happened to be a Featured Guest Artist at the NATS Conference) used to build pitch memory. According to her former voice teacher, Cynthia Vaughn (yeah, THAT Cynthia Vaughn … who, just to bring things FULL CIRCLE, just happens to be a member of The SpeakEasy Cooperative), Mandy demonstrated how it works by singing “ooo” and said “this is Db.” The tuner verified that it was Db. “I always start the national anthem on Db so I just practiced repeatedly singing Db, noticing how Db *felt* and testing it with the tuner. Now I can sing Db any time and it’s always right. Then try another note and another. Also find notes by using solfege and intervals. It’s amazing!”
i mean … that’s a lot of awesome to process. i think my brain is exploding. or imploding. it’s hard to tell … what with the brain being so unstable.
You guys, there are SO MANY AMAZING BOOKS OUT THERE THAT I WANT TO READ (#TAKEALLMYMONEY) but I had to choose just one. Because those are the rules. I mean, those are my personal rules. But still: THE RULES.*
yeah. because you’re so good at following the rules. ahem.
So there you have it: Just like being in Vegas, #amiright?
You can teach your face off … I can help.
*Oh, alright. BECAUSE YOU BEGGED. Here are a few other titles on my list:
by Shannon Coates | Jun 8, 2018 | Fri Fav Five, Singing 101, Voice Pedagogy 101, Young Voice 101
Sooo … I’m not fully rocking the non-fri-fav-five blogs. Because? THE VOCAL INSTRUMENT 101 IS COMING SOON … SO SO SOON. And it is taking all of my time. And so much of my sleep. Soooo … muuuuch … of myyyy … sleeeeep.*
But not SO much of my sleep that I wasn’t able to narrow down five awesome singing teachery things for your singing teachery pleasure:
You guys. There is SO MUCH information PACKED into this EIGHT-MINUTE video that your brain might explode from the SHEER AWESOMENESS of it. (Also? I am TOTALLY JEALOUS of his diagrams. Seriously: SHEER AWESOMENESS.)
i am the cutest thing you will ever see (SHUT UP. I AM TOO. LOOK AT MY WHISKERS. AND MY CUTE WIDDOW PAWS THAT LOOK LIKE I’M WEARING SOCKS.). and i am here to act as a palate cleanser for your brain to help it return to normal after it EXPLODES FROM THE SHEER AWESOMENESS. #yourewelcome
Friends. This is a FAST read that deserves a SLOW thought.
i’m just going to be here staring lovingly into your eyes while you figure your stuff out. and by “lovingly” i mean “judgingly”. (what? did you forget that i’m a cat?)
About a million people tagged me on this video this week. ABOUT A MILLION. And I’m grateful. (Because: LOOK AT THE MOTION OF THE DIAPHRAGM, YO! LOOK AT IT!)
i don’t care about the motion of the diaphragm. i care about eensy little daisies. and the fact that they might attack me at ANY MOMENT.
I mean, this will take up a little bit of your day. But if you’re in need of some inspiration? Grab a hot beverage and enjoy. It will be totally worth it. #pinkyswear (Ken is introduced at ca. 31 and his talk begins at ca. 40 and is about 45 minutes long.)
is this your tea, human? were you planning to drink it ANY TIME SOON? because it is IN MY SPACE. AND I HATE IT.
I may or may not have a few thousand RubberMaid Buckets full of Lego in my basement. I feel like this is a way I can get some use out of those Legos before I sell them on eBay and make my fortune.*** Or something.
Yes. This is a cat made out of Lego. The Internets is a beautiful thing.
Alright. I am off to lose more sleep and work on The Vocal Instrument 101. Or, more specifically, THE WEBSITE FOR THE VOCAL INSTRUMENT 101. (Because: have you seen that thing? It’s a disgrace.)
As always: You can teach your face off … I can help.
* Which I am totally willing to give up because: SO EXCITED FOR THIS THING TO COME OUT AND FOR YOU TO GET YOUR HANDS ON IT AND FOR ME TO FULFILL MY PROMISES ABOUT HELPING YOU TEACH YOUR FACE OFF AND ALL THAT STUFF.
** Note the spelling of CORDS, my friends. NOTE THAT AND NEVER SPELL IT “CHORDS” AGAIN.
*** That’s a lot of brand names. #justsayin
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