The Performer As Classical Voice Teacher
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THE PERFORMER AS CLASSICAL VOICE TEACHER: EVALUATING THE ROLE OF THE PERFORMER-TEACHER AND ITS IMPACT ON THE STUDENT LEARNING EXPERIENCE MARGARET SCHINDLER S368294 QUEENSLAND CONSERVATORIUM GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY in fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. iv BOOK CHAPTERS AND PRESENTATIONS ......................................................................................... v STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY ...................................................................................................... vi Chapter One: Setting the Scene ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 An auto-ethnography ................................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Rationale for this thesis .......................................................................................................... 10 Chapter Two: Research Questions, Approach and Aims ........................................................... 12 2.1. Research questions ................................................................................................................ 12 2.2. Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 13 2.3. Auto-ethnography .................................................................................................................. 13 2.4. Literature review .................................................................................................................... 17 2.5. Interviews and focus groups .................................................................................................. 18 2.6 Analysis and outcomes............................................................................................................ 19 Chapter Three: Voice and Vocal Pedagogy .............................................................................. 21 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 21 3.2. Voice medicine and voice care. .............................................................................................. 21 3.3. Voice science. ......................................................................................................................... 23 3.4. Voice and complementary disciplines. .................................................................................. 25 3.5. Biographies and interviews with famous singers and vocal pedagogues. ............................. 28 3.6. Vocal pedagogy. ..................................................................................................................... 30 3.7. Artist-teacher ......................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter Four: Performer Knowledge ....................................................................................... 47 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 47 4.2. Vocal health and wellbeing. ................................................................................................... 49 4.3. Emotional and psychological perspectives. ........................................................................... 51 4.4. Performer as communicator .................................................................................................. 55 4.5. Experiential knowledge. ......................................................................................................... 58 4.6. Student perceptions of performer knowledge. ..................................................................... 70 Chapter Five: Performer Identity and Persona in the Studio .................................................... 79 5.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 79 5.2. The role of performer identity and persona in the teaching studio. ..................................... 82 i 5.3. Impact of change in identity. ................................................................................................. 87 5.4. The role of self in performer/teacher identity. ...................................................................... 90 5.5. Performer Identity in the Masterclass setting ....................................................................... 94 5.6. Influence of performer/teacher identity and power of persona ........................................... 97 5.7. Student perceptions of teacher identity. ............................................................................... 99 Chapter Six: Experience Influencing Pedagogy ....................................................................... 106 6.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 106 6.2. ‘Teach as you were taught’ .................................................................................................. 106 6.3. The role of the teacher’s personal journey: implications for vocal pedagogy .................... 116 6.3 The role of modelling in vocal pedagogy. ............................................................................. 141 6.4 Student perceptions of experience and teaching. ................................................................ 147 Chapter Seven: Institutional Implications .............................................................................. 150 7.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 150 7.2. Challenges to performer/teachers of the tertiary environment. ........................................ 153 7.2 The performing artist as untrained teacher. ......................................................................... 166 7.3 Skilled versus non-skilled teachers. ...................................................................................... 175 7.4 Institutional challenges ......................................................................................................... 181 7.5 Valuing performance over teaching ...................................................................................... 190 7.6 Student perspectives on performer/teacher negatives in institutions ................................ 194 Chapter Eight. Conclusions ................................................................................................... 199 8.1 Performer Knowledge ........................................................................................................... 199 8.2 Identity and Persona ............................................................................................................. 200 8.3 Vocal Pedagogy and Student Learning .................................................................................. 202 8.4 Institutional Implications ...................................................................................................... 203 8.5 Overview of key impacts ....................................................................................................... 205 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................... 208 Appendix A: Informed Consent Package ................................................................................ 225 Appendix B: Sample Interview Questions .............................................................................. 227 Appendix C: Biographies of Interviewees .............................................................................. 230 Appendix D: Extracts from Teaching Diary ............................................................................. 241 Appendix E: Reflections on self-observation of teaching ........................................................ 259 Appendix 7: Reflections on video footage of lessons ............................................................. 263 Appendix F: Sound files interviews with performer/teachers ................................................. 266 Appendix G: Video footage excerpts selected lessons (Schindler)........................................... 267 ii ABSTRACT This study seeks to identify the ways in which performer/teachers influence student learning in one-to-one teaching of classical voice. The dual career of performer and teacher remains the predominant pedagogical model for classical voice training at conservatoire level, both in Australia and most other parts of the world. Yet, the nature of this reality and its implications for student learning and institutional