Here’s an overview of the final full day of the conference and the general meeting the day after.
July 5, 2022
- “Laban for Singers: Laban Movement Analysis for Body Release and Character Development” presented by Kyle Sackett
Takeaways:
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- Created by a Hungarian dancer/father of modern dance
- “Laban Movement Analysis” – language to describe, visual, interpret and document all varieties of human movement based on the concepts of
- Weight (Pressure/Resistance): Strong – Light
- Space (Focus/Attention): Direct – Indirect
- Time: Non-legato -Legato
- Energy/Flow (Movement dynamic): Bound – Free
- Different movements have different components and can be applied to spoken and sung words when determining interpretation
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- This can function as a diagnostic tool as well – if the movement is stopping, what’s happening with the voice
EXCELLENT presentation – I wish it were longer. I strongly considered taking an intensive scheduled for the end of August in Brooklyn, but circumstances prevented that. It’s something I’d really like to explore further – this is the method that Matt Bender covered in his World Voice Weekend presentation in April 2021.
- This can function as a diagnostic tool as well – if the movement is stopping, what’s happening with the voice
- “Where do we go from here?” presented by Albert R. Lee and Alejandra Valarino Boyer
Takeaways:
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- For adjudication: Take out personal technical terms in favor of consistency and compliance with the national standards
- The term “master class” is a term rooted in slavery – eliminate it! [This is something I never considered – I know that “master suite” is no longer used in real estate, but I thought “master class” came from the master/student model of vocal pedagogy – which is also something that is under scrutiny]
- The chapters need to step up to raise money for the underserved (often minority) competitors so that they can participate in all levels of the audition process [We’re working on this in MDDC NATS – stay tuned for more info]
- The voice is part of our identity and teachers should approach this with the warmest amount of trust
- Your primary question should be “What is this singer’s identity?”
- “Formant Vision: Strategies for the Learning and Teaching of Voice Acoustics” presented by Nicholas Perna and Sarah Pigott
Takeaways: While I love Nick Perna as my own teacher and I love his podcast, VocalFri, with Sarah, I have to admit that this session was a bit out of my comfort zone (it hurt my brain). I try really hard to “get acoustics,” but the graphs and jargon always makes me feel …. stupid. I’ll keep working at it. It was still an entertaining presentation!
July 6, 2022
- General Meeting
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- Many reports given – overall impression:
- The board is strong and very idea-driven
- Social unrest and Covid has resulted in a more aware and involved organization
- The 2020 virtual conference was an exceptional success and established a great deal of connectivity
- Many reports given – overall impression:
OVERVIEW:
It was a terrific conference – I’m looking forward to watching the videos of the sessions I didn’t attend, which (I believe) are available to me for the remainder of the calendar year and possibly a little beyond. Some of the ones that I want to see are:
- What do you really know about the American Negro spiritual? [not as much as I’d like]
- Flipping the voice pedagogy frame [even though I’m not currently teaching pedagogy, that’d be interesting]
- Mini-recital: Music by and about women
- Singing in the Key of T [this would help me prepare for teaching transmen]
- Nothing But Practical: Pre-Performance and In-Performance Strategies to Minimize Anxiety [I haven’t dealt with this since my mother died, but I know it’s a major factor for many people]
- Artistic Performance: Songs About Ageing [because, well, I am]
And then there was that other takeaway, which impacted everything I did for the rest of the summer and into the fall.
I’d like to thank MDDC NATS for covering my registration fee (I’m on the executive board, and the president couldn’t go). It was a wonderful event, and I’m looking forward to Knoxville 2024!
