It�s hump day, but didn�t get any.

The weather has taken a plunge for the autumnal, although I am assured by people who claim to be in the know that we are in for some warmer temperatures for a little while. I brought in the potted plants I had on my front porch: a lemon, a grapefruit, and a poinsettia, and dug up my burgmansia which is now in a pot in the garage. Although I did get my garden covered, I did not get it uncovered so that it is truly done for. I figured I�m not making any more pesto this fall and I don�t have the patience to dry what�s left, the tomatoes have delivered all that they�re going to, and the parsley is indestructible. So, I shall remove the tarpaulin when I get around to it, and let nature do its worst. As I type this, the temperature is -2�C. The snow is not far behind.

Today in the space left by an absentee student (she�s having tests done at the hospital and I was forewarned) I worked on In C by Terry Riley (Google, do your worst), assigning syllables to the notes and practising the patterns. I�ll be amplified for this concert, and I�m a little worried, never having worked with a contact microphone before. I understand that they are very sensitive, so there�ll be no throat clearing or swearing under the breath.

One of my students is a tiny thing (tinier than I am actually) with an enormous voice. She�s only 18 and has been taking lessons for about five years, which in my books is too early since a girl�s body and voice are not properly settled until she�s 16 usually. Young singers make young sounds and hence develop all sorts of bad habits as they try to sound more mature and �womanly�. This girl is no different. She has a naturally beautiful voice, but has lots of tension in the shoulders and jaw which inhibit agility and range. So I am �deconstructing� her voice (this is not as bad as it sounds) by having her sing like a ten-year-old for the next week�breathy, unfocused and lots of head voice. I want her to completely relax her jaw and open up her top register, the so-called �whistle tone�, which is presently blocked because of the tension in her face.

I explained in great detail to her what I am trying to do, since it�s pretty awful to be told by your singing teacher that you are somewhat like a dog who has been taught party tricks. It can roll over, play dead and shake paw, but doesn�t really have an understanding of what or why it is doing these things, or what they signify except as a means to getting a treat. I explained to her that she will become the master of her own voice, and will be able to get it to do tricks instead of being constrained by what it can do now. She claimed to understand, already having been aware of the neck and jaw tension problem, and I only hope that we get results that warrant the embarassment I am no doubt putting her through. I do know something about vocal pedagogy, so I think we won�t be disappointed.

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