Category Archives: Learning

Talent, Potential and “Trainability”. What exactly DO we look for in a student?

Posted on July 6, 2017 by

It’s often seems to me like there are three kinds of singers. The first is what the Germans call a “Naturtalent”, a natural talent. We’ve all heard the stories; Caruso sang Rodolfo when he was 19, Angelina Patti made her … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Creativity, Gesang, Gesangslehrer, Gesangspädagogik, Learning, Lehrer, Music, Musik, Pedagogy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“La Lutte Vocale”: The Battle that really isn’t. Thoughts on Linguistic Ambiguity and Reflexive Antagonism.

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

How many times have you expressed something, only to have it misunderstood? If you’re like most people, your answer is most likely: ‘frequently’! One of the advantages of language is that it’s flexible and multi-dimensional. One of the disadvantages of … Continue reading →

Posted in Anatomie, Archetypes, Breath, Breathing, Coaching, Communication, Fitness, Gesang, Gesangslehrer, Gesangspädagogik, Inner Game, Learning, Lehren, Lehrer, Lessons, Oper, Opera, Pedagogy, Sänger, Seminars, Singing, Stimme, Students, Teachers, Teaching, Vocal Pedagogy, Voice | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Thermals. A Metaphor for “Ease” in Singing and in Life.

Posted on July 21, 2016 by

I doubt if there’s anyone who would deny that life is hard, at least sometimes. Yet these same individuals will also doubtlessly admit that on some hours, on some days, things flow with ease. One of my voice teachers, one … Continue reading →

Posted in Authenticity, Coaching, Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, Gesang, Gesangslehrer, Gesangspädagogik, Inner Game, Learning, Mental Training, Mind-Body, Pedagogy, Performance, Performance Training, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Cheerleader Effect

Posted on March 26, 2016 by

Who is the “Cheerleader” in your life? Do you have more than one? Are you thinking; why should I even need one? We get criticism from others and from groups, for some of us, it’s almost constant. Wouldn’t you say, … Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, Communication, Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, Enthusiasm, Gesang, Gesangslehrer, Gesangspädagogik, Learning, Lehren, Lehrer, Lessons, Music, Pedagogy, Performance Training, Stimme | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strengths, Weaknesses and Power. Thinking out loud about the Contexts of Vulnerability.

Posted on December 30, 2015 by

There have been a lot of discussions online recently about what makes a good teacher. It’s probably pretty much the same question as… ‘what makes a good mentor?’…’what makes a good trainer?’… and ‘what makes a good coach?’. Many of … Continue reading →

Posted in Authenticity, Coaching, Communication, Congruence, Creativity, Ecstatic Living, Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Transparency, Gesang, Gesangslehrer, Gesangspädagogik, Inner Game, Kommunikation, Learning, Lehren, Lehrer, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Wisdom of Ignorance

Posted on June 16, 2015 by

There’s an expression in German; “Besserwisser”. In English we say: „Know it All“. The literal translation of Besserwisser is a Better Knower, or one who just always ‘knows better’. Put that way, it sounds kind of desirable. Remember that sentence … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Coaching, Learning, Singing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Performer’s Presence: Congruence, Dissociation and Double-Dissociation

Posted on February 11, 2015 by

Evan Bortnick       http://musa-vocalis.de/ Gesangsunterricht Wiesbaden A former Zen monk once told me the following story; “Three students stood on a mountain top. The first said: ‘I wish I were a bird. I could fly over the mountains.’ The second said: … Continue reading →

Posted in Authenticity, Concentration, Learning, Presence, Singing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments