VIDLA – Attracting Top-Quality Students Worldwide

At VIDLA, we offer courses for everyone, starting with the Certificate in Contemporary Vocal Teaching, up to the Higher Diploma. We therefore expect to attract a wide range of students, from beginners to very experienced practitioners.

We are always delighted with the standard of students who sign up to VIDLA’s Distance-Learning courses. People from extraordinary industry backgrounds are attracted to our courses – singers with international recording / songwriting / performing pedigrees; teachers who have been working in vocal coaching for years, but who lack a formal qualification; practitioners with Master’s Degrees in Performance, who now want to move into teaching, sharing their accumulated knowledge with their own students.

And what if you’re a complete beginner? Well, we require all students to have a background in singing / performing, but our Certificate course is perfect for those who have perhaps just a few years of singing experience, but no teaching experience. Each student is assigned a Personal Tutor, who is on hand to guide and advise throughout any given course. As we only  employ highly experienced, well-qualified  coaches to be Personal Tutors, each student is assured the support of a top professional during their studies.

Best of all, having started (or completed) a course, the feedback that we get always tells us that the courses are worthwhile, challenging and cost effective, and that the individual support of a Personal Tutor is worth its weight in gold.

We try extremely hard to provide a high standard of educational content for our students, covering a broad range of pedagogies. In doing so, we promote the work of some of the world’s top writers, coaches and pedagogues, and are pleased to do so. We also provide our students with our own specialist in-house research papers; after all, our team comprises highly-educated pedagogues with a great deal to offer the industry at large.

As we approach the Christmas season and start to take stock of the year, we would like once again to offer or congratulations to everyone who has completed a VIDLA course this year. Happily, all of our graduating students are now successfully running their own vocal coaching studios. Well done to you all!

 

Which vocal system is best?

Singers and trainee teachers often ask which ’system’ they should be studying in order to be the best possible singer or singing teacher that they can be.

At VIDLA, we believe that all of the well-known systems have a great deal to offer, along with many of the smaller ones. Speech Level Singing, Estill, Jeannie Deva’s ‘Contemporary Vocalist’ course, Brett Manning’s ‘Singing Success’ (which is firmly rooted in SLS), all have much to teach us, along with the individual pedagogies of great teachers such as Dena Murray, Joan Melton, Meribeth Dayme Bunch, et al.

The VIDLA ethos is that singing and teaching students should be exposed to a wide range of pedagogical approaches, so that they can approach their art, or the teaching of their students, from the most viable perspective at any given moment. This is why we include units which allow research into so many vocal perspectives; quite simply, what works for one student may not work for another.

Thus it is that we never say ‘Estillian concepts are better than SLS’ or ‘this teacher’s approach is superior to that teacher’s approach’. Singing and the teaching of singing is not a ‘one size fits all’ arena, and we firmly believe that all experienced and well-educated singing teachers will have something to offer – and that it behoves us all to stay in touch with current ideas and research, as well as retaining the best of the traditional approaches.

As an Academy which specialises in training singing teachers, we take pride in promoting the work of a wide range of important vocal pedagogues, and hope that our students will draw from this the ability to draw on exactly the ‘right’ technique needed at the opportune moment.

Goal Setting

We came across a great article about what it takes to be a successful person, and thought you might enjoy it. It’s relevant to all of our students, staff, vocal coaches everywhere, singers, dancers, actors, musicians and indeed anyone who is wanting to make a success of themselves, their lives and their careers.The article is written by Brian Tracey, author of The Psychology of Achievement – and can be accessed via the ‘articles’ tab above

New Executive Appointment at VIDLA

The VIDLA Executive Team is delighted to announce that, as at January 2010, we will be joined by West End veteran, arranger, musical director and vocal coach Alex Weatherhill.

Alex has appeared in, or acted as MD / arranger for a string of successful productions, including a 14-month run in a principal role in Chicago in London’s West End, followed by a national tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and such varied projects as HMS Pinafore (the all-male version, in which he played three roles and drew universal acclaim), Rent, Mack and Mabel, and many, many more.

Alex will be working as a Personal Tutor for VIDLA, as all executive staff do, but additionally will be heading up the development of VIDLA Workshops and other exciting projects in the North East of England in 2010. (We can’t say too much about those other ‘exciting projects just yet’, but we’ll let you know as soon as we can)!

Alex is a long-term friend and colleague of VIDLA Principal Dr. Ria Keen. They have appeared together on stages across the world, and often collaborated in offstage music projects.

We are absolutely thrilled to have him join us here at VIDLA.

New Article by Dena Murray

Just to let you all know, there’s a new article by our lovely Patron, Dena Murray, on the ‘articles’ page (see the tab at the top of the page).

It’s well worth a read, as it discusses her journey from opera singer to contemporary vocalist. We recommend you check it out. Happy reading!     The VIDLA Team

 

Insurance for Singing Teachers

It’s a sad fact of life that singing teachers now need insurance, but they do. ‘And why is that?’ I hear some of you ask. Well, let’s say you’re a singing teacher who works from home, and let’s say it’s raining, and a student slips on your front doorstep when leaving your teaching studio, breaking their arm. 30 years ago, you would have felt bad, and they would have blamed themselves for not being more careful. Unfortunately, times have changed, and these days you’d be more than likely to find yourself on the end of a lawsuit. That’s why you need Public Liability insurance. If you visit other people in their homes, run workshops, or operate as a freelancer in a college, you need Public Liability insurance.

The law doesn’t insist that you have this insurance, but at the same time it also says that a sole trader or business will be held liable at law for any personal injury or damage to property that you cause, or which is caused by your business. It’s your choice as to whether or not to get cover, but it’s a calculated risk.

Professional Indemnity insurance is different. It covers claims against you or your business relating to advice that you have given which is claimed to have caused damage, injury or loss to the other party.

The VIDLA Team has sourced a great deal for our graduates. Blythe Valley Insurance offer VIDLA graduates good rates on Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance, in an agreement worked out especially for VIDLA practitioners.

The webste will be updated soon. If you’d like some details in the meanwhile, please contact the office on info@vidla.org

VIDLA Initiatives for 2010

The VIDLA offices have been a blaze of activity recently, partly because of the ever-increasing number of applications, and partly because of all the plans we have for next year.

In January 2010, we’ll be launching our range of recreational courses, for people who want to take a short three-month course ‘just for fun’ rather than with the goal of qualifying as a singing teacher. The courses will offer a wide range of options, and can be transferred into one of our qualification courses if the student wishes.

The biggest event of the year for us will be the launch of VIDLA Workshops. This is an initiative to develop in-person training for both our teaching students (focusing on teaching technique), and also workshops / intensives / masterclasses in different areas of vocal technique.

We will initially be launching these events in Worcester (headed up by Dr. Keen and VIDLA lecturer / rock specialist Cordelia Flynn), and in the North East (headed up by VIDLA lecturer / West End veteran Alex Weatherhill). Following the launch, we will then be rolling these events out across the UK, and hope eventually to create ‘training pods’ across the country.

There are also other exciting new plans, but we can’t tell you what they are yet………….. ! We promise it will be worth the wait though.

All the best,

The VIDLA Team

Robert Lunte Workshops November 2009

Our good friend and supporter, Robert Lunte of The Vocalist Studio, Seattle, and author of The Four Pillars of Singing, is coming to the UK next month for a series of workshops, teaching his ‘Extreme Singing’ techniques.

The dates are:

Tuesday November 10th: Worcester 10am – 2pm

Wednesday November 11th: Birmngham 1pm – 5pm

Thursday November 12th: Worcester (private lessons)

Saturday / Sunday 14th / 15th November: The ICMP, Kilburn, London

Don’t miss these great opportunities to work with Robert and learn how to do things with your voice that you didn’t think were possible!

For details, please visit this link: tvs workshops

Dena Murray Talks VIDLA

Master Vocal Coach and celebrated author Dena Murray is the VIDLA Patron. This week, we were lucky enough to receive these kind words from her:

I learned about VIDLA from the website The Modern Vocalist. Dr. Keen and I are Subject Matter Experts for that site. We began correspondence and to my surprise and delight, found out that her teachings are very similar to mine.

The idea that there is a distance-learning Vocal Academy for students all over the world to train and learn from that caters to any singer who wants to learn how to sing and/or teach thrilled me. I was also impressed that the school is accredited, with access to degree level study.

I work on my own. However, I, too, teach singers from all over the world. Some of them come to the United States just to study with me. Others I teach online via SKYPE (from the U.S. all the way to China). I also teach those who want to be vocal instructors how to start and set up. Many of who have gone on to instructing in music schools located in their countries.

After Dr. Keen told me she had read my books and was aware of my work, it was then that I became familiar with more of hers. I can assure you, we had a lot to chat about with one another!

I have recently completed my third, and last book, on Vocal Technique, “Vocal Strength and Power” to be published by Hal Leonard Corp. in late November. Dr. Keen is one of the few who recognized where I was headed with all my work.

The first book, “Vocal Technique, A Guide to Finding Your Real Voice” instructs how to build up the muscle groups that control the stretch of the vocal cords (also known as Vocal Folds). The second book, “Advanced Vocal Technique: Middle Voice, Placement and Styles“, co-authored by Tita Hutchison instructs the singer with a step by step description of how to gain placement in the mask, bridge the breaks, and styles. And now with this third book, Vocal Strength and Power, it completes the series by instructing how to take in the air properly for the support needed from the diaphragmatic region. Between the three books, we now see that the entire voice works as a unit, how one region supports another and cannot work without the other.

This latest book has already received a rave advance review by acclaimed vocal scientist D. Steven Fraser (to be published shortly before the book’s release). I hope to not only help singers with this last addition, but instructors as well. It includes a glossary of dictionary-defined words used to teach voice by all of us. This was an eye opening experience for me, realizing that so much misperception with regard to different methods of teaching on the part of the student all comes down to the true meaning of a word.

I hope any of you who have questions you’d like to ask of me will take advantage of it by e-mailing me:

dena@denamurray.com

To be affiliated with one of the world’s most foremost Academies for vocalists is nothing less than an honor and privilege. To be working alongside the very gifted Dr. Keen is a dream come true.

A big hello to all who are already studying, and a big welcome to those just coming aboard.

Thank you Dr. Keen for such a wonderful opportunity to be of service.

Dena Murray

Vocal Care

Ria has been chatting a lot to our lovely friends at Vocal-Care.com this week, and of course we’ve just done the article about coffee and hydration, so we thought it was a good time to remind you what great products Vocal-Care have to offer, and how much difference it can make to both singers and singing teachers, to have access to their wide range of vocal products and facilities.

The smashing bloke who runs the company, Paul Eastwood, is tireless in seeking out the very best products for singers and singing teachers. He’s an office favourite!

We’re particularly big fans of certain of the Vocal-care products, and use them all the time.

For example, we’re loving the Singer’s Saving Grace throat spray. The pro strength one has a rather ‘unique’ taste but it works like a charm – and if you can’t take the flavour, then it also comes in Citrus & Honey flavour.

The other great throat spray is Vocal-Eze. Ria road-tested both of these sprays earlier in the year, whilst working with a cast of 80 actors doing a seven-hour production of ‘War & Peace’. It was really hard work, but both Ria and the cast swore by these sprays. If you fancy trying them out, they’re even available in handy ‘trial size’ bottles. You can’t go wrong!

Ria uses the revolutionary Hearfones in her private teaching studio, and says that her students love them. OK, at first you might think you’re looking at some slightly odd medical device  (!), but believe us when we tell you these things rock!

They allow singers to hear themselves in the same way that others hear them, in amazing clarity! They also help people who tend to ‘force’ their singing to pull back without losing their richness or power, and Ria says that students will often make micro-adjustments to their technique on a subconscious level, when working with Hearfones. They’re quite simply a brilliant invention and we want to give a big shout out to the guys who came up with them. If you’re a singing teacher, there’s every advantage in investing in a pair.  We’ve also found that they’re very useful on days when the voice is a bit tired, or when you have a cold but have to sing – wear your Hearfones for your warm up session and you’ll find your voice responds better and thanks you for it.

Another firm favourite among all the VIDLA staff, as well as Ria’s private students is Yogi Tea, especially the one called ‘Throat Comfort’. It has a fantastic ‘warming’ quality in the throat that goes way beyond expectations. It also seems to help the voice to ‘clear’ on those nasty groggy days.

Vocal-Care also offers a wide range of training products, CDs, headphones – and so much more. There’s a massive range of goodies to choose from, so why not pop in and have a look? Tell them we sent you.

www.vocal-care.com