The summer months have long been an important time for singers, both students and young professionals alike, to attend a program in Europe or in North America that will keep the momentum of developing their art and their craft.
The Summer of 2020 will be the first summer that virtually all programs have been cancelled. This has taken away the possibility of attending a program that suited your particular wishes, i.e. Performance Opportunities; Role Preparation; Foreign Language Studies; Vocal Programs that include lessons/coachings/etc.
What will fill that void? As a result of the switch to online learning that took root in March, this trend will continue. A survey of singers and teachers shows that, for the most part, online lessons were very successful – some more than others, of course. But a lot of progress was made possible by having voice lessons, coachings and classes on line.
With the unexpected cancellation of programs in Germany, Italy, France, England, as well as the US and Canada, it means that it is up to the individual singer to seek out online courses that will address their goals during these 5 months. There undoubtedly will be a variety of programs to look into – some created by your teacher, your school, etc. The best way to choose which one or two to follow is to make a list of what you would like to focus on, i.e.
1) Continuing technical study 2) Role Preparation 3) Master Classes 4) Performance programs that will offer either live or virtual performance venues 5) teacher training, 6) Foreign language program, etc.
Of course, many voice teachers will continue teaching privately on line – both for their current students and new students who will be joining their studio privately or at the beginning of the new semester.
An important thing is to check out the length of the program you are interested in i.e the faculty involved, the cost, and, of course, the specific focus of each course or program being offered.
As never before it is incumbent upon each young singer to move forward and take advantage of this time to hone their skills in preparation for the new reality in the arts world. It is not a time to relax your growth vocally , artistically, musically or your ambition. Remember: “When the going gets tough the tough get going”.
I will be sending out several blogs during these months and I look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes for a safe, healthy and productive summer.
SINGING WITH MANY VOICES 