BECAUSE IT DEMANDS EVERYTHING OF US There is no end to the learning for both teacher and student who are working together to bring out the unique beauty of each individual voice and the special message in each song. DEVELOPING A VOCAL TECHNIQUE Classical Voice Belt Voice Care of the Healthy Voice Developing the Young Voice Training and Maintaining the Mature Voice  Singers are vocal athletes. What we ask of our bodies in the way of repetitive motion, refined motor skills, flexibility and endurance is quite remarkable. All of this comes under the heading of vocal technique. CULTIVATING PERFORMANCE SKILLS Technique in Action Diction for Singers Body Language Expressing Feelings in Posture, Sound and Movement On Stage The Art of the Microphone  BECOMING AN ARTIST Art Song FolkOratorio Early Music Opera Musical Theatre  Choosing repertoire is an important aspect of voice study. With the aid of an extensive library of musical scores, books and recordings, student and teacher together choose the music appropriate for each singer's interest, voice quality and level of skill. The digital age is changing the musical world and there are new challenges for singers. These must be met with creative vocal innovation that explores our potential while respecting the physical parameters of the human voice. RESOURCES “The Alexander Technique and Singing” (Article by Lelia Calder): https://sites.google.com/site/leliacalder/lelia-calder-the-alexander-technique-and-singing National Association of Teachers of Singing: http://www.nats.org/ The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique: http://www.alexandertechnique.com/musicians.htm Biographical information about the Lelia Calder Voice Studio My early studies, first in piano and later in voice, were the beginning of a lifelong love of music. I graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Music History and later from Temple University with a Masters in Voice Performance, and sang professionally for some years before beginning to teach. While still in graduate school I was introduced to what was then the new discipline of voice science. At the same time, I began my study of the Alexander Technique. Bringing movement and sound together in the service of the art of singing has been a source of unending fascination and challenge for me. For fifteen years I taught voice and gave voice classes at Swarthmore College. For ten of those years, I was on the faculty of the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts, teaching classes in English diction and vocal pedagogy to singers, and at Temple University Center City teaching voice classes. During this time, while also maintaining a private studio, I continued to perform in the Philadelphia area as a recitalist, church soloist and with professional groups such as Philamel, Pennsylvania Pro Musica and the Philadelphia Singers. Finally, in 1989, I gave up performing to devote all my time to teaching. Until January of 2015, when I retired from voice teaching, the principles of the Alexander Work were an integral part of vocal development and performance in my Swarthmore studio. For so many years my life has been enriched by pleasure and honor of training voices and acting as a coach/accompanist in performance practice for students of all ages and diverse musical interests. I am deeply grateful. BA Harvard University MM Temple University Member – National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) |