I have a huge tenor voice with a reliable Top D - nice for me and the modesty pills are working well
By huge I mean bigger than Mr Domingo's ( A singer I have admired for 30 odd years)

If I sing to some pupils it puts them off so I tend to lower the volume and/or not sing so much

How does it work other teachers because you have to sing to demonstrate

Puts them off in what sense?

I think we should all sing to / with pupils, because anything we can do to encourage pupils to 1) see singing as a natural thing to do, and 2) use their voices is beneficial - and I don't mean just in singing lessons, (eg I might sing along if a pupil is sight-reading something new; (at other times I might play along with them. )

I can't compete with your larger-than-life voice, but I still tend to tone it down a bit when I'm in a one-to-one. If on the other hand you are demonstrating technique and voice production, there must be times when you want to show them what's possible, give them a bit of inspiration. I guess each student is different and I'd want to try to assess what feels right in each case. In what way do some of yours find it off-putting?
(ed - oh - I see Meerkat has just asked a similar question!)

I don't think it has any affect really - I don't profess to have the greatest voice in the world and the volume is probably about the same as theirs.

David

Comments would be "thats too loud " from a very large Afro Caribbean lady in a gospel choir
Another who came to learn Ave Maria to sing at a wedding "I could never sound like you"

I responded to that one with "There are two very good reasons why you could not "


My first two teachers as a baritone in the early 70s both had very big voices - this did not put me off but I could imagine it would some people who are not so determined - confident - bigheaded
My last teacher was a world renowned English heldentenor - going to lessons with him was like 5 rounds with Mike Tyson - he made you compete and he put another 25 percent on a very big voice and gave me a top F BUT you had to stand up to him To be fair to him he was not like this with smaller voices

I am very conscious that the complete beginner or those who are used to smaller sounds might find what I and other big voices off putting

Well, I'll answer this in two parts.

As a pupil, my teacher has a FANTASTIC voice. And very exacting teaching standards - he'd never let me get away with a comment such as your "Ave Verum" pupil made. But I find (and from talking to his other pupils they too agree) that having someone who's a marvellous singer as a teacher is inspiring rather than otherwise.

As a teacher, I'm not aware of anyone being intimidated or put off by my voice. Indeed, I've noticed that when a pupil and I sing together (whether unison or a duet) it tends to push the pupil to sing better, however well they were singing on their own.

I believe you should, when demonstrating, sing "properly", with full body. Otherwise, if you do anything different, students will imitate what you do, and you won't get the best out of them. A lot of singing teaching is demonstrating sound and tone. One reason why I recommend singers to study with their own sex, and preferably voice type, though I realise this is not always possible, without travelling some distance. (I had to travel 130 miles each way.)

Ann

I guess that to a certain extent it falls into two categories: singers who teach, and teachers who teach singing. I would certainly fall into the latter of those two categories.

David

Hi David

Does that mean that you are a vocal coach, rather than a singing teacher?

Ann

In a 40 year history of singing lessons I have had both types of teacher

1 Singers who teach tend to judge you by their voice - which can be difficult - my last teacher had a lower voice than me and this limited me at first - they also work on the repertoire they know which meant for me Wagner - this was fine but I like singing verismo My first tenor teacher was the late great William Macalpine who basically made me a tenor and pointed me toward the lyric repertoire

2 Singers who teach also this problem - rivalry - I had a bigger voice than my last teacher which caused some jealousy and I went to a famous ENO baritone when I was singing Tonio and Alfio 30 years ago He was an actor singer and did not like it because I belt out the Gs and A flats easily

3 Singing coaches are more dispassionate

In case you are wondering "If he is so good why is he not at the Garden etc " Factors are

1 I did not become a tenor until I was 38 - 9 Too old for professional work My voice did not settle down until I was in my 50s By that time I had a thriving marketing business - a wife and a mortgage
2 I am really very ugly I have had my share of rejections by fluttery little opera directors (and a few sopranos) A great face for radio I think is the expression

No I would still call myself a singing teacher, but first and formost, I am a teacher not a performer.

David

But you obviously CAN sing. Usually coaches can't - they are usually accompanists, pianists, or organists who play the piano, but don't know about singing technique, just about repertoire styles.

Ann

I certainly can sing and thoroughly enjoy it, though I've never been (and intend to be) a solo singer/performer

David

Which means you can demonstrate, and that's one reason you are a good teacher.
I often get students who have not been that well taught from other teachers, and they usually say that they didn't think the teacher could sing very well themselves. My point being that in order to sing well, the teacher must have a good grounding in technique. So if the teacher can't sing, their top notes are thin, etc.....how to they expect to be able to teach something they can't do? (And therefore can't demonstrate?) This is one subject that the saying "those that can't, teach", means that they can't teach technique (well) either.

Ann

It still helps if your able to perform professionally. My life is limited by children ie mine, but if I wasn't giving at least one recital a year, I think it would take the edge off my voice (meaning that extra spark required to peform) a detract from my teaching. Not a single singing pupil has been intimidated by my voice, only my pianists when I ask them to sing as part of Aural training.

Gosh, even one recital a year seems pretty good! I've never had a singing teacher or indeed a teacher of any instrument who has been a solo performer too.

David

All my singing teachers have been solo performers, and I have found their performances to be very inspirational. Most singers have a built in desire to communicate with an audience, even if they find it very nerve wracking and take a year or two to pluck up the courage. Even at my student party/concerts, they won't let me get away without singing myself! (I don't feel I can ask them to do what I am not prepared to do myself.) They are pretty supportive when I do a recital or concert as well. A lot of them come to watch.

Ann