A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS | Person-Centred Singing Teaching

This talk is about helping the voiceless to find their voices. It offers strategies and tools for working with those who think themselves ‘tone-deaf’ or ‘non-singers’.

Only around 3% of the population fall into the category of ‘amusia’ while over 17% consider themselves ‘tone-deaf’; and this does not account for ‘non-singers’, a wider group sometimes described as ‘tuneless’. So, who are ‘the voiceless’?

After an introduction, with a few thoughts about what we might mean by ‘voiceless’, William asks why you want to teach singing and who your students might be.   He will briefly explore the history of the study of singing, and the various movements encouraging community singing.

Why, indeed do we sing and why has there long been an emphasis on the health giving and social benefits of singing? William considers what is the purpose of training a voice, when it is considered such a natural human attribute, and he expands on the principles that drive his own practice, which may be summarised as ‘person-centeredness’

The question is why on earth would a ‘tone-deaf’ person want to learn to sing? William discusses some of the scientific research into ‘tone-deafness’ and he recounts a few of his own case-histories.

The 19^th c. novel ‘Trilby’ tells how a tone-deaf woman was transformed into a great singer by a rather sinister man called Svengali. This seems like a magic trick, but ‘tone-deafness’ is a complex syndrome with different manifestations, many causes, and a multiplicity of ways of helping a person overcome it – without resorting to hypnosis!  We will look at strategies for teaching non-singers, through different sorts of choirs, small-group classes, and private lessons.  William will also explain several of the techniques he has used to work with individuals.

At the halfway stage there will be a short break during which participants can record any questions they might have for later. They are also invited to consider a questionnaire that William used in his class ‘Tone Deaf? No Way!’ which was part of his ongoing study too. After a summary, the evening will end with a ten-minute Q&A.  Participants are offered a selective reading list and some other supporting documents.

🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
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📜 Certificate of attendance available