Workshops, Master Classes, etc

Unique Piano Extravaganza at Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch was alive with the sound of piano music this March at the Stellenbosch Konservatorium.

Firstly the Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium took place from 20 – 25th March. This event is truly one of a kind, bringing together leading South African pianists, along with invited international guests for 5 days of lessons, lectures and recitals given to participants from across the country. All of the events were open to the public to observe the exchange of ideas and expertise, and each evening was rounded off with a concert of the highest calibre.

But this years symposium had even more to celebrate with the unveiling of brand new baby grand and upright practice pianos worth R1million purchased by Stellenbosch University in a unique partnership programme with Yamaha Pianos. The unveiling took place on 23rd March in a Piano Extravaganza which was described as “a once in a lifetime experience” by Head of Piano Professor Nina Schumann. Firstly 9 of South Africa’s top pianists – each of whom would be an experience to see – performed together on one stage. Added to this award winning American pianist Lori Sims joined in a rendition of Tschaikovsky’s 1812 Overture performed on 10 grand pianos! “I am sure such a performance is a first for South Africa” Schumann said.

But the piano extravaganza did not finish there, as the Endler Concert Series presented acclaimed Flemish pianist Daan Vanderwalle on Sunday 28th in a cutting edge performance of contemporary piano works including 3 South African pieces by Angie Mullins, Michael Blake and a world premier of Konka-Klanka by Theo Herbst. Production Administrator Louise Howlett commented “it really is a privilege to experience such world class performances, and just shows how Stellenbosch University is building unique relationships and forging ahead with new and innovative ideas for the development of music education and performance.”

Feedback from Peter Watts’ Seminar for Singing Teachers held in Cape Town recently

Wait till the voice has settled, say some. Learn another instrument first. There is no doubt that the experience of learning another instrument is very helpful. Singers are notoriously poor music readers and a frame of reference which is a little more definite than the invisible voice is certainly very helpful.

Just let them sing. That certainly used to be a great option. When I was a child there were daily singing assemblies in school. We had regular singing in the classroom. We had a Sunday School choir as well as regular singing there and in church too. Just in the course of a normal week there was lots of singing. Sadly that isn’t the case any longer. Children can go through their whole schooling hardly having any exposure to decent singing.

Then what do I mean decent. When I was growing up our models were great singers. In the music theatre world and in the popular music world there were singers who knew how to sing.

But now there are very few models. Ask a child at Initial Grade to sing the last note of a phrase in the Aural tests and many have no idea where to put their voice.

Perhaps the best experience a young person can get is in a really good children’s choir - one where the choir director cares about good vocal production. Sadly those choirs are few and far between and in my experience getting fewer and further!

So all this is getting round to saying that in my view if a child is keen to sing, start them as early as you like. You don’t have to work them too hard. Just teach them to use a real singing voice and not to talk their way through songs. Teach them good posture and breathing and give them a wide experience of repertoire.

How important is stylistic awareness in the lower grades?

It is no different for a singer than for an instrumentalist.

The published assessment criteria, which I hope you are all familiar with is always the deciding factor for an examiner.

To get a distinction in Initial – Grade 3 see p 22 of the Trinity Guildhall Information and Regulations Booklet (available from your Trinity Representative):
1. Notational Accuracy and Fluency
2. Technical Facility
3. Communication and Interpretation

You’ve probably heard this before, but just in case some haven’t, those three sections boil down to:
1. Me and the music
2. Me and the instrument
3. Me and the audience

The marks are divided almost evenly between those three sections:
1. Did they sing what was on the page? 7 marks
2. Was it sung with secure technique, good intonation, well-produced sound? 7 marks
3. Was the performance confident and stylistically appropriate? 8 marks

So, yes, stylistic awareness is important, as are the other features. A beginner pianist playing a little classical piece is expected to play with elegant phrasing.

Let’s think of some things that relate to style in the early grades of singing

Grade One Group A Popular, Musical Theatre and Film
Look at the two songs from Oliver – pronunciation of the words is obviously a stylistic feature to be thought about.
Consider yourself at home – the workhouse boys.
Who will buy this wonderful morning – the upper-class Oliver.

Group B Folk Song
Please let it sound like a child singing a folk song and not a 30 year old. Natural tone – singing of the people – is a stylistic feature to consider here.

Group C General Song Repertoire
All of these are lovely songs for a child to sing

When we get to Grade Three and above the general Song Repertoire is divided into more sections. At Grade 3 in the Pre 20th Century Song group you will find a number of Renaissance Lute songs and then simple Baroque songs
Grade 3
Rosseter What then is love but mourning
Monteverdi Maladetto
In Grade 4 Campion, Dowland, Ford and Purcell all find a place.

By all means add some simple ornamentation. It doesn’t have to be a lot but enough to show an understanding of the style.

Remember an examiner cannot say “I didn’t like that voice or that style of vocal production” and right the voice off. We have to allocate marks in the three sections.

A word of warning:
Modern Music Theatre songs often have a very wide range. Do be careful. I often find that a candidate pushes in the lower range at the beginning of a song and then cannot find their head voice at all when things go higher. This area is fraught with danger.

What are examiners expecting from voices – what levels at what grades?
What do examiners expect in the higher grades regarding voice?

I don’t think I can give you a blow by blow account of exactly what we expect to hear at each grade. I couldn’t with any instrument. We don’t work that way. We have the criteria and try to mark and comment according to that.

My own personal checklist includes:
Does the candidate sing what is on the page?
Does this voice work right through the range – are there very noticeable changes of register?
Breathing – is this managed in a way that enables the candidate to sing the song meaningfully? We breathe to give meaning to the words. We don’t breathe to stay alive – that’s purely incidental!
Are the languages convincing?
Style is it appropriate?
Was there commitment to the performance.

I do stress again if you want to know why candidates get allocated certain marks do look at the criteria. I think all examiners sit at their desk with the criteria in front of them as a constant reminder of what we are listening for.

Where are the marks slanted – more about voice, or musicianship?

Some teachers just concentrate on technique and then the marks aren’t that high.

I think I’ve really answered these two questions already. In fact musicianship has one more mark allocated to it than EITHER notational accuracy and fluency OR technique according to the marking scheme 7-7-8

Performing is more than knowing your work.
How to communication with the audience.

Let me put these two together. Performing certainly is more than knowing your work. In this area singers have an enormous advantage over most other performers. They have words. So they have a meaning they are trying to convey and not just musical meaning. They can look the audience straight in the eye and be much more persuasive than a pianist can. Nothing comes between them and the audience. Nothing is more un-nerving for an examiner than to have a candidate look you straight in the eye and sing directly to you. For one thing it’s very hard to look down to write anything!

How do you get school-age kids to practice?
If I knew the answer to that I’d be selling it on every street corner. I think there are as many different answers as there are kids.

Find some way to interest your students. Boys going through the change in voice can be fascinated by what is happening to them. Measure their voice each week see what they can sing and what they can no longer sing. Make charts. The same applies to girls’ voices but is less obvious. Chart the way that typical childish huskiness gradually disappears from the girls’ voices. Measure the range.

If you like gory videos there is nothing more interesting than watching the larynx at work. Go to www.vocalprocess.co.uk for more information. They have e-books for sale with videos of the larynx being used in singing.

Or try a programme like Sing and See, developed by two leading Australian singing teachers with a New Zealand computer boffin. www.singandsee.com. This enables you to see the exact pitch you are singing and how constant it is or isn’t. And also gives you a spectrograph image of the voice so that you can see how all the harmonics are sounding in the voice. Fascinating.

Some other useful websites:

The British Voice Association
www.british-voice-association.com

The Voice Foundation, Philadelphia
www.voicefoundation.org

Center for Voice Disorders, Wake Forest University
www.wfubmc.edu/voice/

Bodymapping – Barbara Conable’s take on Alexander as related to performance posture
www.bodymap.org

Breathing Works NZ has articles on the breath which are worthwhile
www.breathingworks.com

On our website you will find lots of information related to singing www.wattsandwatts.co.nz look in tips and articles. Also look at some of the books in the library section.

Thank you and do feel free to contact me if you would like any further information. There is a link on the website or use wattses@ihug.co.nz. Both should find me.

Peter Watts

See this link for Peter Watts' CV.

Rockschool Workshop

• Interactive sessions & musical demonstrations
• Staggered tea breaks (a break after each session)
• Variety of `angles’ (i.e. solo player: recorder; & accompaniment: harpsichord & viola da gamba (fascinating!!))
• Loved the `raffle’!
• The background & history into Baroque – Handel & Purcell – and comparisons (x6)
• An in-depth study into the technical side of baroque style and playing
• An interesting look into the approach of playing a piece
• Going more in-depth into a subject – the introduction of different instruments
• Variety of presenters/topics/performers-accompanists
• Frequent tea/eat breaks/fresh air (to keep us going to late end 13:30!) (x2)
• Sessions not too long! Well monitored!
• Enthusiasm and passion of presenters (& wisdom /expertise!)
• Shirley Gie’s ideas, tips and interpretations of the music/advice on rhythmic changes etc/mood creation in each movement – very inspiring…
• Shirley’s masterclasses – pearls of wisdom! (x9)
• Venue/Fantastic venue!
• Hearing instruments performed, i.e. Colleen Oxtoby on the the viols as well as the masterclasses. Also liked the clip at the very beginning –
• Angela Hewitt (x2), as well as hearing internationally famous groups & performers (x2)
• Given discograpy excellent idea
• Just enough information to get me excited about doing some more research
• Was very impressed with how well it was organized
• All the information was relevant
• The practical examples and masterclasses (x3)
• The viola da gamba talk & viol playing (x4)
• The talk on Purcell
• Everything was really good!
• Demonstration of piece by Karin’s student – made it all come to life.
• The lesson on the use of ornamentation – wonderful (x2)
• Listening to the recording of the Purcell’s Funeral Cantata
• The coffee
• Great to get notes!

1. What did you enjoy the least?

• Most enjoyable – no complaints!! Everything was fantastic. Highly educational. I loved it! (x11)
• Sometimes Karin/Shirley’s university level ears could `hear’ things my Prep school ears couldn’t always discern! (Hesitated to ask!! My problem!) – more a minor thought
• Very long morning!
• The history could have been presented in a more interesting way
• The feeling of rushing! Why not have less on the programme, so that we can relax and enjoy more. It would be less stressful for the organizer & presenter. (x2)
• Masterclasses – explanations too elaborate & complex (x2)
• There were not enough information sheets. Especially music scores – when it was being used – so I could not `follow’ (x2)
• More time was needed for the masterclasses
• Too much Biographical detail!
• Colleen should have played
• Stress the positive! Don’t be so much on the defensive regarding the recorder
• Would have liked to hear the recorder performed with the viol rather than so many recordings
• While very interesting the session on the viol was not practical for us as school teachers. We will never be lucky enough to have viol players! Perhaps this time could have been added to the other sessions as everyone struggled to finish on time.
• Loooooooooooooooooooooooong lectures

2. Are you happy that we host a similar Symposium on an annual basis?

• Yes (x21)
• A pity today clashed with the piano/violin Symposium in Stellebosch!
• This was my first time, but I found it very interesting
• And would be interested in attending a longer one
• Why not 2x in a year?
• Rather keep it on one day – life is too busy for 2 days. 2 days could also lead to time wasting/waffle!
• If you missed out on anything in the previous year, it could be added in the next year [?]
• I will encourage other people to come
• Not a longer Symposium, rather more often
• In the holidays would be great. How about combining it with a concert of sorts – even one we do for ourselves.

• Renaissance Music
• Modern techniques
• Ensemble/Chamber
• Recorder in vocal music
• Masterclasses-have some early learner from Junior level (at least one?) as well as more advanced
• Maintenance of wooden recorders
• Telemann Fantasias
• Ornamentation – more in depth look at Baroque ornaments, look at a specific example and go through it with various options discussed
• PreBaroque/Renaissance – and the use of ornaments and how?
• Cello Baroque with Recorder
• Violin Baroque
• Ensemble Masterclass
• Audience participation
• New Recorder music – perhaps Karin could bring one or two students to play some of the new music. Maybe we could look at scores.
• The formation of an ensemble and aspects relating to Recorder Ensembles (Modern versus earlier groups)
• Demonstrations on instruments that could accompany Recorder Ensembles
• Alessandro Scarlatti Sonatas
• Jazz recorder
• Other fipple flutes e.g. pennywhistle, fife
• Information geared towards the primary schoolteacher as well – not all scholarly approach
• More practical opportunities – i.e. try out some ornamentation/hemioala etc More hands’ on.
• Recorder techniques such as double tonguing, breath control for very high & low notes and other building blocks for achieving a good technique
• The difference between Baroque instruments and their modern cousins, e.g. violin/viola da gamba
• The African drums & mbira – how can we apply it and collaborate it with Western instruments
• Coverage of specific well-known works for recorder

4. How would you rate today’s Symposium?
1 as least effective and 5 as excellent

Rating 3 (1)

Rating 4 (10)

Rating 4.5 (1)

Rating 5 (9)

5. Do you have any further comments to make?

• Email notification of performances of recorder/Renaissance & Baroque concerts would be appreciated
• African instruments sound great – improvisation/Stefan Temmingh `Fynbos Calling’ CD
• Appreciate all the effort
• Very inspirational & informative. Keep going, each year has been wonderful. Thank you.
• Very interesting morning.
• Lovely
• More often please!
• Thanks for all the hard work!
• More 45 min sessions and more breaks
• Looking forward to the next one!
• Thanks esp to Jenny for all the hard work
• I really enjoyed having my mind stretched. Thank you. A 2-day Symposium would be beneficial and less rushed, but should include more opportunity for playing ourselves in groups. Could you include the longer break in the middle not near the end. I found sitting too long in the end – too much packed into too short a time.
• The Workshop should extend to 3 days to have ample time for practical imitations of the presentations
• I enjoyed the variety – some performance, some recordings, some background with handouts to illustrate. Lovely to have the score to follow.
• Would be nice to have more than one symposium per year. Interesting to know that there are still people who own and play baroque instruments. Although it seemed a short time, it was just the right length.
• A concentration on the beginner recorder, especially the embouchure
• Music could be shown on the screen – become a bit more technologically inclined.
• Have an ensemble demonstrate.
• Have recorder music on sale maybe.
• More interactive work
• Definitely too short
• Workshop on current exam syllabi, giving guidelines