When I got this assignment I knew there was only one teacher that I wanted to interview. This teacher is a very positive light and such an inspiration to me. She is someone I truly look up to. She taught me for two years before I was accepted into Western University and continues to check in on me through my career at Western.
Question #1: When did you start teaching? Answer: I’ve been teaching at Western for 12 years, I did my undergrad and my masters here as well. I was always afraid of teaching at first because I didn’t want to damage anyone but I was a vocal methods TA during my Masters at Western. I had to grow and learn from my past and I was hired here at Western.
Question #2: What are your goals as a teacher? Answer: EVERYTHING! #1: To help my students to become more aware of their true strengths and weakness’s. Some people’s belief systems get in the way of their true potential. Some people think they aren’t smart but they may just be misunderstood because they can’t focus well, or for whatever reason, so whether its singing or just life itself I want to help my students notice their truly authentic potential and then to work on them. #2: Be aware of technique, body awareness, breath, languages, diction, and dynamics, following the music, doing what the composer asks. The key thing is, is learning things about your self. Some singers will have limits on their thinking, which won’t allow them to access certain things so I like to give my students tools like yoga or going to the gym or if they already do those thing, helping them be more structured and organized so they have tools to help them become as confident in life and in singing as they can be.
Question #3: What was your most memorable moment as a teacher? Answer: They happen every second. Teaching is my passion so I love every second of it. I’d say every student is a memorable moment. For example if a student had a break through at some point, that’s a memorable moment for me. That is what keeps me going. There are millions! There are moments that are bigger than others. I’ve had students sing at Carnegie Hall or win big competitions but as a first year if that singer finally lets go and allows something to happen, that is just as important to me as singing at the Metropolitan Opera. Or if I have a stubborn fourth year student who FINALLY is letting go that is more exciting than a first year student who is already letting go. It’s all part of the process.
Question #4: Have you ever had a disastrous moment as a teacher? Answer: Yes. Looking back I probably didn’t know they were disastrous in the moment. Life can be a disaster, life can be optimal, and life can be whatever so it’s just about being present. I feel like some of the disasters have also big positive moments. It ranges from a student breaking down into tears during a lesson or I may have a misunderstanding with a student and get frustrated and a positive thing could come from it. That is a disaster in the sense that I should be more patient, I should try to be the best teacher I can be. But sometimes when I lose my cool it’s actually asking the students to step up. Something that is becoming more noticed around Western overall is mental health. We need to be more aware and know how to handle mental health issues. I have never had training so to have a student come in who is dealing with a mental health issue, talking about yoga or the artists way isn’t enough. So if I had more training I may be able to understand what a student is going through and how to be more patient with students in those situations. I think some of my students were going through a mental health crisis and I would’ve liked to have more knowledge to help them with that. Some people have had things in their lives that I couldn’t understand; it was beyond my knowledge and my capabilities. So I would like to have more knowledge so I can be more aware. I think that has been a disastrous moment for the entire education system.
Question #5: Why do you teach the way you do? Answer: You know the expression ‘You can’t teach an old dog a new tricks?’ I have seen so many old dogs not wanting to learn new tricks and I think that’s a pet peeve of mine and in life the best teachers I’ve had are always looking to improve themselves and always looking at their strengths and weaknesses. Life is not a ‘Ta Da, I’ve now made it!’ I try to always be learning, always be open; always asking for feed back on my teaching. Asking if I was okay with a student, asking if I pushed to hard or not hard enough because I’ve been too lenient in the past so it’s finding a balance. It’s being in flow and being available and trying to look at the models and mentors I’ve had in my life. Looking at their examples and teaching in that way. It’s always finding new mentors and finding new teaching methods and continually growing.
Questions #6: Would you recommend becoming a teacher? Answer: I think singing teachers should have a licence to teach. For me, I love everyday being different, I love teaching, and I love repeating the same information over and over again in different ways until it sinks in to each of my students. So if someone were open to that then yes I would recommend it. If not, then no. Not if they don’t want to keep working on themselves or be present or grow.
Question #7: Why did you choose a University setting instead of a high school or a private studio? Answer: My biggest pet peeve with students is work ethic. So if I am giving them a ton of information it doesn’t matter how fast or slow they progress it matters how much they try. I’ve had university students who are lazy, I’ve had high school students who are lazy, and I’ve had public school students who are lazy. I care about someone caring about moving forward and progressing. I chose a university setting simply because it chose me but I am glad because it is supposed to weed out the people who want to take it seriously and are passionate. I prefer older students so there is a certain level of maturity and work ethic among my students so I can work on a higher level of technique. But I also teach at my own private student so I also teach high school students. I think for younger students I just have to sit and play the piano for the most part and I would rather do something more.