Emily C., McKinney, Ch. 1

• What are the 3 questions that McKinney asked teachers after playing each of the samples of faulty singing? (5)
• What is wrong with the sound that you are hearing?
• What do you think is causing it?
• What would you do about it if you were the teacher?
• When does the diagnostic process begin? (11)
• It begins right as you enter the doctor’s office. Small physical clues, such as muscle tone, body temperature, skin condition, circles under eyes, posture, color of skin, and cornea condition can help the doctor gather enough information even before starting a “formal” examination. 
• Define symptom. (11)
• Any sensation or change in bodily function experienced by a patient that is associated with a particular disease.
• What are the 3 basic techniques for gathering evidence? (12 or 15)
• Informal observation of the patient
• Self-evaluation by the patient
• Systematic testing by the doctor
• Define diagnosis. (12)
• Thorough analysis of facts or problems in order to gain understanding and aid future planning. 
• What are the 3 fundamental questions a doctor must ask about each patient he examines? (12)
• What are the symptoms?
• What are the causes of these symptoms?
• What are the possible remedies?
• (a.k.a. symptoms, causes, cures)
• Upon what should the teacher’s tonal ideal be based? (13)
• It should be based on the physical laws of sound and the tone quality of artist performers against which you can measure the sounds you are hearing. 
• What are the components necessary to be able to communicate information to the student in a way that s/he will accept your analysis and want to make the desired changes? (12-13)
• Comprehensive knowledge on the vocal mechanism and how it works
• Ability to express yourself to the student in terms they can understand
• Some of the skills of a master psychologist. 
• Complete this quote (14) “Each student is an individual and must be allowed to . . . .”
• “… seek vocal truth for him/herself under your guidance.” 
• Why is a systemic approach to diagnosing vocal faults important? (14)
• If you don’t, it’s likely that some faults will go unnoticed and uncorrected. 
• Complete these quotes (16)
• “bad sounds and incorrect pitches which are not heard on the first hearing . . . .”
• “… become increasingly less likely to be heard with each subsequent hearing.” 
• “the longer you teach a student without correcting a particular vocal fault . . . .”
• “… the more inclined you are to accept it as an inborn characteristic of that person and leave it uncorrected.” 
• What are McKinney’s recommendations for the first hearing of a student? (16)
• Let the student sing through the entire song without interruption.
• Find something positive to say, and don’t catalogue their vocal problems. 
• Avoid negative criticism, build trust and respect, and make clear your guidelines and expectations. 
• What is the teacher’s plan of action? (17)
• It is to recognize symptoms, determine causes, and devise cures. 
• What are the two types of clues? (17)
• Audible and visible. 
• What does the teacher need in order to determine causes? (18)
• The teacher must be intimately acquainted with the vocal mechanism and with the physics of sound. 
• What does it mean to use empathy as a voice teacher?  Why is this a valuable tool? (18)
• Using empathy means to try and feel in your own vocal mechanism the actions that are taking place in the student’s. This “motor mimicry” can be one of the fastest and most “intimate”ways to identify a vocal fault. 
• How do we develop the ability to devise cures for vocal faults?  (19)
• It comes from applied knowledge and experience. 
• Complete this quote (19) “Do not begin to tolerate or accept the incorrect sound just because you have not been able to change it. Be . . . .”
• “… resourceful, be creative, adapt your techniques; consult other teachers; keep searching until you find the answer.”