Sam Meredith 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 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 upon your first encounter with a student

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) 1. Informal observation of student 2. self-evaluation by the student 3. systematic analysis by the teacher

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) 1. What are the symptoms? 2. What are the causes of these symptoms? 3. What are the possible remedies?

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) 1. a comprehensive knowledge of the vocal mechanism and how it works 2. the ability to express yourself in terms the student can understand 3. some of the skills of a master psychologist (the ability to point out problems and imperfections without offending the student or harming his/her self-confidence) 

Complete this quote (14)

“Each student is an individual and must be allowed to seek vocal truth for himself under your guidance.”

Why is a systemic approach to diagnosing vocal faults important? If a teacher doesn't have it, some vocal fault may go unnoticed and, as a result, uncorrected (14)

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) Make it a positive experience, let the student know that you enjoy teaching and that you want your experience to be enjoyable, and avoid negative criticism while at the same time setting firm expectations

What is the teacher’s plan of action? (17) to recognize symptoms, determining causes, devising cures

What are the two types of clues? (17) Audible clues and visual clues

What does the teacher need in order to determine causes? (18) The teacher needs to 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) Empathy as a voice teacher means to be able to feel in your own voice the things that are happening in the voice of your student. This is valuable because it can be one of the quickest and most effective ways of identifying vocal faults

How do we develop the ability to devise cures for vocal faults?  (19) That ability comes from applied knowledge and gained 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”