McKinney Chapter 1 Diagnosing Vocal Faults
What are the 3 questions that McKinney asked teachers after playing each of the samples of faulty singing? 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? As soon as the patient (student) walks into sight.
Define symptom. "Any sensation or change in bodily function experienced by the patient that is associated with a particular disease." In my words that would be physical changes the patient notices that are indicative of a disease or disorder.
What are the 3 basic techniques for gathering evidence? 1. Informal observation by the patient. 2. Self evaluation by the patient. 3. Systematic testing by the Doctor.
Define diagnosis. "Thorough analysis of facts or problems in order to gain understanding and aid future planning." Detecting the source of problems in order to find solutions.
What are the 3 fundamental questions a doctor must ask about each patient he examines? 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? It should be based on the physical laws of sound and on listening to recognized artists, especially ones who have had lasting success and maintained vocal freedom and beauty over time.
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? 1. A comprehensive knowledge of the vocal mechanism and how it works. 2. An ability to express yourself in a way that your student can understand. 3. The skills of a psychologist so that you can understand the student's emotional/psychological needs.
Complete this quote:
“Each student is an individual and must be allowed to . . . . seek vocal truth for himself under your guidance. Resist the temptation to turn your students into vocal clones of yourself.
Why is a systemic approach to diagnosing vocal faults important? Because it insures that you wont miss anything. It is easy to skip an area of concern if you wing it every time.
Complete these quotes:
“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? Let the student go through the entire song without interruption or comment. Then find something praiseworthy about the performance and complement them for it. Above all, do not launch into a categorical description of their vocal faults.
What is the teacher’s plan of action? To recognize symptoms, determine causes, and devise cures.
What are the two types of clues? audible cues and visible cues.
What does the teacher need in order to determine causes? The teacher needs an in depth understanding of the physiology and mechanics of the vocal folds.
What does it mean to use empathy as a voice teacher? Why is this a valuable tool? Experiencing complete empathy with the student will cause the teachers body to respond in kind - imitating the physical sensations associated with the sound. This can help a teacher determine quickly what is wrong. However, I think that this must take a great deal of experience to develop into a viable tool. I would not trust my empathetic responses one bit right now.
How do we develop the ability to devise cures for vocal faults? We need to apply what we know and what we have experienced ourselves. Knowledge will help us find the cause and solution, and experience will help us find the technique for fixing the problem.
Complete this quote:
“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 an answer."
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