LOS ANGELES — A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting in on two of the three SAG/AFTRA sightsinging courses taught by Gerald White. Gerald is one of the most sought-after session singers in town, which says a lot, since those lists seem to get shorter by the minute. I’ve heard about him over and over during the past few years, and was honored when he agreed to let me come and observe, so that I could report to all of you.
What immediately impressed me was the diversity of focus in his student groups: in both the intermediate and advanced classes (I attended one of each), there were singers of classical, jazz, R&B, pop/rock, sacred and country music. The ranks included several Lauri’s List members (go team!) and even a few members of the LA Master Chorale, even though that designation is generally used as an “oh, yeah, you can read” barometer in and of itself. (Bravo! to those singers for exerting the effort to keep those chops up, as we all must.) There were active session singers and hopefuls, and plenty of really good amateurs, particularly from two community choirs I know, improving their skills to broaden their horizons. They won’t be amateurs for long — we should all be so smart.
What everyone had in common was their commitment: they were there to do real work and gain real skills. Any air of competition or ego was short-lived, as White’s approach is generally focused on the work, and leaves little room for one-upsmanship or showing off. In an atmosphere of support and goal-driven cooperation, he gets down to business and stays on task. (As we know, that, in itself, is a near-miracle.) So much concept and so many lightning-fast exercises were consumed in the advanced class that it left even one of the LAMC members crying, “my brain hurts!” But they continued, got over the bump, and everyone learned a lot.
Why we need this
The reality is that many otherwise competent vocalists need time and help in building their sightreading proficiency, even after graduating from prestigious university and conservatory programs. But countless independent sightsinging courses (i.e. those offered outside a formal school curriculum) are far too elementary or unstructured, designed to be either an introduction to reading for the complete novice, or a series of general practice sessions with little structure and no end in sight. In fact, some are very clearly conceived to provide ongoing income for the instructor, and are justified, lamely, as a vague and mysterious process which “cannot be explained, only experienced”, or some such nonsense. (Sheesh!)
Reading music and sightreading are, for the most part, finite skills. They involve ongoing practice, as does any language study, but some level of fluency is an attainable goal for most people, so cloaking the process in mystery builds nothing but the instructor’s stock portfolio. A lack of conceptual substance may be proffered as Zen or as some sort of organic learning process, but without an understanding of the theory behind the music on the page, practice isn’t enough. The combination is key, or singers will have a tough time applying the work in rehearsal. The good news is that the theory required is quite simple. It just needs a good teacher to get the point across.
Lifting the veil
Theoretically, White is doing what some other teachers already do: he’s teaching Movable Doh, but with numbers instead of solfège syllables. He uses acknowledged tools and time-honored methods: transcription, dictation, scales, repetition, and cold reading from old and new sightreading resources. But he makes it practical, throwing his singers into the pool with an extensive library of real-life session charts, teaching them what to expect and how to approach it in the day-to-day. He has a gift for teaching within the familiar, dispensing with the need for constant translation when new challenges arise. (e.g. Do-re-mi is a new language for some, while 1-2-3 is not.) Ultimately, he gives his students simple tools they can embrace quickly and carry with them for the rest of their lives.
For instance, White takes the time to make clear and logical sense of the physical disconnect between the way singers and instrumentalists experience scales. Since many singers were taught sightreading by instrumentalists in the first place, this lesson is invaluable. A flute player, for example, learns scales by memorizing specific, targeted physical motions (press this key, then these…) depending on the key signature. Since singers have no keys to press, sounding the pitches may seem like a more uncertain endeavor. They may feel entirely dependent on reference pitches and sensory memory, which is a very quick road to “I’m a no-talent hack”. Many singers find themselves disgruntled and frustrated by this process, and simply give up. But with an easy understanding of how individual pitches work within the scale, those same singers find their way around the page, and are less flummoxed by key changes or accidentals. In time, they become flexible and intuitive musicians.
White also speaks very effectively on pitfalls like “musical autopilot”, where singers may depart from the score because they “know” what’s coming, or to do their own thing. But instead of harsh warnings to stay on the page or complicated theories on how to outthink the impulse, he offers practical examples of how things work in professional situations. He helps his students practice how to stay focused, keep going, even how to pick up again when they get lost.
This no-nonsense approach cuts through the sometimes cryptic fog of theory, breaking down those elusive but essential principles to the bare bones of what singers need to know, and it empowers them to own the knowledge and take responsibility for their own skill-building. They find they can work easily and continually on their own, because they now know just what to do, and they can do much of it anywhere. A homework assignment of transcribing a TV theme, for instance, kick-starts the habit of thinking about visual notation when they hear any tune — he’s encouraging them to apply it to daily life, not just their musical activities. His scale exercises are simple, direct and easy to remember, but they’re also fun – musical puzzles you can launch into anywhere, and you’ll want to. Some students report that they find themselves practicing all the time, even unconsciously, and their newfound knowledge becomes a built-in part of their lives. It’s as if they’re in a language immersion program, and they’re finding chances to “speak” music everywhere they go.
The least you need to know
An 8-session course costs about $125 for non-union members, and it’ll be worth every penny. There are three skill levels available: beginner, intermediate and advanced. They’ve been taking place at the SAG/AFTRA offices on Wilshire, on the Miracle Mile, but locations may vary.
The current batch of courses is just about finished, and the next batch will be offered in the spring of 2009. We’ll post reminders on this site, but you can be notified directly by joining Gerald’s email list. For more information on Gerald White and his sightsinging courses, go tohttp://web.mac.com/music1on1/Music1on1/Sightsinging.html
Take the class, no matter who you are. It will expand your toolbox and make you that much better. Period.
Posts
