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sir_quirky_k (

sir_quirky_k) wrote,
@ 2007-10-18 18:49:00

I _think_ I've arrived at a decision.
I feel pretty convinced I'm going to go for Shylo.

Simply put, they're two very good teachers, but there is more Shylo can do that Chris cannot than vice versa, and much of this is completely relevant to me. I would heartily recommend Chris for someone seeking entirely conventional classical tuition, but I am not. Would I benefit from it? Probably. Would I enjoy it? Not in the least bit certain, and £350 is a fair chunk of change, not that you'd know it if you watched the wrong daytime TV shows. (As LINK has become fluffier and DEAL has become nastier, so their fortunes have shifted, with LINK rising and DEAL falling. Coincidence? Not in that timeslot it ain't.)

Anyway, I digress. Shylo also does some degree of classical tuition. Ergo, if I regret not being exposed to that repertoire, I can correct this. The reverse is not true.

Shylo's studio is also far more comfortable than the practice rooms on campus where lessons with Chris would take place, a non-trivial factor for me of all people.

Finally, the advantages in going with a fellow composer, one who's suggested she'll help me a bit in that too, is notable too.

Ultimately, Shylo's just a good fit for me.

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daweaver
2007-10-19 06:21 pm UTC (link)

I feel pretty convinced I'm going to go for Shylo.

A good choice, and clearly for the right reasons, which I'm only snipping for space and because I have nothing to add.

(As LINK has become fluffier and DEAL has become nastier, so their fortunes have shifted, with LINK rising and DEAL falling. Coincidence? Not in that timeslot it ain't.)

Or just the fashionable people finding no cheap thrills left on Dull or Dull, and Link becoming part of the televisual landscape.

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sir_quirky_k
2007-10-20 10:59 am UTC (link)

Oh, it quite probably is that. The fact that LINK has changed is still quite possibly interesting, and there may be lessons in GAMBLING PARTY for that.

Yes, the decision had a nice logical path. Worth pointing out: I was wavering again yesterday only to reverse it soon afterwards. During that wavering, I went to a lunchtime concert with third-year students performing. One classical guitarist, and two singers from Screech Or No Screech. The second of these was KB, who was better than I recalled (no interminably long Handel piece to start helped). The first... WH. A baritone. Very interesting to listen to in context, for I could imagine this as (an exaggeration of?) where I could be taken under Chris (who is himself a baritone). Enjoyable, but can't imagine myself sounding that way.

I sat next to a singer I didn't get to hear in June (for she had to reschedule her recital for September, presumably due to illness), who will now be referred to as VR. Sitting the other side of her was EM. Before the performers arrived, I talked about my dilemma (and it was a dilemma again at that point), and these two classical singers (who also know Chris in person, it must be stated) said that it would be better to follow a classical path if in doubt. The rationale was that it is easier to be classically-trained and perform contemporary music than the reverse. (I think EM said she wanted to specialise in musical theatre, was told she had to follow one of the two performance streams (classical and contemporary, the latter actually being referred to as 'jazz/pop' due presumably to the university being noted for jazz teaching), was advised towards the former, followed that advice, and appears very glad about it. And last I knew, she wasn't in the musical theatre group, though she was in the light opera group putting on G&S and the like...

Chances are, any teacher with a useful amount of classical background - and Shylo is one - will at least take most of the sound technique of that style and apply it. Shylo has the additional advantage (in the context of teaching me, at least) of having a certain disdain for some other elements of classical teaching that are negative, at least with regard to vocal classification. (I mean, she knows and uses the classifications, she referred to me as a baritone in my first lesson - though remember, I didn't produce F2 let alone E2 that day, and I think she might be surprised when I do - but she isn't bound by them. Chris would be.)

Very simply, vocal classification is an imperfect mechanism for determining which pieces will suit any given singer. It's imperfect because there's variation within the singers and pieces of a given classification. However, this is at best a secondary priority for me. My primary pursuit is the writing of music for my own voice. For that purpose, simply knowing my range gives perfect information (as far as that element goes; the variation in quality within that range, that's another matter), and the extra stage of induction is superfluous.

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