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Formerly teaching in WA, I have now retired to South Australia. However I am prepared to take a few private students in the SALISBURY NORTH, SA area.
Prospective students should contact me for a free assessment audition.
Phone: (08) 8281 4853
E-mail me at athomas@internode.on.net
Click the links for:
Outline of Lesson Syllabus ...
List of students' eisteddfod successes ...
Although classically trained myself, I also specialise in teaching Music Theatre and Popular styles of singing. This is partly because of my extensive experience in performing Music Theatre roles and the realisation that this brought to me that operatic style singing is NOT appropriate for most of this work. Contrary to what many traditional singing teachers believe, a classical training is not necessarily a good foundation for all styles of singing.
What is required for Music Theatre is great flexibility of expression and a wide range. The ability to sing in character style with wide variations in vowel sounds and dialect accents is vital. Sometimes changes of quality are required within the one song. This is the opposite of the classical tradition of singing with an even tone over the entire range of the voice.
Popular music (Rock, Jazz, Latin etc) requires extreme flexibility and a knowledge of techniques for making "less than beautiful" sounds without damaging the voice. Also a good knowledge of microphone technique.
The new AMEB (Australian Music Examination Board) Contemporary Popular Music (CPM) syllabus recognises these differences from the classical tradition and puts much emphasis on the "oral tradition" of popular music, improvisation, swinging the rhythm where appropriate etc. Several of my WA students worked to this exciting new syllabus under my guidance.
Many of the demands placed on the voice by popular style singing require a good scientific knowledge of the workings of the vocal apparatus. Without this the voice can be quickly and irrevocably damaged by the effort needed to adequately express the passion in this type of music. In pop style Music Theatre this is equally true because microphones, if used at all, are only for sound reinforcement, not for large scale amplification as in heavy rock music. Thus a scientific background with a special medical interest and electronics experience is a great asset for this kind of teaching.
Some singing teachers are trained exclusively in the classical tradition and have little knowledge of the recent research into voice production. Much of this research demystifies many of the old myths passed on through generations of classical singers. My scientific background has helped me to recognise the worth of these new discoveries and willingly abandon these myths of conventional teaching. Possibly as a result of this my students make very rapid progress in their chosen popular styles and several of them have won prizes at competitions.
To arrange a free assessment and negotiate the lesson arrangements please phone (08) 8281 4853 or
E-mail me at athomas@internode.on.net
Singing Lessons | Student Successes | Musical Experience | Musical Background | General Background | Electronics Patents | Personal Links | Other Links | Back to HOME