Michael M
Instruments: Voice
Styles: Classical, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Showtunes, Spirituals
Michael M
Instruments: Voice
Styles:
Classical, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Showtunes, Spirituals
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 10-80
MM, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Vocal Performance
BM, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Vocal Performance
2002 - James C. McKinney Performance Award
1993, 1994 - NATS Vocal Competition (2nd place, Male vocal)
1992 - NATS Vocal Competition (1st place, Male vocal)
1990 - AACS National Competition (3rd place, Male vocal)
My goal is to teach students how to use their best voice with minimal effort, but exhibit maximum skill. I believe the voice is a machine that must be cared for and nurtured, but most importantly used wisely and responsibly. I graduated from the University of TN at Chattanooga in 1995 with a Bachelor's in Vocal Performance, and from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, TX) with a Master's Degree in Vocal Performance. I've sung around the world and in dozens of styles, and contexts. I regularly perform around the Tennessee area, but routinely sing professionally all over the nation and the world, including regular performances of Handel's Messiah at Christmas.
I have taught voice since my Vocal Pedagogy class at UTC (1994). I've worked with all ages, all skill levels, all genders, and all races. I have found great satisfaction working with committed students and vocal hobbyists alike, helping people find their best voice for life. I like to mix both the classical literature that is easiest to master, with the modern and contemporary material that can be challenging but most immediately rewarding and desired. My goal is to make joy of singing the goal.
I specialize in teaching bel canto singing, which promotes ease of vocal use leveraged by abdominal power (appoggio, or breath prop/support) to facilitate blending or mixing of vocal registers. Young children start off with songs that teach basic musicianship, progressing through light literature to gain skill at unifying the voice, finally to heavier material. I emphasize the importance of reading music, vocal health, physical awareness and deportment, and communication skills and styles. Early music sources include Salvatore Marchesi's exercise songs (G. Schirmer) as well as Hal Leonard's First and Second Songs for the student's voice type.
As each voice is different, so is the curricular plan for that student. All students will deal with each of the basic vocal challenges (support, placement, registration, etc.), but not all will struggle in the same ways. Literature is assigned to focus on mastering those problem areas, then the skill is transferred to the student's own literature or other songs that the student is likely or planning to present publicly. We will regularly visit learned material to increase this skill, or use it to springboard into a new technique or higher level of the one recently learned.
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