Maintaining a Professional Reputation

Maintaining a professional persona is important when you're a musician. Being known as responsible, reliable, punctual, and detail oriented is as much about your music as it is about your behavior in general. When it comes to being a music teacher, this can be easier said than done. As a voice instructor I know what a good reputation can do for me. In a smaller city like Portland, your network is invaluable when it comes to booking jobs, finding accompanists, or landing auditions. I haven't worked a single singing gig where I didn't know at least two or three other people involved already. This is a lesson I've learned over time, sometimes the hard way. Your professional reputation is everything when it comes to your music career.

Young students do not always understand this. Actually, I'm willing to bet that more don't than do. And it's not just their professionalism that they represent, it's yours too when you're their teacher.

Recently I had my students sing for a master class. I spent hours making phone call after phone call trying to find an accompanist to play for them. After many degrees of referrals I finally found someone who was available but who did not have their own transportation and was still kind of green at the accompaniment thing. I figured beggars can't be choosers and I went out of my way to pick her up and drive her to and from the master class.

I was so excited to have my students sing for my own voice teacher and this was a valuable opportunity for them to work with her and to perform their music before their solo festival. Sadly, two of my four students cancelled the day of, I didn't have arrangements for childcare so my 7-month-old was in tow, the room that I had put in a written and approved request for was taken over by another group of people, I had forgot to tell my students to invite an audience so there was nobody there to watch, and one of the students that performed in the class not only had to leave right after she sang, but still has yet to pay both the teacher and the accompanist. I finally cut checks on her behalf much to the annoyance of the accompanist that waited over a month after the class to receive her payment.

This leads me to ponder my professional reputation. I know my own voice teacher understands that teaching young and not always responsible students in space that doesn't belong to me poses its challenges. But not everyone is always as understanding. This last weekend I've called over 10 people trying to find someone who is available to play for one of my students the end of April. I finally found someone, but I found myself avoiding not only the begrudged accompanist I'd used, but also the lady that referred her to me. I would not be surprised if I find it difficult to work with people in her network in the future.

Just as my voice teacher's students are known for being prepared and professional, I hope that my students represent me the same way. But I find myself in a "monkey see, monkey do" conundrum. My voice teacher exudes professionalism in a way that I can't even begin to touch myself. Over time I've made peace with my personality and the candor that I cannot squelch as much as I'd like to avoid putting my foot in my mouth from time to time. I see the openness of my relationship with my students as an asset rather than a setback. Despite my bottom line, which is to produce quality dependable musicians, I've found that sometimes I'm the only adult my students feel comfortable confiding in and teenagers need positive adult influences. My students trust and respect me in spite of my goofiness and they improve and do well. But when it comes to their representing me I'm starting to notice that my professional behavior in private is affecting theirs in public.

So what is the solution? As I learn and grow in my teaching skills I've discovered recently what it is that my own voice teacher does for me that I'm starting to do with my own students. Just like I do with my students, she's met me where I'm at and is willing to help me get where I want to go with my singing. But unlike me, she's sharp as tack. There is not a single mistake that goes unmentioned in my lessons. She expects me to be prepared and to set my own goals. She makes me want to do well because she does well.

With the recent success of one of my students, I find myself holding a higher standard in my studio. My drive for success drives my students too. I've had discussions with many of my students about what they want to do with their singing and what goals they have for themselves. It's my job as their teacher to push them and to want more for them than they do. When they recognize that their blunders set them back I know I've found the magic ingredient to push them to do better.

As a young teacher of young students it's not always easy to navigate these growing pains. I am grateful to have good examples of professional people in my life that I can strive to be more like. As I work toward my professional goals I hope that I too can set an example for and motivate my students the same way. My hope one day is that others will see the professional behavior and quality musicianship of my students and say that they must be one of mine.

The Accompanist Dilemma

Seasoned singers will tell you that a good accompanist is worth their weight in gold. Ideally they work with you as a member of your two person ensemble. They breathe with you, follow your cues, feel rests the same, ebb and flow with you, and they understand your music. This isn't always easy to achieve, and it's especially difficult with young singers.

In college I paid $20 a week to have an accompanist come play for half my lesson. This is pretty typical of most college music programs. It isn't unreasonable to require students to invest a great deal of money into their singing if it is their chosen college major and career path. So as a younger teacher working with high school students I have to be the bridge between my level of expertise and experience and the wallets of my student's parents. This isn't always easy.

I took years of piano lessons up through high school, but I still don't consider my playing acceptable for performances. I count myself fortunate that I play at all. Many voice performance majors never have piano lessons and are limited to what they learn in a group piano class in their undergrad which doesn't really promote the motor memory that years of lessons at a young age would yield. I can pretty easily "autopilot" my students scales and warmups. I play their vocal lines pretty easily, and even play the accompaniment to some of their less difficult pieces well. But if you were to put a piece like Faure's "Nell" in front of me, I'm a deer in the headlights.

Without a regular accompanist for their lessons, singing competitions turn into a mad dash to secure a good accompanist for my students at a price they can afford. I have been fortunate enough to have an accompanist  but now I have a student singing for her state solo competition and he's unavailable as are many of the accompanists on my long list.

So then the dilemma arises, do I try to convince my student to pay more or do I try to ask an accompanist to charge less? I hope to find someone that will charge within a range that my student is comfortable with because I certainly do not want to insult a good accompanist by suggesting they are not worth what they are asking! When availability becomes such an issue this is quite the challenge.