Can theatre improvisation, especially authentic movement, benefit classical vocal pedagogy ...

and students of classical singing?

Quite a long title for this 8 thousand word dissertation.  If my assessors like it I'll post it on the blog, maybe in short sections.  A couple of people who read it were very positive about it, but they are also good friends, so I'll wait for the official judgment on its merits or otherwise.

Bunch Dayme, M (2009) Dynamics of the Singing Voice - 5th Edition Austria: Springer-Verlag/Wien expressed my reflections and conclusions on current classical vocal pedagogy:

The aim of this new edition is to look at ways we can expand our knowledge by looking for what is, and explore new frontiers in voice and singing, while at the same time honouring what we have from the past. and The understanding of the physical structure, psychology, and old pedagogical methods are no longer sufficient and we need to spend time evaluating what is and was useful, and what no longer serves us.

From my own experience, authentic movement can act as a portal from an underlying 'western'  philosophical influence, where mind and intellect dominate and instrumentization and problematization of the voice leads to a kind of disembodiedment,  to one more enabling of a truly wholistic/holistic experience of learning about self and singing, yet still producing bel canto with a difference.  Perhaps Wolfsohn via Pikes' (2004) Dark Voices The Genesis of Roy Hart Theatre Vol I, Louisiana: Spring Journal Inc., expresses the resultant difference when he refers to the goal of singing pedagogy to be the' unchained voice'. 

I particularly enjoyed and found profoundly relevant Richard Shusterman's (2008), Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics. New York: Cambridge University Press, and Melissa Hurt's (2010) Lessac's Kinesensics An Embodied Acting Practice via Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenal Body, Michigan: ProQuestLLC. 

I'll see if I can attach the References of my dissertation here.  If I manage it, please don't point out any errors straight away, as I've only just handed it it for marking and I will roll over in agony as I can't change it now!  I'm adding the references in case anyone with similar interests is looking for sources.

I'd love to hear what others think and I'm sure students of Opera Erratica's Body Opera workshops http://opera-erratica.org/#/current-projects/bodyopera/ will have a different take on things, studying as they do, Viewpoints theatre training.  Those students have emerged from various pedagogical approaches, their exposure to which has resulted in the benefit of their wonderful trained voices, a position I am not yet in.


Best wishes

Kim