<p>Some general points of clarification before I get into the body of my response (I’ve mentioned these before, but they’ve probably been lost in the preceding masses of text):</p>
<ul>
<li> I AM actively looking into finding a new instructor AND getting in-person professional feedback but, while that will inform my ultimate decisions, it doesn’t fall under the scope of this forum. As such, while I welcome advice in this regard, send it via private message.</li>
<li> The purpose of this thread is to ennumerate options (of which a good few have been presented) for a person in an unconventional position to continue pursuing music/voice ACADEMICALLY (advice/commentary regarding my career prospects and/or singing opportunities are welcome, but again, should probably be moved to private message).</li>
<li> My passion for education will inform my decisions, as will my financial considerations, but I AM willing to put teaching on the back-burner for the time being if that proves necessary (I’m trying to determine whether it is).</li>
<li> Again, here are some guiding questions:
What continuing-ed/non-degree/online options could be worked around a job?
What BM programs allow second-degree candidates without unnecessary courses?
What MM programs are open to considering candidates such as myself?</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>No need to denigrate /yourself/, musicprnt; your response was well articulated and thought-out. In fact, the perspective you bring is more in line with my own outlook than you might realize. I do fear, though, that I have provided you an inadequate lens via which to assess my situation; as with many things in life, if I could restart this thread, I would have framed things differently. Ive had half a mind to close this one out, but thoughtful feedback like yours has kept me from doing so.</p>
<p>The first thing Id hoped to have imparted, that I may not have done adequately, is my shared belief in the principle behind the 10,000 Rule. In fact, it is the strength of this conviction that has led me to shortchanging myself a wee bit in this conversation; truly accepting that talent is primarily the manifestation of concerted effort comes with an inherent humility, for there will always be those who have invested a lifes worth of effort in any particular endeavor. While we cant compete with those people, we can certainly learn from them and assimilate what we can of their qualities we admire.</p>
<p>In this vein, however, there are a couple fundamental differences between voice and other instruments that work out in my favor; both of these stem from other instruments serving as an equalizer. The first consideration is that there is a much greater capacity for developing proficiency in voice passively (putting in hours toward that big 10k). Sure, an experienced juggler might find it somewhat easier to pick up the piano than his non-juggling compatriot (there are plenty of transferable skills, like manual dexterity and a rhythmic understanding, that you can develop away from the ivory) but the advantage would be comparatively nominal. </p>
<p>The difference is, /everyone/ has a voice and is using it constantly. That doesnt mean everyone uses it well and are secretly developing into opera singers, but were not talking monkeys writing Shakespeare either. There is physiological feedback if you listen/feel for it, but, in general, people are unlikely to happen upon good technique without guidance.</p>
<p>Ive mentioned that Ive done my best to fill every spare minute of the past two, getting on three, years with music (and, rest assured, I will continue to do so!), but that wasn’t the start of my development. Ive only begun to formally explore singing, but Ive been curious about my own voice since I was a child and have literally never stopped playing with it to see what it can do (to this day, my brother asks me why are you always making weird noises?). </p>
<p>When I was studying linguistics, I was fascinated by our discussion of formants in phonetics and how the human voice resonates at different harmonics, with the capacity to generate a rich overtone series that varies dynamically with changing vowels; needless to say I spent inordinate amounts of time exploring that for myself. More recently, I’ve been investigating voice science and how spectrogram analysis can inform my singing.</p>
<p>A person can learn to play the guitar by ear through persistence and experimentation, but that person would first need a guitar (getting back to instruments equalizing); Ive had my voice all along. Again, as I hope is apparent, playing around isnt an efficient way to attain mastery and taking a structured approach is something I highly value, hence this thread. My point is, if you pick up the bassoon, youre going to start near the 0 mark toward your 10k; Im significantly further along, but Im excited by how much further I have to go!</p>
<p>The second manner in which other instruments equalize is that their capacity and quality is fairly universal. Im not saying that every piano is a Steinway, but there are a discrete set of notes on a piano and, while you may bring something different to the table physiologically or psychologically, you have to channel whatever you bring into a functional skill-set that would serve you equally well in making an upright or a grand piano sing (relative to their respective capacities to do so). </p>
<p>With voice, however, there is a great deal more variability in the instrument itself and you have to work with what you have. Im not saying that certain people are blessed with an internal Stradivarius (and, even if they were, a Stradivarius in the hands of an amateur wouldnt sound great), but that some people are born with a viola and some a violin (some a double bass!); the mechanics of operation may be similar, but the timber, range and other qualities can be dramatically different.</p>
<p>Im off in abstraction, but not without a point: if I were your average soprano, with my lack of experience Id have a very uphill run indeed (well, aside from the fact that Im a man and soprano-range counter-tenors are all the rage these days :-P). I am, however, a baritone with some heft/resonance (plenty of squillo) and a higher-than-average tessitura (I have a strong and comfortable F#4), which is sufficiently uncommon that, if I worked hard at it, itd be easier to earn a career than people in most other fachs. Dont take this the wrong way (Im not nearly deluded enough to think Im even remotely at that level or even in sight of such a lofty position), but even the Met* is hurting for Verdi baritones (if thats indeed the fach I settle into). </p>
<p>Embellishing upon the earlier analogy: imagine a world where youre born biologically connected to an instrument, that people born with a viola are uncommon (violins are in over-abundance), and that those who subsequently invest in their instrument are rarer still; itd be a lot easier to get a spot in a string quartet for a voilist in that scenario (a lot of opera companies have had to resign themselves to having their violinists and cellists play the viola line)! That, in itself, wouldnt make the violist a good musician, but, having that start can snowball into something bigger (per Gladwell and hockey players born in January). </p>
<p>Again, this thread was not intended as a discussion of my career prospects (without hearing me, as many have pointed out, that would be a fruitless endeavor), but rather the academic options available to me at this point (what BM, non-degree, continuing education and MM programs are open to me and what are their relative merits?). That the former has dominated the conversation, in many respects, is why I think I might be better served starting another, more focused thread. However, as people have taken the time to provide insight on the matter, I figured I’ve owed them a response and clarification as a token of my appreciation (and, if the thousands of words Ive written here are any indication, I have appreciated it very much indeed).</p>
<p>So, getting back to those clarifications, getting assessment from more (and, potentially, more informed) individuals is definitely a top priority for me, as I have indicated before (and has been an overriding theme of this thread). Im afraid Ive downplayed the amount that this has been a factor already and, in failing to expound upon this, Ive done my voice instructor a disservice, as it would seem Ive unintentionally painted him (judging from the responses Ive been getting) as something of a fawning lack-wit. I tried to dispel the lack-wit part by indicating his pedigree (one does not get to work with incredible musicians like that and sustain a professional career in opera without a broad understanding), but it would seem I should have addressed the fawning.</p>
<p>He is not the only person who has heard me and been encouraging: I have received top marks in all my juries in the past two years (my voice instructor was obviously not on those panels), I have earned merit-based performance scholarships every semester after I started lessons (auditioned before different panels), and have been consistently selected for master classes. I like to temper this with the qualification that Ive been in a small pond, but, even so, if every member of the music faculty at my university who has appraised my performance suggests considering career possibilities (Im not inferring this, the panels provide direct feedback to the performers afterwards), its probably safe to say that my voice instructor isnt delusional. </p>
<p>What I was trying to convey is that I think Id be better served taking the enthusiasm of others (and Ive been met with encouragement from professionals outside my university as well) with a grain of salt, not because I dont value those peoples opinions, but because self-improvement is served better elsewise. Namely, looking critically at where you could be even better, acknowledging shortcomings, and doing your best to address both, is a much more effective strategy than revelling in the praise of others (that IS a path to delusion). My 10,000 hours arent complete (besides, thats only a start; its equivalent to working full-time for 5 years) and Im on this forum because Im not content to be completing these hours willy-nilly any longer.</p>
<hr>
<p>*A point of clarification with respect to the Met auditions: the name is a misnomer and it would be more aptly labeled a competition. It is definitely a high prestige and particularly fierce competition, but its ostensibly open-call (whether youre liable to make it past district, much less regionals, without a significant resume and connections is a source of some debate/controversy) and the reward is a cash-prize, not a role on the main-stage. </p>
<p>The intention behind my instructor’s audition for the Met, that I tried to clarify earlier, was that I should focus on honing my craft /as a singer/ (rather than wasting time in academia), so that I can make my way directly into the competition circuit (I dont think he thought the Met was a short-term goal), where an artist who hasnt experience, like myself, has some chance of making a name for himself. My instructor had significant success taking this route himself.</p>