Sing out, don't shout!

Although I planned to bring you a blog on productive practice techniques this week, unfortunately I’ve had a pretty significant event that deserves a bit more attention.

Last Wednesday I got a phone call letting me know that my very first music teacher, Mrs. Jan Keay, had sadly passed away. Not only had she started my musical journey with singing lessons at the age of 4, but she was also my Godmother, and a wonderfully inspiring teacher and person as well.

I vividly remember our singing lessons together. They were always fun and playful, yet she was able to instil so many important habits that are still with me to this day. “Sing out, don’t shout!” was her motto, and this catch-cry was heard in most of my lessons early on. It was such a simple saying, yet so powerful (surprisingly because she was teaching a 4-year-old boy how to sing that had 3 older brothers to scream at every day!)

I remember the story of my oldest brother coming back from the doctor one day, to learn that he had nodules on his vocal cords. My parents were attendees of the local church at the time, and were good friends with the priest and his wife, Mrs. Keay, who happened to be a singing teacher. My brother was promptly sent to her to “sort him out” and teach him how to use his voice properly, before irreparable damage would set in!

Fortunately for my brother, he was able to save his husky voice from destruction and quickly become an accomplished singer through her tutelage. Despite this unfortuitous circumstance, the world of music was opened up to my family, and music soon became a part of our lives. From that, all of my brothers and I studied music through high school, and 3 of us ending up becoming professional musicians (and the 4th brother pays the taxes to keep us in our jobs!)

Mrs. Keay was such an amazing influence on me, being a young person learning what music was all about. She taught me so many things, but the main concept that sticks out was that strength in music comes from beauty in sound. Breathing fully and creating a round and projected sound were core teachings that have stuck with me throughout my career.

Through this time of reflection, one thing that I have learned is that there are many people that come into your life that play very different roles which nudge you towards success. Generally a lot of emphasis is placed upon the great teachers that churn out superstar performers – the “guru” masters that elevate their students to stardom. Whilst they might put the icing on top of an already impressive cake, a lot of credit still needs to go to the teachers that started it all - those people that instilled the love and excitement of music within you in the first place.

So what I would like to encourage you to do this week is to reach out to those teachers and mentors that you hold dear. The teachers that have had a profound impact on who you have become as a human being, and to those that have enriched your life with the gift of music.

There will never be enough “thank yous” to those people that mould and shape your life for the better. So now is the perfect time to check in and show your gratitude for what they have imparted on your life. ❤️