Stages of learning

[EDIT: A revised version of this blog is now published on the Classical Singer website. Please visit: https://www.csmusic.net/content/articles/stages-of-learning-and-how-it-affects-your-singing-progression/]

In recent years, motor learning theory has taken a more prominent place in vocal pedagogy. The three stages of motor learning explain how it is that we learn new skills and are outlined well in The Vocal Athlete by Wendy D. Leborgne and Marci Rosenberg and in Vocology by Ingo Titze and Kittie Verdolini Abbott. Knowing which stage of learning we are in can impact the way we approach our performances.

The first stage of motor learning is the verbal/cognitive stage. This is where you're just starting to explore a new skill and getting a feel for what you're doing. This stage requires a lot of repetition, a lot of guidance and feedback, and involves a lot of failed attempts. 

The second stage, the motor learning stage, is where you start to get the hang of things and you begin refining the skill. It's still not perfect every time, but you've done it successfully enough times to know what it feels like and to begin to be able to self-diagnose and to work through some of your own problems. 

Stage three, the automatic stage, is where the skills become automatic (as the name implies). You are able to execute the skill without as much concentration as before and you are able to do it in different settings, different situations, and even among distractions. Your self-diagnosis skills are also well developed, meaning that you won't need the help of a teacher as much as before. 

Of course, singing is not just one skill but a series of skills. Some of you may be really great at breath management but not as good at singing in a wide range. Some of you may feel really comfortable in chest voice but less secure singing in a more head voice-dominant register. Some of you may feel great singing vocal exercises but have a hard time bringing those sounds into songs. 

In other words, some parts of your singing are probably in stage three while others are in stage two or even in stage one. 

Part of what I like so much about understanding the stages of motor learning is that they come without judgement. People are not good singers or bad singers—we are all just in different stages of learning. 

If you are in stage two of singing through your passaggio, that means sometimes those notes are going to feel and sound great and sometimes they aren't. That doesn't mean that you're a terrible singer. It means you are in stage two of learning that particular skill, and that inconsistency is a necessary part of being in stage two. 

If you are so frustrated by being in stage one or stage two (which, when we're talking about singing, can literally last for years) that you give up, then you will never reach the automatic stage. That applies to singing, bowling, throwing darts, or any other skill you're trying to learn. 

We are all works in progress. No performance is a final, perfect statement of how something is done. It is only a reflection of what we are able to do on a given day with our current skills. None of us need to apologize for or feel bad about that. 

As you perform in your upcoming vocal juries and class finals, I hope that you will all be as expressive as you can and have as much fun as you can within your current (and varied) stages of learning. 

Thanks for a great semester. I can't wait to hear you all SING!

Sweet Dreams

"Sleep now, O sleep now, O you unquiet heart." -James Joyce, Chamber Music

The University of Minnesota football team is having its best season in decades. Besides their practice schedule, their training regimen, and the hours spent watching game film, they believe their success is also due to another factor: sleep.

On the advice of Dr. Michael Howell of the M Health Fairview Sleep Center, players and coaches are placing an emphasis on achieving quality sleep, which includes a daily nap. “Anything that gives you a 5 to 8 percent edge in high-performance athletics goes a very, very long way—and that's what we can expect with people sleeping better,” Howell said.

Vocal pedagogues have long been making comparisons between sports athletes and singers, since both have to train for intense physical activities that directly depend on a healthy body. For both groups, strenuous activity must be followed by a sufficient amount of rest for appropriate recovery. Even 25 years ago, author Barbara Doscher understood the importance of rest for both athletes and vocal athletes, writing in her seminal book The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice, "The one thing an athlete cannot do without is rest, particularly the night before a game or a performance."

Voice researchers Bridget Rose, Michelle Horman, and Robert Thayer Sataloff also advocate getting more sleep prior to heavy voice use, which may include a nap on the day of an important speaking or singing engagement. As they report, "General body fatigue is reflected in the voice. Optimal vocal efficiency might not be possible when the performer or speaker is tired."

Voice teacher and certified personal trainer Claudia Friedlander points out that most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night to support good health and energy. In Complete Vocal Fitness, she says that when we are sleep deficient, we compromise our immune systems and are more vulnerable to viruses, infections, and various diseases. "In addition to supporting your physical health, adequate sleep promotes optimal brain function, improving your abilities to retain new learning and make effective decisions," she says. "Rather than burning the midnight oil to memorize your score or plot your next career move, get a good night's rest. You'll improve your productivity as well as your chances of maintaining your health."

A survey discussed in Vocal Health and Pedagogy: Science, Assessment, and Treatment asked singers about the most common vocal consequences they notice in themselves when they have gotten poor sleep. Most reported difficulty with breath support and that their voices would get tired more easily. They also reported a significantly reduced ability to maintain focus and concentration and an increase in overall frustration and irritability (Getsy, Sataloff, and Wang, "Sleep and the Vocal Performer").

Now, maybe it's not helpful to lecture students about getting enough sleep when many of you have class from 9am-5pm and then rehearsal or work from 6pm-11pm or later. And then you're expected to practice, do homework, exercise, buy groceries, etc. Then you get up the next day and do it all over again, hoping to recover sometime over the weekend or at the end of the semester. But it's important to understand exactly how a lack of quality sleep can impact your ability to perform vocally on a regular basis. And if you are experiencing vocal difficulties, it might not be the fault of your technique or your abilities. You might just need more sleep.

So go take a nap.

(And then go practice.)

-William Shakespeare