Validation in Studio Class

With our first vocal workshop and studio classes coming up, this is a good time to talk about why we hold these classes every year. Yes, it gives you all performance opportunities. Yes, it's another chance to manage performance anxiety (stage fright) by singing in front of people. And, yes, it allows you to try out new rep or your jury set. 

There are other reasons, as well, that have been discussed in a couple of sources I've been pulling from this semester. Returning again to Matthew Benkert's Journal of Singing article "Building a Foundation of Trust in Vocal Pedagogy," he identifies a number of additional benefits these settings can offer. "Studio classes, when done with an eye toward collaboration, can increase students' self-confidence and enable vicarious learning when students serve as mentors to one another," he says. "A studio culture of empowerment can be created when voice pedagogues and peers validate each student's work." 

Obviously, theatre involves a lot of collaborative work already. There are elements that can be worked on individually, but that work is usually intended to be shared eventually. So it makes sense to have collaborative vocal settings, as well. Besides what students can learn when they are the ones performing and receiving feedback, I always love the "vicarious learning" that also happens in studio classes where you may see something that makes you think, "Hmm, I'm going to try that, too!" 

I also appreciate how Benkert mentions the self-confidence and empowerment that can occur when peers validate each other. This means your role in these classes is not just as an audience member who sits back and passively observes. The success of the class, and the improvement of your colleagues, depends on your engagement and your augmented feedback. 

Of course, the kind of feedback we give makes a big difference as to how it will be received. Which kind is most useful here? As Benkert says, self-confidence and empowerment increase when students offer feedback that serves to "validate" each student's work. I'm sure I could write an entire blog on the intricacies and implications of the word "validate" in a voice studio setting (note to future self...), but one of the official definitions is to "demonstrate or support the truth or value of." Essentially, to me, it's a recognition of what is before us. We don't have to offer corrections or suggestions—all we have to provide in order to validate is our positive observations. "This is what I saw." That allows the student to ask themselves, "Is that what I was trying to accomplish?" In this way, the exercise still promotes self-reflection by the singer and to consider whether or not they would like to change something. 

Of course, general audience feedback is often validating, as well. Comments like, "You have such a lovely voice!" and "Your performance was just beautiful!" can certainly be validating in the sense that they provide observations. But, they are also non-specific enough to risk being taken as praise, which I discussed in the last blog. 

As a reminder, Makiko Ueda pointed out that praise can help boost confidence and build rapport, so it does have a bit of a role. But in order to truly have a positive effect, it has to come from a place of sincerity and authenticity. Therefore, your job in studio classes is not to be fake or gushing in your comments if that is not what you feel. No one benefits when we just blow smoke. But, as we practiced in our Vocal Pedagogy class listening exercises, the first thing I would encourage us all to look for when we hear someone sing are the positive attributes. What is going well? What do you like? What is vocally efficient? What is artistically expressive? If you can't come up with something positive to say that is also sincere, that might be more reflective of your own limitations rather than that of the singer. 

Another helpful element of studio classes is the community they can help establish. For ideas on this concept, I'm returning to the new book Student-Centered Voice Pedagogy: Working with Students toward Developing Artistry, Authenticity, and Autonomy (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025). In particular, there is a chapter called "Coconstructing Your Own Curriculum: Promoting Student Agency and Individual Voice Development," written by voice pedagogues Jeanne Goffi-Fynn, Chris Citera, and Emily Hudson. They write: 

"...building a strong community in the classroom, rehearsal, or studio by singing together creates a shared experience of belonging and being a part of a community. This, in turn, is a powerful means to help students connect to each other and to society at large. These multiple aspects of student identity—as an individual, as part of a cultural heritage, as part of a community, as a global citizen—intersect and enhance one another, and thus it is a larger sense of belonging that informs and cultivates an overall sense of well-being among people." (p.174)

I don't delude myself into thinking that every student in our program is best friends with every other student. Naturally, I would assume that there are people with whom you generally have positive interactions and others with whom you may not get along at all. That's to be expected. So, studio class isn't necessarily intended to make you all best friends (although that can certainly occur). However, it is intended to give a group of people who are seeking the same thing (improved individual performance) a shared experience where we are all working toward that shared goal. It is that shared goal of helping everyone improve their individual performance through the means of positive validation that allows for a sense of belonging to develop and connecting among us to occur. 

Therefore, your observations, validations, and engagement are crucial not only to the goal of all students improving their skills but also to establishing connection and belonging. Passive observation cannot get us there. Engaged, positive engagement does. 

Think of how you may consider offering positive validations to your classmates and to yourself. 

Spring break is approaching—let's stay focused! 

Now go practice. 

Praise Revisited

Five years ago, I wrote a blog about praise—why we want it, how it makes us feel, and the role it can play in vocal training. According to multiple formal definitions, praise can be admiration, commendation, laudation, adulation, or approval offered toward another person.

There are lots of ways we can offer someone praise. "Good job!" "Atta way!" *pats on the head* "Here's $1,000,000!" 

As I wrote five years ago, praise of our singing can feel like an important part of our training. It helps us know we are improving and that what we are doing is effective. It also helps us know whether we are meeting a standard of success by earning the approval of our teachers, our peers, and our audiences. It can also help us know if we are meeting our own performance benchmarks, which can be a useful indication as to whether or not we are on track in reaching our goals. 

However, praise can have a downside, too, as reflected in a new book titled Student-Centered Voice Pedagogy: Working with Students toward Developing Artistry, Authenticity, and Autonomy edited by Jeanne Goffi-Fynn and Matthew Hoch. In a chapter called "Establishing Rapport," author Makiko Ueda highlights how praise can actually serve as a "roadblock" to progress by inhibiting our self-exploration. Citing the work of therapist Dr. Jane Nelsen, she makes a distinction between praise and encouragement. "Praise is to express a favorable judgment and expression of approval, and the locus of control is external: a student feels good only when the teacher approves" (31). "In contrast, encouragement is to inspire students; it helps them reflect upon their work and promotes self-evaluation. When students feel encouraged, they have a sense of ownership in their progress." (32) 

Ueda lists examples of praise: "You are a good musician." "You are such a good student." "I'm proud of you for passing the audition." 

She then notes how encouragement can differ from praise: "I appreciate your performance at the recital. It reflected your hard work this semester." "I noticed your trill has improved since last time. How did you go about practicing it?" "How do you feel about passing your audition?"

This isn't to say there is no place for praise in the voice studio. But there are qualifiers. As Ueda notes, "Praising students is helpful in building the student's confidence and rapport if it comes from a place of sincerity and authenticity. However, when praise is not based on actual merit, it can be problematic. Vague feedback such as 'good job' may contain a message of judgment—although it is positive—and does not provide a clear reason for the praise" (31). 

So it seems that, in order to be most useful, praise should be sincere (We can usually tell when it isn't, can't we?), specific ("Good job!" is not as helpful as "I appreciated how you were able to incorporate such effective use of dynamics."), and should inspire further commitment to the process. 

Don't get me wrong. Sometimes I'm happy just to hear a simple "Atta way!" But the good feelings from such a comment tend to fade pretty quickly and it offers no useful feedback that can lead to a next step. 

Think about the way you comment on others' performances. Do you tend to offer praise or encouragement? 

Now think about the way you comment on your own performances. Do you tend to offer praise or encouragement (or discouragement)? 

How has your practice been going, now that we're a full month into the semester? Have you been able to maintain your practice schedule or does it need some tweaks? 

Now go practice.