Learning is Play!

It is the beginning of a new year in private schools, prep schools, colleges and universities. That can be exciting: a fresh start and a time of new discoveries! Yet what can mar the wonder, the exuberance, the delight of learning and growing is a phenomenon seen in older students—being so driven and serious in approach. We forget what little children know so well: approach new ideas, concepts, materials with a sense of discovery and great playfulness.

“NO ONE expects you to already be masterful when learning something new, except, perhaps YOU. ”

Approach your singing practice as just one more session in the laboratory of your mind. Once you have learned a piece, try singing it in an opposite style or a completely different mood than the text suggests. See what you learn from that.

Make your performance into a melodrama or as strict and unmusical as you can. What did that teach you? Perhaps your mantra could be: Let’s try this for a while, and see what happens!