Deborah’s Singing Teaching Lineage

It’s always good to know how your teacher works and where their traditions lie, along side continuing research into vocal function.

Classical singing training is an excellent basis for all singing. Many jazz and pop singers have had a foundation in classical training.

I owe so much to all the opera coaches and repetiteurs who worked with me over the years, especially David Roblou. I still train the voice and learn so much from Prof Raymond Connell (Royal Academy of Music). Part of Raymond’s teaching can  be traced back to Matthilde Marchesi and to Garcia.

The Guildhall School of Music and Drama Teachers course taught by Professor Chapman and Dr Ron Morris (Brisbane Speech and Hearing Clinic) was super useful. Specialists in larygeal and fascia manipulation, including Emil Vincenzi, have also taught me a great deal.

All singing is demanding on the voice. It is vital to keep body and soul healthy.  I connect with a small group of professionals to whom I refer students who need physio, medical or psychological interventions.  Many jazz singers have a classical as well as a jazz training and every single singer, no matter what genre they work in, needs to look after their voice as well as they can.

There are several strands to my early singing teaching lineage. The most important have been the following:

Early Singing Teachers

I began with a scholarship to train privately with the then octogenarian Prof Fabian Smith, (Guildhall), who himself had worked with Sir Thomas Beecham!  Later I studied English song repertoire with the late Ameral Gunson (Trinity). I worked on technique with Elizabeth Brice (who studied with Joy Mammen (Royal Academy) and at the National Opera Studio) and Paula Anglin (Guildhall School of Music and Drama). Both had studied with Prof.Peter Harrison and Yvonne Rodd-Marling, close associates of Frederick Husler.

Bel Canto Training  (Opera)

Paula Anglin trained with Vida Harford who taught a belcanto technique learned during her time in Dresden.

Musical Awareness (Sound singing and improvisation)

This goes to the heart of sound and song as self expression. I believe my inclination towards improvisation may come from an Irish old-style tradition. I’m very interested in music from different cultures and always encourage students to sing traditional music.

 

I have always had an interest in helping people back to vocal health (whether from psychological or physical illness) as well as fixing more common singing problems. My therapeutic singing lessons have proved helpful for students. I am also available for online singing lessons for those unable to come to see me in person.

These techniques combined enable me to teach most repertoire and to help people learn to sing pretty much anything they want. They are also revealed in their very simplest form in my book “Sing Your Heart Out” for beginners.

I am happy to help singers and singer songwriters as well as traditional music performers from many different cultures.

For more information please contact me direct.