Scales and Etudes Program

This program is an intensive study of traditional Bel Canto scales and vocalises. I originally developed this training to thoroughly prepare singers of all genres for tours and extended recording sessions. I have discovered, however, that non touring singers also enjoy this course, as it provides an intensive and thorough technical training that is unparalleled.

Any singer can benefit from my Scales and Etudes Program. Although the material I use is purely classical, the benefits are truly universal, and appropriate for singers of ALL genres of music.

The minimum commitment in the Scales and Etudes Program is six months; however, best results are obtained by students who train in this Program for at least 1 year.

Note: Students enrolled in the Classical Singing Program already have this module as part of their training.

Students in the Program take a one-hour lesson with me every week.

What The Program Includes

Singing Technique

The basis of ALL my lessons and singing programs is vocal balance.

I use the IVA system exclusively in my studio to train voices of all styles of music. You will use the IVA exercises and tools you learn for the rest of your singing career.

The IVA singing method is the very best technique for preparing and maintaining your voice to withstand the challenges of singing ANY style of music, and will enable you to sing the technically challenging classical vocalise and scale work in this Program.

The IVA exercises are always the basis that we use to build and balance the voice. We apply this balance to music. In this program, the music we will be singing are scales, arpeggi and etudes. These scales and etudes present many challenges, progressively, over time. This in turn solidifies the technique.

You will learn to:

• Balance the different registers in your voice
• Support your singing voice using the traditional method of appoggio
• Build vocal power at all dynamics
• Develop the ideal posture for singing, and much more.

Scales and Arpeggi

I use Marchesi Opus 31 for training in scales and arpeggi. It takes approximately 4 to 6 years for the average student to master the majority of the scales in this book. Every serious musician must work on scales and arpeggi each day, this includes singing musicians. These are not vocal “warm ups,” they are serious drills which apply your technique to the actual building blocks of music.

Classical Vocalises

I work mainly with the Concone Opus 9, and the Panofka Opus 85 and Opus 81 books. These etudes for the voice are at once challenging and beautiful. The Concone and Panofka vocalises train you very diligently and thoroughly in all aspects of classical singing. You will learn to master articulation, onsets, dynamics, ornamentations, legato lines, coloratura, and much more.

These important musical gems help you learn to sing tastefully, artistically, virtuosically and musically. Once these beautiful and challenging melodies are “in your voice,” you will be fully prepared to sing any piece of music that is required of you throughout your career. You will sing these vocalises for the rest of your life, and will probably find that you never get bored of singing them. Maria Callas called these etudes the “Singer’s Bible.”

For even more information on how I use this literature, you can read my article on vocalises.

Who This Program Is Intended For

• Singers who are training for a tour
• Singers who are training for extended recording sessions
• Singers who want to obtain and maintain flexibility, musicality, phrasing and precision in their singing
• Singers of all genres who desire to have fluidity in their vocal riffs and coloratura
• Singers who desire an enjoyable way to focus their minds and bodies and find joy in learning to sing beautifully

The skills you learn from singing the material in this program will stay with you for your entire life. Your ability to sing beautifully, powerfully, dynamically, tastefully, gracefully, fluidly and accurately is something that all singers desire. These skills are better achieved through these ancient methods than any other methods I have ever encountered.

Fees For the GBVS Scales and Etudes Program

I offer significantly reduced pricing for the GVBS Scales and Etudes Program over my regular rates, since this this training is quite rigorous, requires a long-term commitment and is reserved for only the most serious of students.

The fee for this program is $400 per month, and is paid as monthly auto payments using either a credit card or PayPal.

Only hourly lessons are taught in the Program. Thirty-minute lessons are not available.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel a lesson for any reason, it must be done within 24 hours of your lesson.

Students enrolled in this program must make up canceled lessons within 8 weeks of cancellation, or the lesson is forfeited. Lessons cancelled with less than 24 hours notice are automatically forfeited.

If you are going on vacation or need to have more than one week off consecutively for any reason, arrangements may be made with me in advance, and more lenient make up allowances can be made.

If I am out of town, or in the rare event that I need to cancel a lesson for any unforeseen circumstance, make up lessons will of course be offered.

Are you ready?

If you are ready, or have a son or daughter who is ready to take this important step to begin a legitimate, traditional, thorough and professional training in scales and traditional vocalise literature, then contact me to set up your first lesson.

Note: This program may not be used to log IVA teacher training hours.