Question 9

Dear Ms. Lang,
what do you think of vocal training in new music and the statement "new music doesn't need old music"?
S.T. *

Dear Ms. S.,
this slogan promises attention and impresses by practical distance.
In music education, as in all other disciplines, one should have learned the basics before venturing into contemporary music .
Would you undergo a cosmetic operation with a surgeon who has not completed a proper medical degree, who has not learned the necessary medical basics important for emergencies?
A music degree with a focus on "new music" can only be an additional training for highly talented, advanced musicians.
In the case of singers, it is even more difficult. Contemporary composers often write music without taking the voice into consideration. Extreme positions are often demanded, which are contrary to a natural use of the voice.
"Study of contemporary music, with its unusual leaps and often with effects that do not belong to the normal spectrum of human sound, requires, first, an absolutely rock-solid vocal technique and, second, exceptional musical intelligence. Only after a reliable technical foundation is in place can the voice student begin to acquire repertoire. Selection of repertoire appropriate to the voice student must be based on existing vocal and musical competencies so that the voice as an instrument is not compromised."   Prof. Marilyn Schmiege, Former President BDG, Federal Association of German Voice Pedagogues

Singing "new music" is possible only on the basis of a healthy, stable vocal technique without damage to the voice.

1. vocal training aims firstly at establishing a reliable technique (breath control, tone production, optimization of sound quality and carrying capacity). A good technique is the sine qua non for any singer, in any genre. 

 2. one trains a voice according to the existing vocal, physical, intellectual, and spiritual qualities of the voice student."  Prof. Marilyn Schmiege

"In the training of a young high-performance voice, a number of factors of a pedagogical nature come together: in addition to musical education, physical and intellectual training should of course be mentioned here. Above all, however, the singing lessons are the cardinal factor. In this, the development of the voice, that is, vocal education based on knowledge of a physiological basis, is fundamental and indispensable. This kind of vocal education is absolutely free of any stylistics and is only inferior to the optimization of sound formation in the high performance sense."
Prof. Thomas Heyer

The question arises as to where a "new music singer" is then engaged in our time and how he can earn his money. Performance opportunities in this genre are rare and the earning potential rather modest.
What sense then does a cost-intensive vocal training with a focus on "contemporary music" make and who pays for it?

Best regards
Petra Lang

(Summer 2020)
*name changed