By Barbara J. Simon (Gallatin ’82)
Learning to sing is a rich three-dimensional activity dealing with the very depths of the human brain and spirit. A developing baby can hear its mother’s voice during pregnancy. In the brightly lit delivery room, some babies will turn to look toward their mother the first time that familiar voice is heard on the other side of birth. As a professional singing teacher, I’ve learned this is not the only time that memories of early sounds can lead someone out of the darkness.
- Words Buried in the Mind
Recently at a local community lunch (at 55 Kip Center, Rutherford NJ), Lily and her parents sat at my table. Lily had attended FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology) and succeeded in a high-pressure career in the NYC fashion world. A few years ago in her early sixties, Lily had survived a stroke. Now that her husband had passed away, she had returned to the home of her 88-year-old parents, who were doing a wonderful job of taking care of her.
True to her professional life, they had her dressed in a beautiful colored top with an unusual neckline, which was the perfect compliment to her complexion. She sported a stylish cut for her pure white hair, and perfectly manicured nails. She ate gracefully with one hand while the other was settled on the armrest of her wheelchair. When she looked me in the eyes, I could see a warmth and intelligence that made me want to get to know her better.
Lily could speak a few phrases clearly, but the whole family was frustrated by her inability to ask for what she wanted. Sometimes it was clear to me what she was saying by her varying vocal inflection. Her strong connection to the arts made me wonder if music might be the key to expanding her speech.
Searching for other ways that Lily might have had some early musical experiences, I noticed her regal posture while standing at her walker. And when she was dressed in summer shorts, her legs appeared smooth and toned. I asked, “Lily, do you like to dance?” Suddenly she reached out a powerful fist to her mother and loudly announced, “My name is Lily!” She had said that sentence several times before, but this time, I was sure it meant, “Yes, inside I am still a dancer!”
Explaining to her parents that although I’m not an official music therapist, I do know some things about how music springs from the brain, and for decades have used this information to instruct singers in a wide variety of musical genres. If they were willing, I’d be happy to take Lily on as a student and see if I could unlock some new language for her in song. They had a piano at home, and were willing to try anything.
I gave her dad a copy of a section from my book, Singing – Body and Soul: A Medley of Fresh Ideas about Musical Theater. It’s written for teenagers and covers ways to approach vocal performance that are not often taught in high school choral groups. There is one section entitled “Horror Films,” with a humorous but scientifically accurate explanation of the different parts of the brain that work together in a quality musical performance.
- Characters and Stories
Meditating on my new student, I knew that regular vocal technique was not the place to begin. I needed songs she already knew that we could pull out of her early memories. Songs with simple, clear lyrics that described a visual scene, and were made up of mostly nouns and verbs. Words that described a solid story, with interesting characters.
Christmas carols were perfect for this project! The simplest ones are taught to young children when the brain is new and fresh. They are sung the same way every year, so they get layered into the memory. Many carols have the same vocabulary (star, angel, shepherd, baby, manger), but in a different order, with various melodies. Thinking from a musical theater point of view, I knew these songs all told the same story from many angles – a historical story with some truth and mystery to it.
At Lily’s first lesson, the melody came more easily to her than the lyrics. But as she sang with me, the words starting blinking into her singing, and some phrases were tied together in a way that made sense. By the end of the first lesson, her parents in the next room could hear her pure voice pronouncing some of the lyrics to “Away in a Manger.”
For homework, I asked them to sing the carol with her repeatedly, and at the next lesson I introduced “The First Noel.” She learned that song more quickly, and when we sang “Away in the Manger” again, her parents and I could hear many more of her lyrics. She wasn’t learning each song by rote or just imitating me. Some of her language was waking up across the songs.
Her favorite word was “yeah,” which was her answer to almost everything. After a couple of lessons, “yeah” began to blossom into new forms. She started adding other affirmative words like, “Okay, Oh, Aw, Huh, Alright,” and a fast flowing “yeah, yeah, yeah” like the 1960s back-up singers of her youth. She was drawing these new words out of her own mind, and now she could make choices between them. Her vocabulary was growing from the inside out.
- A Door Opens
At the fourth lesson, before we got to “The Little Drummer Boy” (when I planned to have her tapping out the rhythm), her parents gave me some surprising news.
They had found a speech therapy program at a local university that had a summer semester starting in June. They called, but were told that the program was filled – call back in the fall. Instead, her dad drove the family to the campus so the program director could meet Lily in person. The staff was delighted with her open and cooperative nature, but the program was full and there was nothing they could do.
Her dad asked, “What activities do you use as you work with the clients?” They explained that they work with speech and music therapists. He replied, “She’s already been taking singing lessons.” The director perked up and asked incredulously, “You got her a singing teacher?”
“Yes,” her dad replied. “Do you want to hear her sing something?” She sang one song with her parents, and the director could hear Lily clearly pronouncing all the lyrics. Suddenly, the figurative key turned in the lock, the door sprang open, and she was signed up for the summer program right there. Lily started the following week!
Songs can unlock many things – language, memories, emotions. Meditate on the songs that are deep in your mind. Lullabies, love songs, tunes your grandparents taught you. How do they make you feel? Playful? Cozy? Do they bring a tear to your eye? Sing with your loved ones, and celebrate the songs imbedded deep in your mind. They are gifts that can stay fresh and meaningful wherever life takes you.
Rejoice! It’s Christmas in July!