In the world of singing teaching few are more respected or experienced than Anita Morrison. She has taught at the highest level for almost 30 years and is renowned in particular for her work with boy choristers – especially through her association with Westminster Cathedral Choir. I am hugely fortunate that Anita also teaches the boys in my Schola at the Cardinal Vaughan School and I have had the privilege of watching her work over many years. Her intuitive approach to singing and the imagination in how she expresses her ideas to the boys is always a joy to behold.
She has now published a small book, written to be read by children who sing, which is full of her usual insight and practical guidance. When she came in to our school recently to teach, we found a few minutes to discuss the book – just after we had given a copy to each of my choristers. They had all bounced away very happy with their new book, and the bookmark that came with it!
Anita Morrison
PREVENTION NOT CURE
What gave her the idea of writing the book? ‘Vocal health is a very important subject for singers,’ she says, ‘and most people take it for granted until something goes wrong with their voice. Other than when due to illness most of the causes of vocal problems are preventable and often just common sense. In my experience I have found it difficult to get my younger students to appreciate how important it is, especially when they are singing most days. I have felt that I revert to nagging and this doesn't always work. I wanted to find a way to make the explanations more imaginative so that the message might stick.
‘I have used the analogy of looking after a high-performance racing car regularly in my teaching for a very long time, as so many of the metaphors work well alongside working with the voice.’
The book, beautifully illustrated by Karen Fardell, (a chorister mum at Westminster Cathedral), is divided into three sections:
- Under the bonnet How the voice works which explains a little about how our voices produce and shape the sound
- General maintenance Vocal health including hydration (lubrication), physical alignment (ergonomics), general health and first aid
- Ready, steady, go! Warm up, rehearse, perform
The whole approach is child-focused. ‘Children like to know “why”,’ says Morrison, ‘so I have tried to make the book as interactive as possible. There are little experiments throughout [“try this”] including explorations to understand how the voice works and why it is important to be well hydrated. Children learn best when the information is fun and imaginatively presented so there are illustrations throughout.’
I ask about Morrison's own background and training as a musician and teacher. ‘I initially trained as a primary school teacher with a music specialism. My final year dissertation was titled “Should children be taught how to sing?” and involved me going into local primary schools and teaching singing to groups as part of my research. I also developed my own singing at this time and caught the bug to take it further. I went on to study as a postgraduate for three years at the Guildhall School and then the National Opera Studio, before embarking on a professional singing career, mainly in opera.’
By this time, Morrison was already teaching the choristers at Westminster Cathedral, developing her teaching career alongside performing. ‘Gradually the balance began to move more towards teaching,’ she says. Currently she teaches the choristers at Westminster Cathedral, Temple Church, St George's at Windsor Castle, the Cardinal Vaughan and the London Oratory School, as well as the choral scholars at Selwyn College Cambridge. She was until recently on the staff at Eton College and the Guildhall School. ‘I've also led workshops with various choral societies and am about to begin vocal coaching with the London Symphony Chorus.’
IN ALIGNMENT
Morrison is also a fully qualified Feldenkrais practitioner, and I have seen first-hand how she works her understanding of the human body into her singing teaching, often to remarkable effect. She describes the Feldenkrais method as ‘a system of somatic movement education which emphasises exploration and process in a non-judgemental, playful way. It helps the student to explore their movement and develop more options rather than being stuck in habitual patterns.
‘This philosophy is very much at the heart of my teaching now. The “physical alignment” section of the book is rooted in these fundamental principles, emphasising the need to find the fine balance between stability and instability that makes us ready to move, rather than aiming for something deemed as correct. There is also a “Feldenkraisesque” approach to rehearsing, not being scared to make mistakes but always learning and growing from them: “always make new mistakes”.’
Finally, I ask how Morrison would like the book to be used by the children it is written for:
‘The book is intended for children so that they understand the importance of taking responsibility for the health of their own voices. I would love it if all choristers had a copy on their bedside tables to dip into from time to time as a little reminder to look after their voices. It could, of course, also be used as a teaching aid by singing teachers and choral directors, working through the sections and elaborating on the areas covered.’
The book is available for purchase through its own website, there is a Kindle version available through Amazon, and there is also a set of posters to accompany the book. I can highly recommend it as a superb tool in the encouragement of healthy singing, in a way that will capture your young singers’ imaginations beautifully.
www.thechoristerandtheracingcar.co.uk
