There is nothing in voice training that is necessarily mysterious and
inscrutable. On the contrary, if one will acquaint himself with its
fundamental principles he will find that the truth about voice training,
like all truth, is simple and easily understood, and when understood the
element of uncertainty is eliminated. These principles are few in
number, in fact they may all be brought under two general heads. The
first is =KNOW WHAT YOU WANT=. The second is =HAVE THE CONDITIONS
RIGHT=. The meaning of these statements can never be learned from a
study of vocal physiology; nevertheless they contain all of the law and
the prophets on this subject. Any musician may be a successful teacher
of singing if he will master them. I use the word _musician_ advisedly,
because musical sense is of such vital importance that no amount of
mechanical knowledge can take its place. To undertake the training of
voices with only a mechanical knowledge of the subject is a handicap
which no one can overcome.
It is universally true that the less one knows of the art of singing the
more he concerns himself with the mechanism; and it is also true that
the more one is filled with the spirit of song the less he concerns
himself with the construction of the vocal instrument. People with
little or no musicianship have been known to wrangle ceaselessly on
whether or not the thyroid cartilage should tip forward on high tones.
It is such crude mechanics masquerading under the name of science that
has brought voice training into general disrepute. The voice teacher is
primarily concerned with learning to play upon the vocal instrument
rather than upon its mechanical construction, two things which some find
difficulty in separating.