East Carolina University vocal performance alumna Maggie Fox struggled with imposter syndrome last year when she started teaching private lessons full time, leading her back to ECU and its voice professors.
Fox attended the School of Music’s inaugural practical vocal pedagogy workshop last summer, taught by voice and vocal pedagogy professors Dr. Jami Rhodes-Galloway and Nicole Franklin. The workshop, which returns this month, offers instruction grounded in voice science, helping voice teachers and choral conductors better understand the vocal instrument, expand their diagnostic skills and learn tools they can use with singers in their classrooms and studios.
“I didn’t go to school to be a teacher, and I thought I was not conveying the information in the best way,” Fox said. “Going to this workshop not only confirmed that I did, in fact, know what I was talking about, but I also left with tools to apply to my teaching going forward.”
Last summer’s workshop went so well with the 50 attendees from across and outside of North Carolina, Rhodes-Galloway and Franklin developed a second, advanced workshop that will debut this year. The two received strong feedback from the first attendees that the workshop was helpful and they wanted more.
“The number of teachers who said, ‘I want to sing for you and get feedback because I want to feel what you’re talking about’ — we were shocked,” Franklin said. “There were a number of people who wanted the hands-on, the teaching part or the singing part.”
The advanced workshop will be much smaller and offer such individual attention and feedback.
Set for Aug. 10-11, it filled in the first 24 hours. Four wait-list spots are available, and the workshop fee is $100. The beginner workshop, set for Aug. 7-8, still has spots open for a $50 fee. Anyone interested in either workshop can contact Rhodes-Galloway at rhodesja@ecu.edu or register online.
Standing in front of a Fletcher Music Center room full of singing instructors last year, Rhodes-Galloway talked about tongue placement, the image of marshmallows between the teeth and the muscles we use to vocalize. She even showed a video zoomed in on a woman’s vocal folds, moving differently as the woman sang different notes. Franklin offered a session about diagnosing problems with a singer’s sound. They will cover similar information in this year’s initial workshop.
Last year, the teacher attendees also observed Franklin and Rhodes-Galloway give masterclasses across the hall; at the same time as the workshop, ECU choral activities director Dr. James Franklin — married to Nicole Franklin — led the Summer Choral Workshop for high school students. While they are different dates this year, the group hopes to further coordinate the two events and encourage teachers and students to attend together, as the high school workshop continues building back momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Piggybacking on the high school workshop gave Rhodes-Galloway the final piece of motivation to move forward with the pedagogy workshop. Joining ECU in 2010, she has spoken on the topic at conferences and clinics for years, always wanting to find a way to provide more. When Nicole Franklin arrived at ECU in 2016, she eagerly joined the cause.
The women liken the science of singing to performing as an Olympic-level athlete. A runner who is not naturally fast will consider their stride or otherwise change how they use their bodies to perform.
“Singers are no different,” Rhodes-Galloway said.
Fox, who teaches both voice and beginner piano with Amanda Bailey Studios in Wake Forest, said she enjoys the way Franklin and Rhodes-Galloway teach using research and their own in-depth studies.
“I think this is invaluable for other voice teachers to attend to keep their knowledge of the voice and how it works fresh,” she said. “I find in my own teaching that things can become stale, and I need new ideas and ways of approaching helping students achieve their goals.”
Students assist with hurricane recovery
Hurricane preparation and recovery are a part of life for residents of eastern North Carolina. Every June through November, the Atlantic hurricane season typically has 14 named storms and three major hurricanes, which are classified as Category 3, 4 or 5 storms, according to the National Hurricane Center.
While many college students have seen recovery efforts in North Carolina and neighboring states, 12 students from ECU and the University of North Carolina — Wilmington saw firsthand the impact a Category 5 storm can have on an island when they traveled to Jamaica for an alternative break experience (ABE).
“This year was particularly poignant because of the Category 5 hurricane, Melissa, that came through Jamaica in October and hit this particular parish of Jamaica significantly,” said Dennis McCunney, associate director of student success and trip organizer. “That community was hit hard, and they received some emergency relief and funds immediately, but this was the first group that was able to come and serve with the rebuilding.”
ECU has partnered with the Petersfield Galloway Benevolent Society (PGBS) and AllPeopleBeHappy for the last five years. Students travel to Jamaica in late May to participate in the volunteerism program. This year’s trip looked vastly different from previous years. Part of the experience involved a homestay, where participants stayed in the homes of residents instead of in hotels or other accommodations.
“A lot of the homes there — almost all of them — their roofs were damaged,” McCunney said. “Many blue tarps were still all over the community and covering the roofs. Resources are tight, roofing materials and construction materials are tight. They were worried if they would be able to host us adequately and thankfully, they were able to.”
Although students didn’t assist with major renovations, they were able to help with painting reconstructed buildings in traditional Caribbean colors such as coral, bright yellow and blue.
For ECU student Sandro Addo, a health information management major, participating in the Jamaican ABE gave her the chance to serve and learn in a global environment. Previously, she had completed other ABE experiences within the United States.
“ABEs give students a chance to travel and engage in experiences that they would not normally be exposed to,” she said. “For example, the Jamaica ABE gave me a local experience separate from the flashy tourist spots. It was humbling, and I am inspired by the resourcefulness and mindfulness of that community.”
In addition to the service component of the trip, students experienced different facets of life in Jamaica, including culinary presentations and history lessons, which shed light on the different cultures that influence Jamaica. Students also reflected on their own connection to food and how natural disasters can directly impact food production and supply chains.