There were three distinguished clinicians who facilitated Saturday’s master classes for the NATS spring workshop – and while I did indeed strangle John De Haan to death 29 years ago (on the opera stage) you’ll be glad to know that I have never even thought about strangling either of the other two master teachers. (How’s that for a ringing endorsement?) Unfortunately, my schedule did not allow me to remain at the workshop long enough to watch the third clinician, Dennis Jesse from Louisiana State University. (At least I got to meet him and have a nice chat with him. What a great guy!) But Nick Huff were able to watch the second master class, which featured a Chicago- based voice teacher named Matthew Ellenwood who specializes in musical theater. I knew I would like Matthew from the moment I found out that he was originally from Lincoln, Nebraska- and from the moment we began talking I could tell that he was an exceptionally warm and open- hearted man who would be a tremendously positive and affirming force with the young singers in his care that day.
But I have to say that I was not prepared for all that he would accomplish over the course of 45 minutes, as he worked with a two talented high school sophomores – one quite experienced in musical theater and the other quite a newcomer to it – as well as a seasoned music major from Lawrence University. To these three very different singers, worlds apart in many respects, Matthew Ellenwood had something unique and important to share with each of them. This stands him in sharp contrast with a lot of master class teachers who essentially have a short list of core principals which they serve up to everyone, albeit with a little twist here and there . . . or one well-practiced shtick which is trotted out for each and every singer, whether it’s something they will need and benefit from or not. But Matthew Ellenwood met each of these singers as individuals and responded in ways that were nothing short of brilliant.
I’ve only taught a couple of master classes, but I’ve sung for a few and attended many – and I can tell you that the typical voice teacher in these situations is going to be challenged by the singer who gets up there and does next-to-nothing right. How do you find something positive to say? And where do you even begin in trying to address what might be a blizzard of issues? But almost as challenging is when a singer gets up there and demonstrates impressive mastery of almost every facet of their performance – leaving many teachers in that situation to think to themselves “yikes! They are paying me a fair amount of money to say more than ‘Bravo!‘ What the heck can I say to this person?” I really like a master teacher who’s willing to acknowledge that the singer who has just performed is already very good – and then can find some worthwhile things to say to elevate that performance to even higher excellence.
The first of the three singers in this master class may have been a high school sophomore, but she clearly had received some fine training and was already an assured and expressive performer. She sang Jason Robert Brown’s “Christmas Lullaby” with lovely expressiveness and very pretty tone, plus she did a lot more than just stand there like a stick and make nice sounds. She obviously cared about these words and this character and already has the tools to bring it all to life. And as she finished singing, I found myself thinking “wow- I’m not sure what I would say to make this better.” Part of it is that I hardly ever teach adolescent girls – and I’m more of a classically-minded teacher, so she was a bit outside of the sweet spot of my expertise. But not for Matthew Ellenwood. He was up out of his chair like a shot, sincerely effusive in his praise for what she had done – but ready to give her new ideas.
And the main idea he had for her was for her to play. The performance she gave was beautiful and theatrical but also a bit choreographed, and he knew that she was capable of delivering this song with a higher level of authenticity. And towards that end, he took out a little toy that he likes to use in lessons. I’m sure it has a name but I don’t know what it is- but it’s an intricate plastic contraption that at its most compact looks like a very ornate star or snowflake – but can be expanded just by pulling on it to eventually become a sphere the size of a small beach ball. It’s a bit of an engineering marvel – but it’s also something that’s just plain fun to play with. He took this out, gave it to the singer, and asked her to start playing with it as though she were seven years old. And without a moment of hesitation, she was down on the floor – looking at this strange and beautiful thing with wonder and delight. And as she began to sing the song again, there was something new there- some sort of extra energy or sense of spontaneity that made it come to life even more than it had. All artifice was gone. And as she continued to sing, Martin Ellenwood called out from time to time for her to transform herself into a 10 year old. . . and a 14 year old. . . and a 17 year old. And she was able to respond at every turn with a performance that grew more nuanced and interesting. . . although I would not have minded watching her remain 7-years-old for the duration of the song. But what a joy to see an already fine performance grow finer still, right before our eyes – and it was especially gratifying and exciting to see this young lady be so open to this stranger she had only just met . . . eager and excited at the thought of taking his ideas and spinning gold with them.
pictured above: This is the singer as she is beginning to sing the song for a second time.
Incidentally, the title of this blog entry is a phrase of lyrics from the musical “Pippin.” It seemed to fit.