ENCOMPASSING THE VOCAL COMPASS ANATS conference 2022
A reflection by Bursary Recipient
Sarah Styles
I was very happy to be granted the opportunity to attend this year’s ANATS conference online. I experience a unique relationship with music given my hearing loss and all that accompanies it. That, coupled with physical disability preventing all opportunities to study formally over the years especially prior to support, means that there are words that go over my head. When I Google them, I realise that I am aware of their meaning without knowing their official name. Through my practice of singing and music exploration I have become aware of them practically through using my body.
What I loved most about this year’s conference was the diversity of topics and being able to see more of myself represented i.e. Anita Martin speaking about being a neuro-diverse teacher. I have noticed how being autistic influences my teaching style and how I run my studio. I have grown to love this, as the students I reach (teach?) need a certain something that can be hard to find in music schools where the administrations are more regimented, and students tend to be taught the same way. I have long tried to find a name or term relating to the element of using music lessons to help heal internal or mental wounds. This differs from music therapy. I am now considering presenting on this topic myself at the next conference.
On the whole, the major benefit I received from the conference bursary was to reassure me I am on the right track as a teacher. The one workshop I truly gained insight from was the Music Theatre workshop. I appreciated being shown how to use pressure whilst holding the singer’s hands to improve results. I have since used it with a particular student and found it helpful. It can be hard helping some students to add energy to their sound.
Attending conferences on-line can be challenging for me, due to the varying quality of the recorded sound. Thankfully, in the Music Theatre workshop, the mic was with that teacher instead of behind the audience as it was for some other workshops, and the audience for that one was quiet, making it possible for me to follow without the use of captions, for clarity and ease of understanding, presenters of workshops need to have mics. I do not hear sound the same way as hearing people. It took years to figure out first, how I am hearing sound as in how my brain computes it, then second how to work with that. Funnily enough I now sing way better than I did before my hearing loss increased. I nearly gave up on music for several reasons. one being I am not treated equally nor given opportunities like my peers due to disability. This word is grossly misunderstood by able-bodied people. So, I am grateful to be seen at ANATS.
Thank you again for giving me the ability to attend.
