Andrea Mann, educator
I got an email yesterday from the agent in Malaysia - T, remember? - asking me if I’d be interested in giving a singing workshop in Kuala Lumpur on one of my days off.
As those of you who know me would suspect: I said “yes” immediately.
I’ve never formally taught before, but I think I would take to it like a duck to water. A duck to water holding a microphone*. I mean, both my parents are teachers, and I’m a Leo, so, y’know, how hard can it be?
Maybe the idea doesn’t faze me too much because I would love to pass on what (relatively little) knowledge I have about singing, and jazz, and help others to reach their potential. Having been a student of workshops myself - I got into this jazz singing malarkey by going to weekly vocal workshops, in fact - I’m also particularly evangelical about teaching in an informal, instinctive and emotional way, as it was exactly this sort of workshop teacher who changed my singing voice in an instant (for the better, thankfully). And given that I have no formal training in, experience of or knowledge about teaching, well… it’s just as well that I’m drawn to the “informal, instinctive and emotional” approach, isn’t it?
T says he wants to “play around with some ideas to make the trip more interesting”. Which is absolutely fine by me, as long as it doesn’t involve anything undignified and/or illegal. Here’s hoping that “teaching a singing workshop in Kuala Lumpur” will fall into that category.
*Note to ducks: Do not try this at home.
