A L I C E B I S H O P
T e a c h i n g
Alice has been teaching singing for 22 years. Her approach is holistic involving physical activities and imaginative games in addition to focused instruction and explanation. Her students make good progress as well as enjoying their lessons and are noted for their secure technique and beautiful voices.
She currently teaches singing privately at her home in Bookham and at City of London Freemen’s School where she also runs two choirs. In addition to teaching singing, she also coaches theory to Grade 5 and teaches the bassoon.
Teaching priorities are:
1) to create an environment where students feel free to explore their voices.
2) to make voice production as natural and easy as possible, freeing singers to express themselves creatively.
3) to work with each student as an individual and tailor activities to suit their needs.
4) to build a secure technique using the imagination and movement to help the voice to work. Technical exercises are fun and engage creative thought and movement as well as the voice.
Her students improve rapidly with this approach. She teaches students from 8 to 80 years old with most between 10 and 19. In this age group particularly, they often play principal roles in musicals at school and operatic societies in the district for which she coaches them as necessary. She also prepares students for performance work for GCSEs and A Levels and, of course, music exams.
She continues to develop her own skills as a singer and teacher, reading relevant literature, attending conferences and exploring other vocal styles as appropriate. She is a member of AOTOS (the Association of Teachers of Singing) and recently attended ‘The Fundamentals of Singing’ - a 10 week course about the anatomy and physiology of the voice at the City Lit.