Birds of song

Since October 2023, I've been teaching singing at the School of the Regensburger Domspatzen, which centers its daily education around choral singing. It’s a job that I didn’t realise I would enjoy so much, and I think it’s one of the most rewarding things I have done in my career so far.

This year, I had the privilege to perform alongside the Dom Chor at the Tage Alte Musik Regensburg festival. If I thought performing in front of friends and family was daunting, this was on a. Whole. New. Level. Singing solo in front of over 60 high school students, a handful of them being my students, brought a completely new array of emotions that I’ve never experienced whilst singing. The pressure (which is always there but in this case it was particularly specific) I put on myself, thinking I needed to prove my worth to anyone who might be judging me, was immense. In hindsight, I wonder if that pressure was really necessary (which I imagine lots of musicians think after performances). The nerves, worrying that when they weren’t singing, they would be scrutinizing my technique, also seemed unnecessary now.

It may sound like I'm painting a negative picture, but alongside the nerves was a matched excitement. I think "buzzing" is the correct term I'd use in this case—an eagerness to be a part of this special group of individuals who exemplify a great work ethic, sense of teamwork, and community, which is evident when they perform. I too wanted to be a part of their musical world and share the experience. Even removing myself from the singing aspect, I felt an enormous sense of pride when I listened to them. Maybe this is similar to what a parent feels when they see their child excel(?). I’ve felt pride before for other colleagues when they perform, but when there’s a feeling of investment as well, maybe the pride evolves into something more. The whole experience, from my practice room to the rehearsals and finally to the concerts, felt like one emotional rollercoaster.

I look back at my own experience at a music school (which wasn’t oriented around singing, but more instrumentally driven) and understand how critical that time was for me. I can wholeheartedly say that my love for singing was introduced and nurtured by key people I met through my early education. Their enthusiasm and way of communicating their passion is something I also hope to pass on to my students. I think it’s important for students to hear their teachers perform. From my experience, it was inspiring to see/hear mine perform and to see how they metamorphosed into performers/artists on stage. I think I needed to see that—to know it was possible for me to translate what I practiced in the room and transform on stage.

I'm thankful to say that we have at least another concert this year with the same program. I hope to continue to communicate my passion for singing, and I'm looking forward to riding the rollercoaster again!