On 11/03/09, anon wrote:
> So, if I can't fix it, how do I hide it? Contest season is coming up,
> and his voice sticks out like a sore thumb! I can't have him play the
> tambourine on every song... eventually he'll figure it out! I don't
> want him to quit, but how can I make it less obvious!?

I had a trombone player with this problem. He was also in choir and
ironically, he couldn't stay in step. We fixed all thee with him. It
turns out, he wanted to be part of the band and choir because he loved the
friendships, trips and general atmosphere of music. It's fun. He knew he
couldn't sing and we didn't ever lead on that he would be able to. We
worked with him but we were always honest with the results and encouraged
him to participate in other ways. He would try really hard in rehearsals
and then just hold back in performances. We helped him understand when he
needed to do this. He was happy with it and he graduated from the program
as a senior.

As for the marching, I had him watch the person in front of him and had him
mimic their steps by sight. It worked perfectly since he wasn't playing
much anyway.

The National Institute for deafness recognizes tone deafness as a genetic
disorder that runs in families. My sister-in-law, who was in my father's
band with me, had this problem as did her kids. This was a very depressing
fact for my brother since we tune pianos. He tried to get them to hear
pitch to tune but it always failed. My kids on the other hand are able to
hear pitch perfectly.

His wife (sister-in-law) played clarinet and we worked with her to match
pitch for years and nothing worked. She plays clarinet but is out of tune
sometimes. Other than that, she loves to play. Singing on the other hand
is not so good. She realizes it and is okay with the reality of the
situation. I think this is the best way to handle the situation honestly.
You can do what you want but allowing someone to participate and receive
the benefit of the class is rewarding for you and the student. Helping
them realize the reality of the situation can also be beneficial for both
of you.

Some people would have you believe that there is no such thing as a tone
deaf singer. This is obviously not the case. People hear pitch to
differing degrees and occasionally there are people who cannot hear it at
all. Experience has taught me that you can improve this but with a
severely tone deaf person, it will be nearly impossible to improve it to
the point of making a satisfying sound.

It's allot like having a visual defect that is actually a perceptual
defect. You can see okay but you cannot perceive what you see with the
same accuracy as another person. This can be a problem for a lifetime. It
can be improved but never to the same degree as a person without the
perceptual defect.

Good luck.

Steve

Superior Education

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