g
in the way of an exercise that would encourage forcing of any kind. In
fact the young singer should always avoid doing anything beyond the
normal. Remember that a sick body means a sick voice. Again, don't
forget your daily outdoor exercise. Horseback riding, golf and tennis
are my favorites. An hour's walk on a lovely country road is as good for
a singer as an hour's practice. I mean that.

In avoiding strain the pupil must above all things learn to sing the
upper notes without effort or rather strain. While it is desirable that
a pupil should practice all her notes every day, she should begin with
the lower notes, then take the middle notes and then the so-called upper
notes or head notes which are generally described as beginning with the
F sharp on the top line of the treble staff. This line may be regarded
as a danger line for singers young and old. It is imperative that when
the soprano sings her head notes, beginning with F sharp and upward,
they shall proceed very softly and entirely without strain as they
ascend. I can not emphasize this too strongly.

PRESERVING THE VOICE

Let me give you one of my greatest secrets. Like all secrets, it is
perfectly simple and entirely rational. _Never give the public all you
have._ That is, the singer owes it to herself never to go beyond the
boundaries of her vocal possibilities. The singer who sings to the
utmost every time is like the athlete who exhausts himself to the state
of collapse. This is the only way in which I can account for what the
critics term "the remarkable preservation" of my own voice. I have been
singing for years in all parts of the musical world, growing richer in
musical and human experience and yet my voice to-day feels as fresh and
as dear as when I was in my teens. I have never strained, I have never
continued roles that proved unsuited to me, I have never sung when I
have not been in good voice.

This leads to another very important point. I have often had students
ask me how they can determine whether their teachers are giving them the
kind of method or instruction they should have. I have always replied,
"If you feel tired after a lesson, if your throat is strained after a
little singing, if you feel exhausted, your teacher is on the wrong
track, no matter what he labels his method or how wonderful his
credentials are."

Isn't that very simple? I have known young girls to go on practicing
until they couldn't speak. Let them go to a phy