Singing lessons for the lecturer

Abstract

Being raised among pop and jazz musicians grounds oneself in a specific tradition, and thus the author describes herself as a poet, songwriter, and singer rather than an academic, even though she teaches literature and creative writing at university level. The singing experience provides us with three lessons that lecturers can apply towards their profession and their outlook on life. First, we are voices, not bone. Being is fluid, and we can reject, revise, or embrace different aspects of our upbringings, just like core notes. Being aware of the general instability of music as a profession, it is perfectly fine to choose academia as a way of improving one's family's finances. Second, the intellectual and emotional are integrated. One can use music, an emotional approach, to teach some lessons in courses. Third, the body needs a truce because singing is as much a physical as a psychological act; singing teaches that the body deserves as much care as the mind, tempted as one might be to prioritise the mind.