Lesson Planning: Approaches for Young and Young at Heart students - An ANATS Early Career Teaching Session

Join ANATS for this foundational early career teaching session, focusing on Lesson Planning. Our experienced industry leaders will share their best practices for working with students of all ages, from the young to the young-at-heart. The session will include live vocal lesson demonstrations with students and will help you develop a network of peers and gain experience as you begin your vocal teaching journeys.

Deborah Grace and Judy Lindeman will be sharing their best practices for working with students of all ages from the Young to the Young at Heart. The session will include warm-up exercises, AMEB preparation tips, managing tonal quality and breath support. Deborah and Judy will demonstrate how their tips can be put into practice during open lessons with two of their students. Handouts will be available from both sessions, including information on relaxation techniques to help students with tension and anxiety.

Deborah Grace has been a member of ANATS since 2003 and joined the NSW committee in 2013. She has a BMus (Hons) from UNSW, GradDipEd from University of Melbourne and a GradDipOp from VCA. She originally studied singing with Beth Willis and gained her AMusA in voice at 21. Deborah is currently finishing her MRes (Masters of Research) through Macquarie University with Professor Diane Hughes, on “The Approaches of Singing Teachers to New and Unfamiliar Repertoire”. Deborah performed as a soloist with Choral Societies and operatic groups, and as a Cantor at the Leo Baeck Centre in Kew, Melbourne, before discovering a love of teaching - as a classroom teacher, choral conductor and private singing teacher. Deborah has taught singing to girls and boys for the last 20 years specializing in young voice and currently has a large vocal studio at Kambala Girls School. She presented at the ANATS National Conference in 2021 and the ANATS NSW Back to Basics workshop in 2017. Deborah is currently the Secretary on the ANATS NSW committee, as well as the Secretary on the ANATS National Council.

Judy Lindeman
Inspired by the ABC’s ‘Sing’, a weekly programme for primary schools in the 1950’s presented by Terence Hunt and Barbara Mettam (piano) with Lindsay’s Aked’s input, I developed a lifelong passion for singing. As a result, all the primary classes that I myself taught could sing and use sol-fa. Then my 3 children sang before they could talk. One of my dogs also sang. In my long life I’ve sung or been MD in choirs, music theatre and concerts, fortunate to have gifted mentors along the way. ANATS has been a cornerstone of vocal education in my last 40 years. Now I’m personally involved with the aging voice and keen to look at all the ways we can continue to sing healthily throughout our lives.