1.1.2.f Dangerous False Assumptions
Bad Teaching 3: Dangerous False Assumptions
We’re about to explore a tricky philosophical issue—one that’s rarely discussed yet sits at the heart of many singers’ frustrations. To make sense of it, join me in a thought experiment featuring strawberries, falsetto, and the ways we perceive our world.
The Strawberry Dilemma: A Lesson in Perception
A Guided Thought Experiment
Close your eyes.
Recall the most delicious strawberry you’ve ever tasted. Take a few seconds to remember its sweetness, its slight tang, and the burst of juiciness that filled your mouth.
Hold that vivid memory in your mind. Feel the texture, the aroma, the taste.
“Got it?”
Great. Now imagine meeting my friend Dave—curious, friendly, and completely new to your part of the world. Being neighborly, you invite him to pick strawberries with your family. You’re shocked when he asks, “What does a strawberry taste like?”
What would you say?
(In a live setting, I’d pause here while the group brainstorms: “Sweet!” or comparisons to other tangy foods.)
Then comes the twist: Dave’s entire culinary history is limited to boiled chicken, boiled rice, and plain lettuce. That’s it. If you’ve never had those, your shared reference point shrinks even further. So how do you explain a strawberry’s flavor to someone who has no concept of “sweet”?
Most people end up stumped. Without a shared understanding of sweetness, words alone aren’t enough. It’s better to simply hand Dave a fresh strawberry so he can experience it himself. That gives you a mutual flavor vocabulary—and now you can talk about strawberries with real meaning.
From Strawberries to Singing
What’s this got to do with singing? Consider “falsetto”—that airy vocal register you hear in everything from choral pieces to pop ballads. While everyone has the anatomy to produce it, not everyone knows how to activate the necessary structures.
(If you’re raising an eyebrow at my definition of falsetto, stay tuned. You’ll find a quick summary below, plus a more in-depth lesson elsewhere.)
Some people find falsetto naturally. Others used it as children but let it fade—much like our toes, which supposedly have finger-like dexterity at birth but lose it over time. As a teacher, I often meet students who recognize falsetto’s sound in others but have no personal sense of it in their own bodies.
Describing how it feels in my body rarely helps a student who’s never felt it.
No “falsetto in a box”: Unlike a strawberry, I can’t hand you one to try.
Instead, I rely on years of teaching exercises to help students discover that register for themselves. It’s sometimes an intricate process, but as with tasting a strawberry, direct experience is the only way to “get it.” I once coached a gifted young singer for almost a year before he “found” his falsetto. It finally clicked after a summer spent experimenting with disco tunes—one afternoon, “poof,” there it was!
Why Our Experience Is Unique
Physical Commonalities, Personal Variations
On a biological level, human phonation uses breath power, vocal folds, resonance, and articulation—across all genders, ages, and cultures. Yet factors like environment, genetics, and personal usage shape our vocal abilities. With so much in common, you might assume we all feel singing the same way—but we don’t. Each singer’s sensations are highly individual, filtered through their own body and life experiences.
The Danger of Assuming “Just Like Me”
We often assume someone “just like us” must perceive things the same way. In singing, such false assumptions can cause real trouble:
Teacher’s Sensation vs. Student’s Sensation
A teacher might feel a “buzz in the cheekbones” on a particular tone. Meanwhile, the student could produce the same pitch but feel it elsewhere. If the teacher insists on that “cheek buzz,” the student may chase a sensation they’ll never encounter.
Misreading Stage Performances
A singer watches a high-energy performance and assumes the performer is screaming or “belting their face off.” In reality, the artist might be using minimal effort, letting microphones do the heavy lifting. Trying to emulate that perceived “power” can cause overexertion and potential vocal strain.
Both examples reveal how presuming you know what someone else is feeling or doing can lead to frustration—and even harm.
Wrapping up
When you can’t “hand over” a new sensation—like falsetto—to someone the way you might hand them a strawberry, you risk mistaken assumptions and instructions that fall flat. Next, we’ll examine how ambiguous language around “head voice,” “chest voice,” and “falsetto” only compounds the problem, creating a Tower of Babel where everyone speaks but few truly understand. Let’s see why these common terms might be more trouble than they’re worth.
Lesson Summary
This lesson illustrates the challenges of teaching an unfamiliar vocal sensation—like falsetto—through the analogy of trying to describe a strawberry’s taste to someone who has never experienced sweetness. Each singer’s body and sensations are distinct, so assuming someone else shares your exact perception can create misunderstandings or even lead to harmful techniques. Recognizing that direct experience is key helps teachers and learners navigate these differences more effectively.
Analogy of Taste and Singing: Explaining a new flavor (strawberry) to someone without the reference parallels teaching an unknown vocal register (falsetto).
Uniqueness of Individual Perception: Shared anatomy doesn’t guarantee identical sensations or experiences.
Dangers of Assumption: Teachers who insist on their own personal feeling risk confusing students; performers may unintentionally mislead observers who assume they “belt” with force rather than technique.
Need for Guided Discovery: Just as tasting a strawberry is the only way to “know” it, practical exploration and tailored exercises are vital for vocal breakthroughs.
Exercise or Activity: “Sensory Connection Check”
Choose a New Sensory Experience: Try a piece of unfamiliar fruit or a new food. Focus on its taste, texture, and aroma.
Describe It in Writing: Write down your impressions in detail, noting how it feels rather than relying on broad or vague words like “sweet.”
Apply to Singing: Pick a vocal technique you’ve never fully explored (e.g., falsetto, whistle register, or a softer dynamic). Practice it slowly, paying close attention to subtle sensations in your throat, chest, or mouth.
Compare Notes: Record or reflect on the differences between how you expected this technique to feel and what you actually experienced.
Share and Learn: If possible, discuss your findings with a teacher or peer. Notice how their descriptions or sensations might diverge from your own, reinforcing that firsthand experience is essential.
Learn more about the dangerous of false assumptions in the voice studio in this supplemental report Challenges of Teaching Singing: The Proprioception Problem
