teaching
In addition to his performance career, Dr. Rieger is in demand as a voice teacher and lyric diction coach. He is Assistant Professor of Voice at the Florida State University College of Music, having previously served as Coordinator of Vocal Studies and Director of Opera at Western Washington University and on the faculties of Westminster Choir College, the CoOPERAtive Program (also serving as Assistant Director), Texas Tech University, Nazareth College. Prior to his work in higher education, he maintained a private studio in Germany for several years. His students regularly succeed in professional music careers including opera, concert, voice teaching, choral conducting, music education, and more. Many have gone on to pursue graduate study at major music conservatories in the US and abroad.
His frequent masterclass engagements have included appearances at the University of Memphis, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Missouri State University, Texas Tech University, Colorado State University, Buffalo State College (SUNY), Nazareth College and Carnegie Mellon University. He has presented research on the national level and regional level for both the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).
A passionate language and diction specialist, Dr. Rieger is dedicated to helping young singers achieve the synthesis of musical line and linguistic inflection. He is fluent in German and Italian, conversant in French, and has coached singers on diction and dialect throughout Europe and the United States.
Dr. Rieger is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (DMA and BM with distinction) and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (MM).
A Brief Philosophy of the Teaching of Singing
It is my goal with every student I teach to help them achieve a free, energized, and beautiful tone which is produced with the least possible physical effort. Since the voice is basically a reflex instrument, meaning it is controlled through external factors to which it responds, my main means of reaching this goal is by striving for proper body alignment, breath management and posture of the vocal tract (including the positioning of the lips, tongue, jaw, soft palate and walls of the pharynx), as well as control of pitch, vowel, consonant, vocal intensity, and resonance. In order to attain the vocal freedom which is necessary to enable artistic expression, the student must demonstrate a complete lack of mannerism of the face and body. These negative traits will impede proper function of the larynx and also hinder the ability to express what is being sung. It is through carefully planned physical and vocal exercises as well as appropriate repertoire that I am able to address and improve upon these issues.
It is necessary for me to encourage and develop excellent use of lyric diction in all languages in which the student sings. This is not only essential to the expression of text and a proper legato line, but it is also vital to optimal vocal technique. Having lived and worked in multiple foreign countries over more than a decade, I draw upon my extensive knowledge of languages to demonstrate the correct sounds which should be used. In addition, I give clear instructions on how to best position the vocal tract to produce these sounds. As a result, the student is equipped with an accurate aural representation of the language as well as the knowledge of how to recreate what they have heard.
As the eastern saying goes, “The teacher and the taught together create the teaching.” I work together with the student in a collaborative effort to achieve the best possible results. In the lesson I encourage the student to discuss what he or she hears, feels, and thinks, and how they would go about solving problems themselves. It is my duty to inspire the student to take responsibility for their voice. I share with them effective ways to learn and practice music and technical exercises and require them to record their own thoughts on these issues in a journal. Progress will only be possible if the student puts into daily practice what has been learned in the lesson.
Each student is an individual and should be treated as such. My style remains flexible in order to help that particular student learn in the most effective way possible. I make no assumptions about a student’s voice, personality, or learning style. Instead, I observe their progress and behavior over the course of time and adapt my methods of teaching accordingly, so that I may efficiently help the student achieve success. In addition, since each voice is different, it should maintain its unique timbre as it gains technical proficiency. In working to achieve freedom of body and mind, I help the student to allow their voice to function in the most natural way possible. The student should, therefore, never attempt to artificially assume or imitate my sound or that of any other singer.
In this age of advanced voice science, it is necessary that I remain current on research being performed in my field. This information can be very useful in the pursuit of perfection in vocal technique. However, it is extremely important to remember the true reason for our research. It is through a free and properly functioning instrument alone that we are able to fully express ourselves in the music we sing.
Inherent in the teaching of singing is the training of performance skills. Regardless of a student’s skill level and career goals, singing will always be an art of communicating text and meaning through music. It is essential to develop subtext and specific dramatic choices for every word and phrase. One of the great joys of my work is to aid a student to successfully transcend the constraints of technical thought to deliver a meaningful and moving performance on the stage.
Most importantly, we must never allow the intrinsic rigors and frustrations of the pursuit of vocal, musical, and dramatic excellence to taint the very joy and selflessness that caused us to study music in the first place. Music will always be primarily a service to the public good that brings people together regardless of gender, sexual identity, race, religion, or nationality. I have been very fortunate to work with students from all of the world and from a great variety of backgrounds. The perspective I gain from such a diverse group of students shapes my teaching through understanding, empathy, and commitment to the life-long pursuit of learning. Bringing together a diverse community through music is liberating and integral to a fulfilling and productive life.