Greetings
Welcome to the Vancouver
Chapter's Website! We would like this site to be a practical resource for our
members, their students and prospective members. With a simple click, you will
be able to discover who teaches what and where. You will be able to link to our
National Site, contact an Executive Board Member, e-mail a colleague, and (if
you missed it!) read the President's most recent letter.
You can easily check on upcoming events and performance
opportunities such as workshops, recitals and chapter meetings.
Our chapter covers a large geographical area with members
teaching in private studios, colleges, universities and music schools
throughout British Columbia. Our
members offer a wide variety of services extending from vocal instruction in
speech and singing to diction, theatre, body work and movement.
As president of the Vancouver Chapter of NATS, I wish you great
satisfaction and success in your musical endeavours.
Sincerely,
Craig Tompkins
President
President's Message
June 1, 2008
Another
teaching season is about to end! I encourage you all to take advantage
of the wonderful opportunities for renewal offered by VISI . Later on this summer, Festival Vancouver
offers Chapter members a discount to many of their events. Why not take
advantage of the reduced prices and take a group of students to one of
the many interesting concerts?
Our activity in support of VISI has allowed a
significant growth in the Educational Opportunities Fund. This fund is
currently used to provide scholarships for our annual Songfest. As the fund
grows, future plans include subsidies to members to partially offset workshop
and conference fees. I encourage you all to make a tax deductible
donation to the Educational Opportunities Fund. George Roberts, our treasurer (1075
Lillooet Road, North Vancouver, V7J
3H7) will be happy to accept your cheque and
issue a receipt. If each of us donated the income from only one student for one month we could quickly build our endowment fund to a point
where it would generate all of the scholarships distributed at Songfest! And a
quick reminder that Chapter fees of $20.00 are payable at the AGM each spring.
Membership in the Chapter allows you and your students access to Songfest,
recitals and other special events at reduced rates as well as providing
operating funds for the chapter. Fees not paid by December 1 will be assessed a
$10.00 late charge.
Please take a few moments to look
at the find a teacher page on this website (the link is at the top of the page). If your name and contact information is not
there and you would like it to be, please let me know and I will make sure it
appears.
Because our
organization depends on a strong and vital membership, we are always looking
for newcomers. If you know a teacher, vocal coach, language specialist, accompanist
or other voice specialist whom you feel should join us, please invite him/her
to our Fall Meeting or pass their contact information along to me. If you have
a student who is just beginning to teach, s/he is a perfect candidate for
Associate Membership and I would encourage you to sponsor them.
Wishing you all a wonderfully relaxing and invigorating summer!
Craig.
Who are we?
The National Association of the Teachers of Singing is a professional
organization of those interested in the care and training of the human
voice. NATS is a worldwide organization with members in many countries,
organized into regions and local chapters. If you would like to learn
more about the NATS organization, please visit the National website.
Mission Statement
To encourage the highest standards of vocal art
To encourage ethical principles in the teaching of singing
To promote vocal education and research at all levels of the singing and teaching art
To contribute to the professional advancement of the talented singer
To enhance the general public's understanding of vocal art
NATS Code of Ethics
We as Members believe that
1. It is unprofessional and unethical for teachers to make any false claims regarding themselves or their pupils.
2. It is unethical and unprofessional
for teachers, by misleading statements or false promises, to induce a
student to study singing in the hope of a career, if the student's
talent does not warrant it.
3. It is unethical to advertise in a
manner that may deceive or mislead prospective students by promises of
professional appearances or guarantees of favorable contacts.
4. While it is admissible that free
tuition may be given by teachers, the advertising of free scholarships
and free tuition constitutes unfair competition with teachers who do
not endeavor to increase a class by such methods.
5. Teachers may accept any student
for the purpose of cultural development of the singing or speaking
voice, and may encourage study for those who need or desire breath
control, poise, diction and projection of the voice.
6. To insure impartial diagnosis and
honest opinion in voice trials, the student should be requested not to
disclose the names of present and former teachers until after the
audition.
7. It is unethical to criticize adversely the work of fellow teachers, unless such statements can be substantiated with proof.
8. It is unethical, either by inducements, innuendos, insinuations, or other acts, to proselytize pupils of other teachers.
9. It is unethical to exploit as
one's own the results of another teacher's instruction or to allow
one's pupils to do so. Further, it is unethical to claim as a pupil one
having studied less than eight consecutive months with the teacher
making the claim, except where there has been no previous voice
training.
10. It is unethical for a member to
make a contract with a pupil demanding more than the actual price of
lessons, with or without interest as mutually agreed upon. No contract
shall be made on the basis of a percentage of the student's future
potential earnings, nor shall teachers accept any fee for aid in
securing an engagement for a pupil.
11. For mutual benefit, and at the
discretion of members, names of pupils who have left a member and
failed to meet their instruction fees, should be reported to the
Association which shall maintain a list available for consultation by
members. If a member learns from any other source that an applicant for
lessons has not fulfilled a financial obligation to another member, it
is unethical to accept the pupil until these obligations have been
satisfactorily adjusted.
12. It is unethical for teachers to
offer less than the best instruction of which they are capable to
students under their tutelage. The moral and financial obligation of
teachers is to give students the instruction, the attention and the
full amount of time agreed upon.