BackStage: Those Who Can, Teach

Singing-performance teacher Carole D’Andrea shares her process.

By Michael Goodrich

Every Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Complex in Hollywood, magic happens. It’s facilitated by a woman who definitely doesn’t look old enough to have played Velma in the original Broadway and film productions of West Side Story, but she did. She was also in the original Broadway cast of Gypsy. Her name is Carole D’Andrea, and she’s been teaching singing-performance classes for nearly 18 years in Los Angeles. Whether she’s working with a seasoned professional or a beginner, her results are amazing. How does she do it? I had the pleasure of asking her on a Sunday in October.

Back Stage: What made you come to Los Angeles from New York?

Carole D’Andrea: I had been in New York performing, raising children, then went back to creativity through directing and choreographing, and then started teaching. And I had two daughters who moved out to L.A., and I felt that at that point in my life I just wanted a different experience than New York. But I wanted to go somewhere that I could also teach.

Back Stage: Why is your class called singing performance and not musical theatre?

D’Andrea: Because I never wanted to limit my experience with singers to just musical theatre. There are singers that are just amazing, and they do not want just to be in musical theatre; they really do want to find out how to break down a song performancewise.

Back Stage: Is it important to have an acting background to take your class?

D’Andrea: No, it’s not. If somebody doesn’t have an acting background, they certainly get a lot of tools in the singing performance class, because I always break [the song] down for them and help them with “To whom are you singing?” and “What’s your intention?” Since there are lyrics in songs, just like a monologue, there’s a character, there’s a need, there are intentions. How do you identify with that character? What is the communication that the composer wanted? What’s the story being told?

Back Stage: How do you come up with the ideas you give to your students? Is a lot of that intuition?

D’Andrea: Yes. I really believe that creative feedback must always build on the singers’ strengths. Never do I focus on the weakness, because that takes care of itself. It’s very easy to point out, “Well, you’re not vulnerable” or blah, blah, blah — it’s nonsense. A teacher’s there to empower the student. So when I get a sense of someone, I go, “Okay, I see where they’re going with this. They’re very comfortable with this kind of material; let’s go in that direction,” then give them a song: “Oh, they’re very good with comedy; they probably aren’t even aware of it, but they’re very funny. Let me give them this kind of a song and see what else is there.” The art of teaching [is] critiquing without them even realizing that they’re being critiqued.

Back Stage: Viola Spolin was an improv teacher out of Chicago, and she said, “If the environment permits it, anyone can learn whatever he chooses to learn, and if the individual permits it, the environment will teach him everything it has to teach. But the environment, it has to be safe.”

D’Andrea: When I first started teaching in New York, after my very first class, I will never forget thinking, Please, God, don’t let me hurt anybody; don’t ever let me hurt anybody. I’m now the teacher, and they’re entrusting their sensitivity, their choices, their creativity. Creativity is a sacred trust. You violate someone’s creativity, you’re violating their opening to you. So the next time I came back to class, I just said a prayer, and what came up for me was, “Tell the truth, Carole, and do it with love,” and to this day, 26 years later, honest to God, when I get scared, if that little fear comes back again and I think, Oh, I’m supposed to be impressing somebody, I remind myself it’s not about me; it’s about the student. [I'm] here to empower the student. I’ll get my needs met elsewhere. Never to come from fear but always to come from faith when you’re teaching or when you’re performing.

Back Stage: You emphasize that you can’t fail in your class.

D’Andrea: No, absolutely not. There’s a great quote by David Mamet. He said, “There can be no creative success without first creative failure.” So you can’t fail, because you’re only trying something new, and if it doesn’t work, what great information — try something else.

Back Stage: You’ve always had singers at different levels in your class, from celebrities to beginners. Is that a conscious decision?

D’Andrea: Yes. I intuitively did that in the acting and the singing [classes]. Everybody teaches everybody else; we’re all there to love, support, and inspire one another. I’ve learned more from beginners who come into class; they haven’t learned any bad habits yet. They’re so available and so open that you can really get in there and play with them and encourage them. So I’ve always loved having all different levels.

Back Stage: I get this question myself, so I’m going to ask you: How long until I see progress?

D’Andrea: Oh, my goodness. If you’re focused on the progress or you’re focused on the end result, you’re dead in the water. Everybody’s coming for different reasons, so if you just focus on opening up and being available to a new class or to the space, the being inside of us knows the truth. You’re going to know when you’re progressing and how you’re progressing.

Back Stage: Where did you get your technique?

D’Andrea: I think you incorporate everything you are in life and all of your beliefs. So when I started teaching in New York, I’d studied at the Actors Studio, I’d studied at Stella Adler, I had so many acting places that I had been, and also studied with Susan [Slavin] in singing performance class. Everything we’ve ever seen in our life we’ve taken a picture of. So we have all these different characters in ourselves, we have experiences — they’re right there for us to tap into it. So for me, the fun of it is going, “Oh my God, that 7-year-old in that student probably can do this song better than the 30-year-old.” You start trusting your instincts, and the next thing you know you start getting results. You have to be so present with every person.

Back Stage: How about helping with audition material?

D’Andrea: Emerson said, “Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” And when you walk into an audition, who you are is very loud. An audition, monologue, scene, or a song is approximately two minutes for the auditioner to clarify who you are and how ideally to cast you. Therefore, the artist must select material that defines and reveals his individual assets, qualities, and talents.

Back Stage: What do you love about teaching?

D’Andrea: I love watching people grow into who they really are. I love watching people drop old labels about themselves, old misinformation or bad criticism. It’s humbling to watch. Viola Spolin was so smart; she said you have to create a safe environment. If they think I’m this guru or somebody who’s going to slice them down if they bring something risky in, try things till they find out what’s available for them, they’ll protect themselves. An artist is so sensitive; you have to be very respectful of that beautiful instrument. Nobody’s going to sing a song the way you do. You’re going to process it through your life experience and your own imagination. Class doesn’t happen to you, the song doesn’t happen to you — it happens through you. If we’re connected, the audience will be connected. If we’re not connected, if we’re just listening to our voice, then the audience will just observe us but they won’t experience us. Our job is to get them to have an experience, not to observe us.