Congratulations to Theodora Nestorova, graduate instructor in the Performance & Research Departments, winner of Schulich's 2023-2024 Teaching Award in the Graduate Instructor Category!
As emphasized by a former colleague at the University of Texas at San Antonio, 鈥渉er CV is nothing short of extraordinary.鈥� Theodora is a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies & Applied Performance Sciences working to bridge the gap between research and performance. She received the First-Place Research Alive Student Prize in 2023*, Schulich鈥檚 Graduate Excellence Award, and was nominated to represent McGill in the Global Leaders Institute for Arts Innovation 2023 Executive Cohort. And here鈥檚 more: she has won the 2024 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Emerging Leader Award, designed to recognize and support young and promising instructors in the voice education field.听听
An active pedagogue-clinician, she taught MUCT 235 (Vocal Techniques) in the winter 2024 semester, and MUPG 474 (Voice Pedagogy & Health: The Art & Science of Singing) in the fall of 2023. With no shortage of student testimonials, they shared: 鈥淭he Schulich School of Music deserves a teacher of this caliber to continue offering this highly impactful course of Voice and Oromyofascial Health鈥�, while another stated that 鈥渋n my 3 years at McGill University, I have not come across a teacher as dedicated to their students, to the transmission of their art form and most importantly, to students鈥� artistic development鈥�.听
Theodora鈥檚 devotion to educating inspired six of her students from her MUPG 474 course to pursue graduate programs in Vocal Pedagogy at premiere North American and European institutions. Other students of hers from both MUPG 474 and MUCT 235 have won numerous performance and education awards, while consistently enjoying professional successes, crediting the information and skills they learned in her courses as crucial for their vocal knowledge, health, progress, and achievements. Not only is she a trailblazer herself, but she is also inspiring a new generation of creative, curious, and competent students enthusiastic to get involved in several collaborative research projects and initiatives.听
In celebration of this award and of her achievements, we asked Theodora to tell us more听about her teaching philosophy, and to let us know what advices she wants her students to remember.
What do you want your students to leave your classroom/studio knowing?听
I want my students to leave my classroom and studio understanding their individual voice and how it functions better. There is both a personal and musical power in developing a holistic understanding and appreciation for your unique body as an instrument. As singers, our whole biopsychosocial bodies are our instruments, and we use them for expression! The voice is such a complex, complicated system that is capable of communication like no other instrument. This is what makes voice training simultaneously challenging and rewarding! More broadly, I also want students to depart their studies knowing that they can craft their own musical career in the way that they want, with hard work, persistence, and purpose. Music is such an expansive field involving so many extra-musical domains. So, I encourage every musician to lean into creativity; pursue interests in parallel and create those links between and across domains. As a dear mentor of mine said; forge, don鈥檛 follow! And that innovative vision starts in the classroom/studio, while at Schulich.
Can you share any examples of innovative or unconventional teaching methods you've used that have resonated particularly well with your students?听
A central tenet of my teaching is harmonizing art and science and constantly progressing and advancing the field of voice. One tangible way was that I curated and taught a brand-new, first-ever course in Voice Pedagogy & Health (MUPG 474) this year, as well as revamping the Vocal Techniques (MUCT 235) course at McGill University. I enacted an open-door learning environment, which ended up being extremely impactful and enriched the courses with such a diversity of perspectives. I welcomed and opened up the classroom to all; including registered students and observers from the wider student, faculty, and staff McGill community. Some sessions, we had more than 35 in attendance, with such lively discussions! In the classroom, student-centered activities prove particularly effective and always procure new ideas and critical thinking. Integrating technology-enhanced and culturally-informed tools acts as a vehicle for equity and inclusion. Collaboration in and beyond the classroom with atypical areas (such as with CIRMMT, projects I鈥檝e led as a team member of the Applied Performance Sciences Hub, like offering the Comprehensive Voice Screening Initiative at ENT-ORL Vocalex Clinique/AXiO Performing Arts Clinic where I am a certified Laryngeal Massage/Manual & Oromyofascial Tension Release Therapist, and organizing the first-ever event at Schulich surrounding Women鈥檚 Health in Music). In a nutshell, I鈥檓 all about pairing the conventional with the unconventional; tradition with innovation. To do so in teaching, though, one needs to be open-minded and curious.
How do you balance the demands of teaching with your own artistic and scholarly pursuits?听
As a researcher-teacher-performer and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. candidate, I am constantly balancing the demands of my teaching with artistic and scholarly pursuits! Balance is definitely not easy, but my voracious need for variety, passion for cross-disciplinarity, and drive/determination are what make balance possible. The key to balance is organization, prioritization, and communication. It is actually something that I encourage and teach in the classroom. In the current music industry, it is a necessity for musicians to have mosaic/portfolio careers. Training at a university like McGill鈥檚 Schulich School of Music requires that students learn and employ balance amongst their various activities; lessons/coachings, courses, practicing/rehearsing, performing, work, life, etc鈥� I believe that an essential facet of being a student is acquiring the skills needed to balance a busy and sustainable music career.
A note of thanks:
I am so grateful for each and every one of my students; I continually learn so much from them, and working with them is my true joy in teaching. I also have been so thankful to be able to work with excellent professors at McGill myself; many of whom have also won Teaching Awards in the past, including, but not limited to Dominique Labelle, Michael McMahon, Stephen Hargreaves, John Mac Master, Gary Scavone, Fran莽oise Chagnon, Andrea Creech, Liliana Ara煤jo, Stephen McAdams, Isabelle Cossette, Aaron Williamon, Martin Dub茅, Luc Mongeau, and many others.
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*The Research Alive Student Prize is made possible by a generous donation from Ms. Jill de Villafranca and Dr. David Kostiuk听
