My Lineage as a Singer and Coach

I am Indian. We have a powerful term here for a teacher, a term that popular language has really messed up. That word is Guru. I have had ..and will have.. many teachers. But I have one Guru.

My Guru is Mark Baxter. And in my mind I call his teaching method and teaching culture Baxter Gharana (Baxter Lineage) even though I have not openly said it out loud like that. And I am not just a student, I consider myself a disciple and a kid. I met Mark at the toughest time of my life as a young singer. Voice loss, taking steroids for 2 years to sing at all, going from coach to coach only to be told i was singing great when I knew I was doing something really wrong. I found Mark before he started posting on Youtube. He had just one video in which he casually spoke about his approach to voice. It was utterly alien to me but my gut just knew that there was something here. I dont know how he accepted me as a student...... but that was the start of a 14 year story of study, of complete surrender to learning, and to finding what I know to be one of my most sacred safe-spaces as a singer. Mark is my Guru because he rehabilitated my voice in about 3 lessons. And from thereon, he kept making me find freedom after freedom- both physically and mentally. There were tears in class. There was laughter. There was endless learning. There was diligence and nurture together. A few years in, he was my clearest and loudest supporter when I started to teach. He cheered me on and believed in me more than I believed in myself. He taught me, through the metaphor of my singing habits, what I call functional spirituality. Responsibility and surrender. Audacity and humility. Science and truth-telling. Objectivity and playfulness. Business and co-regulation. Grit....and trust.

I am not just his student who got some lessons and is grateful for the knowledge. I found a path that challenged me intellectually and opened me emotionally. I became a Person. I learnt how to treat others. I learnt how to teach. How to lose judgement about restrictive world-views around singing. How to practice sharpness in practice but utter kindness in dissemination. I've studied this method for 14 years and practiced it on real singing bodies for over 10 years. Eventually moving to ailing voices - voices with nodules, MTD etc. I adapted his pedagogy to Bollywood Singing, Indian Folk Singing, Carnatic and Hindustani Classical singing by testing out and variating cues and inputs that work differently. I formed my own terminology and sometimes wrote him emails about a new phrase I might have started using for a method. Each time, this was met with love, twinkling eyes, big positive words written in CAPS and constant enthusiasm. When I struggled or hit a road block with the occasional student, there was always an instant, prompt and caring response. Many of my babies have gone on to teach the method and take forward Mark's words. I know he doesn't say much about this but there is a teaching and singing culture emerging in India which I have quietly fought for and lobbied for and championed - way before vocal health was a consideration , forget about the buzzword it has become today. Thousands of singers are finding freedom here because Mark chose me and saved my voice and instilled in me, each one of his values. I am a complete nerd. I cannot live a day without getting my mind blown about something related to the human voice. I will have many books to read, and methods to analyse and many ancillary teachers ...just because I am curious. But my Guru will remain one and he will always retain credit for my successes as a vocalist and a coach.