Mitchell Hutchings

     Translated as "the technique of better singing," Ars Cantus Melioris is the adopted motto of MH Voice Studio. It is also the name for the group of performers who have studied singing under the direction of Dr. Mitchell Hutchings. The phrase is a reminder for current students and alumni that the pursuit of bel canto technique is accompanied with patience, understanding, practice, and the knowledge that one never stops growing in their own vocal approach. Singing is an art and a means of expression. Therefore, we retreat from the notion that any given singer can be the best. For if a singer believes they have achieved the accomplishment of being the ultimate performer, then there would be no room for improvement. And, art, as well as technique, atrophies within the complacent artist.

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     Ars Cantus Melioris allows for unity across generations of students. In the applied music studio, students often miss the camaraderie that one finds within an ensemble. In hearing or seeing this motto, however, the applied student is reminded that their own ongoing pursuit of excellence is not solitary. Each student knows that others in the studio are on their own journey to be better versions of themselves. There is no competition among students, no sabotaging, no negativity, because there is no room for these things if a student is full of ambition for their own improvement. It is the journey that unifies us.