‘Tis the season for high school musicals here in the suburban Washington DC area. I have students right now rehearsing or performing in “The Drowsy Chaperone”, “Cabaret”, “Les Miserables (School Edition)”, “Cinderella”, “Into the Woods”, and “Legally Blonde”. The schools and private theatre programs around here aim big – often too big. Tonight I had
On a singers board recently, my advice to a tenor with squeezing and pushing problems that he needs to work with falsetto exercises has met with a lot of resistance. What I heard from a couple of other tenors (I am also a tenor) was that they found no use for falsetto exercises and that
Many singers are extremely loyal to their voice teachers and coaches. Many of us in the business search long and hard for people we can trust to be part of our support team. It is only natural when we come to the person who is the best collaborator we have had so far, that we
Back when I was primarily a flutist, the “open throat” was constantly mentioned by teachers and other supposed experts. Later, when I delved into vocal pedagogy, I again ran into this phrase frequently. What does it mean? I don’t think I received an accurate definition before figuring it out myself. Since then, I have seen
I’m always on the lookout for software that will help me with my music. After auditioning several .pdf readers, I am growing really fond of Nitro PDF Software. It’s free! One of the ways I especially like to use it is in conjunction with purchasing digital sheet music from sources like musicnotes.com or freehandmusic.com. When you have purchased the music and have it on your computer screen ready to print, instead of printing it on paper, you can print it “to a PDF file” so you can keep it permanently and print it when you want. See the screen shots below. The first step is to select “print” from whichever application you are in, then in the box by the “Name” of the printer, select Nitro PDF. The next step, which is in the second screenshot, is where you give the new .pdf file a name. Then click on “Create” and you’ll have saved yourself the trouble of printing and scanning, if you wanted to have a permanent, reprintable digital version.
Screenshot 1:
Screenshot 2:
When a boy’s voice changes, the larynx’s sudden growth brings in new low notes and upsets the vocal coordination that may have existed previously. It is not uncommon for a good treble singer to become discouraged at the loss of control and function that occurs during and after this time. Although the transitioning voice is a very big topic, today I am concentrating on a phenomenon I call “the missing octave.”
After the change it is common for the voice to jump octaves, especially in descending patterns. An example of this is when the singer attempts G4, F4, E4, D4, C4 on a slurred vowel starting in a falsetto* production, and is only able to do G4, F4, E4, [jump an octave] D3, C3. The singer will need to rebuild the ability to bridge that gap without jumping down that extra octave. Being able to flip from falsetto to chest between contiguous scalar pitches is a prerequisite to building a full, mature head voice or strong mix.
The falsetto needs to continue to be exercised, forever and always, whether high notes are connected to the bottom voice or not. Getting the coordination for a seamless transition to head voice usually takes a long time, but there is groundwork that can be laid that includes keeping the falsetto going, at least up to B4, but many boys can go much higher. The chest voice can be exercised and expanded as soon as it arrives, and will help the student to become acclimated to new vocal conditions.
I had one student whose voice would actually jump a twelfth (octave and a fifth) like a clarinet, rather than an octave, especially on ascending. He had particular interfering tensions that probably accounted for this anomaly. Most woodwind instruments will squeak an octave above the desired pitch if the fingering or air pressure is wrong. Only clarinets commonly overblow a twelfth, due to unique characteristics of the instrument. Sometimes the jump will not be a recognizable interval, or the sound will break up into nonmusical noise. All of this is normal, for a while!
The falsetto needs to be taken down to at least F#3 (below middle C). I commonly find a direct correlation between the ability to take falsetto down way below the break, and the ability to begin to build a real upper range.
Not every voice change is the same, but some or all of these events may occur in approximately this order:
I hope this will calm concerns that something is wrong with a voice that may avoid an entire octave of pitches in the performance of a scalar passage.
* Please feel free to substitute “pure head”, “heady head”, “disconnected head”, or “light mechanism” for “falsetto” if you prefer.
This title is a dramatic phrase, but it’s often true. Many times, things have to get bad before a breakthrough.
I’m re-reading Creating Your Future by David Ellis. This time I’m taking more time than I did 9 years ago, and doing all the exercises in the book. His brand of self help is refreshing. He says that if a reader doesn’t like an exercise, they are welcome to re-write it to make it better. What a simple piece of advice that makes a lot of sense, rather than giving up on a whole book because it goes on a tangent that one can’t follow.
I’ve just gone through a section in which the reader is encouraged to examine how much of the time they spend thinking about the past, the present, and the future. He says that most people’s thoughts about the future consist of either predicting or worrying, rather than thinking about what they WANT to have happen in the future. We can predict or worry about specific things, by expecting that current trends will continue. Changing the future means “changing the trends”. I have been repeating “change the trends” to myself a lot lately. I can only speak for myself, but “changing the trends” often means experiencing discomfort. Changing one’s modus operandi means facing the possibility that one can make new mistakes, drive up blind alleys, and generally make messes. It is a brave artist/person who is willing to continue to evolve, even when it’s so much easier to stop.
Heightened levels of adrenaline and feelings of anxiousness are common and normal for performers at any level. How to deal with performance anxiety is the subject of hundreds of articles and books. Here’s one more…
I think that rather than only working on ways to decrease arousal, one has to learn to sing WITH it. Then you have more options, knowing that you can sing relaxed, excited, nervous, etc. There are mental and physical aspects to these emotional states. The way emotions affect us physically can be replicated without actually working yourself into those emotions, although if you are a drama queen you can practice actually making the interfering emotion happen as well. I had a teacher who suggested running through audition repertoire after running up and down several flights of stairs, for example. I use that one, or something similar that gets my heart beating and breath moving fast. I do not use his idea of setting the alarm for 5:00 and performing right out of bed!
You can probably come up with some other ways to replicate the bodily state of adrenaline so you can play with it. Then when you are about to go onstage and you feel like there is no air and you’re about to poop your drawers and your heart is fluttering, you can say to yourself “well, it’s not ideal, but I know how to work with this”.
This is a process of not denying the fear. Sure, we would rather never feel anxious at all, but if it comes you have to deal with it. Sometimes when it is approaching show time, or I have to sing for someone new, I feel calm and confident. Then all of a sudden, the anxiety shows up and I think “Well, it’s about time!”. It’s a rare time that I don’t feel it. And I’ll bet I’ve also said to myself 200 times “Why do I keep doing this.” That silly, hilarious-in-hindsight dread. And then I begin, and I usually feel better. I ALWAYS program something easy to start out a recital, coaching, or audition. Success builds confidence.
It is also essential that one be as prepared as possible. Anxiety based on lack of preparation can indeed lead to a horrible experience. And even if you have no stage fright at all, a lack of preparation can lead to a horrible experience for the audience!
Many of my students are very busy people. They have demanding jobs, family responsibilities, or school homework that make time management complicated. I myself have days when there is so much “to do” that practice time is diminished or relegated to very late at night, which seems to be the “only” time I can practice. Sometimes when my avocational singers say “I haven’t had much time to sing this week”, I have said jokingly “Darned real life!”.
I am going to stop saying that.
What is “real life”? We are human beings with needs of all kinds: material, emotional, recreational, physiological, social, and spiritual. If we are moved to be singers, then we need to sing. The singing part of our lives is real! It is important! What is more real than being reminded of our humanity, exercising our ability to make beautiful sounds, expressing things that we might otherwise never express? Like reading books, attending performances, traveling, or being close to loving people, making music takes us to human places that feed us.
Singing in your car, learning that new guitar lick, singing to/with a child, or joining others in a choir, are all “real life”. Performing errands and making money can seem real enough, but are they the most important things in your human experience?
Making yourself or others a little happier with a song is as real as real can be.
I recently returned from the 9th Annual Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute in Winchester, VA. This was my second time going, and it was once again an inspirational and informative experience. It was wonderful to meet so many wonderful teachers and singers and make personal connections.
I took two classes that helped me move out of my comfort zone: Pop/Rock Styles, and Speaking and Singing with the Same Voice. In these classes I witnessed many people trying new things. In the Pop/Rock class in particular, I hesitated, but eventually volunteered to sing a song. I was glad I did. ALMOST everyone else did too. I couldn’t help noticing that a couple of people who are on university faculties did not, however. I wondered what must be going through their heads. Were they afraid of looking incompetent? Were they simply scared? I definitely get nervous singing in front of a bunch of singing teachers, but it feels so good to feel the fear and do it anyway. It makes future singing easier.
With the Pop/Rock class, I knew that my competence was low, but my desire to learn was high, since I have so many singers in my studio who sing in these styles. Instead of just deonstrating isolated sounds for students, I want to go further in interpreting and performing in these styles, and to figure out which songs or subgenres would fit me vocally. Mission accomplished! After I sang “Yesterday” by Paul McCartney, I received suggestions to look over Coldplay and Radiohead. Radiohead would be geezers of about my age and Coldplay would be a vocal style of a more current band, so sounds good to me! And I think more Beatles is in my future.
OK, time to prepare for tomorrow’s art song coaching…
If you know something about the voice and what to do with a student in lessons, your knowledge may fall flat if you don’t also study the “how” of running the lesson. Some things to consider:
How do you greet the student? How much small talk is the right amount? How do you react to such statements as: “I didn’t practice.” “I don’t feel well today.” “I’m having the worst day.” “I’m so excited to be leaving for Spain tomorrow that I can hardly stand it.” What do you do if the student seems upset or depressed?
How do you handle the piano? How might the student respond differently to an exercise if you played softer? Or without the pedal? Do you always play in the same octave as your student? Do you ever just strike a chord, and let them sing their notes without the ding ding ding of the piano on every pitch?
How do you explain each exercise? Do you tell them, do you demonstrate, do you do both? In which octave do you demonstrate? Do you sing fully or with a scaled-back sound? How do you make corrections? How do you re-explain an exercise that the student does not understand?
If a student makes a strange sound, how do you react? Do you grimace? Do you say, “let’s try that again.”? Do you say “How interesting!” Do you have the student try again? Do you ignore it and go on? Any of these could be OK depending on the situation and the rapport with the student.
Two different teachers could theoretically do the same “things” in a lesson as far as exercises and repertoire, but in different manners that would make a difference in the results.
Some examples of “hows” I have changed over the years:
Somatic Voicework™ has been very useful with the “how” as well as the “what” of teaching a lesson. The whole person – body-mind-spirit needs to be taken into consideration. The person we work with changes from lesson to lesson, and so do we teachers! Being as aware of the moment as possible is a fascinating and effective aspect of teaching.
I know of two well-known teachers, one of whom is a woman who teaches sopranos who win competitions, while the other is a man who teaches winning tenors. Neither has had much success with the other’s voice type. Does this have to do with the students relating to the sound the teacher makes or is it simply that the teacher knows how to direct someone more like themselves? In either case, it would seem that these are not functionally oriented teachers, because the same functional principles should work across voice types.
Now, one may ask, so what? If Mr. Tenormaker is “producing” working tenors, who cares if he is a functional teacher or not? It may indeed not make any difference if he has a steady supply of tenors coming into his studio. However, those of us who don’t have the luxury of specialization have to work a different way. And honestly, I don’t think I would want a glut of musical theatre tenors in my studio. Vive la difference! So I teach men and women of many ages and levels of experience, and proceed with the attitude of taking them from wherever they are to something better.
So how do I show all these unique students how to do the exercises that I propose? How much do I sing, how much do I explain, and how much do I correct and manage their attempts? It’s hard! However, I think demonstration is valuable and helpful when accompanied with “here’s WHAT I’d like for you to sing” and never “sing it like this”. The WHAT is a pattern of pitch, vowel, volume, and rhythm. The student’s DOING makes the WHAT happen. Whatever sound emerges as they execute the exercise is useful feedback to me as to whether we are giving the voice greater ability or not. “How the teacher sounds” is virtually irrelevant if the teacher can illustrate the WHAT with freedom and clarity.
When the teacher demonstrates an exercise or demonstrates a correction, it should be accompanied by a clear explanation of the element needing attention (vowel, rhythm, etc.). If the student does not understand why they are singing an exercise, the only logical course of action is to mimic the teacher. Trying to sound like the teacher may or may not lead to better function, but it certainly will NOT lead to the student understanding what they are doing, and being able to get the voice working when conditions change (as in hormones, weather, respiratory system issues, different acoustical spaces, and absence of the teacher!).
Some people say that teachers should demonstrate very little in lessons to avoid having the student imitate. That makes sense, but sometimes a demonstration is worth a thousand words in clarifying the material to be sung. The context in which demonstration is used will have a big impact. “No! More like this!” is a very different thing from “Let’s try shading that vowel in this way.” As teachers we have to remember that although we may believe that every voice needs to be allowed its uniqueness, the student may not understand that. At first, the student might assume that mastery is found only by trying to sing like the teacher. Once the student understands that they will be singing with their own voices at all times, even when the WHAT is very specifically directed by the teacher, then extensive demonstration is unlikely to be a problem.
The paragraphs above are about the student’s issues with the teacher’s demonstrating. The other major consideration is that the teacher must always be protective of his/her own voice, and not demonstrate in ways or for excessive lengths of time that could cause injury. This includes advising the teacher to not imitate the student!
In my singing there have been many times where I made progress on an issue and had the thought “oh THAT’S what they meant”. Does that sound familiar? Observers recognized the need for me to do something differently than before, and some gave advice, but sometimes the problem persisted. Then there is a breakthrough, and many of the old comments and advice start to make sense. Then I have to try not to dwell on the thought, “Why didn’t someone say something to me in a way I could understand?”
It is for this reason that I think we need to try to exercise patience with people whose vocabulary about singing is different from ours. Can we possibly try to understand what they are getting at when they are trying to get a voice to “spin” or when they want us to “make more sound but not get louder” or “sing with a more pure vowel”? Although the expressions may not make sense to us, there is usually some kind of validity to their underlying observation, as well as to their advice.
I have had to eat some humble pie many times in voice lessons, coachings, and in receiving comments from colleagues. What seemed like an outlandish or silly comment or suggestion ends up making a lot of sense later, when I have had the time to experiment and try things out, or simply after I have gained more skill. As a student of singing, my knowledge about the voice has always outpaced my actual ability to sing. I think this is a characteristic of many voice teachers. Great ears, an inquisitive and resourceful mind, patience and people skills can make a great voice teacher, but not necessarily a great singer. So I keep studying and coaching, while people study and coach with me, constantly reminded that knowing and doing are not the same, but they should be as connected to each other as possible.
In my teaching, it is sobering to realize that what I think is crystal clear instruction is not so for every student. It is too easy to forget this if we teachers do not continue to study and receive feedback about our own singing.
An anonymous post I read recently:
“The fact is that the singing on those old recordings was much more flexible in every way (as we have said–cleaner coloratura, ability to decrescendo on high notes, etc.) and it can’t be because of hall size or, apparently, orchestra size, what happened to beautiful singing between then and now?”
Perhaps the the thing that changed the most is the training. People don’t apprentice with masters anymore. They go to postsecondary music schools and have weekly lessons for 30 weeks per year. And how is the content of the lesson different? Well, it seems to be largely comprised of “breath support” and “resonance” taught by “artist teachers” without a rigorous grounding in pedagogy.
Second, I think that the invention of sound recording has led people to try to emulate sounds from outside themselves rather than learning how to make a free sound, from the inside out, under the frequent guidance of a teacher who themselves came from that type of process, and who was their only means of objective feedback. Can you imagine being someone like Patti or Caruso and having all of your training and the beginning of your career without EVER hearing your voice played back to you? Once you were done with your training, how would you know whether you were singing well or not?
Recording practicalities: In the beginning of the era of sound recording, strings did not record well, so there were some pretty strange orchestrations, using small bands of wind instruments, to accompany the singers. The earliest recordings very rarely used a standard opera orchestra. Also the singers were standing right at the opening of the recording horn, making them extremely “out front” in the recording. The lightest of voices could easily be made audible this way without actually raising the level on a specific track (since “tracks” didn’t even exist back then). This would allow for the recording of a very different kind of vocal sound than we are used to. Also, many orchestral instruments are louder than they used to be. Most of the winds are better-engineered, flutes went from wood to metal, oboes went from simple or Viennese to French type, strings went from gut to steel-wound, etc.
Also, some inaccurate, though reasonable, deductions were made about registration after the invention of the laryngoscope and the observation of phonation with it. The two-register idea of the old Italians got sliced and diced many different ways since the 1800s.
The ways in which our musical and scientific development has unfolded over the last century guaranteed that teachers and singers are doing things differently now. We have lost individuality and vocal freedom in our desire to emulate generally heralded ideal sounds.