Teaching the young voice: A studio approach to adolescent singers

1. Teaching the young voice: A studio approach to adolescent singers Welcome to the “Twilight Zone”

2. Obvious Physical Changes in adolescent singers: • Growth Spurts…both male and female. • A reluctance to sing • Timbre change in the mid-range • Change in the speaking voice • Decrease of upper range • Complete loss of upper range

3. Hidden signs of change… • Strain • Neck tension • Jaw tension • Jutted jaw • Lifting of head All of the above are due to the rapid physical changes and loss of “proprioception”.

4. Proprioception • A Sixth Sense • Proprioception, the sensation of joint motion and acceleration is the sensory feedback for motor control and posture. • It is an outgrowth of the nervous system as a means to keep track of movements and control of different parts of the body.

5. How does this affect a singer in voice change? • We all know where our larynx is located. • We subconsciously breathe and begin to sing. • This is called “vocal onset” • We “sensate” low notes and high notes.

6. Physical Vocal Changes in Young Males • The Cartilage of the larynx moves forward (the Adam’s apple) causing the male vocal folds to stretch and grow as much as 60% in males and 34% in females. • During this process stress can make singing futile.

7. Make your students aware! Laryngeal change will affect your performing groups from elementary school through high school (even college!!) Males AND females are affected. Take the time to explain the physical change to the whole group. Have it be important to all! Peer support is crucial!

8. Dr. Anthony Baressi’s method to determine where to place the singer. • 1. Ask the boy (or girl) to count backwards from 30 aloud. • 2. Listen for the prevalent pitch for the speaking voice and find it on the keyboard • 3. This is the Fundamental Frequency. • 4. This is usually 3 to 4 semitones above his lowest comfortable singing range.

9. After doing this, it will be evident where the strongest clearest voice is. There will be raspy sounds where the voice “mixes”. • If you keep them singing within your groups they will make progress! • If you stop them from singing it will take more time for them to go through the vocal change. • BE POSITIVE!! Nuturing!

10. What should be your priorities? • Vocal health first, competitions later. • Stress-free singing, repertoire later. • Education and understanding of physical changes. • Charts, movies, articles • STRESS-FREE exercises • STRESS-FREE singing

11. What is difficult for singers in change? • Large intervals, singing from chest register to head register. • Some vowels are tough. It varies in each students • Loud singing • Extremely soft singing

12. Teaching techniques • Before warm ups, always do breathing exercises. • Initially warm up softly!! • Encourage the student not to lift the chin up while singing. • Use voiced consonants in exercises (Z, M, V) to encourage good onset. • Keep the exercises within a third for changing voices. • Encourage the use of their whole range with lip trills or buzzing. • “Breath in the vowel” • “Release by taking in a breath” • Sopranos and Tenors should exercise in a descending pattern • Basses and Altos in an ascending pattern