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PDP WEEKLONG EVENTComparative Voice Pedagogy

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VOICEPrintsBULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK SINGING TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONMAY-JUNE 2007

IN THISIssue:Professional Development Program......................Page 1

NYSTA Board of Directors.....................................Page 1

Message from Josephine Mongiardo...............Pages 2-3

NYSTA Calendar 2006-07.................................Page 3

New Board Member Profile: Patrick Michael Wickham...............................Page 3

Feature Article: First Lessons in Singing by James Stark..........................................Pages 4-6

TECHNOBeat by David Sabella-Mills.................Pages 6-7

StudioNews...................................................Back Cover

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2006-2007 OREN LATHROP BROWN

ProfessionalDevelopmentProgramPresented by The New York Singing Teachers’ Association, Inc.in co-operation with Westminster Choir College.

All PDP courses are $220 and can be registered and paidfor online at www.nyst.org. One graduate credit per courseis available from Westminster Choir College, for an ad-ditional $150. A form will be obtained at the class.The courses take place at Columbia University, Teachers College,525 West 120th Street, between Broadway and AmsterdamAvenue. Check desk at entry for class locationFor more information contact Janet Pranschke atjpranschke@si.rr.com or www.nyst.org.

Columbia University Teachers College525 West 120th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.Rooms TBA

NEW YORK SINGING TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

NYSTAJune 20, 2007 Wednesday, 10:00 AM-7:15 PMInstructors: Ed Sayegh, Mary Walkley and Nancy AdamsAND Scott McCoy’s ANATOMY & ACOUSTIC REVIEW

June 21, 2007 Thursday, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PMInstructors: Marvin Regier, Judith Nicosia, Chris Arneson AND Marvin Keenze’sCOMPARATIVE PEDAGOGY DISCUSSION

Vocal Repertoire from aDevelopmental PerspectiveSelecting appropriate repertoire for students can be a major challenge for teachers.This course specifies criteria for musical, technical, interpretive, and stylistic demandswhich teachers can use to analyze a particular work’s appropriateness for students at variouslevels of development. Specific songs and arias will be studied.

June 22, 2007 Friday, 9:00 AM-6:30 PMCLASSICAL REPERTOIREInstructors: Dr. Christopher Arneson, Judith Nicosia

June 23, 2007 Saturday, 9:00 AM-6:30 PMMUSICAL THEATRE REPERTOIREInstructors: David Sabella-Mills, Jeannette LoVetri

ADDED BONUS 6/23 at 8:00 PMSONG RECITAL of rarely heard Polish, Norwegian, German and Swedish Art SongsBarbara Nowicki, soprano and Carol Ann Aicher, pianist (students of Judith Nicosia)

PRESIDENTJosephine Mongiardo

VICE PRESIDENTNancy Adams

TREASURERPeter Ludwig

RECORDINGSECRETARYKatherine Hoffman

REGISTRARMaria Argyros

BOARD OF DIRECTORSCari Cole

Barbara Eubanks

Brian P. Gill

Garyallen Glass

Lisa Hogan

Marjorie Kahn

Paula Liscio

Lori McCann

Dora Ohrenstein

Janet Pranschke

David Sabella-Mills

Daniel James Shigo (Editor, VOICEPrints)

Patrick Michael Wickham

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MESSAGEfrom the PresidentIt is with great sadness that I report thepassing of Craig Timberlake on December31, 2006. He was 86 years old and died inOklahoma City while visiting family. Craigserved as President of NYSTA from 1974-1976 and First Vice-President from 1976-1978, as well as serving on the Board and asProgram Chair in the years leading up to hisPresidency. My relationship with Craig pre-dates his Presidency by about 5 years. I wasa student at Barnard College when I firstheard his sonorous and flexible bass voice ata concert at Teachers’ College in 1967. Thelascivious performance of Henry Purcell’s ISpy Celia as well as a luscious one of Monte-verdi’s Lamento della Ninfa are still vivid inmy mind. Within a year or two I was to havethe pleasure of appearing opposite him inthe New York stage premiere of Handel’sSusanna. His conniving Second Elder putmy Susanna on notice at every rehearsal andperformance. As a young professional it waseasy to be overawed by someone of Craig’sexperience, composure and command on thestage, but his encouragement and generosityas a colleague was ever present, not tomention that a basso with a voice of suchwarmth, richness, clarity and agility was apleasure to hear in this demanding reper-toire. Some time later, we had the goodfortune to work on a recording together,Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot (MusicalHeritage Society) and again these traits, sonatural in his personality and voice, wereapparent.

Craig’s involvement in and knowledgeof music was broad and diverse. With sucha vast interest and versatile talent, it is nowonder that in his early career he shouldhave done theater performances whichincluded Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady in1964 and Rowland in Katherine Hepburn’stouring group production of As You Like It;he also appeared in Trial by Jury, H.M.S.Pinafore and The Mikado. The recital pre-

sented as part of his doctoral requirement onMay 25, 1966, further demonstrated a broadspectrum of musical interest. This variedprogram presented pieces composed for bassusing a variety of keyboard instruments.Assembling a harpsichord, gamba, organ,piano and Chinese gong for one programtreated the listener to a historical surveywhich displayed an appreciation for boththe historic integrity and the variety of colorthat this literature evokes. HarpsichordistKenneth Cooper, who played this program,has this to say about his art: “CraigTimberlake was an original. His particulargenius consisted of the miraculous focus ofthe various elements of his talent: his rich,elegant, warm and supremely flexible voice,his passionate interest in unusual repertoire—old and new—and his very natural,unaffected manner in all styles. Havingperformed many times with him, I mostremember the spectacular but expressivecoloratura of Caldara’s cantata Frangetevi ocatene, the naughty innuendo of Purcell’sWhen the Cock Begins to Crow and theraunchy humor of the only operatic role Iever saw him do, the Second Elder inHandel’s Susanna which I conducted in 1969(with none other than Josephine Mongiardoin the title role). He will be sorely missed.”Other performances included appearanceswith The New York City Opera, The BachAria Group, National Opera of Mexico,Accademia Monteverdiana, The RobertShaw Chorale, and The American OperaSociety; he recorded for RCA Victor.

His performances were always wellinformed and his writings on musicalsubjects were an important contribution.His column Practica Musicae for the NATSJournal of Singing from 1989-1997 were theproduct of a performer who understood thebenefit of going beyond the superficial inlearning and teaching. The breadth ofsubject matter addressed in these articles

is remarkable. Whether coveringpedagogical issues, performance prac-tice or more musicological subjects, hemaintained a collegial tone while dis-playing a passion for the subject athand. One of these articles, Apropos ArtSongs and Anniversaries (Journal ofSinging, 53, 5:41), is a discussion of theuse of Goethe’s poetry by the greatLieder composers Schubert, Brahms,Mendelssohn and Loewe. He had aspecial fondness for Loewe, whom hewrote about in two articles: Bicentennialof a Balladeer (JOS 53,3:33) and Loewe’sLife and Legacy (JOS 53,4:35). His loveof Purcell was evident in two articles,Orpheus Britannicus—Henry Purcell(1659-1695) and Orpheus Britannicus II –Songs of Henry Purcell (JOS 52,1:43 and2:45). He often selected a theme for aseries of articles and in 1994 three col-umns were devoted to PedagogicalPerspectives, Past and Present (JOS51,1:39; 2:27; 3:35). In Verismo Voices(JOS 53,1:33) he presents the case for thechange in vocal style being the directresult of the compositions of Cilèa, Fran-chetti, Giordano, Leoncavallo, Mascagniand Puccini—the giovane scuola. Theimpact of Caruso as the vocal standardfor these works is examined andevaluated in On Becoming Caruso (JOS52,4:33). The controversy over whetherthis was a good or bad thing for singingcontinues today. His commitment tocontemporary music was evidenced inhis collaborations with “Marc Blitzstein,Henry Brant, Carlos Chavez, AlanHovhaness, Henri Sauguet, VirgilThomson, Hugo Weisgall and others”(JOS, Vocal Music of Virgil Thomson,53,2:37). It is in this article that we get avivid picture of the challenging andrewarding relationship between anexacting composer and willing per-formers. The culmination of thiscollaboration was a concert sponsoredby NYSTA on November 16, 1969:Vocal Music of Virgil Thomson withCommentary by the Composer. Theprogram, which took place at Studio 58,included a set of songs performed byCraig—Old English Songs (1955)—and aduet with tenor Richard Shadley,

Craig Timberlake (left) and at left with tenor Richard Shadley (right) as the two Elders in Handel’s Susanna,with Josephine Mongiardo (center) in the title role.

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OREN LATHROP BROWN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

COMPARATIVE VOICEPedagogyJune 20, 2007 Wednesday, 10:00 AM-7:15 PMInstructors: Ed Sayegh, Mary Walkley and Nancy Adams AND Scott McCoy’s ANATOMY & ACOUSTIC REVIEW

June 21, 2007 Thursday, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PMInstructors: Marvin Regier, Judith Nicosia, Dr. Christopher Arneson AND Marvin Keenze’s COMPARATIVE PEDAGOGY DISCUSSION

OREN LATHROP BROWN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

VOCAL REPERTOIRE from a Developmental PerspectiveSelecting appropriate repertoire for students can be a major challenge for teachers. This course specifies criteria for musical, technical, interpretive, and stylistic demands which teachers can use toanalyze a particular work’s appropriateness for students at various levels of development. Specific songs and arias will be studied.

June 22, 2007 Friday, 9:00 AM-6:30 PMCLASSICAL REPERTOIREInstructors: Dr. Christopher Arneson, Judith Nicosia

June 23, 2007 Saturday, 9:00 AM-6:30 PMMUSICAL THEATRE REPERTOIREInstructors: David Sabella-Mills, Jeannette LoVetri

NYSTACalendar 2007

A pioneer in successfully combiningthe fields of voice technique, structuralintegration and vocal physiology, PatrickMichael Wickham has achieved consid-erable success as a young teacher. Tonedeaf and virtually talentless at the age of 13,Mr. Wickham’s studies of human vocalmechanics led him to manipulate his owninstrument. Proving persistence (and nottalent) to be the key to success, his obses-sion led him to ensemble and principalcover roles at the New City Opera, two-time N.A.T.S. finalist status, district finalistin the Metropolitan Opera National CouncilAuditions, and two Broadway tours by theage of twenty-four.

In addition to studies at Vanderbilt’sBlair School of Music, Manhattan Schoolof Music, The Juilliard School et al., Mr.Wickham has pursued studies in voiceanatomy and physiology at the Voice Clinicat Vanderbilt Medical Center and is certifiedin advanced massage therapy techniques.

Mr. Wickham is a student and protégé ofChairman of the Voice Department at theManhattan School of Music, Maitland

Peters. Mr. Peters’ artistry and expertknowledge of vocal technique are reflectedin the success of the Vocal IntegrationMethod. He is also a graduate of the pres-tigious William Esper Studio for actingwhere he continues master classes andmaintains an affiliate relationship withBill Esper.

A voice specialist to many celebrityclients, Mr. Wickham has been featured onInside Edition, Vh1, ESPN and interviewedin Time Out, The New Yorker, Backstageand the Village Voice. His numerousstudents include professional singers fromall over the world who have appeared onand off Broadway as leads and supportingplayers in over eighty shows nationally,as well as principal performers at TheMetropolitan, New York City, HoustonGrand, Chicago Lyric, Los Angeles, Tokyo,Seattle, Atlanta, and Nashville OperaHouses; his students have been signedwith record labels such as Jive, Atlantic,Universal, Virgin, So So Def and Sony.

Mr. Wickham is the founder of WickhamVocal Studios, a small private vocal

conservatory in midtown affiliated withthe William Esper Studio. His currentfaculty of twelve teachers includes voicespecialists, repertoire coaches, a pianoinstructor, a guitar instructor, perfor-mance enhancement specialist and a vocalperformance specialist. The New Yorkschool boasts an enrollment of 120 stu-dents with over 900 alumni.

Wickham Vocal Studios also hasstudios in Atlanta, Southern Pines (NC),and the Los Angeles studio is slated toofficially open in June 2007.

Collected Poems (1959). A complete list of hisJournal of Singing articles can be found onthe NATS website by searching the JournalIndex (www.nats.org).

Upon receiving his doctorate in 1966,Craig was appointed Assistant Professor ofMusic and Music Education at ColumbiaUniversity Teachers’ College; from 1970until 1982 he was Associate Professor,

serving as Chairman from 1973-1976.Conductor Dino Anagnost of the LittleOrchestra Society was Craig’s student andassistant; as his mentor, Craig advised hisdissertation on Virgil Thomson with acommitment that he displayed in his workwith all his advisees. His relationship withThe Little Orchestra Society extended tosolo performances, writing program notes

and being musical advisor: assisting inprogram selection and preparation ofsome world and New York premieres.He did all this with depth and grace. Toquote Maestro Anagnost, “he was a trueRenaissance man.”

Josephine Mongiardo

NEW BOARD MEMBERProfile

PatrickMichael

Wickham

ADDED BONUS 8:00 PMSONG RECITAL of rarely heard Polish, Norwegian, German and Swedish Art SongsBarbara Nowicki, soprano and Carol Ann Aicher, pianist (students of Judith Nicosia)

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FIRST LESSONSin SingingBy James Stark

The first lessons in singing are perhapsthe most important ones for an aspiringvoice student. It is in these early studiosessions that the student first comes faceto face with the significant differencesbetween bel canto vocal techniques andother forms of vocal usage such as speech,choral singing, and popular styles. Belcanto is not simply a refinement andextension of normal vocal usage; rather, itis a unique kind of vocalism based onphysiological and acoustical propertiesthat are cultivated especially for opera andconcert singing, and that are usually quiteunfamiliar and counter-intuitive to thenovice. I believe it is important to intro-duce the student to the two central con-cepts in bel canto, namely, chiaroscuro andappoggio, at the outset of vocal training. Itshould not be assumed that chiaroscuroand appoggio can only be achieved afteran extended period of study that concen-trates on inhalation techniques, scales,arpeggios, and vocalizes. Exercises thatseparate breathing from phonation do notlead to breath control, and the repetitivesinging of note patterns has little purposebeyond accuracy and volubility. The firststep in vocal study should be to developthe special voice quality and breath controlthat define bel canto, and then apply theseto scales and vocalizes as well as to songsand arias. Chiaroscuro and appoggioaddress these issues directly, and shouldbe regarded as the starting point of seriousvocal study.

Chiaroscuro is a voice quality that ischaracterized by a particular blend ofbright and dark acoustic elements thatresult from certain laryngeal and pharyn-geal muscular settings. Appoggio is acomplex balance between inspiratory andexpiratory muscles of the respiratorysystem, which, when coupled togetherwith glottal resistance to the breath, con-stitutes breath control. Of course thestudent cannot be expected to absorb alarge number of specific acoustical andphysiological details plus a whole newnomenclature all at once, so it is pedago-gically useful to reduce these complexitiesto a gestalt that can be referred to as vocalposture. When the laryngeal and respir-atory muscles are brought into the properbalance necessary for bel canto, the resul-ting vocal posture becomes the basis for allfurther vocal refinements. What follows isa series of vocal tasks designed to acquaintthe student with this vocal posture.

It has long been recognized that there isan ideal voice quality for classical singing.

According to historical treatises, each sungtone should have both brightness and dark-ness at the same time. Manuel Garcia, asearly as 1841, called the bright elementÉclat (brilliance) and the dark one rondeur(roundness) or timbre sombre (dark tone).Other vocal masters, including G. B.Lamperti, used the term chiaroscuro (thebright-dark tone) for this voice quality.Brightness can be described as the strongpresence of high frequency components inthe acoustical spectrum of the voice, whiledarkness is due to the energy of low fre-quency components. It is important that thestudent learn to hear a sung tone not just asa single pitch, but also as a blend of bothhigh and low frequencies. The studentshould be able to hear this quality in heror his own voice as well as in the voices ofothers, since the training of the ear is asimportant as the training of the voice. Onlyby perceiving chiaroscuro can the studentacquire the skill to produce it.

Garcia made the important discoverythat there are two distinctive glottal set-tings for singing: either the vocal folds canvibrate over their entire length, whichincludes an anterior membranous three-fifths portion and a posterior cartilaginoustwo-fifths portion, or they can vibrate overonly the anterior three-fifths of their lengthwhile the posterior two-fifths remain firmlypressed together during phonation. I willcall the five-fifths setting full glottal phon-ation, and the three-fifths setting anteriorphonation. Garcia noted that the shortenedglottis generates more high frequencycomponents in the tone, and also requiresless breath during singing, than the fullglottal setting. Most beginning voicestudents sing with full glottal phonation,which is also used for speech and for mostforms of untrained singing. Garcia main-tained that learning to sing with the shor-tened three-fifths glottis is the essentialfirst step toward good singing.

The technique Garcia devised to achievethis glottal setting was the coup de la glotte(stroke of the glottis). It can be explained asfollows. First the student should inhale,then, just prior to phonation, pinch theglottis fully closed and raise the subglottalbreath pressure by contracting theexpiratory muscles, as one does before acough. Then begin the tone on the vowel[i] (as in the word “easy”), and listen for asmall click at the onset of phonation as thevocal folds open. The student must notallow the breath to burst between the vocalfolds in a glottal plosive, since this wouldlead to full glottal phonation or even a

breathy tone. Once the tone is begun theglottis should be continuously squeezed inorder to maintain anterior phonation. Thefollowing exercise uses the coup de la glotteas a means of achieving this.

Ask the student to sing the vowel [i]with a coup de la glotte on the pitch D4 formales or D5 for females (C4 or C5 forlower voices), with a tight, pinched, nastysound (made even nastier if the studentmakes an exaggerated, sneering smile) andan elevated breath pressure. (Pace, dearreader; please bear with me!). This [i],while not pretty, is certainly bright, anddoes not use much breath. Do not beconcerned about the tightness of the glottisor the elevated laryngeal position, as thesewill soon be corrected. Now the studentshould sing Exercise 1(a) with a coup de laglotte on the vowel [i] as before, and withas much brilliance as possible, then carryit down a five-note scale as shown. Thestudent should listen carefully for thebrightness and pay attention to the feelingof glottal resistance to the breath. Theexaggerated brightness of the tone is agood indication that anterior phonation isin play. Singing with this glottal settingconstitutes the first half of the equation forchiaroscuro.

For the second half of the equation thestudent must learn to lower the larynx andraise the soft palate (velum) in order toenlarge the pharynx. This action lowersthe resonances (formants) of the vocaltract, especially the first formant which islargely responsible for defining the vowel,thereby darkening the voice quality. Ask

JamesStark

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Exercise 1

(b) [u] - - - - - - -

on the other hand, is produced with bothglottal and respiratory controls that resultin an even, non-abrasive vibratory patternand a clear voice quality, and requires avocal posture not unlike the one alreadydescribed for chiaroscuro. There shouldbe an elevation of the subglottal breathpressure, created by the contraction of theexpiratory muscles, and controlled by theantagonistic inspiratory muscles, espe-cially the diaphragm, as well as by firmglottal resistance to the breath. Whenproperly executed this results in a “yelly”voice quality that is an important indicatorof appoggio.

It is better to practice the call in anauditorium or large room, or even out-doors, rather than within the confines of arelatively small voice studio, since spatialconsiderations are important to the idea ofa yell. The student should produce a loudincisive “Hey!” as though hailing a friendin the distance (not as at a football game)while maintaining the vocal posture asso-ciated with chiaroscuro. The target pitchshould again be D4 for males, D5 forfemales (C4 or C5 for lower voices), allow-ing the pitch to then fall away as in a realyell, but without becoming breathy.Following the short aspirate [h] of “Hey!”the [e] should be sung with anteriorphonation and a firm, clear tone. Careshould also be taken that the elevatedsubglottal pressure does not push thelarynx into an overly high position. Femalesingers will initially be inclined to makethe call at too low a pitch (at the level ofspeech), and they must be sure to aim atD5, which will seem unnaturally high tothem for this exclamation. Now thestudent should yell/sing Exercise 3(a).Attack the word “Hey!” with good vocalposture at a forte level (but not a fortissimo)three times in rapid succession, andsustain the third “Hey!’ while singingdown the five-note scale as shown.Appoggio will be achieved when thestudent can preserve the yelly feelingwithout the violence of a holler, and can“pull back” on the tone while still main-taining chiaroscuro. The feeling of appog-gio is sometimes described as one of elas-ticity, as if the voice were “sitting” on acushion or pocket of pressurized air justbelow the glottis. At the same time, there isoften the feeling of a lofty resonance in thehead. As well, the student is likely to no-tice the high effort required of the respira-tory muscles.

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the student to sing the D4 or D5 as before,but use the word “who” for the vocal onsetwhile attempting to create a deep, dark,sepulchral [u] as if stifling or repressing ayawn, since this will enlarge the pharynx.Prominent lip rounding will also help bylengthening the vocal tract. Do not use theglottal pinch, and do not attempt to make abright sound. Rather, concentrate on thefeeling of openness in the pharynx and theroundness and depth of the tone. Nextsing Exercise 1(b), starting directly on [u]with as much depth as possible, then carrythis vowel down the scale. This dark [u]will usually result in a somewhat loose,breathy tone without any edge, but it willcertainly be dark. The breathiness will becorrected shortly.

The next step is crucial. Ask the studentto sing Exercise 1(c), beginning with a coupde la glotte on a bright [i], and, while holdingthe starting pitch, change the vowel from[i] to [u], keeping the brightness of [i] whileadding the darkness of [u]. This requiresthat the glottis be kept firmly squeezedwhile the larynx is lowered and the velumis raised. If done correctly, the voice shouldhave both brightness and darkness. It willbe observed that the pinched quality of [i]has disappeared, since the lowered larynxacts as a corrective, and the breathiness alsodisappears due to the shortened glottis.Now sing Exercise 1(d), beginning on a dark[u] with an expanded pharynx, and changethe vowel to a bright [i] by squeezing theglottis, but try to maintain some of thedarkness of [u]. When anterior phonationand the expanded pharynx come intoequilibrium, the tone will seem to ”bloom.”This is chiaroscuro.

Having experienced this voice quality,the student should repeat the exercise anumber of times, alternating between [i] and[u] or [u] and [i], until the technique is wellin hand and chiaroscuro can be heard inboth vowels. Then, using these vowels asreference points, sing the same exercise,beginning on [i] or [u], and change thevowel to either [a], [e] or [o] with eachrepetition of the exercise in order to developchiaroscuro on all seven Italian vowels.

Now the student should sing Exercise 2,a rising triad G-B-D, beginning on the vowel[i] with chiaroscuro, and changing to [a] onthe D before descending the five-note scaleas shown.

At first, the student will probably blowthe vocal folds open on the [a] and lose theedge in the tone, since the open vowel

causes the student to revert from anteriorphonation to full glottal phonation. Remindthe student to “sing every note,” that is, tomaintain the shortened glottis at all times.For most students, [a] is the most difficultvowel to sing, which is why it is useful tobegin these exercises on [i] as the referencevowel. Now the student should repeat thisexercise, changing from [i] to each of theother vowels in turn. When the student haslearned to keep the vocal posture on allvowels, the exercise can be expanded toinclude octave arpeggios or scales, and tostart on higher or lower pitches. All thisserves to consolidate chiaroscuro. Once thestudent is secure with chiaroscuro it is timeto move on to appoggio.

Appoggio is an Italian word that iscentral to breath control. The infinitiveappoggiare means, “to lean,” and in singingthis term has two specific applications.The first refers to the muscular antagonismbetween the inspiratory and expiratorymuscles during singing, which can bedescribed as a feeling of “bearing down”with the diaphragm against the inwardand upward contraction of the abdominalmuscles. (My friend Don Miller cleverlylikens this to driving a car while steppingon both the gas and brake pedals simulta-neously!) This creates a kind of muscular“knot” in the epigastrium region just belowthe sternum (breast bone), which is indica-tive of the tug-of-war between inspiratoryand expiratory muscles. In 1876 a Frenchphysiologist, Dr. Louis Mandl, referred tothis muscular antagonism as the lutte vocale,or “vocal struggle.” The second meaning ofappoggio refers to the role of the glottis inholding back the breath, and the intentionallowering of the larynx against the upward-bearing pressure of the breath (yet anothertug-of-war). The term appoggio was firmlyestablished by Francesco Lamperti in thelate nineteenth century, while his son G. B.Lamperti added “compressed breath” to thedescription. (Notice how the imagery asso-ciated with appoggio is opposite to thesuggestion of free-flowing breath and arelaxed throat). Appoggio, then, involvesthe management of subglottal pressure;glottal resistance to the breath; and a lowposition of the larynx.

One means of approaching appoggiois by using “the call,” which is a kind ofcontrolled yell. For our purposes, I wouldlike to make a distinction between a “hol-ler” and the call. A holler can be describedas a vocally undisciplined shout such asone produces while cheering at football orhockey games. Here the vocal folds vibratein violent and abrasive ways and producea harsh voice quality that can lead tounwanted hoarseness, or worse. The call,

Exercise 2

[i] - - [a] - - - - - -

. Exercise 3

(b) [e] [e] [e] - - - -(a) Hey! Hey! Hey! - - - -

< <

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TECHNOBeatby David Sabella-Mills

If you’ve visited the NYSTA websiterecently (and, as our website designer, Icertainly hope you have) you may havenoticed several new and exciting changes.And, as we move more and more into theDigital Age, it is my hope (and goal) thatthe NYSTA website will become such avaluable resource for both you and yourstudents that you will both add it to yourlist of homepage favorites.

First off, we now have an associationwith Sheet Music Plus—NYSTA receivesan affiliate commission for every piece ofsheet music purchased from Sheet MusicPlus, when accessed from within theNYSTA website. In order for NYSTA toreceive commissions for your Sheet MusicPlus purchases, you must first go towww.nyst.org and click on the “BUY SHEETMUSIC” button on our homepage. Thatwill take you to our Sheet Music Plus page.From there you can use the search bar (orclick on any of the Sheet Music Plus iconswithin our site). Once you are inside theSheet Music Plus website, your purchasesare then credited to NYSTA.

Now, our studios are filled with sheetmusic, to be sure. But this new feature canbe a resource for both you and your

Now the student should sing Exercise3(b), but without the aspirate [h] of theword “Hey!” Instead, use a coup de la glottedirectly on the vowel [e], avoiding a glottalplosive, and maintain that vowel with thefeeling of appoggio while singing downthe scale. Now sing the exercise again,beginning on [e], then change to anothervowel before descending the scale,working to achieve appoggio on all sevenvowels. Once the appoggio is establishedthe student can extend the exercise to adescending octave scale or other favoriteexercises. As suggested above, the studentshould learn to sing with appoggio on softas well as loud tones. Sing the [e] at a fortelevel, then quickly decrescendo (pull back)to a piano by diminishing the loudnesswithout losing the vocal posture or thefeeling of a cushion of air below the glottis.(The ultimate test of appoggio is the messadi voce, a long crescendo-decrescendo on asingle note that maintains the vocal pos-ture throughout, but it may take some timeto achieve this.)

At this point the student should beready to apply these new vocal techniquesto a simple song that can become a “refer-ence song,” that is, an easy lyrical piecewith well shaped legato phrases in which

the student can reliably maintain goodvocal posture. Whenever the student seemsto be struggling with technique, he or shecan return to the reference song as a re-minder of what the correct vocal posturefeels like. Be sure that it is a song that thestudent really likes and will not get tired ofafter long usage. I have found that a folksong works well for this purpose, but ofcourse Mozart and Schubert are favoritesas well. Let the student help in the selec-tion of the reference song. At first the stu-dent should sing the reference song usingonly the vowel [e] with chiaroscuro andappoggio. When this has been done suc-cessfully, add the words while maintainingboth chiaroscuro and appoggio on everynote. If all of this works, as it should, thestudent will have established the vocalposture required for bel canto.

It is necessary here to caution that therecan (and will) be many musicalcircumstances that conspire to disrupt thisvocal posture. Every change of pitch orvowel, every consonant (especially theplosives and the aspirates), and every wideinterval threatens the collapse of the vocalposture and the loss of chiaroscuro andappoggio. There can be no allowance formistakes. The teacher must stop the stu-

dent every time the vocal posture is lostand insist that the musical phrase be re-peated until every note is faultless. Thiscan be frustrating for students (andaccompanists!), but it is an essential step. Indue course the student will catch her or hisown mistakes, and will make this vocalposture the “default setting” for singing.

Here, then, is a historically based ap-proach to the first lessons in singing thataims to establish the vocal posture asso-ciated with chiaroscuro and appoggio. Ihave found these early lessons to be highlyrewarding for both the teacher and thestudent, since real progress is made earlyin the training process. Of course theselessons are only the beginning of a de-manding course of studies in both vocaltechnique and musical style, but they area good beginning. All the many otherdevices of classical singing can be builtupon this foundation. As with most things,it is the first steps that determine the pathto the future. © James Stark 2007

James Stark is Professor Emeritus at MountAllison University in Sackville, NewBrunswick, Canada. He is the author of BelCanto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy(University of Toronto Press, 1999).

students. Gone are the days of handingout music for students to copy, and hopingthat the original comes back in one piece.Equally gone are the days of ever so gently“bending” the copyright laws (see CarlSwanson’s article “Copyright orCopywrong” in the Journal of Singing,March/April 2007). And—be honestnow!—how old and dog-eared are yourcopies of the 24 Italian Songs (in variouskeys). With our new Sheet Music Plusaffiliation you can update your musiclibrary, send your students to our websiteto buy the music you’d like them to sing,stay within the copyright laws, and benefityour favorite not-for-profit organization,all in one click!

Since the inception of this affiliation wehave received several order commissionswhich generate much needed income forour events and PDP courses. Thank You toall who have used this service so far.

Second: we have a new BurnLoungestore. BurnLounge is a digital downloadstore (a competitor of iTunes) where youcan download music, ringtones, videogames, movies and more. Unlike iTunes,however, when a purchase is made fromthe NYSTA BurnLounge store NYSTAreceives the retail commission (not Apple).

To access our BurnLounge store, click onthe “BUY DIGITAL MUSIC” button on ourhomepage.

All of the music and products Burn-Lounge offers are of the same quality andprice-point as iTunes. However, you do notneed to buy a $400.00 ipod to use, or hear,music bought from BurnLounge. WithBurnLounge the music is downloadeddirectly to your computer (into yourBurnLounge player). And, from there youcan “Burn” a CD (hence the name) on yourcomputer and listen to that CD in yourtraditional CD player. Or, you can uploadit to any MP3 player or compatible cellphone. And, as a licensed BurnLoungeretailer, NYSTA can now offer our member-ship national and soon, international,

DavidSabella-

Mills

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distribution of independent content throughour BurnLounge store. If you have a CD(solo or otherwise) to which you own therights, you can have that CD uploaded intothe Burnlounge database for free and voilà,your CD can be sold on any Burn-lounge store.

Independent Artists receive $5.00-$7.00per album sold. A new cello rock band (yes,you read that right) called “Break ofReality” recently sold over 70,000 units onBurnlounge, as independent artists, withouta record label, or other distribution contract.This is what most excited me to bringBurnLounge to our membership.

If you would like a copy of the Indepen-dent Content Application please email meat dsm@nyst.org and I will send it to you.We want our store to be filled with theindependent content of our members. And,we want to give our membership an onlineplatform from which to sell their music.

At the time of press, BurnLounge was inits 1.0 version. By the time you read this,however, BurnLounge will have released its2.0 version, which will look and functionmuch like a MySpace page. This page willbe NYSTA’s “BurnPage.” Our BurnPagewill be the gateway to our store. From theBurnPage you can “Download the Player”which will install the BurnLounge playerright onto your computer desktop. Afterthat you need never go thru the NYSTAwebsite again (to buy digital music). Theinstalled BurnLounge Player will rememberthat you acquired it from NYSTA and willalways credit your future purchases toNYSTA.

Our Burnlounge also offers you andyour students the ability to have your own

“BurnPage” (like a MySpace page) for free,and give your studio a more cohesivecommunity spirit, and another advertisingvenue. And, if at any time your studentspurchase music, video games, ringtones, ormovies from their own free BurnPage, theprogram will remember from where thatBurnPage came, and credit NYSTA with theappropriate retail commission.

BurnLounge 2.0 currently functionson any Windows platform, including thenewer MACS, using Parallels. A true MACversion of BL2.0 will be available in June(hold on MAC users with Parallels orVirtual PC until then).

With both Sheet Music Plus andBurnLounge we hope to bring to member-ship an exciting online experience that willalso benefit our organization with productsand services that we all deal with on a dailybasis, (sheet music and performancerecordings).

Until now NYSTA’s only means ofgenerating income was from membershipdues, PDP courses, and gifts. While ourexpenses for space rentals in Manhattan,and teacher’s fees, have gone up, ourmembership dues and registration fees forclasses have not. It is our sincere desire tobring you higher quality events and courseswithout having to raise dues, or registrationfees in the foreseeable future. For thisreason we ask that you take advantage ofthese new services offered on the NYSTAwebsite and encourage your students to dothe same.

Lastly—and possibly the most excitingfeature of all—Our Gold Portal listings areready for launch: The Gold Portal listingis a Find a Teacher listing with enhanced

features to take your business to the nextlevel. Gold Portal listings can/will haveadditional photos, a short audio clip (ofyourself or a student), and can/will giveyou the ability to accept major credit cardpayments for lessons via PayPal, orwhichever online payment processor youmay choose.

Your Find a Teacher listing already func-tions as your independent website. Yourwebsite address is www.nyst.org/yourname.html. This address takes visitorsdirectly to your FAT page. And now, withthe addition of Gold Portal features, yourstudio can explode into an even morevibrant online business.

Gold Portals will be priced differentlythan normal FAT pages. Gold Portallistings will cost $95.00 per year, inaddition to your membership categorydues. If you are interested in the GoldPortal features for your FAT page pleaseemail me at dsm@nyst.org and I will sendyou all the details. And, as an example,my FAT page has already been convertedto a Gold Portal. You can check it out atwww.nyst.org/davidsabellamills.html.

I hope all these new and enhancedfeatures will be of great use and service toyou in your studios. Please know that yourNYSTA Board of Directors, with PresidentJosephine Mongiardo, continues to workvery hard on your behalf to bring you notonly the outstanding PDP courses andevents you’ve come to expect, but alsothese forward thinking programs andenhancements that can truly make NYSTAa leading organization in the 21st Century.Comments, questions, or inquiries about web-design are appreciated at dsm@nyst.org.

The New York SingingTeachers “High Jinks”Evening,Hotel des Artistes, NYCMay 17th, 1938

VOICEPrintsBULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK SINGING TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONMAY-JUNE 2007

NYSTA, c/o Mr. David Sabella-Mills360 West 34th Street, Townhouse #3New York, NY 10001

www.NYST.org

STUDIONews

Jane McMahan returns to Groznjan,Croatia, to direct the International VocalArts Workshop of Jeunesses Musicales.The three-week program, June 5-26, withan inclusive fee of $1,200, encompassesvocal, theatre, and movement elements andculminates in a concert and a street theatreperformance through the cobbled lanes ofthe picturesque medieval village. For more information, contact JaneMcMahan at jm657@columbia.edu.

Anat Keidar Offers Voice ManagementTechniques: A Practical Approach toTraining & HealingWestminster Choir College of RiderUniversity, June 25-29, 2007

This workshop is recommended for allprofessionals dealing with voice: singers,voice teachers and coaches, choral conduc-tors and music educators, as well as speech-language pathologists and laryngologistswho treat vocal performers (VP). Familiaritywith basic acoustic, anatomic, physiologicand clinical terminology is desirable, but notimperative. For more information contact:Westminster Choir College of Rider University,Office of Continuing EducationPhone: (609) 924-7416 ext. 227;Fax: (609) 252-0477; or Email: woce@rider.edu

News from Janet Pranschke’s Voice Studio:Gayla Morgan makes her Merkin Hall debutperforming in Songs of Japan;Andrew Eckert plays Will in WagnerCollege’s production of Oklahoma;Joelle Brocco plays Rizzo in Grease at IS 7High School Musical Productions in Aprilon Staten Island;Alexandra Mazzucelli plays Maria in WestSide Story at Petrides High School;Aubrey Brown plays Sandy in Grease atSt. Peter’s Boy’s High School;Caroline West plays Lady Larkin in OnceUpon a Mattress at Notre Dame High School;Lauren DiShavi and Joseph Adia playÉmile de Becque’s children in South Pacificat Monsignor Farrell High School.

Anat Keidar Janet Pranschke Jane McMahan

New NYSTA Board MemberPatrick Michael Wickham