ABCD - 25 August 2012

Dr Jenevora WilliamsIllustrations by Harry Venning

Singing technique for young voices – a practical approach

Infant and adult vocal

tract

Infant and adult larynx

Infant and adult lungs

Limitations of the young voice•pitch range•length of phrases•loudness•stamina•muscular coordination and isolation

These limitations gradually reduce over time until adolescent changes begin

Pre-school singing activities★ Vocal mechanism still adapting for speech (short vocal tract)

★ Activities - nursery rhymes, action songs

Pre-school vocal skill possibilities

★ posture awareness

★ movement and singing

★ choosing the best pitch range to encourage in-tune singing

Key Stage 1 - ages 4 to 7yrs

★ Vocal mechanism able to speak well

★ Singing activities - group songs, some rounds possible

Technical limitations at this age:★ pitch range

★ overall muscular coordination and awareness

Key Stage 1 - ages 4 to 7yrs

Technical possibilities:

posture ✓breathing (?)

exploring full upper pitch range

Key Stage 2 - ages 7 - 11yrs★ Vocal mechanism developing strength and agility

★ Singing activities - group songs (in 2 or 3 parts), solo songs

★ common issue: in-tune singing

Key Stage 2 - ages 7 - 11yrs

Technical possibilities★ posture

★ breathing

★ pitch range

★ reducing breathiness

The Larynx and the vocal folds

Breathiness

• what causes breathy singing?

• reduce overall effort levels

• onset exercise

• more twang/ring

★Chest/head or thick/thin

★Which pitch to change register?

★Weak upper register - resonance

Other techniques originating in the larynx -

pitch and registers

• Onset - 4 types

• aspirate

• glottal

• simultaneous

• creak

Voicing: other techniques originating in the larynx

★What is the prime function of the larynx?

★general release and movement★silent in-breath★puffy cheeks★giggling

Voicing: other techniques originating in the larynx

- constriction

Resonance: the vocal tract

★ Consists of mouth, nose and pharynx

★ Think of as a squeezy tube: changing the shape alters vowels and resonance qualities

★ Larynx height, lip position

★ Soft palate

Vocal tract - Jaw★ Gripping

★ Pulling forward (over-opening)

Vocal tract - Tongue★ Tongue root tension Pulling back and pressing down

(enhancing internal acoustic signal, larynx control)

★ Tongue tip exercises (teeth)

Resonance skills

★ Very useful – reduce projection effort levels

★ Enhancing higher formants

– Twang

– Feeling vibrations (hard palate, nose etc)

–Working with ‘ee’ and ‘oo’

★ Soft palate work (holding nose, ‘ngee’ etc)

Vocal tract shape + Tongue position

Quality of sound★ Projection

★ Onset

★ Vocal fold thickness

★ Phrasing

★ Vowels and consonants

★ Degree of tilt

★ Larynx height

‘Safe’ belting

★ To make it easier

★ Projection

★ Deconstriction

★ Stabilising efficient posture/breathing

★ What is belting?

★ Thick-fold (speech/shout)

★ High air pressure / Low air flow

★ High pitch range (C5 to F5)

Adolescent voice - overall growth patterns

★ Caused by changing hormone levels

★ Physical growth is in ‘growth spurts’ or stages

★ Growth of larynx mirrors overall growth

Adolescent larynx

Female growth: 33% Male growth: 66%

Thickening of vocal folds

Child Adult female Adult male

Vocal folds – coronal section

Adolescent voices - girls

★ Larynx growth

★ Glottal chink – breathiness

★ Coordination - Register breaks

★ Voice change tends to be most noticeable with onset of menses, this may occur some time after the initial hormonal change

Huskiness = HormonesPre-menstrual and menstrual phases – water

retention in the mucosa of the vocal folds

➡ Vocal fatigue

➡ Decreased range

➡ Loss of vocal power

➡ Loss of vocal brightness

➡ Loss of pianissimo

➡ Problems with intonation

➡ Hoarseness (Filipa Lã, 2005)

Adolescent voiceonset of puberty - Boys

★ Boy is born with a ‘biological clock’ for pubertal onset

Castration

Starvation

Chronic illness

Severe emotional deprivation

(in girls it can be accelerated by obesity, in boys it can be delayed by obesity)

★ Normal child - hormones - pre-determined age

regardless of vocal training

Any influence of environment has not been researched

Five developmental stages of adolescent male voice

Extended singing range (unfilled note)

Comfortable modal singing range (filled note)

Speech fundamental frequency (cross)(Cooksey 2000)

100

128

155

183

210

170 178 185 193 200

Edward from 14 to 16yrs

Age in monthsHeight in cmSpeaking f0 in Hz

Singing exclusively in falsetto – residual habits

★ High larynx position

★ Pharyngeal constriction

★ More open vocal folds (respiratory habits of onset and sustain)

★ Using specific muscle groups in extreme and unrelenting contraction when they are growing and changing shape rapidly (66%)

Teaching boy singers -what is good practice?

★ Occasional falsetto vs exclusive falsetto

★ Repertoire – especially CCM

★ Choral music – especially tenor parts

Young voices – pedagogical implications?

★ Shorter phrases

★ Smaller pitch and volume range

★ Range of vowel differentiation/vocal colours is less

★ Fewer voice qualities and less vocal stamina

★ Different pitch range of vocal registers

Conclusion

✓The rules of ‘healthy’ voice use apply to all ages

✓Children can sing in any style or range that is possible within this

✓All voices have limitations of pitch, loudness, breath sustain and voice quality

Repertoire choice

Absolutely crucial✓Shorter phrases

✓Smaller pitch and volume range

✓Range of vowel differentiation/vocal colours is less

✓Fewer voice qualities and less vocal stamina

✓Different pitch range of vocal registers

Avoid:

High Loud Fast Long

vocal technique

✓Keep playing

✓Try new ideas every day

✓If it doesn’t work, try another one

✓If it does work, share it

✓Stay curious

Recommended further reading

•On singing

• Chapman, J. (2006). Singing and teaching singing. San Diego, Plural Publishing.

• Dayme, M. B. (2005). The Performer's Voice. New York, W Norton & company.

•On teaching

• McPherson, G., Ed. (2006). The Child as Musician, Oxford University Press.

• Harrison, S., G. Welch, et al., Eds. (2012). Perspectives on males and singing, Springer.

• MacPherson, G. and G. Welch, Eds. Oxford Handbook of Music Education. Oxford, OUP.

• and...

• Williams, J (2012). Teaching singing to children and young adults, Compton Publishing Ltd