Modern Voice Pedagogy Functional Training For All Styles

By Elizabeth Ann Benson

ue to the rising number of consolidated for improved efficiency including folk, rock, pop, heavy metal, collegiate musical theater and and camaraderie. Some elements of R&B and many more. These programs contemporary commercial vocal technique that may be trained need voice teachers who can provide music (CCM) programs, there independently of musical style include functional vocal technique so students is increasing demand for teachers of vibrato, posture and alignment, onsets, can safely and consistently produce the singing to provide diverse and versatile agility and registration. This article broad spectrum of sounds required in training beyond the classical aesthetic. will argue in favor of shifting to func­ many different styles of music. When the vocal techniques of classi­ tional voice training as core technical cal and CCM singing are identified training to effectively serve classical, Vocal Technique in terms of function, there is much musical theater and contemporary In 1975, Cornelius Reid encour­ in common. It is only in the appli­ commercial voice students within one aged voice pedagogues to distinguish cation of vocal technique to musical studio. between “art” and “function,” where repertoire that significant differences Musical theater singing; includes a art is “the use of skill and imagina­ occur, according to genre. Rather than multitude of musical sub-genres, from tion in the production of things of running independent tracks of vocal legit musical theater to contempo­ beauty,” and function is “the natural study in classical, music theater and rary hard rock. A study by Kathryn action characteristic of a mechanical commercial/popular singing, many Green et al. surveyed job postings or organic system.”4 A functional voice elements of voice training can be for entry-level musical theater singers will have a broad range of expression and found that market demand was and can therefore serve the music (art). Elizabeth Ann almost evenly divided between legit/ The technical skills required within Benson is an traditional singing (45 percent) and a given musical genre are determined assistant professor contemporary/pop/rock (55 percent).1 by the aesthetic context of the target and coordinator In today’s musical theater industry, repertoire. Therefore, some aspects of o f the BFA music versatility is employability. In addi­ functional training may be universal. theatre program tion to the nearly 140 university-level For example, vibrato is commonly Auburn University. musical theater programs established used in jazz, opera, legit musical the­ She holds a master since 1968,’ there are approximately ater, country music and many other o f music degree from New England 30 U.S. universities offering a degree genres. Singers strive to achieve an aes­ Conservatory, and a doctorate from in commercial or popular music with thetically pleasing vibrato, which they the City University o f New York a singing emphasis or concentration.3 apply as much or as little as is called Graduate Center. Popular music programs also include for in their chosen musical genre. a diverse number of singing styles Eventually, a singer applying vibrato

10 JUNE/JULY 2018 Modern Voice Pedagogy

to an opera aria may choose to use vibrato more frequently onset as a playful musical motive in the chorus (1:15, 2:18, than a singer applying vibrato to a jazz standard. However, 3:42): “It’s contagious, it’s contaigio-u-u-u-u-us.”6 The the functional training to produce and control the vibrato development of onset technique is the same in all genres, is not inherently linked to any style of music. Other skills, but the frequency of application varies according to musical such as body work, onsets, agility and registration may be style. trained in the same fashion. Vocal agility and precise articulation are hallmarks of For a singer, the body is the instrument. Consistent pos­ good technique, in any style of music. Scales, turns, trills ture, alignment, strength and endurance are important for and staccato exercises are included in standard classical rock singers, musical theater singers and classical singers training to prepare for baroque runs and operatic cadenzas. alike. An increased sense of kinesthetic awareness of the body Example 1 shows a cadenza sung by Joan Sutherland in allows a singer to monitor the efficiency of the entire instru­ measure 38 of “Prendi per me, sei libero” (L ’Elisir d ’Amore), ment. Supplemental study in Alexander Technique, The built from the F-major scale. Feldenkrais Method, body mapping, yoga and dance could O be simultaneously taught to many different lands of singers and performing artists. Excellent cardiovascular fitness would be beneficial to all singers because of the physical endurance Example 1: Joan Sutherland's Cadenza from "Prendi per me, sei libero" (L'Elisir d'Amore) by Gaetano Donizetti.7 necessary to engage the instrument (the body) for extended periods of time in performance. Some rock singers must train for endurance to meet the high physical demands of a The CCM equivalent to an operatic cadenza is “riffing.” concert, which may be longer than 3 hours and include cho­ In contrast to classical music, CCM riffs are often built reography, guitar thrashing or crowd-surfing. Musical theater from modal scales, blues scale, major and minor pentatonic singers must be able to execute a 4-minute dance break and scales and the minor hexatonic scale, which was found to be then return to sing the big finish without sounding out of used most frequently in pop music after the natural minor breath. Classical singers must be strong enough to move and major scales.8 Tori Kelly’s cover of Michael Jackson’s gracefully across a raked stage, perhaps while wearing heavy “Pretty Young Thing” contains a cadenza-length riff, built period costumes and a wig. The trend of the “fit opera star” from the D-flat-minor hexatonic scale: 1 - 2 — flat-3 - 4 — 5 — has gained popularity and opera houses are taking advan­ flat-7. tage of its appeal. A reviewer for Opera News remarked, “It’s almost more newsworthy when [baritone] Nathan Gunn appears fully dressed in an opera production than when he Example 2: Tori Kelly's Riff (from her cover of Michael Jackson's "Pretty sings shirtless.”'’ Often in performance, the body is under Young Thing" by James Ingram and Quincy Jones)9 extreme conditions, such as hot temperatures due to stage lights, heavy costumes and limited opportunities for hydra­ Both artists demonstrate the skill of vocal agility at its fin­ tion. It takes training to deliver an optimal performance est, singing rapid pitches clearly and consistently, from the under such conditions. All singers benefit from body work. top to the bottom of the range. The genre of music deter­ Just as pianists keep their pianos tuned, singers must main­ mines the standard tonality within which each singer builds tain the condition of their instruments too. her showcase of vocal agility. The technique of moving the The training of glottal, coordinated and aspirated onsets voice quickly and cleanly can be trained within any tonality. is common to both classical and CCM voice training. Many approaches to voice training encourage the devel­ One must learn to adduct the vocal folds and phonate opment of two registers in the singing voice. These have using maximum efficiency without constriction. In classi­ several names: chest/head, modal/loft, or TA-dominant/ cal music, the preferred default onset is coordinated, but CT-dominant. If both registers are “equally balanced in all types of onset are used in avant-garde music, such as strength and coordination,”10 then singers can mix them Luciano Berio’s Sequenza III or Arnold Schonberg’s Pierrot to yield an infinite number of sounds. The resulting sound Lunaire. In both English and German classical singing could be belting, floating, wailing and anything in between. diction, glottal onsets are commonly used for emphasis. In Classical music calls for coordination between the registers CCM, there is no default onset. Onsets are varied accord­ so a change from one register to the other is inaudible. ing to the musical style and expressive choices of the artist. CCM singers may preserve the ability to deliberately not Singer/songwriters often use the aspirate onset to express coordinate the registers, for yodel or break effects, which vulnerability, but glottal and coordinated onsets are just may be desirable in certain musical styles or colors of emo­ as common. In Regina Spektor’s “Us,” she uses the glottal tional expression. The late-lead singer of The Cranberries,

AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER II Modern Voice Pedagogy

Dolores O ’Riordan, uses a yodel effect National Association for Schools of A course in voice pedagogy is often throughout the song “Zombie,” which Music (NASM). NASM lists separate included in an undergraduate classical requires extra vowels to be added to essential competencies, experiences voice curriculum to provide knowledge the lyric: “Zombie-e-e-e-oh” (1:55, and opportunities for musical theater of vocal anatomy and physiology, as 3:27)." degrees and a degree in voice with an well as pedagogical techniques. Some In training baritone, bass-baritone opera emphasis. In musical theater institutions have the resources to offer and bass voices to sing classical rep­ programs, they require “thorough”15 parallel voice pedagogy courses that ertoire, Richard Miller advocates for skills in acting, whereas opera pro­ also include pedagogical skills required exercises that focus on the transition grams only require “basic”16 skills in for music theater and CCM musical between “falsetto and full voice.”12 acting. In 1990, musicologist Joseph repertoires, but most do not. Offering Miller acknowledges that falsetto is P. Swain dared us to define opera in private lessons is an attractive job for not often used by the low-male voice such a way that it includes The Magic an emerging professional performer types in (classical) public performance, Flute, yet somehow excludes West Side due to the flexibility of being self-em­ yet he maintains that regular training Story.'7 Why should there be two dif­ ployed. However, outside of a large of the transition between registers ferent standards for acting when the city, an emerging teacher is not likely will “bring about ease of production,” sub-genres are nearly impossible to dis­ to find voice students who are exclu­ particularly at the top of the range.13 tinguish from one another? According sively interested in classical music. It In CCM music, male singers often to the artistic director of the Manhattan would be more beneficial for classical showcase falsetto in public perfor­ School of Music Opera Theatre, Dona undergraduates to learn how to pro­ mance. The use of both registers is D. Vaughn, acting training often is vide functional training to apply in required and valuable in both CCM marginalized in classical music con­ a variety of musical styles. Classical and classical genres, and therefore, servatories and completely absent in pedagogue Scott McCoy states that the approach to training could be the young-artist programs.18 Training the ability to teach “both classical and same. Karen Hall identifies the use of both musical theater and opera singers CCM genres and techniques” is nec­ register-dominance as the “defining (together) in a rigorous program of essary to meet the “expectations of the difference between female music the­ acting methods would be more efficient real world.”21 If voice pedagogy cours­ ater and classical singing,” explaining than running parallel courses in separate es were open to all types of singing “in the simplest terms,” that female programs while maintaining two differ­ students and elements of functional musical theater repertoire calls for ent standards in the same subject. technique were applied to a variety of more chest register, and classical rep­ Commercial singers are also engag­ styles within the course, we could yield ertoire calls for more head register.14 ing storytellers. Adele’s Live 2016 con­ an entire generation of teachers who A training regimen that targets the cert tour featured a set list of 15 rock think of the voice in unified functional understanding, development and coor­ ballads, many about her own expe­ terms. dination of registers will provide access riences with heartbreak. This could to the entire range in a broad palette have been very depressing. However, C o n c lu s i o n of dramatic colors. The repertoire itself between songs, she interacted with the The future of collegiate music determines which sounds are most audience, improvising banter, telling training is a more inclusive environ­ appropriate. stories and cracking jokes to carefully ment, one that ensures all styles of regulate the mood of the audience.'1 music are equally worthy of study and Supplem ental Training For Singers A reviewer for the Evening; Standard performance. In 2012, the National In addition to the elements of vocal explained, “She shifted constantly Endowment for the Arts reported that technique described above, courses in from being a lightning rod for emo­ 44 percent of adults who attended acting and voice pedagogy are often tion to a light entertainer.”211 Without a live music show, chose to attend a a part of a singer’s curriculum. These question, this was acting. Many uni­ live pop or rock music show. Only 5 subjects would benefit from collabora­ versities already offer acting classes to percent chose to attend an opera.22 In tive-teaching teams from varied stylis­ theater and musical theater majors; spite of a clear consumer preference tic specializations. opening those courses to include clas­ for CCM, the genre still struggles to All singers are dramatic vocal artists, sical vocal performance and CCM be treated equally within academia. linked by the presence of text and majors would be ideal. When students The Association for Popular Music the drive to share compelling stories from a variety of programs are mixed Education (APME) was founded with an audience. The accrediting together in an ensemble, they build in 2010 to advocate for the pop­ body lor most music programs and trust, and that trust allows for greater ular music discipline because “it many musical theater programs is the inclusion and diversity. stands as a vital part of our modern

JUNE/JULY 2018 lives.”23 Popular music both reflects Certificates,” Commercial Voice 15. National Association of Schools and responds to American culture. Resources Blog, accessed on May 19, of Music, NASM Handbook, 2016—17 In The Crisis o f Classical Music in 2017, http://www.commercial (Reston, VA: National Association of America, Robert Freeman states that voicereso urces. com/commer- Schools of Music, 2016), appendix it is “important” to understand that cial-voice-programs-us. I.B.5.A.3.C, 161. “many Americans see classical music as 4. Cornelius L. Reid, Voice: Psyche 16. Ibid., appendix I.B.4.C.4, 160. European...”24 The musical styles that and Soma (New York: Joseph Patelson 17. Joseph P. Swain, The Broadway were born in the United States and Music House, 1975), preface. Musical: A Critical and Musical Survey continue to evolve here are integral to 5. John von Rhein, “Dude. Put (New York: Oxford University Press, American identity, and should be rep­ Your Shirt on and Sing,” The Chicago 1990), 357. resented as such within academia. Tribune, August 17, 2007, http://arti- 18. Dona D. Vaughn, “Just Act Rather than continuing to divide cles.chicagotribune.com/2007-08-17/ Natural,” Opera News, January 1, schools of training by labeling them entertainment/0708150717_l_ 2012. as “classical” or “CCM” or “musical lyric-opera-nathan-gunn-baritone. 19. Adele, Live 2016, concert theater,” singers of all genres of music 6. Regina Spektor, “Us,” from Soviet attended by the author, October 29, can train “functionally.” If stylistic Kitsch, recorded in 2004, Sire/Warner 2016, Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA. specialization is affiliated with reper­ Brothers, 2010, digital media file, orig­ 20. David Smyth, “Adele, Tour toire, rather than with the voice itself, inally released on August 17, 2004. Review: Mesmerising Return from there may be a shift toward inclusivity 7. Dictated from Joan Sutherland one of the Greatest Voices and among voice pedagogues and voice (Adina), “Prendi, per me sei libero” Entertainers,” Evening Standard, programs. Supplemental courses can from L'Elisir dAmore, conducted by March 16, 2016, accessed May 19, be redesigned to meet the needs of Richard Bonynge, recorded in 1970, 2017, http://www.standard.co.uk/ both CCM and classical singers simul­ Decca B0015T5INY, 2006, 2 compact goingout/music/adele-tour-review- taneously, in one ensemble, which discs, originally released on January 1, mesmerising-return-from-one-of- would eliminate course redundancies 1971. the-greatest-voices-and-entertainers- and improve camaraderie. In the con­ 8. Kim Chandler, “Teaching a3204621.html. cluding chapter of Teaching Singing in Popular Music Styles,” in Teaching 21. Scott McCoy, “Why I don’t the 21st Century, the editors “encour­ Singing in the 21st Century, edited by teach belting,” Journal o f Singing 70 age unorthodoxy, welcome diversity Scott D. Harrison and Jessica O ’Bryan (2013): 182. and embrace openness to create the (Dordrecht: Springer, 2014), 45. 22. National Endowment for the cultural and structural conditions 9. Dictated from Tori Kelly, unpub­ Arts, A Decade o f Arts Engagement: to kindle (or re-kindle) learning.”23 lished cover of Michael Jackson’s Findings from the Survey o f Public We can envision a time to come in “Pretty Young Thing” by James Participation in the Arts, 2002— which the formal study of “music” Ingram and Quincy Jones, 2:23, 2012 (Washington DC: National is redefined to embrace American- accessed on May 25, 2017, https:// Endowment for the Arts, 2015), born musics alongside their historical www.youtube.com/watch?v= 23-24. European roots. This monumental Xev6dgGxTyg. 23. “About APME,” The task will take time to manifest, but it 10. Matthew Edwards, So You Want Association for Popular Music can start with functional voice train­ to Sing Rock’NRoll (Lanham, MD: Education, accessed October 10, 2017, ing. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), 106. http://www.popularmusiceducation. 11. The Cranberries (Dolores org /• Notes O ’Riordan), “Zombie,” on No Need 24. Robert Freeman, The Crisis o f 1. Kathryn Green, Warren Freeman, to Argue, recorded in 1994, Island Classical Music in America: Lessons from Matthew Edwards, and David Meyer, Records, 2002, digital media file, orig­ a Life in the Education o f Musicians “Trends in Musical Theatre Voice: An inally released on October 3, 1994. (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, Analysis of Audition Requirements for 12. Richard Miller, Securing 2014), 77. Singers,” Journal o f Voice 28 (2014): Baritone, Bass-Baritone, & Bass Voices 25. Scott D. Harrison and Jessica 324-27. (New York: Oxford University Press, O ’Bryan, “Postlude: The Future 2. Wendy D. LeBorgne and Marci 2008), 107. of Singing Pedagogy” in Teaching Rosenberg, The Vocal Athlete (San 13. Ibid., 113. Singing in the 21st Century, ed. Scott Diego: Plural, 2014), 225. 14. Karen Hall, So You Want to D. Harrison and Jessica O ’Bryan 3. Jessica Baldwin, “Commercial Sing Music Theater (Lanham, MD: (Dordrecht: Springer, 2014), 413. Voice Degrees, Diplomas, and Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), 69. AMT

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