508 Steep Mountain Drive Draper, UT 84020 November 30, 2018 Dear Van L. Lawrence Fellowship Board of Directors: It is with great pleasure that I submit my application for the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship, sponsored by The Voice Foundation and the National Association of Teachers of Singing Foundation. I am a member of the Northern Utah Chapter of NATS in the Cal-Western Region. Current application of scientific knowledge in the studio As an assistant professor in the University of Utah Department of Theatre, I teach both classical and music theater vocal techniques to my students. This necessitates ongoing reading, research, and conference attendance in order to keep up with the latest pedagogical tools for these styles so I can prepare my students for the ever-changing demands of the commercial market. I have been engaging in an ongoing collaboration with the National Center for Voice and Speech, having completed Block 1 and served as faculty for Block 3 of its Summer Vocology Institute. This has led to research projects related to music theater singing that I have presented at conferences, including those held by The Voice Foundation, the Pan American Vocology Association, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, and NATS. These studies have directly influenced my studio teaching in many ways, specifically by demonstrating applicable uses and benefits of spectrographic analysis and semi-occluded vocal tract exercises. I have previously benefited from the support of the NATS Foundation, having received its Voice Pedagogy Award. With that support, I attended the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute, which further enhanced my understanding and application of functional, evidence-based voice training for “non-classical” singing. As a book-review columnist for Classical Singer magazine, I frequently have one-on-one ​ ​ discussions with authors who are voice pedagogues and voice scientists. These discussions allow me to ask questions specific to their research and how their findings apply to studio teaching. Also, as a member of the planning committee for the University of Utah Voice Disorders Center’s Performance Voice Conference, I have similar one-on-one interactions with many of the speech-language pathologists and singing voice rehabilitation specialists we invite as guest speakers. This affords me the opportunity to learn more about how to promote vocal health and hygiene for music theater singers. Much of the work related to these collaborations has led to papers and articles that were published in the Journal of Voice and the Journal of Singing. ​ ​ ​ ​ Area of intended study and research project I intend to devise a study that will compare the passaggio points of female classical ​ ​ singers to those of music theater belters. In Training Soprano Voices, author and pedagogue Richard Miller identifies passaggi ​ ​ ​ and register zones for soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto voices who sing in a Western classical style. For many singers and voice teachers, these designations have become the gold standard for identifying the voice types and Fächer of female singers. ​ ​ The techniques that encourage a classical sound have been outlined by pedagogues throughout the centuries and may include a lengthened vocal tract, a convergent resonator shape, a mid-to-high soft palate position, and a predominantly cricothyroid-dominant (mode two) production. In Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers, ​ ​ author Kenneth W. Bozeman refers to this as “whoop mode,” and believes it is primarily accomplished on close vowels, especially /u/. Miller’s passaggi designations, therefore, generally hold true for singers who have the ability and willingness to follow the protocols that encourage a sound that is appropriate for Western classical singing. The belting sound that is used in contemporary music theater, however, requires different, if not opposite, strategies. Pedagogue Robert Edwin outlines the choices for “stylistically correct” CCM singing in So You Want to Sing CCM: A Guide for Performers: “The ​ ​ pharynx narrowed, the larynx raised, the mouth spread in a lateral position, the soft palate lowered, and the chiaro dominated the oscuro.” Bozeman likens this sound to a “skillful yell,” ​ ​ ​ ​ and describes it as thyroarytenoid-dominant (mode one) production, which is accomplished most easily on mid- to open vowels. Many singers and voice teachers anecdotally understand that, when employing these strategies for belting, passaggio points often do not align with Miller’s designations. Therefore, a new system is needed for identifying passaggi for CCM singers. In Cross-Training in the Voice ​ Studio: A Balancing Act, authors Norman Spivey and Mary Saunders Barton have begun to ​ make this designation, stating that, for women, a TA-dominant mix can occur above the F4 passaggio and can be maintained to F5 or higher. They further state, “The second passaggio for women in musical theatre occurs above D5, rather than at or around Bb4 where most classical sopranos feel a strong impulse to make a shift in resonance.” I envision a study that will examine where passaggi lie for professional female music theater singers. Specifically, it will identify the highest pitches they perform in a TA-dominant production—according to their own level of vocal comfort—before they shift to a different registration. As data are collected, they will be analyzed to see if trends emerge between specific passaggio points and the roles these women perform on stage. If trends are identified, the study could have implications for the training of aspiring music theater professionals. As young voices are developed, linking passaggi to specific roles may help singers understand their “type,” at least as it applies to their vocal capabilities. This may then help singers target the repertoire and roles in which they are most “castable.” How will the fellowship and research project benefit your teaching? If awarded the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship, I would collaborate with experienced voice researchers to see how best to design the study so that it may reach the most reliable conclusions that may have the most direct impact on studio teaching. I would seek their advice and instruction regarding methodology and to determine whether incorporating contact quotient or spectrographic analysis or the input of expert listeners into the study may provide additional useful data. If reliable passaggi are identified among the professional singers, and if these correspond to predictable roles that may suit voices with similar passaggio points, this will directly apply to the training of music theater singers as we work to align students’ vocal capabilities with appropriate repertoire. Of course, many non-vocal factors help determine “castability” in music theater, including age, ethnicity, dancing abilities, body type, etc. However, the entire process can be expedited if identifying passaggi may first help “type” each singer’s voice. Thank you for your consideration of my application for this fellowship. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you would like further information regarding my application. Sincerely, Brian M. Manternach, D.Mus. [email protected] Assistant Professor (Clinical) (574) 386-2973 (c) Department of Theatre, University of Utah Brian Manternach, D.Mus. 508 Steep Mountain Drive (574) 386-2973 (c) Draper, UT 84020 [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Education: ​ ● Doctor of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington (5/09) Voice Performance and Literature Minor in Music History and Literature GPA: 3.86 (4.0) Vocal study with Dr. Robert Harrison ● Master of Music, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (5/99) Vocal Performance Graduate Assistantship in Vocal/Choral Departments Music Scholarship recipient GPA: 3.9 (4.0) Vocal study with Dr. William Lavonis ● B.A. in Music, St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, MN (5/97) Major in Music with a concentration in Vocal Performance Minor in Theology GPA: 3.6 (4.0) Vocal study with Prof. Scott Dewese and Dr. Carolyn Finley Summer Vocology Institute, National Center for Voice and Speech, UT ● Block One (6/18) CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute, Shenandoah Conservatory, VA ● Certificate of Completion: Sessions I, II, & III (7/16) Employment: ​ ● Assistant Professor (Clinical), University of Utah, Department of Theatre (1/11-present) Teach Studio Voice (Classical and Music Theatre techniques) to students in the Music Theatre Program and Actor Training Program; Teach Class Voice/Pedagogy/Music Theory to students in the Actor Training Program ● Adjunct Professor of Music, Westminster College, UT (8/16-5/17) Taught Studio Voice; Performed in faculty recitals and as featured soloist with college ensembles ● Director of Choral/Vocal Activities, Juan Diego Catholic High School, Draper, UT (8/07-5/13) Fine Arts Department Chair; Director of Concert Choir and Chamber Choir; Music Director/Conductor of musical theatre productions; Taught Intro to Music Theory and AP Music Theory; Music Coordinator for Campus Ministry ● Associate Director of Music/Adult Choir Director, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Draper, UT (8/08-2/11) Directed Adult Choir in weekly liturgy; Provided vocal instruction to cantors ● Voice Instructor, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN (8/01-12/05) Taught Studio Voice to majors and non-majors; Taught Class Voice to non-majors; Vocal preparation of the Opera