Vocalise with Vocal Ease Singer Challenges 2 Anatomy of the Larynx 3 The Breath Cycle 4 Understanding How the Vocal Folds Make Sound 5 Fun Facts About the Vocal Folds 6 Development of the Young Voice 7 Voice Structure Basics 8 Classifying the Voice 9-10 Building Healthy Vocal TechniQue 11 Useful TechniQue Tools 12-13 Belting Vibrato and Mix 14-15 Repertoire to Build Young Voices 16-17 The Voice Team 18 How to Choose a Voice Teacher 19 General Vocal Hygiene & Medical Information 20-21 Laryngologist Contact Information 22 2 General Singer Challenges • Our instrument is INSIDE our body and we cannot see most of how it works. Furthermore, what we feel may not accurately represent what’s happening on a physiological level. • Physical, mental, and emotional factors can have a big impact on singing, and how we feel and sound can change constantly. • As human beings, we cannot hear ourselves accurately. • Every human body is different, so every singer will need a slightly different approach. • There is no universally agreed upon terminology to talk about singing. • Voice teachers have a WIDE variety of backgrounds and there are no universal Qualifications. • Voice science changes constantly and there’s still a lot we don’t know! Musical Theatre Singer Challenges • Musical Theatre singers have to be incredibly versatile because the art form encompasses so many different musical styles. • Professionals must have the endurance to perform 8 shows per week, sometimes while rehearsing or doing publicity events at the same time. • We often have to dance while singing. • In Musical Theatre, your “voice type” tends to be associated with how you look as much as (and sometime more than) how you sound. • Industry members (Agents, Managers, Casting Directors, Directors, Music Directors, Composers, etc.) often have little to no understanding of voice science. • Musical Theatre performers are under tremendous pressure to deliver a product in a highly competitive field, whether that product is healthy for their bodies or not. • Musical Theatre isn’t a particularly lucrative profession, so self-care can be difficult! 3 Anatomy of the Larynx Illustration credit: New York University, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/laryngitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20374262 4 The Breath Cycle Step #1: The diaphragm contracts to flatten and the external intercostal muscles contract to pull ribs apart. The diaphragm pushes the the abdominal organs down and abdominal muscles release to make room for increased lung volume. Step #2: As the volume of the lungs increases, air pressure decreases and a vacuum is created inside of them. Air is inhaled. Step #3: Elastic recoil causes lung volume to decrease. The external intercostals and the diaphragm relax. Step #4: As the volume of the lungs decreases, air pressure increases. Air is exhaled. IMPORTANT: In normal breathing, we don’t use any muscles to exhale. We can, however, engage the internal intercostals and the abdominal muscles to exhale more fully or to regulate the rate at which we release air, as will be necessary for singing. Illustration credit: https://step1.medbullets.com/respiratory/117007/muscles-of-respiration 5 Understanding How the Vocal Folds Make Sound Interarytenoids (IAs) Posterior Cricoarytenoids (PCAs) Lateral Cricoarytenoids (LCAs) Vocal Folds Trachea Cricothyroid Muscle Thyroid Cartilage The human vocal folds (view from above) Image 1: When you breathe in, the PCAs Image 2: As exhaled air comes through the make the vocal folds abduct, or pull apart. Trachea, the LCAs and IAs make the vocal folds adduct, or come together. Air moves over your vocal folds causing them to vibrate. The vibrations are what makes sound. Image 3: Pitch is determined by the Image 4: The Crico-Thyroid muscle pulls length of your vocal folds. When the folds the Thyroid Cartilage forward and down are shorter and fatter, you get lower causing the vocal folds get longer and pitches. skinnier, resulting in higher pitches. When females sing very high notes or when male singers use their falsetto range, the vocal folds may be stretched so much Illustration Credit: Bethea Medical Media Photo Credit: Sydney Voice and Swallowing that they don't touch fully. 6 Illustration credit: https://www.sccpre.cat/pngs/674714/, http://www.clipartly.com/wow-speech-bubble-png/, Additional illustrations by Ashleigh Junio 7 Development of the Young Voice ● The human larynx takes many years to fully develop, both in terms of anatomy and coordination. Parts of the human instrument won’t finish developing until after puberty, and it can take years beyond that for the voice to reach its full potential (mid 20s-mid-30s for most singers). ● The larynges of male and female children are believed to be the same until the introduction of hormones in puberty, when they begin to change in size. Female larynges increase approximately 20-30%, males 60-70%. Voice changes during puberty typically take between 6 months to 1 year, but can take as long as 3 years. ● Cisgender Males: During puberty, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone cause the larynx to increase drastically in size and the vocal folds to become thicker. Overall range will narrow and then drop approximately one octave. This is a period of tremendous vocal instability and it may be necessary to adjust vocal exercises and repertoire often during this time to make the singer more comfortable. Although there is not very much scientific proof, anecdotal wisdom says that young males who train their voice (gently) through puberty may experience less instability than those who don’t. ● Cisgender Females: Menstruating females will experience changes in their vocal folds that correspond with their monthly hormonal cycle. Premenstrual Voice Syndrome (PMVS) results in vocal fatigue, decreased range, and loss of vocal power. This is thought to be the result of vocal fold swelling and thicker mucous secretions, which change how the folds move. It’s very common for young females to have a “breathy” Quality to their voice because how their laryngeal musculature develops. This is perfectly natural and will improve with time and training. There is no need to force the breathy Quality out of the voice. ● Transgender Males- the introduction of testosterone will change the size of the larynx and the thickness/length of the vocal folds, resulting in lower speaking/singing pitches. As with cisgender males, transgender male vocal ranges are likely to drop approximately one octave, and the singer is likely to experience vocal instability during this time. ● Transgender Females- the introduction of estrogen does not change the size of the larynx or the thickness/length of the vocal folds, but it’s possible that some transgender females will experience Premenstrual Voice Syndrome like cisgender females. ● Rule of thumb for ALL singers going through hormonal changes: Proceed with vocal training carefully and be open with your voice teacher. If they have a sense of what you’re experiencing physically, they can help you reach your voice goals more efficiently! 8 Voice Structure Basics Every human voice is uniQue- as uniQue as a fingerprint, in fact- but there are some things that will be useful for all singers to know about their instrument. Vocal Range- The full range of notes that a person can sing. Vocal range is often expressed with a letter and a number. The letter is the name of the note being sung while the number refers to octave in which it appears on a piano keyboard. For example: B3-C6. Vocal Tessitura- The range of notes that is the most comfortable for a person to sing. This is often a more useful concept that exact vocal range because it indicates where the voice naturally wants to “live” and where it sounds best. This is also expressed with a letter and a number, and can be helpful to have on your resume. Voice Structure- It may not surprise you to know that the singing community has a LOT of different ways to talk about how a voice is structured, and not everyone agrees on the science or the terminology. That being said, many people will agree that the voice can essentially be broken into three different sections: 1. High Voice- The higher part of the singer’s range (sometimes referred to as head voice, loft, or falsetto) 2. Low Voice- The lower part of the singer’s range (sometimes referred to as the chest voice or modal voice) 3. Middle Voice- The part in between the high and low voices (sometimes referred to as the mix) Passaggio- An Italian term that means “passage” and is commonly used to describe the transition from one part of the voice the another (these are also sometimes called “Lift Points” or “Breaks”). Although the exact nature of the Passaggio is highly debated, many people will agree that there are two in each voice: 1. Primo Passaggio- the transition between the low and middle voice. 2. Secondo Passaggio- the transition between the middle and high voice. Singing in or through these areas is often a bit tricky, especially when it comes to the Secondo Passaggio. Many young singers report that the voice will feel unstable or weak in that area, and it is a common place for the voice to “crack” or go off pitch. 9 Classifying the Voice When it comes to singing, performers, teachers and industry members often need to categorize voices. Below are some terms and ideas that may be useful to know as you start to develop your voice and communicate about it with others. Voice Type- In musical theatre, we typically see voice type expressed with these terms (*The notes listed are general tessituras rather than exact complete range and can vary from person- to-person): ● Bass- The lowest male voice type (C2- E4) ● Baritone- The middle male voice type (F2-G4) ● Tenor- The highest male voice type (B2- C5) ● Alto- The lowest female voice type (E3- E5) ● Mezzo-Soprano- The middle female voice type (G3-G5) ● Soprano- The highest female voice type (C4-C6) Other Factors in Determining Voice Type Location of the Secondo Passaggio- This often says a lot about a developing singer’s voice type (sometimes as much as or more than vocal range/tessitura).