Month: January 2014

A number of my students this week have been talking about the ‘break’ in their voices.  Some of these girls were involved in the Oxford Festival, in a class where the adjudicator discussed the different ‘parts’ of the female and male voices, and had questions about it; others have been well aware of the transitions between different parts of their voices for a while, and are in the process of learning to manage more extreme shifts in their tone production.

Whilst girls’ voices do not ‘break’ in the same way that boys do, we have distinct areas of the voice which resonate in different parts of the body.  These are often referred to as the ‘head’ and ‘chest’ voices, although I was always taught – and instill in my own teaching – that the voice is ONE instrument, which must be treated the same across the whole range.  Some teachers like to treat the lower register and upper register separately, but I have found that this often leads to a more pronounced switch between the two tone qualities, and difficulties for the student as they try to control the voice in different ways.  

As the ‘chest’ register is often louder and stronger in young voices, some students are encouraged to sing down there in an attempt to get greater projection.  All well and good, until they lose access to their upper notes.  The more gentle sound of the natural ‘head’ voice sound weaker, and therefore less appealing, so students sing less, making the low notes even stronger and heavier, and conversely the upper notes weedy and thin sounding.  This uneven distribution of vocal weight can cripple young singers, and leads to one of two scenarios: either they will only sing in a low register, or they must contend with a very disturbing loss of control in the middle of their voices, as they switch between the parts of the voice.

The aim of all singers of whatever stage in their development is to have an even and focused tone across their entire vocal range, where all notes can sound exactly the same at whatever dynamic the singer is required to sing.  If the ‘passagio’ (or transition point between the head and chest voices) is not carefully managed, the desired even tone can never be accomplished.

So, how do we tackle the ‘passagio’ and get that even tone?  The simple answer is technique exercises.  My students always start all their exercises at the top of the scale.  This means that each exercise starts in the upper resonance, and slowly travels downwards.  If the singer has to shift into their lower register it is easier to achieve the transition in that direction, and the focus is always on maintaining a smooth legato line on an open vowel.  If the exercise begins at the top of the scale, the singer is less able to use too much air pressure or weight in their voice (which usually occurs if exercises start in the easier lower register), and the upper head register becomes stronger as the muscles controlling the vocal folds acclimatise to the demands of singing.  Gradually the singers get a more focused tone with less breath escaping, and the upper register becomes the natural and easy place to sing.  I was taught to start these exercises with a consonant, to help younger singers to start the exercise cleanly, and with greater confidence.  When your voice is young and you lack experience, starting exercises straight on to a vowel will almost guarantee extra air escaping: introducing a consonant to start the scale gives more security on those high notes.

So now you all know why I insist on those scales at the start of every lesson!  They have many other uses too, but more on that at a later point….

At present I have three singers who are all at different stages of battling with a very pronounced break.  Even though I rarely discuss the vocal registers with my pupils as I want them to think about their voices as one continuous thing, sometimes it’s almost impossible to avoid discussing the problem if a student’s break is very obvious.  C, E and I have been encouraged in the past to sing in their lower registers, even though all of them have a beautiful and open ‘head’ voice which has been hidden.  C has been studying with me for slightly longer, and whilst the break is still difficult, she is more able to manage it most of the time.  E and I have suffered under my tutoring for slightly less time, but both girls have made huge strides forward in recent weeks, and their exercise now show no hints of the vocal difficulties which were so apparent a few months ago.  The challenge now for all three girls is to transfer the beautiful even tone they can achieve in their scales to their songs, without resorting back to old habits.   Keep going girls; you’re doing a fantastic job!

I met the mother of one of my ex-students for coffee today.  Whilst I was teaching her daughter, K and I came into frequent contact, and over the years have built up a friendship separate from my relationship of teacher-pupil with her daughter.  We were discussing a new blog which she has started writing, and blogging in general, when she bemoaned the fact that now I no longer teacher her daughter, she has no excuse to read my website (she also complained that I don’t update the news pages often enough, for which I apologise, and promise to do better!).  She suggested that some people might find it interesting to read my musings on my day-to-day teaching life, and my thoughts about singing.  Whilst slightly sceptical about who might be interested in such things, I have promised to give it a go…!  Do feel free to read further if you fancy, or ignore!

It seems appropriate (given the inspiration to start this blog!) to begin with a thought on inspiration.  This post is quite long – so you might want a cuppa before you dive in…. 

With the Oxford Festival having happened over the weekend (see news pages for more info), K and I were talking about how different pupils of mine have coped with the demands of this type of public performance, and what they have gained from the experience.  For some, it is an opportunity to gain public recognition of consistent and hard work which results in ‘placings’ – (coming 3rd, 2nd or 1st in the competition); for others some positive feedback from the adjudicator along with some helpful pointers for improvement are what they are hoping for.  

Despite huge efforts on my part to play down the significance of the competitive element of the Festival, it provides the focus for the vast majority of the girls in the run up to their classes.  Whilst winning is obviously a lovely thing, and something to be celebrated, on an occasion such as a Music Festival the winning can only ever be a subjective decision made by one person on one day.  Many adjudicators freely admit this, and try themselves to emphasize to those who are present that other people may have other thoughts and feelings as to who gave the best performances. 

As a teacher, I am obviously inclined to celebrate my pupils’ successes, and feel that the competitive element can add a frisson of excitement and climax to the classes, as well as an extra incentive to really try one’s hardest.  The girls who experience success have an immediate confidence boost – often at a critical time in their development – and small accolades such as these can lead to even greater enthusiasm and thirst to improve.  

But what of those who do not get placed?  The experience of watching friends and peers ‘succeed’ more than them is of course a useful life lesson, and one which is best learned young.  However, do these students feel ‘less worthy’ or ‘unsuccessful’ as a result?  I think that without careful management of the situation these pupils, who are often exceedingly good students, with solid technique and good voices can feel deflated and de-motivated, even if they have received positive comments and encouragement from the adjudicators.  Even in a large class of people where the vast majority are not awarded a ‘prize’, it can be a hard pill to swallow, especially if your peers have received the recognition you were so badly hoping for. 

As a student I was entered for adult classes at the Oxford Festival.  Having had a bad experience as a young child playing the piano at a different Festival, I was exceedingly loathe to turn up.  My teacher M, for whom I had immense respect, (combined with a healthy touch of fear and awe) told me in no uncertain terms that I was to turn up, smartly dressed and ‘get on with it’.  Knowing my weaknesses, she then bribed me by promising to give me a Cadbury’s creme egg if I did turn up.(I’m easily bought, and so duly arrived!)  The first year, I won both the classes for which I had been entered.  Suddenly my enthusiasm was much higher and I was very motivated to do it the following year.  So far, so good!  

In my second year M again entered me for a range of the adult classes, along with several of her other pupils.  Buoyed by my success of the previous year, I turned up convinced that all would pan out in the same way.  It didn’t.  My good friend, and wonderful singer C wiped the board, and was placed above me in every class (quite deservedly so, I might add!)  Trying my hardest to hide my disappointment and shock I congratulated C, and then refused to talk about the matter again.  

The time came for my third year of  entering the Festival, and again M entered me for a wide range of classes.  I worked really hard in the run up to the Festival, and M, being a master of mind games (and knowing however hard I denied it that I was still exceedingly bitter about the previous year) frequently told me how well C was singing, and how great her technique was, spurring me on to work harder and aim higher.  I was determined to win.  This time, I had some success, and won a few classes. However, when it came to the big recital class the story was different.  I was using the recital class to practice some of the songs I was planning to use in my University Finals Recital.  C, who read History was just singing for fun.  I sang reasonably well, but the pressure really got to me, and once again C was placed higher than me.  This time, I was more able to discuss my disappointment with M, and she helped me to see how I could use the frustration I felt to my advantage.  As my Finals recital approached, I sang several more times, each time trying to put into practice the skills I had observed in C.  She was a much better actress than me, and was more able to let herself go in front of an audience, whilst I was far too busy concentrating on accuracy and control.  The story has a happy ending.  I achieved a record result for my Finals Recital having learned to ‘let go’, and have remained very good friends with C ever since.  (We have competed a couple of times since then, and I’m delighted to say that the results were in my favour on those occasions!)

My own experiences taught me a lot, both about how I work emotionally and mentally (and how competitive I can be), but also about dealing with disappointment and how NOT winning can be destructive if not channelled in a better way. So, how do I use this to help inspire my own students?

At the end of the Festival, I collect together all the comment sheets from the adjudicator.  I take them home, and make a list of all the POSITIVE comments that each of the girls has received on their forms from the adjudicator.  I then make these into a poster, blow it up to a large size, and put it on the wall in my teaching room.  Every student who walks into that room sees the poster immediately, and I even use it as a focal point for some exercises (I ask them to choose a word, and direct their sound towards it!).  All the girls who participated in the Festival can see words used directly to describe them and their singing, without having to read the comments aimed at areas for improvement (I give their comment sheets back to them, having done the ‘word wall’ so they have them for reference should they wish).  Underneath, there is a smaller sheet with the names of each student, with their overall grade and placing, if relevant, listed.  This allows those who have had success to be recognised, but the overriding focus is of the general achievement and positive feedback.  Girls who have not participated in this particular Festival can also use this ‘word wall’ as a source of inspiration for their own singing and development.

Not everyone can be a winner at everything, and I think it’s a false message to give to people.  However, everyone can take inspiration from those around them, and learn to channel each experience in a positive light.  I am exceedingly proud of all the girls who took part in the Festival this year, as I have been every year, and never want them to feel that they have failed by not ‘winning’.  As long as they try their hardest, concentrate, and give their best on the day I will continue to celebrate with each of them that they have been brave enough to put themselves in front of a critical audience, in order to learn more about themselves and their singing.