Voice development over the lifespan - Sing Up

CHAPTER 4
Singing technique
• z Breathing: developing and maintaining effective and energised lower-abdominal breathing (see
Chapter 5) is particularly beneficial at this stage. Technical aspects, such as onset and sustain, can be
worked on, as can a variety of musical styles and their related vocal timbres.
• z Breathiness: can be worked on effectively (see ‘Clear tone’ in Chapter 5).
• z Register breaks: teenage girls often have a strong and well-developed lower range, but a
comparatively weak and breathy upper range. They may try to avoid singing high notes, but there are
many ways in which register breaks can be worked on:
• Lighten off the voice in the lower range and work on deconstriction (see ‘Avoiding constriction
in the larynx’ in Chapter 5).
• Explore upper pitches with clear and energised sounds using non-singing sounds (eg. by
using the Siren warm-up from the Sing up Voice Box).
• Blur the boundary, bringing the upper voice down below the pitch of the usual register
change, and give the singer options of different voice qualities on the same pitch. It’s important
for all singers to develop this movable register.
Singing high notes can be an unfamiliar sensation, as it’s not a regular part of our everyday voice use.
Girls may need to be encouraged to try it out as they might think it sounds horrible! Play with noises and
have fun; the laughing pupil will learn more easily than the anxious one.
• z Repertoire: the repertoire possibilities begin to open out with the developing emotional and musical
maturity of the singer, although adolescent girls still have limitations of the vocal extremes of loud and
high. In general, repertoire written to be sung over a large orchestra is not suitable, even when it is sung
with a piano. The phrases are often long and expansive, there are more sustained higher pitches and
the vocal timbre is generally fuller. There is much enjoyable repertoire of more modest demands which
encourages development of a good, healthy and efficient singing technique.
Adolescent boys’ voices
Physical development
Male vocal development through puberty is best referred to as ‘changing’, as the term ‘breaking’ can be
construed as a negative or destructive process.
Boys’ larynxes grow primarily in the front-to-back direction, often forming the prominent Adam’s apple on
the front of the neck. Within the larynx, the vocal folds increase in both length and thickness. This increased
size means that they vibrate at a lower frequency, hence the drop in speaking pitch.
Although the changes are continual, paediatricians often refer to five phases of puberty, with growth in
physique closely related to the voice lowering in pitch (see Diagram 5 on p9). The maximum change in pitch
often occurs at the same time as the biggest growth spurt, between Phases 3 and 4.
It is more reliable to judge the developmental phase by the lower singing range and by the average
spoken pitch. The upper pitch range can vary more between individuals.
Assessment
When working with adolescent boys, it’s crucial to assess which phase of vocal development they’re in. Invite
the child to recite an unexciting list (eg. months of the year) and work out where his average speaking note
is on the piano. Then look at Diagram 5 to find out which phase he’s in. Remember that these are based on
averages and there will be many individual variations.
Occasionally you may come across a boy whose lowest singing note is not a third below his speaking
pitch. This may be because he is artificially lowering his speaking voice in order to sound older (which is
common in late developers). Alternatively, he might be holding his speaking voice up through trying to
preserve a high singing voice. Any pushing down or holding up of the speaking pitch will result in vocal
tension and is best discouraged.
INSIDE THE VOICE www.singup.org 8