There are two arguments: Puberty and Social Life Style.
The article gives an example of how boys would sing soprano up to the age of 16 or 17 in the prewar era (before WWII). Back then, the "old head tone" was a distinctive sound where people knew it was a boy who was singing and would not fade out during puberty. Whereas today, when we hear boys sing it is not what people would call "continental tone". It is described as "harsh incisive sound" that comes from the chest voice. Unlike "old head tone", "continental tone" fades away when puberty strikes.
Now this is where it gets interesting. There are researchers who are wondering why from prewar era to modern day do boys not have that "old head tone"...tone anymore. There are exceptions, but overall they just aren't how they used to make them. Although, this is just an example. The overall idea is the changing of the male voice through time. That is where puberty and lifestyle plays a role.
There is a belief that puberty is starting to come earlier than it used to. There is evidence that music directors are losing boys at younger ages due to puberty. There have been evidence that the average age for a boy to go through puberty was 14 in 1940, but in the present day it is 12. As most boys go through puberty, their voices change and it is harder to adapt their voices to children's music so they eventually grow out of it and have to find new music or even a new choir to perform with. However, OTHER researchers say that this is not the case and throwing around this sort of data is dangerous to put out there. By sending out this sort of information can hinder how a young boy grow by giving them attention, or lack of, that is unnecessary. There are differences between social classes and overall regions that researches have not put into account that make this sort of data meaningless and incomplete. They believe that the average age remains at 14 or so and has not changed since the 1940's.
Agency is the ability for a boy to act on their own decisions. Within their lives, they choose whether they do something or not. Puberty is shown that they have no control over how they sound, but their agency shows that they want something of their own. Choir boys were interviewed and some of they say that there are times where they are pressured into stop singing high or "like a girl" so they force themselves to sing low so they can fit in and not be made fun of. The choir directors or voice teachers are responsible for letting their students know that it is okay to sing either high or low and should not push for either one of them. They should allow their students to sing what they please without having to worry about the social ramification. As students are going through puberty, it may be smart to bring up the changes in their voices (especially if they are involved in voice performance) while they are learning how the growth they go through puberty.
What side are you on?
Nice job Cole,
ReplyDeleteI think this article is very interesting because I never really had a problem with voice change. I do however, feel lucky that I had a choir director that would let me sing alto until I could sing the lowest tenor notes comfortably. I still wish I were an alto though....
Heh. Yeah, about that, Bryce. I find it interesting, because my voice change hit remarkably early, as I switched from being a soprano to being a firm alto between my fourth and fifth grade years. It progressed down a voice part per year (approximately), but I had a true (if young) bass's range by my eighth grade year.
ReplyDeleteOf course, growing up through Heart of the Valley, I was singing in my alto range (falsetto, mostly) all the way through 12th grade. Now, I've realized that this wasn't necessarily the best thing for my voice, but the positive encouragement was definitely there for it, and built up over such a long period by Carol that when my public school teachers tried to get me to stop singing falsetto in high school, they incited a minor rebellion.
Not saying that it was a good thing wholly, or necessarily a bad thing, but I do know that the ability to sing in falsetto for a longer range of time was there physically, for me at least. Possibly an argument against testosterone and for society?
I definitely think that boys with unchanged voices should sing in their natural, probably higher, voice without being made fun of. This kind of environment needs to be created by the music teacher (and is probably only necessary in choirs with children grades K-9 ish). I don't, hwoever, think that boys with changed voices should be encouraged to sing in their falsetto for consistent amounts of time. Even if they prefer singing in falsetto, I think it's important that the male is informed of how the falsetto may be affecting his voice and that it is probably healthier for him to sing where is voice naturally lay (after puberty).
ReplyDeleteDaniel has an interesting perspective, as he was probably the very kind of student that I would've encouraged to sing in his lower voice. The main thing I want to highlight in my point is that I would encourage boys to sing wherever their voice sits best for health reasons. I would not be trying to save them from embarassment or being made fun of, as hopefully that wouldn't be occurring (as I would slap any students who made fun of a boy for having a high voice).
Tough issue!
For healthy production I think it's best for a boy to sing in his natural voice be it high or low. Because of how falsetto is produced it can be dangerous for a changed voice to continue singing that way for long periods of time and for unchanged voices it's dangerous for them to try in sing in a range that they don't have yet. I believe with the support of a good teacher a changing voice can be comfortable and unabashed by the changes in his voice.
ReplyDeleteI think this issue is interesting because of a family experience. I often wondered why my brother continued to speak and occasionally sing in his upper range even when his voice had obviously shifted downward quite a bit. I encouraged him to use his lower voice, but it took a long time for it to become comfortable for him. I think this was a social reaction to his wanting to stay younger. Guess he was exercising his agency.
ReplyDeleteI think it is extremely important to urge boys to sing in a range (whether high or low) where it is comfortable for them. If they are going through a change and only have a small range (a 5th or around that), then encourage singing in this range. Give them lots of positive feedback about singing in a comfortable range. Give boys whose voices haven't yet changed the same amount of positive feedback about their higher singing. Make sure the students know that everyone is different, and some change earlier or later than others, and it is okay no matter what phase of development a boy is in to keep singing.
ReplyDeleteThis being said, specifically for choir teachers, it is important to choose music that is suitable for the ranges of the singers that you have. If this means that you need to arrange for your boys whose voices are changing, then do so. If it means you need to let boys sing down an octave, that is fine too. In general, positive feedback should be used when a boy is singing comfortably in his range. If they know that there is not necessarily any "normal range" for boys to be singing in, but that they should simply sing where is most comfortable for them, their vocal health will be protected, and they will continue to have a good time singing through their voice change.
I think this ties back really well into the article we read on the child's voice. I think establishing proper vocal technique at an early age because:
ReplyDeletea) it teaches them how to use their voice in a healthy way and avoid damaging their voice
b) it can help their transition be smoother and more accessible.
Having an easier time going through voice changes would probably encourage more boys to stay in music.
I think it is really important as teachers, of choir or solo voice, to understand the impact society has on young men. I never thought about how guys might choose to sing differently because of social issues. Furthermore, understanding boys' voices is something I should work on. This article was very interesting and it's also fascinating that boys are hitting puberty earlier today.
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of vocal health, I would just encourage a male student of any age to sing where the voice lays comfortably whether that is high or low. In that case, it's important to create an environment that encourages a male to sing in any range. A student shouldn't not sing in an appropriate range because of social stigma.
ReplyDelete