The Choir Issue, Part Two

This article presented an interesting followup to The Choir Issue, Part One.

Before addressing the specific topics of the article, let me just ask:  was the article complete?  All other NATS Journal articles have closed with a list of sources and a copyright statement; this one just cut off seemingly without conclusion.  If there is more of it, it would be wonderful to see!

What We Sing
Repertoire is an important choice for both solo singing and choir.  The article outlines that choosing pieces for students in choir and solo work must be accomplished with their actual level of development and ability in mind, as well as the consideration of personal vocal Fach.  It points out that not only can giving students works that are outside their potential range and preferential Fach be discouraging, it can also be damaging to their developing voices.

Why We Sing
This section of the article deals with the reasons for the required participation of vocalists in ensembles at the university level.  It mentions that ensembles do not tend to actually serve the needs of the student, but the other way around, developing a potentially discouraging atmosphere to singers in their development if the ensemble is not meeting their developmental needs as a singer.

The Economy of Choir Size

The Economy of Choir Size by Ingo R. Titze 

This is a short article addressing the issue of choral dynamic range in relation to size of the choir.

Titze points out, initially, that smaller ensembles are generally better suited for achieving special blend, precise tuning of harmonics, and particular intonation affects. My personal favorite- that an SATB choir must have at least four singers.

The main points of this article deal with larger choral ensembles and how their size affects the intensity of their sound. Titze first asserts that, "Choir size is driven by dynamic range and overall loudness." At first this was a little confusing to me but I think he means that, as directors, we decide how big we want our choirs to be based on our desired level of intensity for the group. Titze then provides three fundamental ways to increase choral dynamic range:

1. INCREASE DYNAMIC RANGE OF EACH SINGER'S VOICE
2. INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE CHOIR
3. DECREASE THE NOISE AND ABSORPTION OF SOUND IN PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENT.

To imagine the interaction of these three factors, Titze asks his readers to imagine an experiment in an auditorium with decent acoustics. One person is there to listen and determine the perceptibility of dynamics. One singer sings at a true pp. That listener will not be able to hear it. Only when 18 singers are singing a true pp, will the sound become perceptible. For quiet dynamics, size of singers must be increased until the sound can be perceived by an audience. For loud dynamics, it doesn't take as many singers for a ff to be heard (surprise, surprise). Most interestingly, through a study involving math and science, Titze indicates that after 60 singers are singing, the addition of any more really doesn't add a dramatic amount of intensity of the sound. (see graph in video)

To summarize the article, choir size is optimized by testing performance environments for sound perceptibility and training each singer to improve their dynamic range. Little is gained by increasing size of choirs past 60 members because after 60, intensity of sound does not increase much.

Technique or Testosterone

This article, Technique or Testosterone, deals with the reasoning behind why the male voice changes. More specifically, when it changes. Even more specifically, why it changes at a certain point of life.

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?

Dispelling Vocal Myths

In 2010, Deirdre Michael had her article published called Dispelling Vocal Myths. She stated that a lot of ways students use to describe proper breathing habits were quite strange, and many of them were inaccurate. She compiled a list of misconceptions about a few aspects of the breathing cycle and it starts with inhalation.
1: We have to feel the air: She states that students believed that if they feel the air going past their vocal cords, then they are inhaling correctly. This is a myth because when you can hear the air rushing past the vocal cords it is actually drying out the cords and can cause an unsteady onset.
2: We need to work to get the air, we must inhale against resistance: This misconception is more common than myth number one according to Deirdre. She says that students feel the need to keep the core activated the entire time they are inhaling so they feel like they are working for the breath.
3: The air pushes the diaphragm down: The singer tries to the feel the air pushing the diaphragm down when this actually cannot be felt.
4: Lungs fill upward: This myth seems to be a concept we believe early in life. Deirdre explains this by talking about going to the doctor and the doctor tells you to take a deep breath. He or she demonstrates by lifting the shoulders. The way to fix this misconception is to demonstrate a relaxed abdomen and to feel the breath expand the rib cage, which is at the bottom of the lungs.
Exhalation myths:
1:The diaphragm inhales and exhales: The singer believes the diaphragm needs to help with exhaling when the diaphragm only helps to inhale.
2:Abdominal muscles push out the air: The abdomen muscles are not used to push out the air. The oxygen enters the lungs and as the oxygen is taken through the blood stream, the lungs exhale the CO2 gas in the lungs. The lungs simply deflate like a balloon.
3:The great panacea is breath support: This is when singers hear that they need better support for the tone, so they compromise by tightening the abdomen and pushing the air out as hard as possible. This creates tension in the glottis and damages the student's vocal technique.

There are a few myths about singing that I didn't necessarily know about. I am excited to hear what you all have to say.

"Why Should I Teach Kids to Sing". Summary

Here is my summary of "Why Should I Teach Kids to Sing". Sorry it is kind of late. video up comming

"Why Should I Teach Kids to Sing" by Marcia McCarry talks about the basics to early childhood pedagogy and who, when, how, what and why to teach at this early age. McCarry says the "who" is any child who shows a love for singing, and interest in taking lessons.  These are usually children who are singing constantly throughout the day as a natural behavior.  When to start depends on the level of interest; kindermusik classes can begin as early as two or three years old and generally go through kindergarten or first grade.  After that individual lessons can begin if the student still shows interest.  As for "how" McCarry reminds potential teachers that most children use their lower voices to begin with and suggests sirens and descending slides to work on head voice for both boys and girls.  She gives several suggestions for early repertoire books such as Kids Stage and Screen by Louise Lerch, and says that children can even be a part of choosing their own music. Teachers can focus on "what" to teach children such as respiration, phonation, resonant singing, diction, and expression, just like older students.  McCarry suggests that music reading can be learned at home through a computer program so as not to take time away from singing during the lesson time. She emphasizes that praise is a key component to teaching young children and their hard work should be encouraged both in studio and at home. The "why" seems to be because there are children out there who want to learn and because “singing is a learned behavior; it is not some type of gift bestowed upon a talented few”, according to Kenneth Philips author of Teaching Kids to Sing. It is important for teachers to be available to young students because both the student and teacher grow from the process and what a joy to the teachers to aid students in doing what they want to do most.

The Business Plan

Here is my summary! I unfortunately have to post my video tomorrow morning, sorry all.

The Business Plan: What it is and Why You Need One if You're Starting Out or Starting Over by Heidi Vass is a brief but concise article about the importance of investing time and careful planning into your career. She expresses that your studio is actually a small business and it should be treated as such. You might need to obtain an occupational license or permits in order to operate and there are certain tax filing standards you must follow. The most important aspect of owning your small business is to be as organized as possible. It's good to make an outline of your plan and what you hope to realistically accomplish and keep careful financial records and only afford what you need. Having a business plan is a great way to get you through your everyday work, accomplish your career goals, make you aware of any obstacles along the way and keep you from a life of day jobs.  

Instructions

Hi all,

Instructions for your presentations.

1. Don't forget to accept your invitation to be a blog author.

2. Read your article, and write a summary. This is what you will post as text on the blog, in addition to your video.

3. Record yourself with your computer or phone and upload to youtube. (This is much easier than uploading directly to blog, though you can do that if you wish)

4. Log in to blog and create a post! When you go to upload your video, you can choose to upload from youtube (again, much faster than direct). Also include your summary.

5. Don't forget, this needs to be completed the day BEFORE the article is listed on the syllabus.

Watching other presentations:

1. You need to watch each presentation before class, there might be a quiz regarding the material presented.
2. Leave a comment on the blog for each presentation.

Thanks! I hope you are all doing well!