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Voice Studio HandbookAdam Walton
3/26/2013
Contents
Review of Literature 2
Voice Technique 2
Voice Science 3
Voice Teaching 5
Philosophical Assumptions 8
The University 8
The Music Program 8
My Students 9
Objectives 10
Course Description 12
Sample 50-Minute Lesson Plan 13
Topics and Repertoire 15
Italian: 15
German: 16
French: 16
English: 17
Duets: 17
Sample Students 19
Student #1 – Emily 19
Student #2 – Amelia 23
Observations 25
Observation #1– Costanza Cuccaro teaching Jessica 25
Observation #2 – Brian Horne teaching Ben 26
Observation #3 – Mary Ann Hart teaching Jordan 28
Observation #4 – Andreas Poulimenos teaching Connor 30
Observation #5 – Costanza Cuccaro teaching Shannon 31
Bibliography 33
Review of Literature
Singing is an odd thing. The actual scientific process of singing has never been as well understood as it is today, but a good technical understanding of the voice does not necessarily translate into an ability to sing. In fact, many of the best singers demonstrate a distinct lack of understanding of the scientific processes at work in the voice. Many of the more recent books on singing have focused on the anatomy and physiology of the voice almost to a fault, while many of the old texts virtually ignore the science of singing. While a knowledge of how the voice works is not prerequisite to singing well, it is an essential characteristic for a teacher or student in a University setting. Thus I will attempt to include in this review a wide selection of books which focus both on the science of singing and the technique of singing. The Literature on classical singing falls broadly into three important categories: books on voice technique, books on voice science, and books on voice teaching. Most books have a healthy amount of overlap, I have placed them into categories based on their strengths. I will cover some of the most influential texts from each of the three categories, describing the material covered and my impressions of the source, and its usefulness as a resource.
Voice Technique
Richard Miller is arguably the most influential pedagogue in recent years. He has written dozens of books and articles, many of which are important, but I find that most of his work is summed up in the book The Structure of Singing[1]. This book, like many others, dances back and forth between singing technique and voice science. He gives very solid technical advice, along with exercises which can be used to develop the skills which he describes. One of the real treasures in the book is the wealth of hand-drawn illustrations of the anatomical structures involved in singing. I have only one major quibble with Miller: he lacks clarity in describing the concept of appoggio. If you ask virtually any competent voice teacher, most claim to teach appoggio and can describe something of how it applies to the breath. Unfortunately, Miller is not nearly so clear about appoggio and its meaning. He applies the term freely to breathing, resonance, and muscular interactions in the singing process. Appoggio has become a buzzword which everyone believes in but which lacks a coherent definition in the source material. Regardless of that relatively minor fault, this book (and by extension Miller’s entire body of work) still stands as one of the gold standards for technique and vocal function.
Another invaluable source exists as a collaboration of sorts between three master pedagogues over several hundred years. Agricola’s Introduction to the Art of Singing[2] is like a Russian nesting doll of singing technique. In its original form it existed as a work by Tosi on singing. Agricola translated and re-worked that text and added his own commentary and explanations of concepts. Finally in recent years Julianne Baird took Agricola’s work and gave it the same treatment that Agricola gave to Tosi’s work. Baird translated the whole document into English and imparted much of her considerable knowledge to the work in the form of frequent footnotes and commentary. Thus on a given topic you might have Tosi’s original statements expounded upon by Agricola and then further illuminated and explained by Baird. The final product can be complex at times, but it is a work that is bursting with useful and interesting information.
Voice Science
Voice science has been steadily becoming more popular since Garcia first invented the laryngoscope in 1854. In recent years it seems that there has been an explosion of information and theories concerning vocal production. While a knowledge of voice science is not necessarily important for a performer, as an academic it is important to be able to read, understand, and converse about recent research and ideas in voice science. With that in mind, there are several books and articles which come to mind as being seminal works in the field.
A basic primer on voice science comes from Titze’s article “The Human Instrument.”[3] He takes the time to describe basic structures of the voice and how they function. He is very particular in explaining exactly how the voice is able to produce such a loud and robust sound from such a comparatively small apparatus. This source would be potentially useful as a primer in a vocal pedagogy class where the students come in with little experience in voice science.
William Vennard’s Singing: the Mechanism and the Technic[4] is a bit older. It has been nearly fifty years since it was published, but even today few books can rival it for an accurate and comprehensive treatment of the mechanism by which we produce vocal sound. Of course there are some areas where recent research has shed additional light (such as the way various pressure systems in the vocal tract interact with the adduction of the vocal folds), but in such cases Vennard is clear in his book that (at least when his book was written) more research is needed to understand certain phenomena. Regardless, this book remains tremendously useful. The anatomical illustrations there are incredibly useful, and even today compare very favorably with those found in other books.
The book that has supplanted Vennard as the go-to resource for voice science is Ralph Appelman’s The Science of Vocal Pedagogy.[5] This book is not an easy read. It is enormously detailed and contains accurate and precise explanations for virtually all vocal phenomena that occur when singing in a classical style. The difficulties presented by the writing style (which can be a bit ponderous) explain why it is rarely used these days as a textbook for vocal pedagogy classes. It is still an invaluable resource for all voice teachers. There are few questions that can’t be answered by consulting this book.
If you are looking for a vocal pedagogy textbook, the current popular choice is McCoy’s Your Voice: an Inside View.[6] This book is very easy to read and represents some of the latest advances in our understanding of the voice. It is particularly useful for teaching a class because of the huge volume of multimedia aids which are included with the book. You can find graphics and illustrations that show the parts of the anatomy as they are in motion. There are also good explanations of the physics of singing. McCoy has even included recordings of students singing and demonstrating various concepts and techniques which are discussed in the texts. It’s a book on voice science for our modern technological world.
Voice Teaching
Finally there are a dozens of sources which focus more on teaching people how to sing than exploring how to sing yourself or how singing works. The book that I most frequently consult in my own teaching is Alderson’s Complete Handbook of Voice Training.[7] This book offers some technical explanations which don’t always square with modern voice science, so they’re probably best ignored. The real treasure of the book is how it treats various vocal problems. It will frequently describe in detail a vocal fault (such as breathiness in a young female voice) and then give a list of specific exercises which will address that problem. Alderson even includes several metaphors which can be used to describe the proper technique to the student, with possible benefits and drawbacks to each metaphor. So while some of the scientific explanations may not be the best, this book is a first-rate resource for new and old teachers.
Singing teachers often disagree with each other even on basic issues. Sometimes the disagreements are legitimate and sometimes they simply represent differing ideas about terminology. Either way these differing ideas are masterfully elaborated in the series of articles “Voice Teachers on Voice”[8] by Gollobin and White. The authors asked a series of technical and teaching questions to eight influential teachers and offered their responses to these questions. The responses from the teachers are insightful and enlightening. In particular it is helpful to see how differently some of the teachers approach voice and talk about singing. All of them have had good success with students, so the apparent differences are not necessarily indicative of the quality of instruction that the teachers are offering. Rather we get to see a variety of approaches and a variety of ideas on each subject. Every teacher is sure to find something in these articles that will resonate with their own teaching.
There are two more books that both deal with vocal technique as a series of problems and how to address them. First, McKinney’s The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults[9] treats these things much as a medical doctor might. Each fault is presented along with symptoms. Possible causes are discussed and ideas for correction are given. It is a thoroughly rational and scientific approach which may not appeal to all readers, but if you are ever stumped on what to do with a student, this book may very well save the day.
The last book I will discuss is by an author already mentioned: Richard Miller. It seems appropriate that he should bookend this small review of literature on the voice because of the tremendous influence he has exerted on modern vocal pedagogy. In his book Solutions for Singers[10] Miller offers a series of hypothetical questions and his responses. The questions are perhaps a little contrived, but the information that he gives is incredibly useful. With his characteristic warmth and clarity, Miller describes singing in clear, useful terms and gives his ideas for teaching them.
No voice teacher’s library would be complete without good references on voice technique, voice science, and voice teaching. I have covered some of the resources that I consider to be most important. These sources are the ones that have most heavily influenced me, and which I will bring to bear in my own voice studio.
Philosophical Assumptions
The University
· This handbook is intended for a voice studio at an accredited, four-year college or university.
· This University will have a large enough music program to have at least one full orchestra.
· There will be at least one building on campus dedicated to the Music School, or shared between the music and theater departments.
o This building will have at least one large performance space suitable for a main-stage opera and one smaller venue suitable for recitals and more intimate performances.
The Music Program
· The Music School is accredited as well as the University.
· I expect the music school to put on at least one fully staged and orchestrated opera production per year. (Typically in the Fall semester).
· I also expect that in the semester which doesn’t have an opera production that there will be some other type of performance opportunity for the students (i.e. opera scenes or a smaller production with piano accompaniment).
· This music school will mainly service undergraduate students. There may be some graduate students, but they will not be the main focus of the school.
o Corollary to that, talented undergraduate students can have a reasonable chance to get both small and large roles in main-stage operas.
· All vocal performance undergraduates will be expected to put on a junior and a senior voice recital in order to graduate.
o The junior recital will be shorter (20-25 minutes of music) and have more strict requirements for language and time periods.
o The senior recital will be longer (45-50 minutes of music) and offer the student slightly more flexibility.
My Students
· I will have a studio of 12 to 18 students.
· The students will all be working towards degrees in music.
· The bulk of my students will be undergraduate music performance majors, who are required to take eight semesters of voice lessons.
· A smaller portion of my students will be undergraduate music education majors, who are required to take four semesters of lessons.
· Graduate students will make up the smallest group in my studio.
· All of my students will expect that my training will prepare them for a professional career in music, whether performing, teaching, or some auxiliary capacity.
Objectives
1. Students will learn basic and advanced vocal techniques appropriate to their age and skill level.
· Good posture
· Freedom from various nervous tics and destructive habitual movements
· Low, suspended breath
· Flow phonation (as opposed to pressed or breathy phonation)
· Chiaroscuro resonance
· Proper articulation and pronunciation
· Ability to easily navigate passages of challenging coloratura based on their voice type.