where are the boys booklet.pdf

8/14/2019 Where are the boys booklet.pdf

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TJ Taylor

Where Are All The Boys?

A guide for teaching singing to adolescent boys


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Introduction

As a Musical Director and leader of theatre groups for over 6 years and a performer for 10, I know just howhard it can be to engage teenage boys into singing and the arts. As a teacher you are constantly faced with choirs,ensembles and classes full of willing girls with very few if any boys wanting to participate in anything singing ortheatre related. This poses many challenges when trying to put on performance work as ensembles can be leftsounding female heavy and shows are produced with girls playing male parts.

Over the last few years I have worked at trying to engage more teenage boysinto singing and this booklet provides a summary of my research and experiencesand also provides helpful advice and guidance from engaging boys, keeping theirinterest and most importantly helping them improve safely!

Teaching boys around their early teenage years is a daunting prospect for evenan accomplished singing teacher with their voice being so fragile as it advancesthrough the changes associated with puberty. In this booklet I have tried toaddress the key issues of this vocal change and provided key information on howto care for and nurture the boys through their change safely and productively.


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Contents

1. The Challenges- The Problems and Solutions to getting boys involved with singing

3. The Vocal Change- What Happens to the voice during the vocal change?

5. Dealing With The Change- How to deal with the physical problems that come withthe vocal change

7. Warm Up- How to effectively warm up for singing

8. Cambiata- The Cambiata system of classification for boys going through the vocal

change


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1

Masculinity and Singing

Im sure at some point in the past you have heard a young boy say one of the above phrases or somethingsimilar. These are some of the common perceptions of singing by young boys and are part of the reason for thelack of participation in singing related activities. As boys grow up, move schools try to fit in with new friendshipsthey naturally feel they need to also find their masculinity and start questioning what this means to them.Emotions and feelings suddenly become something to hide for fear or ridicule from peers. All actions andinteractions are then questioned to make sure that the perception from peers is good and that they are notembarrassing themselves.

Singing is a very personal and exposing act for everyone not just young boys, however, for boys who aretrying to fit in and embrace their new masculinity the act of singing is very exposing and leaves them open toridicule and failure. Boys generally embrace that their voice will drop or has dropped in pitch so when they singand they then have to take their pitch into higher register this then sounds like a girls voice and together with thehigher participation of girls in singing activities this is the reason for the common use of the phrase singing is forgirls.

Finding a male role model in your staff or even in the students themselves can be a very useful tool tochanging boys opinions on singing! If you know there is a male staff member who can give it some on karaoke orgenuinely has singing talent, try to promote them at every opportunity and get them to promote singing activitiesthemselves.

Boys play football.......Not Sing in Choir

Competing with the P.E. Department who offer boys masculine activities like football and other sports can bea difficult rival to face. What is important to note about the psychology of sport is the competition aspect of thegame. Teenage boys especially love competition as they compete each day to become more respected by theirpeers and this psychology is especially relevant in sports where the aim is to win someone else. What is also keyin sport is the promotion of team spirit and working together, with these two things in mind you can then tailoryour classes to be more inviting to boys.

By making sure that your classes do not clash with any other activities like sports clubs etc you are thenopening up the opportunity for more boys to potentially join. Embracing the competition and team spiritattributes of sporting activities we can then promote this within choirs, ensembles and theatre groups. By creatingevents where singing is seen as a competition like choir competitions, theatre festivals or inter school talentcompetitions, there can then be something gained from joining one of these groups and if any achievement withinthese groups is then widely promoted to their peers it becomes a more inviting prospect to join in! It is extremelyimportant to try to use the competition tool within an ensemble rather than individual singers as fighting to bethe best in the group is destructive for the individual but also the group dynamic as well!

Singing

Is For Girls!

Singing

Is Gay!

Singing

Is Uncool!

I Cant

Sing!

The Challenges


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2

But I Cant Sing!

This is a common problem for not just young boys but for a large majority of people when it comes toparticipating in singing activities. With the rise of popular shows like Xfactor, The Voice and Britains Got Talent,the nation now is accustomed to watching these talent shows and making their own judgments about peoplesinging voices and are very much aware of the criticism that can come from singing in public. As human beingswe are very sensitive about our feelings and this is especially evident in teenage boys who would see the risk of

embarrassing themselves in public as too great a risk so would rather not put themselves in the situation in thefirst place.

Once the embraced phase is over for a singer the next step is to build and maintain a confidence in theirabilities. It is of upmost importance in a singing practice room to be positive. Over my career I have heard somany stories from unconfident singers who tell me that they were once knocked back by a negative commentfrom a teacher or peer and this has stayed with them and held them back. As an educator it is vitally importantthat the feedback and instruction you give is constructive rather than negative as even the smallest negativecomment that you feel was nothing, could have a personal impact on the pupil that could affect them for the restof their life.

Nurturing singing confidence is a challenge for singing teachers, however, through promoting good vocaltechnique and managing each singers journey carefully it can certainly be achieved. We talk about vocaltechnique later in the booklet however by making sure the singer understands what they need to do and whatthey are doing right, they can build on this confidence knowing how to improve and what obstacles they havealready achieved. By taking ownership of the rehearsal room and creating a supportive environment where eachindividual supports everyone and feels comfortable singing within the ensemble and to the group, you then havethe platform to build performance confidence for public performances to outside audiences.

Singing Is Uncool

For many teenage boys choirs, musical theatre and singing lessons are seen as something that doesnt appealto them because the choirs just sing church songs and musicals are all about dancing and are really old school.There is a very simple solution to this problem and that is modernising your projects and curriculum. Withmusicals in particular the modern shows like We Will Rock You, Rock of Ages, Rent and American Idiothave someamazingly fun and exciting numbers that have great opportunities for teenage boys and the main aim is to tellthem about how much fun they can have! Choirs should try to avoid classic repertoire as there is some fantasticarrangements of modern songs that adolescent boys boys will love available online and from good musicretailers.

The key is promoting the material! In schools try creating an exciting assembly perhaps showing clips fromthe show or number you are going to do and get the assembly hall laughing and genuinely interested in theproject. A good tip would be to try and stage a number or an ensemble with some of the teachers and with a focuson some of the more well loved and respected male staff to show the boys that it is ok to sing or perform. Gettingmale staff involved I understand could be a challenge however by hook or by crook try to involve them increating interest in the show or ensemble even if they do not want to be directly involved. Adolescent boys needrole-models especially if their singing teacher is female. Getting older boys to assist with the younger studentscould persuade them to start singing if they see their older peers doing it too.


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3

A Fragile Time

The vocal change is a fragile time for young males with the onset of puberty having a big effect on manyaspects of their life but especially in the voice. From the age of 11/12 many things happen to the voice duringpuberty and the affects are different for every voice. Through this time many boys will experience what peoplecan describe as a crack or a breaking voice with uncontrolled pitch changes and ultimately a substantial drop inspeaking pitch. These are all very common and natural processes as the muscles that form vocal production aregrowing and expanding like any other muscle in the body. There is no one way to deal with a boy going throughthis vocal change as each experience is completely individual, however armed with the knowledge of what isphysically happening at this time you can help guide your students through the change safely and productively.

Voice Anatomy

It would be difficult to give you the specific details of vocal technique in such a small booklet however thenext sections aim to give you some basic exercises specifically targeted for use with boys at this time. For moredetailed information about the voice anatomy and singing technique please refer to materials such as Singing andThe Actor By Gyllianne Kayes which is based around the Jo Estill Singing model.

In its simplest form the process of singing is as follows:

The Diaphragm expands to allow air into the lungs

The Diaphragm then contracts pushing air back up the trachea (windpipe) towards the larynx

The larynx positions itself as Air passes through the vocal folds causing them to vibrate

The Vibrations from the vocal folds then resonate in the resonating spaces (Oral, Nasal, Chest)

The Tongue and lips then create the diction and words

It is important for anyone teaching singing to understand this process and try and promote the physicalaction of singing to their students so they understand how they are making the sound. Many singing teachersavoid teaching boys when they are going through the vocal change for fear of damaging the voice and lack ofunderstanding of what is happening. At the time of the vocal change it is more important than ever to promotegood singing technique and to provide students with the tools and support they need to go through thistransition safely.

The Vocal Change


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What Happens To The Voice During The Change?

Firstly it is important to note that describing the changes in the voice as breaking or cracking is a completemisunderstanding of what is happening and promotes the wrong idea to students. You should use the phrase theVocal Change which promotes the fact that the voice is changing and developing rather than breaking which is avery negative description and worrying for a young boy experiencing this change.

The obvious observation of what happens during puberty to the voice is the dramatic lowering of pitch. Thispitch change is caused by the disproportionate growth of the larynx mainly in the thyroid cartilage which thencauses a protruding adams apple. The thyroid cartilage surrounds the vocal folds and plays a big part in theproduction of sound as the vocal folds are connected to this and other cartilage structures that then stretch thefolds thinner or bunch them thicker to resonate at different pitches. With the thyroid cartilage playing such a vitalpart of voice production, when higher levels of testosterone force it to grow during puberty, the vocal folds andthe other supporting mechanisms of the voice then have to speed up their growth to match the thyroid cartilage.It is during this time that boys are more likely to experience problems with pitch as the muscles and structures aretrying to grow and are very unstable as they do so.

Another problem that boys face during puberty is the increase in the bulk of the thyroartytenoid muscle. Thisis basically the muscles that sit behind the vocal folds and provide support to the folds to keep them in place.With an increased thyrartytenoid mass, the vocal folds then are forced to expand to a rectangular wedge shapewhich then allows more closure of the vocal fold causing more vibrations and resulting in a richer deeper sound.With the shape of the vocal folds changing, adolescent boys are faced with the challenge of their body trying todevelop new muscle patterns to use with this new shape and as this happens the unstable nature of this growththen causes register flicks, and pitch drops.

(Ritze, Ingo R., NATS Journal, Jaunary/February 1993)

Thyroartytenoid

Muscle Grows


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5

Dealing With The Change

As we have discovered, the unstable nature of the boys voice and the uncertainty between each individualmeans that having a general way of teaching adolescent boys through the change is challenging. What I providebelow are some tips on promoting healthy use of the voice at this time and things to look out for and prevent.

Breathing

Breathing is an incredibly important part of all singers technique however it is critically important inadolescent males going through the vocal change. Good breathing should come from the diaphragm and shouldbe monitored when singing to provide the right amount of breath to suit the needs of each verse or phrase.Breathing is a natural bodily function that we all do every second of every day to survive, however in singing, thebreathing pattern is often changed too much and this is when problems occur. Below are the simple steps to goodbreathing technique followed by problems to look out for and how to fix them.

1. Breathe in through the mouth and as you do the abdomen should go out meaning that the diaphragmhas allowed the air to enter the lungs

2. Let your abdomen relax as the diaphragm contracts pushing the air out of the lungs back up thetrachea towards the larynx where the air is turned into the sound

3. Once the lungs reach negative pressure and you are running out of air, the diaphragm willautomatically recoil taking in enough air to repeat the process once again

Breathing Exercise1. Breath in for four counts

2. Hold for Four counts

3. Out for four counts

4. Increase the out breath for longer each time to work the diaphragm and strengthen the muscle toimprove vocal stamina and control of the breath.

Problems to look out for:

Shouting/Driving the breath - This is the most dangerous of all vocal issues I have come across for boysduring the change. Modern music is constantly pushing boundaries of range and vocal ability and aschildren listen to their favorite artists and songs they try to copy what they are hearing on the recordings.Often the songs are too high for them and they are pushing their range way beyond their abilities. Thisoften causes people to drive the breath at the sound to try and force the note out ultimately putting way toomuch pressure on the vocal folds and potentially causing lasting damage. For boys going through thechange with such unstable voices it is even more important to discourage this driven sound so you mustpromote healthy sustained breathing by using the above exercise and constantly monitor how they aredoing in class or rehearsals.

Over-breathing - By taking too much air into the lungs you are causing extra pressure in the body andthis can cause the sound to be constricted or forced or even not come out. By only taking in the rightamount of air for the phrase you are removing the excess pressure and allowing the diaphragm to freelyprovide a flow of air to the larynx.

Breathing In the Chest - This is one of the most common problems for breathing technique whensingers have had no prior training. Breathing high in the chest causes pressure to build up near the larynxand does not have the support of the diaphragmatic muscles to control the pressure. By getting students tostand in front of a mirror sideways and watch where the air flow goes you can help them monitor thebreath and show them that it should just be their tummy that goes out not their chest.


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6

Vocal Health

Promoting vocal health is a must for all singers but especially in adolescent boys. Vocal health is oftencommon sense and simple every day actions that we take for granted but are extremely necessary for singersespecially young boys who need to monitor their fragile growth.

1. Drink Water - This seems like a simple obvious point however it is one that is often overlooked. Water isimportant in vocal production as it provides hydration and lubrication to the vocal folds so they can meetsafely and not scratch if dried out. Make sure that students are bringing bottles of water to the rehearsals andare constantly drinking throughout. If they do not bring their own try to provide a water fountain or a jugand provide regular breaks for students to have a drink. Flavored water and fizzy drinks are not suitable forthe rehearsal room as the flavoring can be sticky or dry up the larynx.

2. Avoid Shouting - Telling adolescent boys to not shout can be a very difficult task with their excitablepersonalities dominating the playground and shouting during sports games etc. You should try your best todiscourage shouting as shouting unsafely provides too much pressure to the vocal folds causing them to meettoo harshly.

3. Avoid singing or talking if there is a problem - If anyone is feeling that their voice is not like it should be,scratchy or they are loosing their voice, they should immediately stop singing, stop talking if possible and goon complete voice rest until the voice is better again. If the problem persists they should seek medical advice.For boys going through the vocal change it is especially important to stop singing as continuing to singthrough the pain could be causing permanent damage that could last for their entire life as the muscles are

growing and settling into place.4. Avoid singing for long periods of time - Singing for long periods of time without a rest is harmful to thevoice as it could damage and overwork the vocal folds causing them to dry up and scratch. Try to makerehearsals short and manageable with plenty of breaks. On long days before a performance etc. let thestudents vocally mark the performance or be on voice rest in between each run to allow the vocal folds to rest.

5. Warm Up - Warming up efficiently and safely is the key to having a safe and healthy rehearsal and weshall talk more about the warm up in the next section.

Retraction

Above the vocal folds are the false vocal folds which are there to protect the larynx but can get in the way

when we are singing. During singing the false vocal folds should be retracted and abducted to the sides of thethyroid to allow air to freely pass through the larynx. When they are constricted and adducted, air gets trapped asit hits them and causes a strained sound. This strain and extra pressure is particularly dangerous for anadolescent boy as the trapped sound causes pressure on the true vocal folds. The below exercise helps you feel thefalse vocal folds and when they are constricted and how to abduct them to allow an unconstricted sound.

1. Sit on a chair and place your hands underneath the sides of the chair. Try to Pull up. You should feel atension in the larynx which is the vocal folds coming into play.

2. The easiest way to abduct the vocal folds is an exercise called the silent laugh. When we laugh or arehappy the false vocal folds naturally retract to the side of the thyroid. Try laughing to yourself. You shouldfeel the space in the larynx open up. Slowly start to remove the sound from your laugh until it is silent. Youshould still be keeping the open feel in the larynx. This is the safe and fun way to promote retraction to young

students and by telling them to smile and giggle through a song will open up the false vocal folds safely.


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7

The Warm-Up

Why Warm Up?

Warming up the voice is incredibly important because the vocal folds and singing mechanisms are muscles likeany other and you wouldn't start a marathon without warming up your body so you shouldn't start a singing rehearsalwithout effectively warming up the vocal muscles before. Below is a warm up that is specifically stuttered to steadily

warm up the voice effectively as well as extending upon technique and promoting good vocal health. Many warm upbooks and singing teachers will start straight away with scales or range exercises, these are wonderful and can be used toengage students however they must be used after the voice has been used properly so that range can be extended safely.

Body

Singing involves the whole body and all tensions should be released before any vocalisation.

Start with some light stretches to release tension especially in the neck and shoulders.

Align the spine and make sure posture is correct. (Hips and neck should be centered)

Unlock the knees

Silent Cheer (This removes constriction from the false vocal folds and should be considered throughout)

Breathing

Breathing and vocalising on sounds is the key to warming up the voice throughly. Not only does this engage thediaphragm correctly but allows the airflow and the sounds to gently start resonating the vocal folds at more sustainedfrequencies.

Unvoiced Sounds (These engage the diaphragm and provide a gentle flow of air to the vocal folds)

Basic Breathing, fff, hh, s, shhh, vvv, sgsh

Voiced Sounds (These start to engage the voice at speaking pitch with the vocal folds resonating for longer thanwhen in conversation. Also each sound is designed to engage a specific resonating space.

Ze, Ze, Za, Zo, Zu (Chest Resonator/Sob)

Nye Nye Nye, (Nasal Resonator/Twang)

Yeah Yeah Yeah, eh-oh, (Oral Resonator/Speech)

AEIOU Breathing exercise (Engages the diaphragm and works on breathing stamina)

Introducing RangeAt this point it is important to start introducing a wider range but safely and gently with sounds and light breaths toavoid driving too much air in the higher range.

Siren on Sing (This engages the vocal folds to control their transition through pitch)

Lip & Tongue Trills - Full Range Slides and Octave Slides (Trills add gentle sound to the breath to gently engagethe vocal folds at different resonating levels)

5ths on vowel sounds (Adding full voice to the range for the first time without taking it too high)

Diction

Diction is extremely important so it is important to engage the tongue and the lips correctly.

Tongue Twisters (These engage the lips and the tongue where diction is mostly created. It is important to swaptongue twisters occasionally)

5ths on T sounds, Ta to Tu Te Etc (Encourage diction within singing)

Range

Now that the breath is engaged and the vocal chords are vibrating safely it is safe to extend on the range work with morefull voice exercises.

Arpeggios On Vowels/Pepperoni & Mozzarella for diction

Yee Octave Slides (Yee in a cry quality allows the voice to travel through the octave slowly through each resonatingfrequency requiring control of the muscles)

Specific ExercisesAt this point you should warm up for any specific qualities you will be using after the warm up. E.g. Belt, Speech/Twang Mix, Twang, Jazz, Opera etc.

Voice Check

Finally make sure that your voice is throughly warm by checking that your siren moves through the range cleanly andsmoothly.


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8

Pitching it Right

Choral directors for years have struggled to place young boys going through the vocal change into choralarrangements. You can have a wonderful soprano boy who sings beautifully and the week after he has droppedin pitch causing much headache for the choral director. Often these boys are just placed with the baritone voiceswhich can be too low for them at the start of their vocal change. Research by the author John Cooksey in Americarevealed that there should be middle stages for these boys called the cambiata stages. This is where music isorchestrated around specific ranges that fit for the middle voices between a young unchanged voice and a newbaritone voice. Below are the details of the cambiata system and the stages that a changing voice will go through.

Cambiata Ranges

Stage Average Age Comfortable Singing Range Mean Ranges For Singing

Treble 11-12 C#4-A#4 A3-F5

Midvoice I / Cambiata 1 11-12 B3-G4 A3-C5

Midvoice II / Cambiata 2 12-13 F3-A4 G#3-F4

New Baritone 13-15+ D#3-A#4 B2-D#4

Emerging Adult Voice 14-15+ B2-G#3 G2-D4

The above table was compiled from works by John Cooksey (1999) and Martin Ashley (2008)

Before undertaking a project you should create a scenario where you are able to test where each studentsvoice at the beginning of working with them so you can then closely monitor its development through the stagesand place them in the right category. You should explain to the student what each category means and supportthem as they move between them as often it can be a confusing time as sometimes the move between the stagescan be very swift in some voices. Try not to make listening to their voices an audition scenario as this could putboys of starting altogether, make it an informal light hearted occasion where you are informing them of theircurrent capabilities or why they are moving between classifications.

Material for Cambiata

Cambiata material has now become more widely available for choirs and a good resource is:www.cambiatapress.com

Cambiata


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Thank YouThis booklet Was designed with promoting vocal health in adolescent boys and dealing with the issue of the

lack of knowledge about he vocal change. I hope you have found it extremely informative and if you would likeany more information on this area please refer to the below references or feel free to contact me through the email

below for more advice or to send in comments or questions about information within.

References

Ashley, Martin How high should boys sing? : Gender,authenticity and credibility in the youngmale voice

AshgatePublishing

2009

Ashley, Martin Teaching singing to boys and teenagers :the young male voice and the problem of

masculinity

The EdwardMellen Press

2008

Cooksey, John M. Working with Adolescent Voices ConcordiaPublishing House

1999

Kayes, Gillyanne Singing and the Actor : Second Edition A &C BlackPulishers Ltd.

2004

Author

TJ Taylor

[email protected]

http://tjtaylo3.wix.com/tjtaylor

Published 2013

where are the boys booklet.pdf

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