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Expert: - 2/19/2009


Question
Hey there Mr. Marinfield,

As a junior in high school, I have been looking seriously at pursing an undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance; however, my long term goal is to get my Master's in Music Education, so I can teach.

Living on the East End of Long Island, I have been looking at a few schools in New York City to apply to:
1) Steinhardt at NYU
2) Manhattan School of Music
3) Mannes School of Music

My biggest concern (besides not making it in at all), is that the school I end up going to will not be what I was looking for.  Of course I'm going to visit the schools and try to secure a private lesson at each one, so I can get a feel for what the training is like there, but at NYU they don't offer lessons to non-students, just based off of the sheer number of students that apply there.

My question to you is: Is NYU a good school for vocal performance?  I known Mannes and Manhattan are both conservatories, so I'm not worried so much about them.  I really can't find any information about the quality of NYU's vocal music department (which might be a red flag), but I just wanted a professional opinion.

I'm ranked number two in my class, and am working my tail off in AP Music Theory as well as becoming familiar with as much music (both classical and theatre, as well as some jazz) as humanly possible.  In addition of playing the sax, I also have been working on my piano skills, as they are necessary for almost any music major.  I just don't want all of my hard work to be for naught.

Along that same path, I'm beginning to build up a repotoire for my college auditions.  Generally I need three to four contrasting songs or arias (English, Italian, French and/or German).  At 16 I realize it's hard to say for sure what your voice will mature into; however, that being said, my voice teacher feels that right now I'm a Baritone-Martin. Basically I lack the lower notes of a mature baritone (anything really below a Bb), but I cannot sustain the tessitura of a tenor and I lack the upper register that a tenor would posses, but may timbre is more like that of a tenor.  I warm up to a lightly suspended High A or Bb, but as of now, my highest performable note is only a High F# or G.  I'm sure that some of my "range" issues will fall into place as my voice matures, so I'm not worried too much about that.  Besides, working with my new teacher this year has brought me miles from where I was with my old teacher (where as last year I could only warm up to a High F#).  Digression aside, I am pretty sure about my French and German pieces:

Soupir - Henri Duparc
Abendempfindung - Mozart

and I am considering Silent Noon (Key of F) - Vaughn Williams for my English piece, but I'm not sure yet.


Do you have any recommendations for English or Italian art songs?  

Thank you so much for your time and for reading this ridiculously long question.  I apologize for any inconvinience this may have caused you.   

All the best,
Chris

Answer
Hello, Chris –

Thank you for the question.  No inconvenience at all.  I appreciate all the information.

Don't use the term "Baritone-Martin".  It is archaic and very few will understand the reference.  If it turns out you are in fact a baritone, then keep in mind the terms "lyric-baritone" or "high baritone".  They are often interchangeable.  Such baritones are not "Second Tenors" and vice versa.  Listen to the recordings of the great French baritone, Gerard Souzay.  He has a vast catalogue of recordings and is a personal favorite.

Consider the following material for your English songs:
Songs & Proverbs of William Blake
As Adam early in the morning – Ned Rorem
Look down, fair moon – Ned Rorem
Poems by Walt Whitman – Ralph Vaughan Williams

For your Italian pieces, consider these pieces by Scarlatti:
O, dolcissima speranza
Bellezza, che s'ama
Cara e dolce

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1042469936.html
I am also the fine arts critc for SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

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Sean Martinfield

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I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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