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Acting in Plays, Singing/Frustrated in my Vocal Classification

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Expert: - 2/24/2009


Question
I have always been able to sing low. In fact, I've never been in a choir where I wasn't the lowest voice. Unfortunately, choir directors hear the strong, bright timbre of my voice and stick me in the tenor section. Constantly singing the highest notes I have is stressful on my voice so I generally just sing everything in falsetto which makes my contribution to the choir inaudible. If it was just one voice teacher or director, I would assume he was an idiot, but it's not. I am almost 30. I have been taking lessons for a while now. Over the years, my range has developed to be F# above middle C down to the C (2 1/2 octaves lower). My most resonant and comfortable notes are from first space A to E above middle C.  I undertstand why teachers and directors want me to be a tenor, but I feel like they are all deaf to the obviously elements that exclude me from that classification.  I've gotten to the point where I can't wait to get done with my current singing obligations so that I never have to do this again. I really used to love to sing. What should I do?

Answer
Hello, Ethan –

Thank you for the question.

If you have made a commitment about a specific performance to a certain community ensemble or are involved in a class for academic credit – fulfill your obligation.  And then get on with your life.

I appreciate what you are saying about your range, what you believe your vocal category may be, i.e., at least a baritone, and the frequency with which you are asked to sit with the tenors.  Depending on the choir and the material and the director – this is not an unusual story.  However, come the opportunity for you to do a Solo – you must sing in your true voice and your material must be placed in a key that shows off your natural range.

My job as a professional vocal coach is to correctly identify your vocal category.  Once that is established then the training begins.  All basses, bass-baritones, and baritones sing the octave and major 5th stretch between Low A and E.  But the placement of those notes – along with a whole step above and below – is different.  Although there are plenty of exceptions depending on the material or style of music – ultimately, your vocal category is proven through repertoire written specifically for it.

At 30 years old, it's way-past-time for you to be paying hard-earned money to coaches who think you are a tenor but cannot get you beyond High F#.

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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Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

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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