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Acting in Plays, Singing/Can you tell me what my voice would be classified as?

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Expert: - 2/28/2009


Question
My range is F3-G5, with F3-B4 being in my chest voice and everything above being in my head voice, unless I'm belting.  I've always thought I was an Alto 2, but at my high schools most recent audition for the musical, my chorus teacher said I was a mezzo (I sang Caint Say No from Oklahoma) But I always heard that Mezzos can hold at least an A5 or B5.  I can belt pretty well when I sing songs that are for Maureen in RENT or pretty much anything in Spring Awakening, but in choral music my range seems weaker. I'm sorry if this is a confusing question, but I'm confused right now

Answer
Hello, Audrey –

Thank you for the question.

There is a huge difference between the student-singer who wants a career as a soloist and those who want to participate in a school ensemble, including the chorus of a Broadway musical.

All my mezzo-sopranos exercise to at least a fully-voiced and balanced High B, most go higher.  My job as a professional vocal coach is to correctly identify your vocal category and then teach you a reliable workout to strengthen, expand, and maintain the expected range.  The range of a standard solo mezzo-soprano is the two octave span between Low A and High A.  But, to demonstrate that effectively through the repertoire – in performance or at an audition – she must exercise at least a whole step above and below those two octaves.  Again, my mezzos cover at least that range without evidencing any breaks or noticeable shifts.

Choral music is about blending.  It is also true – especially in school situations or neighborhood houses of worship – that not every participant takes private voice lessons or is correctly placed into a section, i.e., first soprano, second alto, etc.  With the major exception of professional choruses – such as we have here in San Francisco at the Opera and Symphony – most choral directors are dependent on volunteers willing to show up (on time and sober) on a regular basis for both rehearsals and performances.  It is not unusual for the good-natured second soprano to occasionally sit with the first altos, etc.

Never presume your true vocal category is based on your (un-trained) comfort level with a particular song from some variety of musical.

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/1056375240.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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