Acting in Plays, Singing/Voice Type Change

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Expert: - 8/30/2009


Question
Can a 20 year old soprano become a mezzo soprano?

I've always been interested in pursuing a career as a singer and recently got interested in pursuing musical theatre. I haven't had much vocal training and recently started looking for vocal coaches in my area. I haven't settled on one coach in particular, but have had a few sessions with a few different coaches in an effort to find one that I feel comfortable working with. Recently, I thought I had found just that person, but after two-three sessions, (which mostly consisted of discussions regarding proper breathing technique and maybe 15 mins of listening to my voice via basic vocal exercises), my coach decided that I was a soprano and should limit myself to solely soprano repertoire, (this was actually a few months back, I was still 19). Now I've heard from a few others that a women's voice changes throughout their teens and twenties, particularly early twenties, and that they should refrain from limiting themselves from a specific repertoire, particularly after only a few session with a vocal coach. I've also heard that many sopranos and mezzos alike, are able to sing notes within each others ranges anyway? What is the real story here? Is it possible to extend/broaden my range through practice? Also, my coach has also told me that he thinks my range is unusually small (one octave and three to five notes), while a typical female range is two and a half to three octaves and he thinks that the most I could hope to extend my range is to a two octave, or somewhat normal range, but not much else,( again after only a few sessions, with minimal actual singing), what are your thoughts here? I had already been feeling very discouraged due to my lack of vocal training, and now it seems as I am an exceptionally, hopeless, untalented vocalist with little, if any hope, to pursue a career as a musical theatre actress. I really, really want to extend my range to a healthy, normal range, but was particularly hoping a could achieve a range suitable to learn how to belt and play roles such as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Evita from Evita, Fantine from Les Miserables, etc. Please help!

Answer
Hi, Monica –

I understand the frustration of what you are experiencing.  Been there, done that.

You have a lot of misinformation in your head from well-intentioned friends and self-styled coaches who never sustained a career as a singer.

My job as a professional vocal coach is to correctly identify your vocal category and to then train you accordingly. Most everyone has two octaves within their natural vocal range. Training is about expanding and maintaining the range, and enabling you to prove your skills in front of a Conductor. Unless you have some sort of physical handicap, it is never true that your range is limited to 10 or 13 notes. If the teacher cannot identify your category and train you how to exhibit what you already own – it’s because they don’t know how. The first clue is always about the inordinate amount of time wasted on breathing exercises. Moreover, you must know how to compete against other singers who are more advanced in their singing skills and are ready to demonstrate their vocal category through their repertoire. Although fully-equipped sopranos and altos have notes in common, the sound and the emotional effects are not the same nor are the characters they play. Simple.

You are attracted to the Broadway alto/belter repertoire as opposed to Classical literature. All my Musical Theatre mezzo-sopranos exercise from at least Low F to High A, some go higher and lower. Some have those true and time-honored qualities of the big guns belters. The goal is to develop a smooth and break-free passage throughout that entire range. Within the course of a song – and speaking in treble clef – most of the belting will happen between 1st-space F and 4th-line D. If you are in fact an alto (mezzo-soprano), then my job is to develop your vocal chops toward the demands of the repertoire and the specific audition.

What if it turns out your voice is naturally higher or lower than a standard alto/belter? Then you have to learn how to be content with that and to learn and get excited about the repertoire written for your vocal category, range, and personality type.

My clients know how to sustain 8-shows-a-week. That does not happen overnight. But it will never happen working with someone who cannot properly identify your vocal category and teach you how to expand and secure your range.

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. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1359337287.html  I am also the Editor and Publisher of www.SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

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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