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Acting in Plays, Singing/Singing Modern vs Classical
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Question
Hi there!
I am 17 years old and have been learning classical singing ever since I was about eight years old. My voice started out breathy and in desperate need of work. I can now say, thanks to my vocal coach, that I can reach top notes in my head voice without having to really 'try' or 'work hard' for, they are consistant and always 'there' when I sing them. For example, I can reach the top note at the end of the 'Phantom Of the Opera theme', which is exciting for both me and my teacher.
However, I have also been sitting trinity guildhall examinations in Musical Theatre, using a more modern and 'broadway sound'. My vocal coach who teaches me classically has been a professional singer for years and years, and her daughter, who also has worked professionally, teaches me the more 'modern sound'.
My lower register is something I dont have a problem with, but as soon as it gets to a B or above, I either want to go straight into my head or classical voice, or If i try to get the modern sound I constrict and push so it eventually ends up cracking. I try to relax it, and have had a few breakthroughs on notes, but nothing set it concrete. My singing teacher tells me its about placement, which I agree with because my voice doesnt know where to put it, unless im using my head voice.
We seem to spend countless times trying to get it into the right place something my teacher can easily get and demonstrate, but something i cant seem to grasp.
It happens in songs like 'Someone Like You' From Jekyll and Hyde, in the chorus it jumps, and my register problems are obvious as it goes from a modern sound into a classical sound which sounds awful and disjointed as my voice placement changes..
I'm at a loss! Will it just click with me one day? The power is there I can feel it but its just a matter of placing it in the right place.
It is extremely frustrating because I love both types of singing and all I can seem to do is get a good lower and upper classical register, and a good lower modern type register, but the top modern register just isn't there. Do you have any ideas or pointers on how to solve the problem??
Thank you!!
Hello, Catherine –
Thank you for the question. I appreciate your well-expressed description.
My job as a professional vocal coach is to correctly identify your vocal category. i.e., soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, etc. Once that is established, the training begins. The ultimate goal is to create a seamless balance throughout the vocal register.
The voice is not divided into two separate hemispheres marked “Classical voice” and “Modern voice”. Nor is it bottle-necked like an hour glass with some mixing area between the “head voice and the chest voice”. The voice is all one thing – like a long ladder with separate rungs for each note.
Make sure you have a complete understanding about the testing program you mention. What is its purpose and what distinguishes Trinity Guildhall from an accredited music conservatory such as the one we have here in San Francisco?
At 17 and with your background, what are your plans for college? Have you considered becoming a vocal major? You will be required to audition. You will be in competition with others who have similar or better training than yours. It’s not like a media contest. Standard auditions include several contrasting songs – during which you may be stopped – and a music theory test. If the examinations were next week, what would you sing and how well would do on the theory test?
It sounds like you are a mezzo-soprano. The role of “Christine” can be done by any young lyric mezzo-soprano. At an audition, the producers of “Phantom” want an operatic aria from all the Christine candidates. What would you sing? My mezzo-sopranos can demonstrate fully-voiced scales from Low F to High B-flat, i.e., two octaves plus a major 4th, without any breaks or cracking. Most go higher and lower. Those who are pursuing musical theatre or cabaret know they can belt out anything that includes an E or High F. Speaking in treble clef, the alto/belters know how to work their voice between 2nd-line G and 4th-line D, the area where most belting opportunities occur. That ability and strength comes through scales. My job is to show them how.
The other influencing element is the direction of your musical preferences. At some point you must decide what you want to do. Has your Classical training prepared you to sing any operatic arias or art songs? If so, have you performed them in public? Perhaps the Broadway repertoire is appealing to you. Maybe you would like to be in the Pop world.
At some point, you must find a trainer who can help you with what is clearly a vocal problem. Moreover, your training and choice of schooling must be related to your career choice. Popular singers do not perform in the same manner nor in the same circumstances as do Classical singers. In today's world, the professional Classical singer is one who may carry several Music Degrees from accredited universities or music conservatories.
Again, the solution to your problem is found in knowing how to work the scales throughout the breadth of your range and within your specific vocal category. I have to hear you in order to help you. If you have samples of your work on-line, I will be happy to observe them and offer you some feedback.
I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco. When you are in the Bay Area and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1628963062.html
You may also contact me through my website: http://www.thebeltersmethod.com/The_Belters_Method/Welcome.html
I am the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com. All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.
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Answers by Expert:
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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