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Hi Sean,
I'm a 20-year-old coloratura soprano, and have been studying classical voice for 6 years. I've always had excellent flexibility, but I’ve also always had issues with my upper range. Just recently, I've worked up to a pretty free high C6, but beyond that I have trouble. I know I have higher notes somewhere, because I've occasionally hit E6 and F6 in warm ups (F#6 once), but I can't seem to find the right resonance. On good days, I’ll be able to touch (not sustain) a C#6 and D6 in a song, like in “Je veux vivre,” for example. My teacher tells me that I shouldn't rely on what I hear in my head when I'm in my highest register, but that it should feel like the note is coming out of the top of my head and may sound very airy to me. She also tells me that it’s all about singing with enough breath support and air behind the high notes, and that with my voice type the notes will be very small as opposed to big like a lyric soprano’s. However, I just can’t seem to get it. I’m not sure if it’s because of a tight jaw (something I’ve been working on from the beginning), too much air (i.e. pushing), or something else (I’m getting tested for possible allergies and/or GER this summer), but it’s been very frustrating and I feel like I should be progressing more than I am right now. Any advice you may have would be helpful and hugely appreciated.
Thanks,
Margaret
Hello, Margaret –
Thank you for the question. I appreciate the information. Your concerns are bigger than a few quick tips can solve.
Have you been working with the same coach since you were 14? You know there are 20-year-old coloraturas with performance resumés that include operatic roles and various concert repertoire and who are signed with professional agencies. It may be time for you to consider another coach.
As a singer, I understand your description and all your technical concerns. As a professional vocal coach, I can recognize that your overall technique is not in good shape because its most basic element, i.e., the physical ability to demonstrate proper breath control no matter what or when you sing – is not in place. From what you say, your teacher's advice is basically correct. How to get you to translate that into sound and to then apply that knowledge to an aria or song is clearly the problem. Juliette's aria, "Je veux vivre", is a walk in the park. A lyric tenor can do it.
You are totally correct – you need to progress at a more advanced rate. The vast majority of professional and, specifically, Classical singers have worked with more than one vocal coach. I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. My clients come to me through recommendation.
Have you recorded anything that I can listen to on-line? If so, I would be happy to give you some feedback. In the meantime – always practice in front of a mirror. Listen out! It's not just about what you hear in your head. Record yourself. What do you notice? Whenever you can, sing in the largest hall or church possible. Even the smallest of well-placed voices can bounce against the walls.
I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1743222727.html I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com. All my articles and interviews 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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