NATS Executive Director, Allen Henderson, steered a panel discussion on March 10, 2011 entitled, "Choral Directors are from Mars and Voice Teachers are from Venus: Sing from the Diaphragm and other Vocal Mistructions," along with esteemed NATS members Sharon Hansen and Brenda Smith, NATS President Donald Simonson, and NATS Past President Scott McCoy. They presented an additional Interest Session that afternoon: "Choral Directors are from Mars and Voice Teachers are from Venus: Top 10 List - Complaints from Both Sides of the Aisle." Download the Handout version of the first presentation from this page and discuss the topic on the PowerPoint PDF download page at http://www.slideshare.net/OfficialNATS/vocal-mistructions-presented-by-nats-at-acda-powerpoint-pdf

1. Vocal Mistruc-ons -­‐ Presented by NATS at ACDA 3/8/11
Choral Directors are from Mars The Successful Voice Teaching Team
and
• Voice Teacher
Voice Teachers are from Venus: • Choral Director
• Vocal Coach
“Sing from the Diaphragm” Who is • Medical Professionals
• Choreographers/Directors
and other Vocal MistrucAons on your • Diet/Nutrition Experts
team?
• Exercise Physiologist/Trainer
• Sharon Hansen • Movement Coaches
• Allen Henderson • Drama Coach
Don’t have a
• Sco: McCoy
• Donald Simonson
complete team
• Brenda Smith together?
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What specific
Developing a Successful Team
knowledge is
How can middle and • Local NATS Chapter
important when
high school and • Voice Foundation Activities
teaching beginning
college choral
conductors interact • Local voice teacher in your singers?
with independent classroom
What about a voice
and academic voice
teachers in their area • Take a voice lesson yourself
pedagogy class
to develop a • Vocal health professionals
required for all
successful team?
• World Voice Day – April 16th
music education
majors?
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March 2011 1

2. Vocal Mistruc-ons -­‐ Presented by NATS at ACDA 3/8/11
Survey of The Voice Teacher – Choral Conductor
Voice Pedagogy Requirements*
Conflict in Higher Education
Voice Pedagogy Vocal Ch.
0 sem
1 sem
2 sem
Requirement
Tech
Ped
• Fantasy or fact?
# of Universities
37
20
1
2
1
% of Total
61%
33%
1.63%
3.27%
1.63%
• Who cares?
• Why worry about this?
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*Conducted at Sixty-­‐One American Universities
Mistructions
Support Issues
• “The trouble with young professional singers
today is that their teachers are no longer
What are some common “Sing
teaching them how to use their
“mistructions” we hear in from the diaphragms.” (NY Times music critic)
• The diaphragm is exclusively a muscle of
both the choral rehearsal Diaphragm”
inspiration.
• Diaphragmatic pulse produces a hiccup—
and voice studio?
probably not the best way to articulate rapid
pitches in melismatic passages.
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March 2011 2

3. Vocal Mistruc-ons -­‐ Presented by NATS at ACDA 3/8/11
“More support is better”
Support Issues
How about:
“Breathe low”
MORE support?
“Breathe easily”
BETTER support!
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Body Alignment Issues
Body Alignment Issues
“Stand up straight.”
“Suck in your gut.”
“Stand like a soldier.”
“Can you sense your breath when it is
deep and full?”
“Come to your balance point.”
“Do you sense an expansive, stretching
“Quickly check your alignment.”
feeling all around the middle of the
body?”
“Tuck that chin in.”
“Lift your sternum.”
“Are your eyes looking out into the
“Do you sense a gentle lifting sensation
world?”
under your upper chest? Not forced, but
buoyant . . .”
“Can you sense your neck longer in
“Are your shoulders released and free?”
the back and shorter in the front?”
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4. Vocal Mistruc-ons -­‐ Presented by NATS at ACDA 3/8/11
Textual Issues
Clear Choral Diction
“Enunciate! I want to hear all
those consonants!”
Clear choral diction involves a
corporate understanding of the
EVERY consonant?
symbols and their use in a
Final consonants?
concise rhythmic context.
Initial consonants?
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International Phonetic Alphabet
Diction Issues
(IPA)
How about:
• THE internationally recognized standard.
• Valuable for high school students to be
exposed to it prior to college diction
courses.
“Make sure your final
• Works in both the choral AND studio
settings. It even works with my church consonants are clearly
choir.
articulated and rhythmically
• Works with various languages and students
are able to see the correlations between the energized.”
use of a particular sound in various
languages.
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5. Vocal Mistruc-ons -­‐ Presented by NATS at ACDA 3/8/11
“Everyone sing a pure [i] vowel.”
Formant/Resonance Issues
“I want absolutely no vibrato
One size does NOT fit all.
throughout this entire piece.”
“Raise your eyebrows so you will
Vowel modification requires sing in tune.”
SPECIFIC solutions for each “Drop your jaw.”
section.
“Keep your tongue down.”
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Formant/Resonance Issues
Stamina of the Voice
“We are going to spend the
entire lesson/rehearsal today
How about:
singing everything on [du].”
([di], or [da]/ Pick one!)
“Tune your vowels to optimize
clarity and resonance.”
Imagine spending an entire
one-­‐hour workout at the gym
performing only squats!
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March 2011 5

6. Vocal Mistruc-ons -­‐ Presented by NATS at ACDA 3/8/11
Stamina of the Voice
What is optimal for the voice?
“We will have a rehearsal Friday
evening from 7-­‐9, Saturday from
10-­‐12 and then a dress rehearsal with
orchestra from 1-­‐3 and our concert • Opinions vary
will start at 4.”
• Not uncommon in all-­‐state,
• All voices are unique
honor choir, workshops, etc.
• Even under ideal circumstances • Overuse is abuse
too much can be harmful.
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Stamina of the Voice
Warm Ups/Cool Downs
“Warm ups take too much
“You’re a trained singer. Can’t rehearsal time. The choir
you sing for 1.5 hours and then should come ready to sing.”
sing a concert?”
“Singing the hymns for Sunday
Can a Major League Pitcher throw is a good way to warm up.
batting practice for two hours and Once everyone has arrived, we
then pitch a full game?
can cut right to the anthems.”
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7. Vocal Mistruc-ons -­‐ Presented by NATS at ACDA 3/8/11
Warm Ups/Cool Downs
Warm Ups
• As necessary to singers as to • 5-­‐7 minutes
athletes
• Cover 4 basic steps toward
• Best done a cappella
singing—Relaxation/Posture/
• Warm ups adjust posture of Breathing/Resonance
the voice
• Clear goals
• Cool downs assist in returning • Address technical problems in
to a speech posture
literature
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Cool Down
Questions?
• Brief
This presentation and a handout
• Descending glides
version can be downloaded at
• Return choir to speaking
http://acda.nats.org
range
• Sustained tone or chord
allen@nats.org
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