The Valparaiso University Chapter

of Music Educators’ National Conference

Teaching the Changing Adolescent Male Voice

by Christina Clark

As music educators, there are many challenges that we regularly face in our profession.  For middle school general music teachers and choral directors, arguably the most challenging task is keeping the male adolescents involved in choir.  Some of the most common reasons for early teenage boys to drop out of choir or not sign up for it at all include the physical and psychological development during puberty, the sociological perceptions and peer pressures about music and singing, and the inappropriate teaching style, selection of literature and poor coaching of their voices during this time of change.  While choir directors have no control over the first two problems with male enrollment in their program, it is their fault alone for not being educated enough to properly train the voices of their male students.  Teachers not only need to understand the physiology of the male voice change, but they also need to know what warm-up exercises help adolescents thru this change, how they can make their male students feel confident and comfortable while singing during this stage in their life, and what choral literature is most suitable for all the different male voices in middle school.

 

The first thing that all middle school choir directors must realize is that there will be boys in all different stages of vocal development in their classroom.  Some will have a baritone voice within the first year of adolescence, while others will have a soprano or alto range for all three years.  Even though you may not be able to help every boy on an individual basis, it is incredibly important to know that each one is a unique singer with their own personal voice.

 

All singers have two distinct parts to their voice: head voice and chest voice.  The head voice range is usually between the F above middle C to the F an octave higher.  The chest voice range is between the F below middle C down to the F below the bass clef.  Males also have a middle range which is called the passaggio.  The passaggio requires a mixture of both head and chest voice to create the proper timbre and pitch.  For a growing adolescent male, this area of the voice almost doesn’t exist.  The passaggio range is generally from the F below middle C to the F above middle C.  Boys of this age simply cannot make a sound in many parts of this range due to the fact that their vocal chords have not fully come together because of their rapid growth.  This is why it is often called “the break” in the voice. 

 

Boys with unchanged voices cannot be forced to change.  There is no vocal exercise that will help to extend or lower a range that isn’t there.  However, training an unchanged voice is definitely not a waste of time.  By getting the student comfortable with singing in his upper register, this can help to keep a nice, clear head voice when his body does begin to change.  In picking vocal parts for untrained voices, you can allow them to sing the soprano or alto line.  In all-boys ensembles, you can call these parts I and II. 

 

When teaching middle school males how to sing properly during this difficult changing phase, you should be sure to encourage them to sing in both the head and chest registers.  Otherwise the student may develop poor technique when trying to use the untrained part of his voice.  Make sure to keep them practicing and vocalizing on a regular basis.  If they don’t have them use their voice consistently, their larynx maturation process will take longer than normal.  Some middle school directors shy away from having their boys sing in their upper register once they gain a lower chest voice.  However, this inattention can greatly reduce the students’ overall range as he grows older.  This lack of vocalization in the head voice will also make singing in the passaggio much more difficult.  Cracks in the voice (moments during vocalization where the voice will randomly jump up to the head register) will occur naturally and on a regular basis, especially to future bass or baritone singers.

 

Since these changes can sometimes be overwhelming and frustrating to the student, it is our job as educators to make it as easy as possible for them.  Not only should you spend extra time on scalar warm-up exercises that move through the passaggio, but teachers can also re-write or arrange parts to fit their choir or even individual singers.  Often times, choral directors write parts up or down the octave to best suit the students.  They also write out certain notes in the melodic or harmonic line if they are in a difficult range of the boy’s voice.  Another good way to get male students comfortable with their new voice is to bring an adult male singer or role model into the classroom to demonstrate the falsetto and future full range.  Teachers can also have male performance groups, such as a cappella singers, barbershop quartets, or glee clubs from the local high school or professional performance companies to encourage the boys to continue with their vocal training and instruction.

 

Just as you would with any other musical ensemble, it is important not to forget to teach correct posture, support and breath control.  Having good techniques in these areas will help make the changing process easier on every student.   As long as you are patient, supportive, understanding, and willing to work toward making each male singer comfortable in their ever-changing body, you will have a strong and successful choral program filled with a multitude of men.

 

Reprinted with the author’s permission. Reproduction in any form is prohibited.

© 2006, Valparaiso University MENC

 

A Student Organization at Valparaiso University - Valparaiso, IN

A Member Chapter of Music Educators’ National Conference