So You Want to Sing Music Theater: A Guide for Professionals

So You Want to Sing Music Theater: A Guide for Professionals

Karen Hall

Language: English

Pages: 180

ISBN: 0810888386

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


In some ways, the successor of vaudeville and an extension of the opera and operetta, the stage musical has evolved into a worldwide juggernaut. Musicals are staged not only across the globe but are offered in a variety of settings, from the high school stage and major theater to the big screen. The stage musical has become a staple for the professional singer and the object of close study by students of singing. In So You Want to Sing Music Theater: A Guide for Professionals, singer and scholar Karen S. Hall fills an important gap in the instructional literature for those who sing or teach singing to those seeking their fortunes in music theatrical productions. Developed in coordination with the National Association for Teachers of Singing, this work draws on current research from the world of voice scholarship to advance the careers of singers seeking to make a foray into or already deeply embedded in the world of music theater.

So You Want to Sing Music Theater covers a vast array of topics. It includes a brief history of music theater; the basics of vocal science and anatomy; information on vocal and bodily health and maintenance, from diet to exercise to healing techniques; advice on teaching music theater to others, with focuses on breath, posture, registers, range, and tone quality; repertoire recommendations for voice and singing types, from female and male belting to classical and contemporary styles; a survey of music theater styles, such as folk, country, rock, gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz, and pop; insights on working with other music theater stakeholder, from singing teacher, vocal coach and accompanist, to acting teacher, director, dance instructor, composer, and music director; and finally sage advice on working with and without amplification or microphones, auditioning tips, and casting challenges.

So You Want to Sing Music Theater includes guest-authored chapters by singing professionals Scott McCoy and Wendy LeBorgne, as well as audio and visual examples available from the website of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. This work is not only the ideal guide to singing professionals, but the perfect reference works for voice teachers and their students, music directors, acting teachers, dance instructors and choreographers, and composers, and conductors.

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Greenwood, 1999; Hoffman-Ruddy, Lehman, Crandell, Ingram, & Sapienza, 2001; LeBorgne, Donahue, Brehm, & Weinrich, 2012; Evans, Evans, Carvajal, & Perry, 1996; Koufman, Radomski, Joharji, Russell, & Pillsbury, 1996; Heman-Ackah, Dean, & Sataloff, 2002; Lundy, Casiano, Sullivan, Roy, Xue, & Evans, 1999; Tepe, Deutsch, Sampson, Lawless, Reilly, & Sataloff, 2002). Many times these “abnormalities” are in singers who have no vocal complaints or symptoms of vocal problems. From a performance

to adjust their voices and techniques. The higher extension of the belt voice has several names: high belt, super belt, rock belt, and pop soprano (Sabella-Mills, 2010; Deer & Dal Vera, 2008; Roll, 2012). Often the belt voice is defined by what it is not: classical vocal production. It is generally accepted that the vocal demands of music theater singing are significantly different than classical singing technique. Another way to understand the belt voice is that it is an extension of the

theater singers do use more belt than mix singing production with success. Voice scientists have not yet studied this phenomenon. The belt is often described as loud, brassy, nasal, and ringy. Up until ten to fifteen years ago, the mix/belt singing voice extended to C5. With the recent arrival of the pop/rock style musical, a music theater female singer must now be able to produce the mix/belt sound to E5 and beyond to meet the vocal requirements found in many of the new musicals like Wicked

style), sung by Sam Harris (contemporary leading man type) (1:16–end) “Why? ’Cause I’m a Guy” from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (pop style), sung by Danny Burstein and Robert Roznowski (mature leading man and contemporary leading man types) Female and Male Character Voice Singing Male and female character voice roles are found in both music theater and opera. In music theater, character voice singing requires the altering of one’s voice to communicate the perceived personality

demanding on the voice. A sound understanding of how to accomplish these sounds without vocal injury is crucial. Sometimes a rock singer is seated to play an instrument, and the sitting position can have an adverse impact on one’s singing. You need to learn how to sit in a way that allows for healthy singing, with your upper torso upright to enable deep breathing and your neck area free of tension. Even if you’re standing, however, rock singing can be challenging. “A guitarist who sings is

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