Page 11 - Church Music Quarterly March 2018

VOCAL HEALTH FOR
YOUNG SINGERS
Anita Morrison has recently written for young singers The Chorister and the Racing Car, a book on vocal health and performance, reviewed on page 42.1
Unlike a French horn, which you can put in a case at the end of a performance, clean, oil, repair or even replace, the vocal mechanism that produces the human voice is unique to the owner, an irreplaceable instrument that must be cultivated and preserved to last a whole lifetime. In this article I shall explore the origins of the voice, its physical properties, the nurturing of young voices and some of the concerns that may arise. I shall discuss healthy voice use and its inseparability from healthy body use, empowering students to take ownership of their own learning and vocal health, while noting the duties and knowledge requirements that lie with adults who have responsibility for their care and development.
WHAT IS THE VOCAL MECHANISM?
The vocal mechanism comprises the ‘voice-box’ or larynx and an arrangement of cartilage, tissue, muscle and bone whose primary function is to prevent anything other than air entering our lungs during breathing or swallowing. It uses various reflex actions that shut down the entrance to the windpipe, protecting the airway. The physical actions that produce and shape vocal sound are secondary functions of this mechanism, evolving from
a basic survival reflex into a communication instrument with a nearly limitless potential for conveying information, emotion and meaning, nuanced with the subtlety of colour and inflection. The preservation of vocal health
is essential; without it our ability to communicate
in this rich and varied way is severely reduced.
WHAT IS VOCAL HEALTH?
Vocal health is a combination of vocal hygiene, the specific practices that care for the physical mechanism of the voice, and the techniques employed to ensure that the voice is used in a non-harmful and efficient
way for optimal long-term performance. It is never
too early to instil healthy vocal habits; the trick is doing so in an accessible way. In over 25 years of teaching young singers I have found that lessons that are fun, imaginative and clear without being patronizing are the most effective and produce the greatest long-term benefit. Children are naturally inquisitive and, in my experience, not good at taking advice on pure ‘say-so’. They like to explore things for themselves and the
more we can do to allow this experimentation in
a safe environment the better. Knowing how the
vocal mechanism works enables young people to take responsibility for their voices, and understand when
to seek advice about their concerns and help from appropriate, knowledgeable, supportive adults. Providing young singers with the knowledge of vocal health and the vocabulary with which to express it empowers them to take ownership of their voices.
THE ORIGINS OF THE VOICE
We begin to make noise from the moment of birth; making sound is a primal instinct to communicate our needs. Throughout childhood, vocal communication skills develop as we interact with our environment. The infant body is not fully developed and the vocal mechanism is very different from that of an adult. To allow for suckling and breathing at the same time, a baby’s larynx sits high in the neck. The vocal ligaments are, as yet, unformed and at this stage there is little
or no control over the sound produced. As time passes, physical changes occur in the vocal mechanism giving increased control over the shaping of sound. The baby’s high-set larynx slowly descends until puberty where it finds its adult level. The vocal ligaments form during this time until the combination of laryngeal size and position and vocal fold length lay down the basis for the adult voice. Respecting the developing body and
its limitations is vital to nurturing vocal health in young singers.2
ANITA MORRISON
VOCAL HEALTH FOR YOUNG SINGERS 11