<p>Hi everyone. How are we all doing? I am a high school sophomore (going into my junior year in the fall) and am contemplating going to college for voice. At first I really wanted to study muscial theatre, but am reconsidering now. This is partly due to the fact that I have a very low bass voice. My voice teacher even told me that my range is rare. I also have been singing some classical/opera songs in my voice lessons, and I absolutely love them. Also, I really enjoy the study of foreign languages (I have just finished my third year of French and will continue throughout seniore year of high school and hopefully beyond). However, I also really enjoy the dancing and acting aspects of muscial theatre that would not really be studied as much in a voice program. Anyway, I was wondering how much does having a rare voice type affect your success in getting into a voice program and in the real world. Because this might be the deciding factor about what to do in college. Thanks</p>
<p>Male voices are always in much shorter supply than female voices, which makes acceptance into good programs considerably easier for a male–the bar is just not raised nearly as high for males in vocal performance programs. </p>
<p>However, I think that auditioning panels will be much more interested in the quality of that part of your range that is suitable for standard repertoire than they will be in any “rare notes.”</p>
<p>Yoshi, I am doing well, thank you. I am not an expert, but I see nothing wrong with an unusual voice. If anything, I would think that people who can do rare things tend to be in demand. If you really love musical theatre, go for it. You don’t want to spend your life kicking yourself in the rear end wondering what could have been.</p>
<p>Perhaps you should have a look at Oklahoma City U, where all students seem to study classical voice, and also audition for both musicals and classical performances. The dance offerings there are substantial as well.</p>
<p>Be wary of typing your voice too much at your age and sining too low too much at your age can be harmful. You have the whole bari-bass rep open to explore, so make use of it. Classical training will not hurt anyone, be it MT or VP, and as a guy, you have a better shot than the girls just because there are fewer of you!
The big difference comes at the end of your 4 years of college, because MT kids must head out into the “real world” since their “shelf life” is shorter, while VP majors audition for grad schools and look to YA programs. If you are truly going to end up as a full basso, then you may have to wait, even as an MT major because you will not have the physical presence needed to play the roles in your range until you age a bit more. Look to a good summer program next year-preferably classically based so that you can truly find out where your voice is heading- and get some direction from them.
While some schools do allow you to cross-audition (Baldwin-Wallace being another one who comes to mind), underclassmen do not often get roles anywhere, and for good reason; voices are fragile things and take time to mature. Once damaged, they don’t always go back together well, so good training is paramount.</p>
<p>Thank you for your comments. And mezzomamma, I have a voice teacher I am studying with, so I don’t think that I’m going to wear out my voice singing too low. And also, is it really true that VP majors have to go to grad school in order to be successful. Because I cant imagine going to grad school for something that is not even sure to pay off in the long run. Also, the thing about my voice (strangely enough) is that my speaking voice doesn’t sound to most people like I’d be a bass. Some people even make the automatic assumption that I’m a tenor when I tell them that I’m a singer! So I think that I’d be able to play roles in straight plays that are supposed to be played by younger people. Oh and also, you said that musical theatre majors have a shorter “shelf life” than vocal performance majors. What exactly does that mean? Thank you</p>
<p>Shorter “shelf life”: Most musical theatre performers have shorter careers than classical singers. Most big musical theatre roles are played by performers under 40 (or who look like they are under 35). In musical theatre there are relatively few roles for people whose voices sound like they are 40 or older. The dancing demands of musical theatre are usually much greater than opera or other classical vocal performance which also makes it difficult for the “aged” to keep up.</p>
<p>In the classical vocal world, male voices are just reaching their prime at the age that many musical theatre performers are finding roles tougher to obtain. Most male classical performers are able to keep performing well into their 50’s. Pavarotti performed his last complete opera when he was almost 70 and continued performing publicly after he was 70.</p>
<p>Most classical singers do some graduate work after their undergrad degree. Sometimes this graduate work is in the form of a diploma rather than a degree (usually meaning there is more emphasis on singing and performing and less emphasis on academics than there would be in a master’s or doctoral degree). If you truly love singing, then the graduate work as a singer will be something you love. Those pursuing careers in classical voice do so primarily because their passion for singing is so great that they cannot imagine doing anything else; they do not do it because there is anything even remotely close to a guarantee of success or financial reward. </p>
<p>If financial security and success are important, then I would advise on careers in disciplines like nursing, accounting, medicine, computer science, pharmacy and engineering. A career in music is rarely a sure thing and rarely pays as well as any of aforementioned; a career in vocal performance is even riskier than most other careers in music–it is so difficult to tell how a voice will develop and the competition is tremendous.</p>
<p>Thank you Violin Dad. I know that his is kind of a weird question, but I’ll ask it anyway. If musical theatre performers are done at the age 40, then what do they do after they reach this age? Do they retire to teaching drama or something like that? And also, I know that VP or MT majors don’t have a really big chance for financial success. And I’m well aware that I could easily get into any of the professions listed above (not to sound lofty or anything!). But the thing is, I would always be wondering “what if” all the time and I don’t think that I’d end up being happy. But the theatre is where I belong and I plan to stick to it even in the hardest of times. And who knows, maybe I’ll have an interest in directing, teaching drama, musical direction, or anything else related to the theatre. Regarding the shelf life part again, could I major in MT and then when I’m forty go back to grad school for VP?</p>
<p>Yoshi, don’t for one minute ever assume that because you are “studying with a voice teacher” that you couldn’t harm your voice. There are a great many teachers who know little or nothing about vocal pedagogy and vocal health and will push, or allow, singers to venture into territory which can harm their voices. And well known professionals such as Natalie Dessay and Rolando Villaz</p>
<p>Thank you Mezzo Mama. Let me just say that I don’t think that you “have to” stop working in the musical theatre world when you turn forty. I mean, there are many famous braodway actors and actresses that performed well passed that age (Patti Lupone, Ethel Merman, etc). And I don’t know, right now I guess I am a little confused about what to do when I get to college. I mean, I know that it will have some involvement with the theatre, but I just don’t know what yet. I think that I may very well end up majoring in acting, MT, or VP and then getting work for awhile then trying some new like directing or teaching. There’s just one small thing that I question with your post (I hope I’m not offending you, as that’s certainly not my intention!) But you said that MT performers are usually miked, and that’s true. But in every show I’ve heard, the directors always tell the performers to “project your voice as if there is no mike”. This is because the sound will come across as weak and soft if the performers rely on the mike. So I’m just wondering how singing without the mike would change the singers approach.</p>
<p>Yoshi-
Even with people like Patti Lupone and Ethel Merman once they hit 40 the roles whither, even though they are ‘bankable stars’. And that is for name billed stars, for those who are the broadway gypsies or leading people who aren’t ‘stars’, it is much worse. Go to musical theater productions and often if they have a role for an older character, it often goes to young performers 'playing old". Opera is very different, in many ways opera singers are coming into their own when MT and other singers are already at or past their peak (not as singers, but rather public taste changes), it is very different.</p>
<p>Ted Striker: It’s Lieutenant Hurwitz. Severe shell-shock. Thinks he’s Ethel Merman.</p>
<p>Good low bass voices, I believe, are in pretty high demand. If you love operatic/classical singing plus acting and dancing, you might consider an opera studies program. It;s not the most common, but it goes beyond simple performance. As acting and dancing skills are a major plus for operatic musicians, it may work for you.</p>