<p>Has anyone's son or daughter ( or you, yourself) decided to change your concentration from MT to Vocal Performance/Opera? My D is still in HS (finishin her sophomore year) and is one of those kids who has been described as an incredible mixture of talent,motivation and drive. It was MT all the way, and the switch has surprised me, but not her voice teacher! She still loves MT and takes every opportunity to get on a stage, musical, straight play, recital (right now. she's rehearsing 4 parts!), whatever, but is really taken with opera so now it is back to the drawing board to look at the schools with the best Vocal Performance departments (she already has two ideas for Operatic Graduate Schools!). She is lucky in that she will be doing both the VP and MT sections at OCU this summer, so she'll have a great chance to work and observe some of the best.
Just wondering if the "bug" has bitten anyone else?! I've done a search on the board and not found too mcuh about opera, so if I've missed something, I'd appreciate being re-directed. Thanks!</p>
<p>Lulu is young to be singing opera, so it is appropriate that she has been concentrating vocally on things suitable for her. Opera makes extreme demands on the voice in terms of range, flexibility, color, projection, drama, language communication, etc. Musical theater requires scaled-down versions of those things, and she can be successful sooner. Good singing is good singing, however, and she can use healthy singing in the musical theater idiom as she matures into a voice suitable for the opera repertory. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is her voice teacher, who must be knowledgeable, inspirational, helpful, resourceful, dependable, and a wonderful technical teacher. Good luck. Lorelei</p>
<p>We have been most fortunate in our search for a voice teacher and my D works with a wonderful woman who is European and trains her in much the same way they do in other countries, where younger voices DO sing arias and leider, they just are chosen wisely and appropriately for the lighter voice. She is also watched over by a very well-known laryngologist (sp?) who treats singers from all over the world, which really gives one peace of mind.
There are many arias and art songs that are well suited for teens and, in fact, do far less damage than the constant "belting" that one is hearing so much of these days. There are coaches and schools here that turn those kids out by the dozen, and while they may have the lead in the High School play now, they will have no voice at all by the time they are 25! The MD's office is full of the kids who have been pushing to belt "Defying Gravity" and "Astonishing", something my D is NOT allowed to do.
D studies and sings in several languages already(luck that Mom is also a linguist!) and competes and has received excellent scores and comments from the Judges. All of that being said, she is a lyric soprano NOW, but that may change as the color and timbre develop with age.
Thanks for you answer!</p>
<p>LuLu'sMom,
I'm not so sure she has to make a choice at this point. My oldest D will graduate from OCU in May (YEAH!) with an MT degree and in December with a VP degree. She has had leads in musicals and operas alike while at OCU. She plans to continue to audition for musicals but has also applied to some young artist programs. At some point I think she'll have to make a decision as to which way to go, but right now she is comfortable in both worlds and gets to perform in both worlds.</p>
<p>"my D works with a wonderful woman who is European and trains her in much the same way they do in other countries, where younger voices DO sing arias and lieder," </p>
<p>Keep in mine that much of the music performed in this country as "musical theater" is NEVER sung in Europe. "West Side Story""Candide""My Fair Lady""Phantom of the Opera", yes; operetta, yes; contemporary musical theater works, no. Non-classical techniques are different, too. For instance, Italian classical singers who do cross-over singing, do not try to mix the techniques, but rather they pitch the pop/belt music so low, they never have to "belt" into mid-range. In European countries, there are strong nationalistic musical cultures which favor the music of their country and language. Only in America is there a true international training in all the languages and styles, however successfully it is accomplished. Certainly there are lots of early Italian and French arias which are wonderfully appropriate training exercises, but except for some classical maid roles (Mozart, Pergolesi), they are not works which are done outside the academic studio and the solo recital. German lieder requires a sophistication of musicality, musicianship, and language which is seldom satisfied by an American teen, however the simple and lyrical the song seems to be. My experience with teenage singers would indicate that most should not categorize themselves as anything but "female protagonist" and "male protagonist" and individual pieces should be chosen by tessitura even more than range. </p>
<p>Belting is a technique for projection in the middle range which does not necessarily produce a lovely sound. Some singers can manage it healthily, i.e. manage to keep singing for years without becoming quavery and weak in that range, and others have a very limited shelf life. More singers can find roles to suit their package of body type and sound in the musical theater idiom than in the classical world of opera. It is a personal choice and a realistic attitude which will determine which is the goal. </p>
<p>At any rate, there is lots of time for your daughter to explore what she most enjoys and to find out how her voice will develop, whether it will be a voice which suits her body type and personality, which are crucial issues in opera casting. It sounds like she is fortunate to have inherited her mom's ear for languages...huge advantage! Good luck.</p>
<p>Hi Lulu'smom,
Lots of things to talk about from reading this forum,</p>
<p>I came here because as a Junior in high school, I recently made the switch from MT to Opera. Last year, in my sophomore year, I performed in a small opera, Dido and Aeneas. Being an all girls production, I was Aeneas. But, I was so turned on to the style of singing. I'd always loved acting, so acting while singing was natural to me. I didn't know what I wanted to do later in my life, but, I figured that this opera just showed me that I enjoyed singing. </p>
<p>My voice teacher at school advised me to apply to the Eastman School of Music summer program. (A place your daughter might consider if she is still interested in classical music conservatory style by senior year). There, I worked with some great teachers. However, I was the only musical theater student there. While the other girls were showing off with songs from Die Fledermaus and La Boheme, I stuck to Wicked and The Last 5 Years. </p>
<p>At the end of the summer, the other girls were told that they were singing the wrong songs for their voice (as you've mentioned above). My voice teacher agees with this, as there are some songs that voices our age just can't produce the right sound for. We're not mature enough. So, I'm very glad that your D's teacher isn't singing the wrong things. However, there is a difference between belting and hurting your voice. If your D has the capability to sing really loudly from her chest, she shouldn't give that up. There is a reason they call it the chest voice, the sound comes from your chest. Some singers like Beyonce are killing their voices trying to produce that sound from their throat. So, if MT is what she wants to do with her life, she might try a teacher that will allow her to explore the options of what her voice can do.</p>
<p>Anyway, back on track, after that summer, I was reccomended to a MT voice teacher near my house. He was great and I loved working with him, but he didn't focus me on classical repertoire. I still wanted to explore my options. I found a new voice teacher that allowed me to sing classical art songs. In doing this, I loved the sound that came out singing these songs. My voice teacher loved it too. I can tell you, from experience, that no one knows how hard it really is to go from MT schools to Music Schools in terms of looking. MT gets more publicity on this board, especially in the MT Major section that we're in right now, because of its popularity. If you go into the Music Major section, you'll find more there.
That's a great program to apply to if you are unsure about MT or Opera. Everyone on this board has probably told you, you have plenty of time to explore, and all that stuff. But, it sounds like your D is just like me in that she has so many things planned out. I, personally, love the college process. It's been a true delight to plan out things. (And I, too have two graduate schools picked out already :) ) No matter what anyone says, it's never too early to start looking. The more you know yourself, the easier it is not to take everything other teachers say as truth. For instance, an old teacher of mine really wanted me to go to Suny Purchase. He said that the music program there would be perfect for my voice. But, the more I found out about it, the more I realized that it would be the complete wrong place for me. So, I'd say - GOOD LUCK! Not because it is hard, but because it can seem overwhelming at times.
As I said, I'm a junior, but just so you know, these are the current schools on my list for Vocal Performance (factor in that I want to minor in Business Administration so Ithaca, Oberlin, and other conservatories such as Juilliard and Eastman were taken off). BU, CMU, Duquesne, Indiana, Illinois Wesleyan, NYU, Northwestern, Syracuse, U of Cincinnati, U of Miami.</p>
<p>Hope this helps, if you have any more questions feel free to ask. I've loved every minute of this process and can't wait to audition for schools.</p>
<p>Stacey</p>
<p>Don't forget about Peabody at Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>My senior daughter got bit with the opera bug as a sophomore in a vocal fellowship program. She's done regional/community MT since she was 9 and I thought that would always be her path. She now loves both, lol! She rarely does MT now because she just doesn't have the time, but when something comes up she has to sing at, it reminds her how much she still loves MT. Her classical training has only made her MT singing all the more beautiful, so don't worry about choosing!! Let her enjoy a mix of things and see where it leads her.</p>
<p>Thanks Stacey and all of the "Mom's". No, my D still does a lot of MT pieces, but works mostly in mixed belt and uses a lot of the pre-70's "Barbara Cooke" pieces.Her teacher is VERY careful and never overuses any one part for too long. Most of the schools are on her list already (except for Eastman- TOO close to home!), but the classical training really does make her singing in general so much better. She competes, all classical at this point, and places over girls much older, so there is definitely something there! I think she likes the empahsis on acting and the recitative moving the scenes along too!
I will further explore the "Music Majors" board too,thanks.</p>
<p>A correction to what operasinger2000 said - ALL sound is produced at the level of the vocal folds - "chest," "belt" (which usually refers to either taking the chest voice up beyond lower passagio, singing loudly in a strident way, or both), "mix" (combining chest and head to various degrees), "middle," and "head". Chest voice got that name because of where the voice resonates most strongly (in the chest cavity), as did head (in the nasal sinuses and other skull cavities). Anyone who pushes her voice with "throat muscles" - and young opera singers sometimes do this, too, although definitely not a much as young MT singers - is at risk for vocal injury.</p>
<p>To my voice clinician ear, I find that Beyonce has a naturally strong gospel mix, honed since she was a child, and usually sings quite healthily. If she is "at risk," it's because she uses her voice so much - but that's true of anyone who sings for a living (esp. MT singers doing 8 shows a week, no matter HOW good their technique is).</p>
<p>Just my 2 voice therapist cents. :)</p>
<p>Sorry, my bad :(
I'm just a teenager. What do I know? lol</p>
<p>It's ok - you sure know more than a lot of "voice teachers"!!! :) And any vocal physiology stuff is great to learn. ;)</p>