The Aging Voice: An Interview with Six Conductors

Transcription

1 ChorTeach page 5 develop strong music reading skills. Once your students are fl uent readers, the learning of new pieces will take less time, leaving you with more time for making music. I hope you will try these ideas and techniques. They certainly have worked for me! Schuller In my experience as a voice specialist, I have worked with several people with aging voices. I am also a conductor. Bjella Yes, community choirs and church choirs. Crabb I conduct a 150-voice Town and Gown choir which contains retirees. Sayer Yes, as director of several community choruses as well as church work. The Aging Voice: An Interview with Six Conductors by Mark Lawley Willard High School, Battlefi eld, Missouri (Reprinted with permission from Missouri's MCDA Reprter, Spring 2007) Choral conductors who work with older singers will fi nd the information in this article valuable in their work with mature adult singers. Conductors participating in this interview include Lin Wallin Schuller, certifi ed McClosky Voice Technician and choral director, South Easton, Massachusetts; Richard Bjella, Lawrence University's Director of Choral Studies, Appleton, Wisconsin; Also Paul Crabb, Director of Choral Activities, University of Missouri, Columbia; Ron Sayer, Marshall Community Chorus, Marshall High School, Marshall, Missouri; Bill Grace, retired choral director, member of Liberty Community Chorus and Liberty United Methodist Choir, Kansas City, Missouri; and Tim Lautzenheiser, Ball State University and President/ Founder of Attitude Concepts for Today, Bluffton, Indiana. After each question, responses of participants will be in the order their names are listed above. Following the responses will be a synthesis of the data. Have you had any experience working with (teaching or conducting) the aging voice? If so, please give a brief description of your work. Grace I really cannot remember a church choir I ve ever had that did not have at least one or two individuals in the choir who needed the choir more than the choir needed them. Most of these individuals were either widows or widowers who were there as devoted Christians praising their Lord but who also found the choir a source of companionship and fellowship. Lautzenheiser I have conducted vocal ensembles with older people involved. All of the participants in the survey have experience working with the aging voice. The different perspective each brings to the discussion will broaden the dialogue. Grace s comments raise the issue of whether singers should contribute for the good of the choir or if the choir exists for the benefi t and well-being of the singer. This philosophical question should be addressed by every active conductor with older adults in his/her choir. What is the mission, the purpose of the choir? Clarity in this area will facilitate decision-making by a conductor. I believe choral directors should employ techniques discussed in this article as a fi rst attempt to keep singers with aging voices singing for as long as is possible. What are some characteristics of the aging voice? Schuller They can vary greatly, but we generally associate the following with aging: wobble or tremolo, pitch inaccuracy, loss of breath control, weakness and unpleasantness of tone.

2 ChorTeach page 6 Bjella Slow vibrato, lack of fl exibility, decrease in range, wobble in the jaw, breathiness, and lack of vibrancy. Crabb Slowing down and widening of the vibrato, slower response to directions, sometimes behind the beat with diction and rhythms. Sayer Decreased range, diffi culty in negotiating the "breaks" found in all voices, and decreased control over the vibrato. I also notice things that I attribute to hearing problems, including diffi culty in maintaining a good blend with other singers, and, to a lesser extent, diffi culty in judging volume levels accurately. There are also unique things associated with the aging process of males and females that add to the above diffi culties--hormonal problems, osteoporosis and brain deterioration. Grace Probably the most obvious is the loss of breath support and control which also causes a problem of increased width of vibrato. As we age we have a tendency not to exercise or engage in as much strenuous physical activity, thus our bodies, including abdominal muscles, have a tendency to lose their tone. The amplitude of the vibrato increases with many elderly singers causing severe blend problems. I have had several singers who develop a more edgy tone quality. If hearing problems develop, problems of intonation unrelated to the vibrato can develop. Lautzenheiser In older people, the strength of the vocal resonance tends to diminish which, in turn, impacts pitch accuracy. Common among most of the responses was the lack of breath support, problems with vibrato, pitch inaccuracy, and strength. Conductors should avoid the tendency to accept these changes as a natural progression. Directors have a duty, I believe, to fi nd techniques that will aid older singers in regaining a renewed sense of youthful vibrancy in the voice. Singers should also be helped in developing daily vocalises by their conductors. As the vocal mechanism receives careful, even methodical attention, refi nement and rehabilitation can occur. Is it possible to distinguish between vocal aging and vocal abuse? Schuller Voice abuse can be a component of the adverse effect of aging, but that's not generally the case. Many physical changes contribute to changes in the singing voice: loss of general and abdominal muscle tone, decreased breathing capacity because lungs lose elasticity and the ribs become less fl exible, diminished strength and ability to coordinate physical activities. Also cartilages turn to bone and joints lose their ability for smooth motions. Vocal abuse is often marked by hoarseness and/or loss of range in singers as well as, sometimes, pain while singing or speaking. Voice abuse can be more often detected in the speaking voice rather than the singing voice. Bjella Yes. In general, I believe a lack of stamina in rehearsals often means that voice production principles are neglected. This results in the development of partial blockage of full phonation. Crabb Perhaps one would need to investigate to determine if an individual s vocal symptoms are a result of previous abuse or just aging. Such a situation may take more personal/individual attention than I can give in choral rehearsals. Sayer I think it is possible based on age. In senior citizens, very few of the problems encountered result from vocal abuse. In younger people this is a grayer area. Let's face it, most older adults don't engage in activities that would cause vocal abuse with perhaps the exception of heavy smokers and/or drinkers. Vocal problems in more advanced years are probably a result of the natural aging process. Grace I really don't know. I have worked with younger singers who should be at the height of their abilities but who sing with a raspy, unpleasant quality I have always believed to be caused by vocal abuse at some earlier time. Working with high school cheerleaders was always a challenge. I always did my best to teach them how to CHEAT as they were cheering. I have never thought of the elder singing voice as being the result of abuse or too much singing but rather a lack of healthy and varied vocal exercise.

3 ChorTeach page 7 Lautzenheiser I suspect there is... although I m not sure how to do this without medical input; there is no question about our ability to tell that a voice has been abused. Most of the panelists agree that vocal aging and abuse are two separate factors. Bjella feels that if a singer with an aging voice is using incorrect techniques, vocal abuse may be occurring. This idea is supported by Grace who attributes the fading quality to lack of vocal exercise. According to Schuller, a voice specialist, vocal abuse usually occurs fi rst in the speaking voice and may be accompanied by pain. Vocal abuse and vocal aging are not synonymous. If a conductor suspects that a singer may be suffering from vocal abuse, he/she should refer the singer to a medical professional. Have you observed any psychological effects on a singer with a noticeably aging voice? If so, were you able to offer any help to the singer? Schuller Naturally, one who has sung for many years can be profoundly affected by the loss of ability to sing. In the clients with whom I have worked, an improved ability to sing has been a wonderful boost in emotional health for the singer. Bjella Yes, so much of the self-esteem of singers is based on their using their voices successfully. I think offering individual aging singers specifi c exercises to use during the off season has helped them. Crabb Not really. We all want to sing well and can get frustrated when the voice doesn t respond as well as we d like. Many of these folks do not sing on a daily basis. Obviously, their voices don t respond similarly to the times when they participated in school choirs and sang daily, so aging may not be the only factor involved in their current state of vocal health. Sayer Yes, they become very self-conscious, and, I think, a little embarrassed by their vocal problems. They need to be assured that this is all natural and, in an ensemble situation, they still can be a positive contributor to the group. They need help in understanding that what they hear individually is not what an audience hears collectively. The psychological approach employed by a director can either help or discourage at this age. I try to make these wonderful people feel that they are an important contributor to the overall choir product. I also try to not call attention to their vocal problems in front of others or during rehearsal. This could be shattering. Grace I will speak from personal experience on this question. Shortly after retirement I developed an allergy/asthma problem. I now take daily allergy medicine and also have two "puffers" to clear my lungs which allow me to breath easier. Since developing this problem I cannot carry a phrase as I once could. The fact is... I cannot carry through one phrase! This bothers me. I do my best to not do any solo work because I know I cannot offer an interpretation as effectively as I once could. My current choir director just laughs and says, "Yeah, but you re smart enough to cover it up (the problem)." Maybe so, but I know that I'm not doing what I once could and that bothers me. Conversely, Domingo and Pavarotti are basically the same age as I so it's obvious that good, healthy singing can still occur at 70! I still sing in a fi ne vocal quartet because I can hide my problem in the ensemble. Lautzenheiser The fact that they want to continue singing speaks to the joy they receive from participation in a choir. Most people I knew were aware that their vocal quality had diminished; however, they still wanted to contribute. Crabb was the only participant who seemed not to notice psychological effects on aging singers. The other participants generally agreed that since singing was something these choir members were passionate about, signs of an aging voice naturally affected them in a negative way. Sayer s response was important for all of us in the choral profession: A director s compassionate and understanding communications to singers can make a big difference in their desire to be a part of a choir. In my opinion, Sayer s statement about helping the singer understand that what is happening is natural is incorrect. It is natural in the sense that everyone ages; however, the characteristics associated with aging can be avoided, or at least successfully diminished. Directors should know that a singer with a healthy technique can sing very well into her late seventies. This statement

4 ChorTeach page 8 was reinforced by Grace s reference to Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. As Schuller and Bjella suggested, singers who are given techniques to improve their voices realize that it may be possible to reverse the effects of the again process; the psychological uplift can be powerful. What has been the most effective exercise or technique you have found in improving the vocal quality of the aging voice? Schuller In my work I use the McClosky techniques for healthy voice training. They can enhance healthy singing and, more importantly for your purposes, improve troubled and aging voices. I have found that many of the changes we typically associate with aging voices are due to lack of conditioning rather than inevitable change. These changes can often be reversed. In general, rehabilitation can improve vocal function and minimize the characteristics of the old voice. Schuller's suggestions: (a) Exercise, general body conditioning, walking, swimming. (b) appropriate medical attention for supervision of medications, cardiac and respiratory functions. (c) systematic daily voice use and practice of healthy voice exercises. (d) adherence to healthy vocal hygiene, daily water intake, suffi cient sleep, balanced diet, fi tness, medical attention and monitoring of medications and their effect on voices. Bjella Short onset (starting vocal tone) exercises, sigh release from the top down, nasal to aural exercises. Crabb Attempting to improve vowel formation and physical movement to free the voice and involve the whole body. Sayer I rely on many of the same tools I use with younger high school singers. I fi nd that the process and the diffi culty older singers may be experiencing is similar to that of developing teenage singers. The only difference is that the desired result is not the development of a voice but the maintenance of the existing voice. Grace I insist on a warm-up session with each church choir I've ever worked. A portion of that exercise period would be emphasis on long, sustained tones with each singer concentrating on increasing his or her own ability in this area. I would count seconds and challenge each singer to gradually increase the number of seconds he or she could sustain a tone. I also encouraged and worked toward a straighter tone from particular individuals (with excessive vibrato) through concentration. Lautzenheiser Simply continue participating in choirs and be aware of the fragile nature of the vocal mechanism. In all replies except that of Lautzenheiser, emphasis is clearly placed on vocal technique. All singers must be reminded in nearly every rehearsal about the primacy of healthy singing technique. As voices age, the benefi ts of keeping the singing muscles well toned are signifi cant. This is especially true in cases where the aging voice matches the chronological age. If both are advanced, techniques suggested by the survey participants can, in effect, turn back the biological clock. Conductors should make their singers with aging voices aware of the importance of systematic daily vocal exercises as suggested by Schuller. Employing specifi c techniques offered by Bjella, Crabb, Sayer, and Grace will also have positive results. Singers should know that it is possible to sing well at advanced ages. What advice would you offer choral conductors whose ensembles includes a wide range of ages? Schuller Encourage your singers to exercise voice and body daily. If you rehearse only once a week, the voices will not be ready to perform in an acceptable manner, I believe. Always warm up the singers, beginning with single tone drills and increasing the level of diffi culty and ranges. Bjella Insist on good vocalism fi rst. Don t allow the sound to become cloudy in your community group. Crabb Respect the differing needs of your singers. Answer this question: Why are these people singing here? Positive, reinforcing comments provide much more encouragement for improvement. Also, don t pace the rehearsal too quickly.

5 ChorTeach page 9 Sayer Be patient. Be understanding. Do not add to the existing self-consciousness of aging singers but try to make them feel that they are an integral part of the choir. Try to learn as much as you can about the aging process in both men and women. Each gender has unique problems and concerns. Encourage discussion among your singers, especially those of similar gender and age, about what they are experiencing as singers. Above all, be patient and kind. Grace I sincerely believe my earlier statement: Some singers need the choir more than the choir needs them. I have never worked with an auditioned choir or a choir with paid soloists. I have not had the desire to do so. I have never had a choir where the aging voice was such a severe problem that it caused the choir to perform badly or caused a worship service to lose its effectiveness. If I were working with a community choir, I would certainly have some semblance of an audition to protect myself from singers that cannot match pitch, etc. Lautzenheiser Simply be aware of the condition of your singers. Be sensitive to what is going on with the individual, expecting no more than can be delivered with the vocal equipment at hand. Crabb points out the importance of pacing in rehearsals. Conductors do face challenges when taking into account the varied ability levels and backgrounds of their singers. The aging voice is just one of several issues to be aware of in ones work with choirs. By consistently insisting on good vocalism, a choir will not fall into a pattern of unacceptable vocal production. Sensitivity to people and their needs, as stressed by Sayer, Lautzenheiser, and Grace, will create an environment where the singer with an aging voice fi nds an environment for learning good singing habits and challenging old beliefs. Finally, choral conductors should develop a wide array of techniques specifi - cally designed to revitalize the aging voice. Feel free to share any other thoughts about working with choirs containing aging voices. Schuller If an 18-year-old sings at 50% of capacity, the sound may be acceptable. However, at age 65, 50% will elicit an unacceptable performance. Lack of conditioning can be reversed to bring one back to reasonable vocal health. Chronological age is less important than biological age. Bjella Picking literature that can be done well by the ensemble is critical. As much as I like Bach, there is not much of it that can be done well by an ensemble with many aging voices. Sayer As a man, I believe it is easier for me to understand what an aging male might be experiencing. I can't relate as well to what an aging woman is experiencing and thinking. So directors must make the extra effort to fi nd out and understand all they can about the female aging process. The opposite would be true of a female director. Grace My wife and I had just accepted new positions as choir director and organist at a local church. We met the choir for the fi rst time shortly before Easter, and it was necessary to work quickly to get suitable anthems ready for the season. I had chosen an easy arrangement of "Were You There." The fi nal phrase ended on a lovely, pianissimo unison. In rehearsal, the choir arrived at that delicate point, and I heard a major second! I was just about to chastise the sopranos for not listening when I discovered that a lovely, sweet, white-haired soprano had a vibrato the size of King Kong! She retired from the choir a year later. We repeated the anthem the next year so the congregation could know how it really should end. I also had a soprano--the problems are not always in the soprano section--who was an irascible old maid and with no wonder. She was antieverything except the choir! Whenever she spoke, it was with an angry or frustrated voice, and when she sang, it was no different. She did not retire until after Ann and I had been at the church for 14 years and had moved to another church. But she was one of the best examples of a person who needed the choir more than the choir needed her. At another time, I also had an elderly bass in the choir. He worked hard during rehearsals but in actual church services, he became so "full of the spirit" he would close his eyes and sing as the spirit led him--not necessarily with the choir. LautzenheiserFrom my narrow perspective, the desire to participate far outweighs the level of vocal quality.

6 ChorTeach page 10 With comments by Schuller in mind, it is critical for conductors to convey to singers with aging voices the notion that their voices do not have to age and that they do not have to settle for poor quality. Directors should keep progressive improvement in mind. It is true that an ensemble should do music which can be performed well, but as the conductor trains and revitalizes voices, the level of diffi culty should move up. Sayer makes a great point that a conductor should be on a quest to fi nd out everything he/she can about the opposite gender s vocal aging process. Such knowledge can lead to more advanced techniques that will work to the advantage of aging voices. Grace's stories about individuals in his church choirs remind all of us of the importance of a conductor having a well-thought-out philosophy about the mission and goals of her choir. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fi ghting a hard battle. Plato May I Suggest a Better Blend? by Donna Spicer, First Presbyterian Church, Roseburg, Oregon (Reprinted with permission from Oregon's Choral Focus, March 2007) Following each concert of the community choir I direct, I fi nd it helpful to spend time evaluating the strengths and weaknesses not only of the performance, but also the preparation for it as well. The following suggestions have worked well for me. I hope you will give them a try. For better blend in rehearsals, choose one singer from each section whose sound comes closest to your concept of good tone quality, and then match the other voices in the section to that sound. Like a recipe, keep adding one voice at a time until you achieve the blend and tone you want from the section. If the singers aren't creating the sound you want, try having them sing with the opposite quality, e.g., nasal, breathy, etc., then immediately tell them to reverse that sound. If they are able to hear and feel the difference, they are more likely to change their own sound. To emphasize a particular infl ection or phrase, have singers imitate your spoken infl ection and tessitura. Speak a phrase or passage with any accents or textual emphasis in the tessitura in which it is to be sung. Give particular attention to appropriate syllabic stress in words and their position in phrases. Have the singers imitate your infl ection (speaking) then immediately sing it. When making corrections, stop singers and say what you want in seven words or less. Correction followed by immediate practice doesn't (usually) allow the singers time to forget what you have suggested. In warm-ups, have the singers turn to the person next them and watch each other's mouth position for the formation of the vowels. Then have them tactfully critique each other's vowel shapes. This exercise often makes singers more conscious of purer vowels and relaxed jaws. For a diffi cult passage in the music, have everyone sing with the struggling section on a particular line, then each section returns to its on part. On a tricky or rhythmically challenging passage, have everyone sing staccato and a cappella. Errors in rhythm and pitch are instantly (and embarrassingly) noticeable. For a smoother, legato line, have singers conduct the phrase with their hands or arms. More body involvement helps intrinsically solidify the legato character. If normally seated in sections, give singers assigned seats in a circle in mixed quartets, arranged by you, the director, ahead of time. Try this technique just before the singers are actually ready to do so. Their level of concern and attention will rise as they quickly realize where their weaknesses lie.