Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
Vocal pedagogy, bel canto, vocal science, physiology, vocal practice, medical science, anatomy of the voice
Abstract
The voice is the oldest instrument in existence. Throughout its history, there have been many vocal performances practices. The purpose of my research is to show the correlation between modern vocal practices and the current medical technology available to help us understand the physiology of the voice. I am studying and analyzing the vocal performance and pedagogical practices from the early church to present day. I want to know why these vocal strategies have changed over time. There have been several different schools of thinking in regards to vocal practices. From the Italian style bel canto singing that was widely popular in the sixteenth century and opera to more current techniques including the Alexander technique and The Estill voice model. One common and easy way to explain these shifts in vocal techniques would be attributing it to stylistic changes in music throughout history. The issue with style changes being the only evidence for this shift, however, is that vocal practices didn’t change with every single change in style eras in music history; it was a more gradual, then rapid, change. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that vocal practices began to take a turn. In the past millennium, the majority of vocal techniques emerged in the past century or two. This begs the question: what is it about modern time that has inspired so many vocal strategies to emerge? The answer: technology. The advancement of medical technology and the scientific study of the vocal folds influenced a change in vocal performances practices and pedagogical approaches to singing.
Campus Venue
Stevens Student Center, Room 240
Location
Cedarville, OH
Start Date
4-12-2017 3:30 PM
End Date
4-12-2017 4:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
PowerPoint
Included in
Anatomy Commons, Medical Physiology Commons, Musicology Commons, Music Pedagogy Commons, Music Performance Commons, Music Practice Commons, Physiological Processes Commons
The Science of Singing: A Voice Lesson from Anatomy and Physiology
Cedarville, OH
The voice is the oldest instrument in existence. Throughout its history, there have been many vocal performances practices. The purpose of my research is to show the correlation between modern vocal practices and the current medical technology available to help us understand the physiology of the voice. I am studying and analyzing the vocal performance and pedagogical practices from the early church to present day. I want to know why these vocal strategies have changed over time. There have been several different schools of thinking in regards to vocal practices. From the Italian style bel canto singing that was widely popular in the sixteenth century and opera to more current techniques including the Alexander technique and The Estill voice model. One common and easy way to explain these shifts in vocal techniques would be attributing it to stylistic changes in music throughout history. The issue with style changes being the only evidence for this shift, however, is that vocal practices didn’t change with every single change in style eras in music history; it was a more gradual, then rapid, change. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that vocal practices began to take a turn. In the past millennium, the majority of vocal techniques emerged in the past century or two. This begs the question: what is it about modern time that has inspired so many vocal strategies to emerge? The answer: technology. The advancement of medical technology and the scientific study of the vocal folds influenced a change in vocal performances practices and pedagogical approaches to singing.
