ABSTRACTSAustralian Voice
A Conversation with Marvin Keenze
Adele NisbetMarvin Keenze was visiting Sydney to participate in the Tomatis Workshops organised by that seasoned entrepreneur, Janice Light, when I caught up with him over coffee at the home of Pat Howes. We were in the company of other ANATS Sydney Chapter members for the evening and the ensuing conversation was revealing about where we, as a community of teaching professionals have come from and where we are going. Sadly, the laughter, the banter and the clinking of cups had to be edited out of this version!
Present were Marvin Keenze (MK), Adele Nisbet (AN), Pat Howes (PH), Jean Callaghan (JC), Rowena Cowley (RC), Kay Keenze and Stephen Howes
Australian Folksongs by Vincent Plush
Susan D. BoardmanAustralian Folksongs by Vincent Plush is a complex and beautiful folksong arrangement for baritone and chamber orchestra, which deserves to be better known among both performers and audiences. Australian Folksongs is about Australian history. Moreover, it is vocally, musically, and theatrically satisfying. This short article aims to introduce Plush’s Australian Folksongs to Australian singers and teachers of singers, and to encourage baritone voice students and young artists to explore this intriguing work.
Effects of Lecturing on the Voices of Tertiary Teachers
Lauren Speed and Jennifer OatesDespite anecdotal reports that university teachers are at increased risk of vocal dysfunction, there is no empirical evidence to support this contention. The present study aimed to establish whether lecturing was associated with deterioration in vocal characteristics. Twelve female and 4 male university teachers completed vocal tasks prior to and at the conclusion of presenting a lecture. Objective voice measures, perceptual ratings and self-reported ratings were compared before and after lecturing. Several objective and self-reported features deteriorated following presentation of a lecture: Maximum phonation time, maximum phonational frequency range, minimum fundamental frequency, and self-reports of “tired voice”, “talking is effortful” and “my voice will negatively affect what I can do with it for the rest of the day”. The results indicated that lecturing can be vocally demanding and that more extensive research is warranted to build a clearer picture of the effects that lecturing has on the voice and of the prevalence of vocal dysfunction in university teachers.
Poulenc’s Fiançailles Pour Rire and Banalités: A Guide for Performers
Martin NéronBanalités and Fiançailles pour rire are among Poulenc’s most accessible works for voice and piano and represent for young singers an excellent alternative to the songs of Fauré and Debussy. Conceived as groups of songs rather than cycles, they need not be performed in their entirety. Set to poems by Guillaume Apollinaire and Louise de Vilmorin, they demonstrate Poulenc’s preference for poetry aligned with his own sensibility and written by poets he had personally met. This poetry finds its inspiration in the poets’ own life experiences. Understanding this background information helps the performer to communicate, more accurately, the essential quality of each song.
Master Teacher – Master Performer, Oren Brown
Adele NisbetOren Brown opened a private studio of singing in Boston in 1932. He has been Professor of Voice and Chair of the Music Department at Shurtleff College in Illinois, taught voice at Principia College, Southern Illinois University, Washington University, Union Theology Seminary, Mannes College and is Voice Faculty Emeritus of Julliard School, where he taught for nineteen years. He has been a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing since 1948, serving on the Editorial Board of their journal, their Research Committee and for six years as Chairman of the Committee for Vocal Education. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Southern Region of NATS for contributions to the teaching profession. In 1952, brown was appointed Lecturer in Voice Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine. He served both Barnes Hospital and St Louis City Hospital in this work until he moved to New York City in 1968. In New York, he became a member of the New York Singing Teachers Association and in 1999 he was presented a citation by them “In appreciation for his Pioneering Research and Contributions to Voice Therapy and the Teaching of Singing” Mr Brown has been a faculty member of The Voice Foundation since 1972. Under their sponsorship, he made the video Therapy for Singers for their Master Series in 1985. He has written many articles on voice and is author of the book Discover Your Voice. Adele caught up with Mr Brown over a meal in the Carelia Restaurant in Helsinki, one evening during the Fifth International Congress of Voice Teachers.
Pilates Training and the Actor/Singer
Joan MeltonThere are distinct differences in breathing technique between most Pilates training and voice work for the actor and singer. Yet the powerful benefits of Pilates training may override those technical incompatibilities. This article suggests practical solutions to specific problems through 1) communication between Pilates trainers and voice specialists, 2) individual adaptation of voice-related breathing patterns to Pilates work, and 3) the use of modified Pilates-based exercises in the voice class.
The Ages of the Voice
John RubinThere is nothing static about our larynx or vocal tract. It changes throughout life. This review is designed to look at aspects of the larynx or vocal tract over time, in order to allow the reader some understanding of changes that may occur therein. It is a distillation of a presentation given at the Fifth Voice Symposium of Australia held in Brisbane in October 2000.
Real Men Don’t Sing — or Do They?
A report on some exploratory research into issues of males’ non-participation in certain musical activities
Scott D. Harrison
The problem of males’ non-participation in certain musical activities has been the subject of research for many years. This paper revisits some of the issues in relation to this phenomenon. Historical and contemporary perspectives in stereotyping are investigated to determine the extent of the problem. Empirical and sociological studies are re-examined in the light of more recent thought on the subject, particularly with regard to the possible causes of non-participation in singing. The paper concludes with some perspectives arising from recent case studies.