The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of developing a theory in vocal pedagogy, voiception, which could provide teaching techniques with tangibility for gaining control of both voluntary and involuntary functions of the singing act. This study appears to show that feeling tone and cognition are innately involved with singing, since the vocal instrument is actually a part of the singer. Analysis of the sung vowel through the singing sensation is the connecting link for gaining control of involuntary vocal functions.

Dr. Eph Ehly is one of the most sought after choral conductors in the United States today. Ehly has conducted over seventy All-State choirs. However, no previous source outlines the fundamental principles of his philosophy and rehearsal techniques.This study was designed to capsulize Ehly's contributions. The writer produced a videotape entitled, "Eph Ehly: A Source of True Inspiration." This video captures Dr. Ehly's philosophy regarding the All-State choir experience and demonstrates his rehearsal techniques. The author attended three All-State festivals where Ehly was the guest conductor (Indiana, New York, and Oklahoma). The video contains rehearsals and performances and videotaped interviews with Dr. Ehly.The cornerstone of Ehly's approach is this: using music to express. There are three components to Ehly's philosophy: 1) the physical component, 2) the emotional component, and 3) the spiritual component. The writer identified four forms of the physical component: 1) handshake, 2) hug, 3) clapping, and 4) other spontaneous physical gestures. The writer identified eight aspects of the emotional component: 1) expressivity, 2) sensitivity to the world, themselves, and their own emotions, 3) sympathy, 4) reality of emotions, 5) creating mood, 6) building ensemble, 7) music as a reflection of life, and 8) awareness of a "sixth sense." In describing the spiritual component, two divisions were identified: 1) the development of character, and 2) reaching a level of spirit-awareness.The study also summarizes Ehly's rehearsal techniques by outlining his idiosyncratic approach to the treatment of traditional musical elements. The video presentation highlights nine technical concerns and demonstrates Ehly's approach to these common problems. The areas addressed are: 1) tone quality, 2) diction, 3) rhythm, 4) dynamics, 5) phrasing, 6) articulation, 7) breathing, 8) vowel modification, and 9) vibrato. The videotape is supported by a written document containing background information, a script of the video, a summary by the author, a representative list of programs from AllState choirs conducted by Dr. Ehly, and transcripts of the interviews with Dr. Ehly. Church musicians, professional conductors, educators, and students of conducting can all benefit from the opportunity to view and evaluate Ehly's approach. / School of Music

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of voice teachers regarding the degree to which they believe they teach and monitor healthy vocal behaviors among their students as they sing and speak. Participants for the study were college/university voice professors who were members of the College Music Society and listed in its Directory of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada, 2012-2013 Edition. Online, survey research procedures and a researcher-generated questionnaire were utilized for data collection purposes. Results indicated that an overwhelming majority of participants believed there to be a relationship between the health of one’s singing voice and the health of one’s speaking voice. Participants’ perception scores were the most positive for variable MBSi, or the degree to which they believe they monitor the vocal behaviors of students when singing. Participants’ perception scores for variable TVB, the degree to which they believe they teach healthy vocal behaviors to students, and variable MBSp, the degree to which they believe they monitor the vocal behaviors of students when speaking, ranked second and third respectively. Perception scores for variable TVB were primarily associated with participants’ familiarity with vocal rehabilitation techniques, gender, and participants’ familiarity with the McClosky Technique. Perception scores for variable MBSi were primarily associated with participants’ familiarity with vocal rehabilitation techniques, gender, type of student taught, and whether participants had instructed a student with a vocal disorder. Perception scores for variable MBSp were correlated with the greatest number of characteristics, including participants’ familiarity with vocal rehabilitation techniques, participants’ familiarity with the McClosky Technique, type of student taught, years of teaching experience, and whether participants had instructed a student with a vocal disorder. The researcher concluded that, while many voice teachers understand the relationship between the health of the speaking voice and the health of the singing voice and use various methods within their private studios to work with injured voices, voice teachers and students may not understand, nor be adequately prepared to prevent and intervene when it comes to issues of the speaking voice. In fact, the researcher concluded that there seems to be a disconnect among teachers and students alike when it comes to teaching and understanding healthy vocal behaviors and applying them to the speaking voice. Multiple resources exist, however, in the form of various certifications, symposiums, and workshops, through which voice teachers may avail themselves of the knowledge necessary to care for the overall health of their students’ speaking and singing voices. Indeed, the voice teacher is obligated to teach well-rounded, healthy vocal behaviors, applying them to both the singing voice and the speaking voice. As medical professionals more frequently reach out to voice teachers, voice teachers will have increased opportunity to assume a more active role on a voice care team. Because so many teachers already implement methods found within the McClosky Technique, if used with understanding and commitment, the Technique could be a means for habilitation, prevention, and intervention on behalf of students suffering from speaking voice disorders within the voice studio. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / School of Music

Orientador: Sonia Marta Rodrigues Raymundo / Banca: Luiz Eduardo Frin / Banca: Luiz Ricardo Ballestero / Banca: Márcia Aparecida Baldin Guimarães / Banca: Wladimir Farto Contesini de Mattos / Resumo: O termo cantor-ator refere-se a cantores líricos que levem em conta qualquer grau de responsabilidade cênica existente em qualquer tipo de performance de seu repertório, considerando que o ato de cantar em público já é em si um ato cênico. Dessa forma, existe a necessidade do cantor agregar outras habilidades artísticas que vão além da produção técnico-musical, pois sua atitude cênica não é apenas complemento, mas parte fundamental de seu fazer artístico. Junto a isso, identifica-se uma lacuna na formação profissional dos cantores líricos referente a seu desenvolvimento cênico. O objetivo dessa pesquisa é propor atividades direcionadas ao desenvolvimento de habilidades relacionadas às necessidades cênicas do cantor-ator. A pesquisa fundamenta-se na revisão da literatura específica sobre a atuação cênica do cantor lírico como referencial teórico, tendo os princípios da metodologia do diretor norte-americano Wesley Balk (1981, 1989 e 1991) como fundamentação principal. A proposta de atividades é composta por exercícios e jogos cujo foco de desenvolvimento cênico contemple pelo menos um dos objetivos a seguir: 1) A construção de uma inteligência relativa ao uso cooperativo e assertivo dos recursos expressivos do cantor lírico - corpo, voz e rosto, proporcionando-lhe a integração dos processos de cantar e atuar; 2) o estímulo da sua sensibilidade e criatividade como forma de lhe desenvolver autonomia criativa que lhe permita o senso de verdade cênica e adaptabilidade na performan... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The singer - actor term refers to classical singers that consider any degree of scenic responsibility existed in any kind of his/her repertory's performance, keeping in mind that the act of singing in public is a scenic act by itself . In this way, there is a demand for the singer to aggregate other abilities beyond the technical - musical production, because his/her scenic attitude is not just a complement, but a fundamental part of his/her artistic practice. In addition, there is a gap in singers professional qualification regarding his/her acting development. The objective of this research is to propose activities aimed at the development of abilities related to the scenic needs of the singer - actor. The research is based on the review of the specific literature on the classi cal singer's scenic performance as a theoretical reference, with the principles of Wesley Balk's methodology (1981, 1989 and 1991) as the main foundation. The proposal of activities is composed of exercises and games whose focus of scenic development contemplates at least one of the following objectives: 1) The construction of an intelligence related to the cooperative and assertive use of the expressive resources of the classical singer - body, voice and face, provid ing to him/her the integration of the singing and acting processes; 2) the stimulation of his/her sensibility and creativity as a way to develop creative autonomy that allows him/her the sense of scenic truth and adaptability in perform... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

The problem of this study was to measure the effect upon the tone quality of singers resulting from identifying a specific goal, modeling with a cassette tape of the student's own voice, prescribing practice, and giving verbal approval. On the basis of the findings, these conclusions are drawn. (1) There is no significant difference in prescribing practice of an identified goal, utilizing a model or giving verbal approval. (2) Higher gain in pretest - posttest scores for the experimental groups while the control group showed the lowest gain suggests these teaching methods may be effective. (3) A high correlation of raters can be attained by the training method used in this study.

Numerous studies exist examining the link in solo singers between timbre and overtone spectra. The purpose of this study is to examine if similar results can be obtained by applying the same techniques to choral singing. The study is aimed at non-scientific readers and therefore introduces the subject with background to the relevant physics. In this study a number of recorded samples of choirs were taken from www.youtube.com and analyzed. The analysis included computation of long-term average spectra (LTAS) and singing power ratio‟s (SPR), which provided an indication of the relative energy in the higher overtone region of every choir. This was compared to a binary value judgment of the choirs. The results indicate that the SPR as applied to soloists cannot be directly applied to choirs. A link between SPR and a perceived “good” choral tone could exist but would have to be interpreted differently than in the case of soloists. It was also found that a possible link could exist between frequency peaks in LTAS and a choir‟s intonation.

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The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of guided musical analysis and guided attention to textual understanding on the speed of solo memorization by selected university vocal students. The guided musical analysis consisted of instruction to a subject regarding the melodic elements, rhythmic elements, phraseology, form, and key relationships of the experimental songs. The guided attention to textual understanding consisted of instruction to a subject regarding the meaning and phraseology of the experimental song texts. Subjects were required to rhythmically scan the texts in a declamatory manner. It was concluded that the three conditions of memorization were equally effective. Memorization rates were not significantly altered by historical period of song. Differences in memorization rates appeared to parallel the subjects' academic performances and their performances on the Drake Musical Aptitude Tests. Findings of this study indicated that future memorization experiments should be conducted with larger samples of subjects of a single sex who are music majors.

An assessment of the standard voice instructor or performer collection of printed music would likely reveal numerous operatic repertoire volumes in anthology format appropriated to the primary four voice categories. However, thorough investigation divulges little in comparable printed material accessible to the countertenor. This scarcity of systemized collections is especially evident in the territory of comprehensive countertenor operatic repertoire. This project fills that present void by creating a compilation of sixteen countertenor arias drawn from various styles and historical periods for suggested application in studio instruction and performance. Perhaps, a more meaningful project intent is the presentation of a beneficial graded literature continuum resource for the studio teacher who instructs a countertenor in various stages of vocal development. For this purpose, each of the 16 arias is categorized into four difficulty levels based on considerations of range, tessitura, coloratura demands, rhythm, sustained phrase length, tonality, melodic considerations/overall musical difficulty, accompaniment support, and ornamentation requirements. The project also addresses common issues of pedagogy and ornamentation for voice teacher consideration when instructing a developing countertenor.

This dissertation is about the influence of body image on classical vocal performance in collegiate women singers. Those trained in classical singing are familiar with the phrase, “your body is your instrument.” A focus on the physical body is apparent in the vocal pedagogical literature, as is attention to singers’ mental and emotional states. But the intersection of emotions and the body—how one thinks and feels about their body, or body image—is largely absent from the vocal pedagogical literature. As voice teachers continue to necessarily address their students’ instruments (bodies), the field has not adequately considered how each singer’s relationship with their instrument (their body) might affect them, as singers and as people. This initial foray sought answers to just two of the myriad unanswered questions surrounding this topic: Does a singer’s body image influence her singing? If so, when and how? It employed a feminist methodological framework that would provide for consciousness-raising as both a method and aim of the study. Four collegiate women singers served as co-researchers, and data collection took place in three parts: a focus group, audio diaries, and interviews. The focus group was specifically geared towards consciousness-raising in order to provide co-researchers with the awareness necessary for examining their body image. Co-researchers then recorded semi-structured audio diaries for one month after practice sessions, voice lessons, and performances. One-on-one interviews concluded data collection and provided a situation of co-analysis wherein the researcher and co-researcher could deeply examine data from the focus group and diaries. The major discovery of this research is a pervasive sense of separation between a woman singer’s “everyday body” and her singer’s body. Self-objectification served as a barrier to a conscious recognition of embodied experience and effectively split the singer in two. The various states of the relationship between these two seemingly separate entities resulted in specific outcomes for singing, including restriction, unawareness, inconsistency, and focus. The discussion concludes with a consideration of how a positive body image may encourage effective and artistic vocal performance and how voice teachers might help foster a positive experience of one’s body.