- Title
- Australian mixed-voice secondary school choirs: a case study of changing voices
- Creator
- van Gend, Marie Annette
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2019
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Participation in choirs in co-educational secondary schools in Australia is in decline (Pascoe et al., 2005). Many factors have been postulated as the cause of this, including social pressures, lack of time, lack of availability of trained choral leaders and perceived low status of choral singing. A major, but less discussed reason for the decline, may be a lack of understanding amongst choir leaders of the constant changes in the voices of adolescent singers. This can have a significant impact on the choral experience of boys and girls. Voice change is an issue unique to adolescent choirs. An understanding of the phases of change which choir members experience, and the strengths, weaknesses and overall technical and musical capabilities of the full ensemble, is essential for leaders and composers. This understanding impacts on repertoire selection and creation, voice placement in choral parts and pedagogy. Without a secure knowledge of adolescent voice change and its management, choir leaders may unknowingly be asking students to sing repertoire that is impossible for them – resulting in discomfort or failure and a decline in choir membership. Three SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analyses of Australian choirs concluded that the majority of conductors, even those with a Music degree, had received little formal training in vocal pedagogy and choral management (Harrison, Cowley, Connell, & Southcott, 2008; Hughes, 2017; Pietch, 2008). Despite decades of research into adolescent voice there appears to be little consideration of voice change in secondary school choral practice in Australia (Wicks, 2013, 2015; Wyvill, 2012). This research resulted from my need, as a secondary school choir leader, to understand what was going on with the individual voices in my choir. I wanted to understand how these changing voices were impacting on the ensemble’s overall sound, and how to manage that positively. Most mixed-voice choirs like mine were using SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, base) repertoire, but why was it causing such difficulties for many of my students? What was the best way to support students through voice change to ensure that they continued singing? There was no current resource that addressed these issues for Australian secondary school choir leaders, so I decided to undertake a detailed case study to fill that gap. This thesis describes the first in-depth case study of students from a mixed-voice, non-auditioned, secondary school choir in Australia, and presents its results. Seventy students aged 12 to 18 years participated. There were 29 boys and 41 girls. Range, tessitura, sF0 (spoken fundamental frequency), phonation gaps, transitions and vocal characteristics such as weight, airiness and timbre were all tested, recorded and analysed using Praat phonetic software. Spectrographic analysis was also performed. Students’ stages of vocal development were determined according to these parameters and characteristics, guided by the Cooksey and Gackle models of adolescent voice change. A modified classification framework, potentially more suited to Australian voices, resulted from this process. This case study provides a detailed snapshot of a typical mixed-voice non-auditioned secondary school choir. It also illustrates the impact of changing voices on both the sound and capabilities of the ensemble. The parameters that were most useful as indicators of a student’s vocal development stage were also assessed. Relationships between parameters were analysed, as was the influence of vocal training on vocal capabilities. The results of this case study were used to develop guidelines for secondary school choir leaders and composers for the placement of adolescent voices in SATB repertoire. An unintended benefit of this case study was the positive impact the testing had on the students’ understanding of their voices and the manner in which they later approached their singing. This appears to be an essential component in the successful management of secondary school choirs; students need to understand that their voice change is normal and temporary. When case-study participants understood this, they showed greater confidence and ownership of their voice change and started to work within the music to place their voices where they were the most comfortable. The results of this thesis suggest that the decline in choral singing in Australian co-educational secondary schools could be partly attributed to a lack of understanding of, and accommodation for, the changing voice. When the choir leaders and students understand the unique limitations and characteristics of a non-auditioned mixed-voice secondary school choir, they are more likely to choose or modify repertoire to suit those voices. When voice change is normalised, a confident and enjoyable musical experience is far more likely. This could be a valuable factor in attracting and retaining students in our choral programs.
- Subject
- adolescent voice; secondary school choir; voice change; Australia
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1413019
- Identifier
- uon:36566
- Rights
- Copyright 2019 Marie Annette van Gend
- Language
- eng
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 47 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 380 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |