Department of Theatre
Amount Awarded: $500.00
Awarded for 2019-20
Title: Summer Vocology Institute
This proposal seeks funding to complete training begun last summer at the Summer Vocology Institute through the National Center for Voice and Speech. Fulfilling the mission of the Dee Grant, this will enhance the effectiveness of my teaching by allowing me to more thoroughly meld the science and art of singing. It will positively impact department curricula as my newfound understanding of research methodologies will inform my teaching, keeping it current and relevant.
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Introduction
I was awarded a 2019-2020 Dee Grant in the amount of $500.00 from the Council of Dee Fellows in order to purchase the VoceVista Video Pro spectrographic analysis software, as recommended for use in coursework at the Summer Vocology Institute at the National Center for Voice and Speech. The coursework provided extensive training on voice acoustics, which is one of the major tools currently being used to bridge the gap between voice science and singing instruction. The VoceVista software has allowed me to demonstrate the important role vocal acoustics can play in vocal technique and development, which has had an immediate impact on my classroom and studio teaching.
Project
Just as light is made up of many colors, which are made visible when that light passes through a prism, sound is also made up of many components. With the VoceVista software, sung tones are visually represented by revealing their fundamental pitch (the frequency of oscillation) as well as all of the upper harmonics. In singing, these harmonics are either boosted or attenuated via vocal formants (or vocal resonances) which are determined by the length and shape of a singer’s vocal tract. The way these harmonics are highlighted by formants is what contributes to each person’s unique sound. From the pictures created by the VoceVista software, teachers can make inferences regarding individual singers’ acoustic efficiency. These inferences can then be used to improve vocal technique.
Outcomes/Application
On Friday, September 13, 2019, I led a two-hour Introduction to Vocal Acoustics seminar for 50+ students in the Actor Training Program in the Department of Theatre. After providing sufficient background information, I used the VoceVista software to demonstrate exactly how visual analysis software can be used and how it can lead to more efficient (and, ultimately, more expressive) singing.
The hands-on portion of my lecture used VoceVista to identify differences in the acoustic spectrum of classical singing and musical theatre-style singing. I then used the software to analyze vibrato, diction, and balance of onsets and offsets. We also explored multiple strategies for achieving the boost in high-harmonic energy that is the trademark of contemporary musical theatre singing.
Conclusion
The current generation of students is “plugged in” more than any previous generation. That being said, any technology that is brought into our teaching should have demonstrable value and not simply provide a distraction or a novelty effect. In just half of a semester, the VoceVista software has already proven to be a useful tool in both my classroom and studio teaching. As these tools of voice science continue to help identify how vocal styles are different from each other, we are better equipped to use these same tools to develop techniques and methodologies for effective singing.
I am grateful to the Council of Dee Fellows for providing this technological boost to my teaching, to our department, adn to the students we serve.