International Congress of Voice Teachers Paris July 2009 Poster
The Role of Vocal Identity in developing a unique Vocal Timbre
Dr. Susan J. Monks (Susan Yarnall) University of Chichester
Vocal timbre can be viewed in its constituent parts or as a whole. This poster paper looks at vocal timbre from the individual perspective of the performing singer. It examines the results of various qualitative studies examining the layers of meaning given to vocal timbre found in the narrative of singers. In particular, the perceptual experiences taking place both internally and externally during vocalisation and the role of vocal identity. The multiple methods approach and the importance of using ‘real world’ singers involved in the active process of singing is advocated. In this poster three aspects of vocal perception and vocal identity are illustrated through various research projects.
· Constructing the singing voice
· Expression through the singing voice
· Reflection on the singing voice
The first project identifies the initial themes that emerged from a preliminary series of interviews with amateur and professional singers and the analysis of metaphors describing vocal timbre. Singers revealed aspects of constructing the voice by learning to control their singing and a sense of owning the voice. The use of space and movement descriptions was more noticeable in professional and active amateur singers.
The second project describes the results from an empirical study using diary and interview data collected during the preparation of a specific recording and listening task where twenty-two singers recorded three songs from different genres. Self-expression through the voice highlighted the way singers had to come terms with their own vocal timbre that sometimes appeared to be at odds with self-perceptions. This was obvious when it came to playing back the recording of individual singers and this provoked a more detailed analysis into the mismatch of internally and externally perceived sound. The complex role of the ear in vocal perception became more apparent as the data revealed the different experiences that singers reported on hearing back the sound of the voice.
The third project examines the experience of undergraduate singers in the first term of study and the role of assessment in developing reflexive practitioners. This latest research seeks to link findings from the previous two studies with a practical educational initiative to improve vocal tuition at undergraduate level. Twenty-six undergraduate singers were interviewed at the beginning and end of their first semester and fifteen volunteered to maintain a singing diary monitoring their vocal experiences in the first three months of undergraduate training. Results suggest that some undergraduate singers find it difficult to reflect on their singing voice and this prevents them from developing vocal skills at an important time in training. (Research project funded by Palatine: the Higher Education Subject centre for Dance, Drama and Music)
In the three studies illustrated in this poster ‘vocal identity’ is seen to give orientation to the singer’s perceptual experiences, influencing not only the cognitive, auditory and physical sensations but the emotional and psychological responses as well. This suggests that a singer needs to develop and maintain an active psycho-acoustic-sensory motor process: a perceptual and interactive loop that has to work within the cultural and social constraints of the musical environment, in order to develop a full range of vocal timbres capable of expressing subtle and sophisticated musical communication.
Susan studied singing while training for a teaching degree in London. She pursued a professional vocal career as Susan Yarnall but continued with her interest in the psychology of music and singing. She completed her MA with distinction in 2001 and received her PhD in 2007 at Sheffield University with a thesis Perceptions of the Singing Voice exploring vocal identity, timbre and aural perception. She is a vocal tutor and assistant lecturer at Chichester University and she teaches singing at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in London. She continues to perform song recitals, specialising in modern English, American and French composers. She was Chairman of the Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) from 2004-2006, and she has contributed papers to ICVT and EVTA conferences since 2001, as well as having articles published in Singing, Journal of Singing and the British Journal of Music Education.
References for ICVT 2009 Paris
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Monks, S. J., (2001) Study of the Relationship between Adolescent Vocal Development and Self-image, unpublished MA thesis: University of Sheffield.
Monks, S. J. (2003) ‘Adolescent Singers and Perceptions of Vocal Identity’, British Journal Music Education, 20(3): 243-256.
Monks, S. J. (2007) Perceptions of the Singing Voice PhD thesis, University of Sheffield
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