Matthew Schulte

MUSE 258 Voice Techniques

Learning about the Boy’s Changing Voice

In the first two videos, some of the main things I learned are encouraging adolescent men
to continue singing throughout puberty and every voice is unique. Puberty can be a hard time for
male singers as they lose a lot of range at the time of change, causing them to feel insecure or
nervous about singing. It is important to encourage them to continue singing, as they will not be
in that transition forever. The other thing that I noticed was every boy had a different range that
didn’t always relate to their speaking voice. Some boys had a higher speaking pitch but a lower
singing range, and other boys had the opposite. As teachers, we need to create a plan for each
voice that allows them to succeed. One thing she mentioned in the first video was the importance
of exercising the lower range. With the Lithuanian choir, the song sounds as though it’s set in G
major. I think there is three vocal parts, although I am not completely confident in it. The lowest
part sounds as though the range is g2-d4. The middle part sounds like it could possibly be
somewhere between g3-e4. The highest part sounds like it could be between g4-d5. The
unchanged would be singing the highest part, the cambiatas would sing the middle part and then
sing in the comfortable octave for the verses, and the baritones would sing the low part. The
Gloria is in G major. I would say there are two parts until the end of the song where the lower
part splits. The lower part has a range around c3-c4. The higher part has a range around c3-g4.
The unchanged would be singing the upper part, the cambiatas would most likely be split
between the upper and lower parts until the end, and the baritones would be singing the lower
part. The Boatmen Stomp modulates between B minor and A major. It sounds like there are three
parts. The high part has a range around a3-a4, the middle part has a range around a3-f#4, and the
lower part has a range around a2-a3. The unchanged would be singing the upper part, the
cambiatas would be singing the middle part, and the baritones would be singing the lower part.
Barbara Ann is in F major then modulates to Ab major. It sounds like there are three parts
supporting the soloists. The lower part sounds like it has a range around b2-bb3, the middle part
sounds like it is around a3-eb4, and the highest part sounds like it is around c4-g4. The first and
second soloist sound like they’re around eb4-eb5, and the third soloist sounds like he’s around
gb3-eb4. I would place the first soloist in the unchanged category, the second in the cambiata
category, and the third in the baritone category. I learned that working with middle school boys
requires flexibility and positivity. You want to let them be proud of their voice wherever it may
be and work with them to keep singing.