Vocalist.org archive


From:  Mike & Vicki Bryant <mbryant@f...>
Date:  Sun Sep 24, 2000  5:22 am
Subject:  Re: Singing in ensemble


Chris Thomas wrote:

vtec> Exactly! When my technique was less solid, I found it much harder to
sing in
vtec> the chorus. Perhaps, though, that's the question... should a young
singer
vtec> who is working on solidifying his/her solo technique have to sing in a
choral
vtec> setting?

Well, I don't believe anybody should "have to do" anything; everything
is a choice. But a young singer can feel free to sing in a choral
setting while still solidifying technique. The singer should bring
the challenging choral sections in to his voice teacher, especially
any sections which constantly create vocal tension, and the teacher
can help analyze what might be causing the difficulty and help to
alleviate it. This usually relates directly to technique, but
sometimes has to do with learning to sing by feel (rather than by
sound, which is deceptive in a chorus) or to adjusting vowels on
certain words. I have asked for this kind of help from my own voice
teacher, and I have provided this kind of help to my students, and in
every instance, it not only helps for the particular passage but is
useful for similar instances going forward. It also helps improve
technique overall, as the solutions usually carry over to fixing
problems in the solo material.

By the way, before people start jumping all over my "everything is a
choice" statement and talking about what schools require, please
remember that not all schools have the same requirements; you can
choose what school to go to, and you can choose not to go to school!
If you choose to go to a school which requires an ensemble and you
absolutely don't wish to sing in an ensemble, you might want to
rethink your choices. :)

Vicki Bryant, mezzo-soprano
Naperville, IL



emusic.com