Transcript The Journey of the Voice From Birth to Death

The Journey of the Voice
From Birth to Death
Dr. Valerie Trollinger
Kutztown University of
Pennsylvania
TMEA, 2007
San Antonio, TX
Why?
• A lot of recent research.
• Will affect the way we work with voices
from the very young to the mature.
• Will help us better understand “what is
going on in there.”
• Revisit strategies to teach singing,
especially to children.
The body and singing
What will address:
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Respiratory development
Laryngeal development
Vocal band development
Muscular/ligament development
Phonation
Registration events
Events external to the larynx
Implications for music educators
Will not address in detail:
• Singing ranges
• Changing voices/puberty--whole different
set of issues.
DISCLAIMER
• Please note: This presentation is only meant as
an introduction. The voice is very complex, and
voice specialists still have many questions that
they can’t quite answer, especially about child
singing. While the information presented here is
based on scientific research, there are areas
that we simply don’t have information about, but
they are relevant to us. It is hoped that research
will take place to address some of these
vagaries about the child voice and singing. You
are encouraged to do your own investigating,
too!.
Basic Voice Terms and Parts
• Larynx
• Thyroarytenoid cartilages and Cricothyroid
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cartilages
Vocal bands, phonation
Vocal ligament
Vocal Tract
Ligaments, muscles, tendons, cartilage
Illustrations
Larynx-external
Internal Laryngeal Structures
(simplified)
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Vocal Ligament
A Definition of Registers
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Have proven to be confusing
Manuel Garcia (1805-1906)
Voice Science
Singing
What happens? What do we call them?
Baby Voice
Characteristics
• Small respiratory system
• Larynx small and wide: mostly cartilage:
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place very high in the vocal tract.
No vocal ligament
Birth cry @ 500 HZ
Muscles are unshaped
Vocal bands mucosal
Baby Phonations
• Reflexive.
• Displays use of registers--but not the ones we
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think of in singing.
Short vocal bands are limited in pitch production.
We do not yet know how vertical laryngeal
movement ( which we see later in older children)
affects pitch. No research on children, but much
on adults.
Baby Singing?
• Imitate them
• Sing where they phonate
• Initiate echo games--you imitate them
Preschoolers
(to age 7)
Preschool Voice
• No differences between boys and girls
• Larynx continues drop:speech frequency
can be @ 260-360 Hz.
• Vocal bands grow, become more fibrous
• Vocal ligament structure starts to become
evident ( around the age of 4) but is not
functional.
Preschool Phonation
• Since limited vocal ligament function ( if much at
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all), then registration events for singing do not
happen yet.
Many children phonate with their larynxes at a
rest position, however, we have observed them
moving the larynx vertically to assist in creating
higher and lower pitches. Again, this has been
studied with adults, but not with young children.
Preschool Singing?
• Limited range due to limited laryngeal
development.
• Middle C is generally attainable by age of
5, but there will be great variability.
• D to A good place to work within.
Childhood Prior to Puberty
Physical Characteristics
• Respiratory system grows and strengthens.
• Larynx is larger, still mostly cartilage.
• Larynx continues the drop ( speech frequency
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fundamental can be around D-C in elementary
years).
Bands lengthen, vocal ligament begins more
layering, but still not adult-like until age of 10-13
yrs.
Thyroid cartilage lengthens and gains
characteristic shape.
Child Phonation
• Larynx still moves mostly up and down,
but due to longer vocal tract, has more
available pitches, but not all are
accessible.
• Boys are more prone to vocal damage,
often due to vocal hyperfunction, than
girls.
Child Singing?
• Increased range and breath control, but
still varies from child to child.
Justine, age 5
Justine, age 11
The Change
What happens:
• Boys:
• Larynx drops dramatically
QuickTime™ and a
Animation decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Boys, cont…
• Vocal bands get longer
• Combination of larger, lower larynx and
longer vocal bands is why the voice is
lower.
• Voice may bounce back up if it changes
dramatically
What happens to Girls?
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Ages 11 or so (younger?)
Hormones initiate the change
Menstruation
Causes changes in:
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Laryngeal size
Length of vocal bands
Strength of breath
Supporting structures
Phonation
• Can be wild for both boys and girls
– Boys: dealing with a whole different voice anatomy
– Girls: can find that singing high is not as easy as it
was before--anecdotal evidence suggests that the
vocal mechanism may feel a bit stiff due to the V.L.
kicking in.
– Boys and girls both have singing registers, however
boys will sing primarily in the heavy adjustment, while
girls will need to use all the mixed adjustments.
Singing?
• Good time to keep them separate.
• Rewriting of choral music to work with
changing voices is appropriate ( for
example, don’t make your altos go too
low).
• From here on, girls will have more
tendency to have vocal problems.
Adult Voice
Characteristics
• “Fach” may emerge, but can change from
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early 20’s into middle life.
Vocal ligament is developed completely
Voice is considered mature in the middle
30’s.
Larynx still continues to drop, calcification
continues.
Bands stop growing.
Adult Phonation
• Every which way--up down, side to side,
rocking.
• Great variety of sounds are available, but
they may not be all accessible, depending
upon how well the voice has been
nurtured.
Adult Singing?
• Wide singing range possible.
• Adult singing voice stabilizes at about the
age of 35, then will likely stay there for a
long period before the individual is very
old.
Senior Years
Physical Characteristics
• Calcification is more evident
• Vocal mechanism is less lubricated
• Women’s voices may be considerably
lower.
• More difficult to control in singing,
especially if the person didn’t learn how to
sing correctly when younger.
Phonation & Singing
• Diminished range and control
• Can have problems maintaining a pitch
• Possible excessive vibrato
• A VOICE THAT HAS BEEN KEPT
HEALTHY WILL LIKELY NOT SHOW
EXCESSIVE EVIDENCE OF OLD AGE.
Death
Characteristics
Permanent Vocal
Rest
Questions?
Acknowledgements
• Lambs with Baaaaad Posture--from Sarah
Dorsey, University of NC at Greensboro
music librarian.
• Voice samples/pics
– Justine; my collection of samples
– Others; from the Voice Academy
The Journey of the Voice
From Birth to Death
Dr. Valerie Trollinger
Kutztown University of
Pennsylvania
[email protected]
http://faculty.kutztown.edu/trolling