The Voice

A person's singing voice is a very intimate thing. It takes a great deal of confidence for most people to sing in public because it's like exposing something very personal to public view.

In addition, there are cultural differences regarding singing . . in Japan, for example, group singing is very common, whereas in the U.S. it is rare, although group singing was more common in the past, before mp3 players and CDs. And, people from other countries may be less shy about singing in public.

One of the most fundamental things to know about music is that all music can be seen as generated from singing. In other words, instruments are merely extensions of the voice. In fact, in order to play an instrument well, it's necessary to use vocal-like phrases and "breathe" the music.

So, singing in public takes courage, but singing itself is absolutely the most wonderful way to express musical feeling and personal emotions. There is nothing standing in the way . . . the music pours from your heart and mind right out of your throat!

As for me, I have always loved to sing, but my feelings about my own voice have changed throughout the years. As a youngster, I loved to sing. We sang all the time - - at church, at home, at camp, at school, in the car. Eventually, I sang in choral groups at school and at church. My junior high school chorus (under Mrs. Gilmore) and my high school chorus (under Mrs. Kilpatrick) were exceptionally fine groups and I enjoyed them very much. My high school choral teacher even let me conduct the chorus in a concert. I also accompanied the chorus at times on the piano. I didn't have formal training, but I was instructed on how to breathe and to never force the voice. I loved singing! It was more immediate and easier than playing the piano or the violin.

In college, I had many wonderful choral experiences. I sang in the large chorus which performed major works, such as Brahms' Requiem and Handel's Messiah. I was also selected for the small choir that toured throughout the midwest and Eastern U.S., ending up at Carnegie Hall in New York. We sang the Liebeslieder Walzer by Brahms and I developed a fondness for the German language.

The two hardest choral pieces I ever sang were: Bach's B minor Mass and Schoenberg's De Profundis. The latter piece used a 12 tone row, which we had to be able to sing backwards and upside down, etc. It also used "sprechstimme" and it was in Hebrew!

And so, during high school and college, my voice was in great shape for singing lots of choral music, never solos. Finally, I took "Class Voice" and received vocal instruction from an actual voice teacher.

I was never really happy with the way my voice sounded by itself, even though I sang reasonably in tune and clearly. But, as a music teacher in elementary school, I was pleased that I could sing in a very simple, clear way for the children and I felt it was the best example for them. At that point, I was fairly happy with my voice in a classroom setting.

As time went on, as it always does, my voice began to deteriorate, alas. I lost my upper range, which had never been that high anyway. In retirement, I noticed that I was having a few vocal problems. My doctor sent me to a specialist. He stuck a tube down my throat to take pictures of my vocal chords. Ugh! He said there was some evidence of "acid reflux" and "post-nasal" drip and I received medications for those things. Also, he recommended "vocal therapy". I loved my vocal therapy sessions. The therapist helped me develop my breath control and learn how to support my voice and pitch my voice at the proper level. This helped a lot. She advised me not to sing, oh so sorry. Now when I work with students, occasionally, it's all ok except I really can't sing the higher notes at all.