Where Do I Fit In?

As I was browsing ChoralNet discussions this evening, I came across an interesting topic from a high school choir director, Garrett. At first I was unsure if I should even comment on this, but after some thinking I've decided that I will share.

"Hello, colleagues!
This topic could be placed in several categoris, and I am suprised that I couldn't find this same scanrio in post history. There are two issues:

What to wear?
I have a high school aged alto who is in the beginning process of transition from female to male. She has states she feels more comfortable in a tux, but is open to what our organizaation feels is best, and would be willing to wear a dress.
Have you had experience with a sitatuion like this before? Did you have him/her match his/her section, or how she/he identifies him/herself?

Where to sleep?
How do you make room assignments with transgender singers? With their current biological sex, or the gender with which they identify?

Thank you for sharing your experiences!"


I am not transgender nor do I know anyone personally who is transgender. And although I support the LGBTQ community, I am heterosexual and don't claim to have any kind of knowledge on how LGBTQ people feel or any struggles they face.

I think the answer to the first question is obvious. Allow the student to wear what he feels most comfortable in. Since he is transitioning to male, it is obvious that he wants to be seen as such. It won't make the choir look "off" aesthetically and if that is a major concern, then have him stand next to the tenor or bass section.

The second question is more tricky. It is something that needs to be discussed with school administration and potentially the school board. If there is no policy in place, then I suggest speaking with the student and his family as well as potential roommates. I think it's safe to assume that this student is out as a transgender so his peers know. Hopefully an agreement will be reached where everyone is comfortable. If nothing seems possible, perhaps a single room would work best.

What are everyone else's thoughts on this issue? Garret, the choir director, seems accepting of his student and hopefully you all are as well.

How High Should Boys Sing?

I recently read a book titled "How High Should Boys Sing? A Study in Gender, Authenticity and Credibility in the Young Male Voice" by Martin Ashley. Although it was an interesting read, I wouldn't really recommend it as a choral resource to aspiring or current educators. My thoughts are included in this presentation.

I've also included my presentation notes. This presentation is in the Pechakucha format, which is 20 slides for 20 seconds each. Because I've used this particularly presentation style, there are very few words on my slides so I feel like it would be most beneficial if I included what I actually said. 



Check under "Read More" for my notes!

Choral Warm Up Part 2!

You'll notice from my previous post that I uploaded (quite a while ago, whoops!) some videos of a sample choral warm up. Here is the written directions that accompany the videos. Thanks to Evan for preparing it!

Choral Warm-ups (Evan Harte & Emily Wright)

• Physical: (face-lift exercise)
“Eyebrow situps” - This involves fully raising the eyebrows, relaxing them, and repeating
continuously to create awareness of the extent of the eyebrows. Next, hold eyebrows in a fully
raised position.
“Lower jaw extension” – Keeping the jaw extended low used in conjunction with raised
eyebrows while singing helps the performer communicate to the audience and makes the face
look more pleasant.
“Silent cheering” - Since shouting is bad for the voice, use silent cheering of letters of choice to
practice this “pleasant face”.

• Breathing: (breath pulse)
First off, take a deep breath. In staggered “sips”, let this breath out slowly while repeating the
syllable “ch” (note: the entire breath should take about 10-15 seconds to release; the time
interval between each “ch” sound should be quite short).
Try rhythms on this syllable (“ch”): ta, ti-ti, ta, ta, etc.

• Diction: (forward tongue/tuned continuants)
Place the tip of the tongue directly behind the teeth and say “oo, oh, ah, ae, ee” (note: remember
to keep space in the jaw/mouth for resonance).
To work on sustaining and emphasizing the consonances “m” & “n”:
Say, “moo, mo, ma, mae, mee” ; then sing it on a single pitch
Say, “noo, no, na, nae, nee” ; then sing it on a single pitch
Sing the word “Amen” on a single pitch. Hold the “Ah” syllable first. Then move to the
“Mmm” sound, holding at length. And finish by saying “men” but holding the “Nnn” sound at
length.

• Resonance:
Sing “do, re, do, ti, do” on syllables “oo, oh, ah, ae, ee”. Repeat with different starting pitches.
With this exercise, one is looking for breath energy and for sound projection.
(note: the extension of the lower jaw helps support this idea of sound projection)

• Flexibility: (broken triads up to an octave in range)
(note: sing the following on “ah” ; solfege used to indicate intervals ; start on a comfortable
pitch in mid-range)
Sing the following triad arpeggios: do, sol, me, sol (x2)
Once comfortable, add this to the above exercise: do, la, fa, la (x2)
Then, combine the above two exercises with: do, ti, sol, ti (x2)
Then, end on do just above ti in the last arpeggio. Repeat this vocal flexibility exercise on
different starting pitches (recommended: C4, D4, E4)