ChoralEd: Correcting Challenging Vocal Tones

Choral directors that teach young singers regularly encounter vocal tones that require correction.  In pursuit of choral excellence and the vocal health of the student, it’s important to properly train these voices.  The following are some suggested strategies to implement when working with challenging vocal tones.

Breathy/Airy Tone

Before making corrections to a breathy tone, conductors should first consider a student’s age.  During the female adolescent voice change the glottal chink often appears preventing the vocal folds from full closure, resulting in a breathy tone.  Attempting to correct this breathiness during puberty can have adverse effects.  If breathiness in the voice remains after the voice change, consider incorporating the syllable [njæ], asking the singer to produce the sound bright and ugly.  This syllable should be used sparingly as it forces the vocal folds to close and can lead to the over adduction of the vocal folds.

Strident or Pushed Tone

Through the over adduction of the vocal folds and excess subglottal pressure, some singers may exhibit a strident or pushed tone.  Relaxation exercises are best for alleviating excess vocal tension.  A lip bubble/lip-bur (vibrating of the lips) or raspberry (vibration of the tongue protruding outside the mouth) are preferred as they require the release of tension in order to be executed correctly.  Straw phonation is a popular exercise recommended by vocologists as it promotes less impact collision and stress on the vocal folds.  For this exercise, the singer vocalizes with their lips closed around a straw.

Unsupported Tone

Unsupported vocal tones lack the required air flow and support for singing.  To address this issue, some directors incorporate exercises that activate the body (i.e., holding a squat or wall pushup to activate the abdominals).  Some directors avoid these exercises as they feel it promotes unwanted tension in the body.  Alternatives include breath activation exercises, such as singing the syllable [ha], emphasizing abdominal energy.

Nasal Tone

Nasal tones can be difficult to identify as the change in tone quality is often minimal.  In my opinion, the manifestation of nasal tones is sometimes self-inflicted through the overuse of the [m] and [n] consonants.  While these consonants are popular among choral directors for their sympathetic sensations of resonance, the constant use of these sounds regularly begin the tone with an opening to the nasal cavity that can persist into the sustained vowel sound.  To correct a nasal sound, it is suggested that conductors limit the use of these consonants.  In addition, ask students to plug their nose as they sing, monitoring for increased vibration in the fingers.

Swallowed Tone

A swallowed tone can also, at times, be a self-inflicted vocal issue through instructing students to drop their jaw and raise their soft palate. As singers produce these requests, the tongue naturally begins to retract.  Of course, this is not the only cause for a swallowed tone, but it is a cause that can be monitored and corrected.  One suggested correction is to have singers place their tongue touching the back of the lower teeth. 

To watch ChoralEd, Episode 10 on YouTube click HERE.