At 5:24 PM -0700 7/21/05, Richard Yates wrote:
> "Association spokeswoman Amy Lear said the group
enacted the rule two years ago because of concerns
that girls auditioning for tenor parts were hurting
their voices by singing too low.
This, then, is the crux of the reasoning. These questions about the claim
then follow:
Are such concerns valid? Is there evidence for this claim?
I've argued that some girls' voices really do function healthily in
that range, but by the same token the "average" girl's voice should
not be attempting to sing low Cs and Ds. Not to pull a Bill Clinton
here, but the real crux is what the meaning of "hurting their voices"
is. If one is invoking physical damage, rather than simply not
meeting some arbitrary standard, then any such damage pales in
comparison with the damage done by cheerleading without excellent
vocal habits. About 30 years ago, one of the appropriate departments
at Indiana University examined the vocal mechanisms of a large number
of cheerleaders who were on campus for cheerleading camps during the
summer. They found some physical damage in 100% of the subjects they
examined, and permanent damage in a frighteningly large percentage.
Trying to sing tenor will NOT produce such results! Much more damage
can be done by asking young, partially-trained singers to sing opera
arias that are beyond their present technique! Yes, I've heard it
done, and shuddered to hear the results. Another sure-fire danger is
smoking. Many "basses" in women's barbershop have been smoking for
20+ years.
Does the concern justify a blanket policy or is there a way to judge such
risk, if there really is any, individually?
Of course. Every applicant sings before at least one, and perhaps a
panel of judges. If those judges know their business, they can hear
individual problems. I've judged such auditions and so has my wife
several times, usually with the singers behind a screen.
Is it the TMEA's legitimate role to judge this risk or is it more properly
the school's or the parents' or even (gasp) the student's?
By and large the students don't know enough about their voices to
judge, nor do the parents, and if by "the school's" you mean the
choir teachers, it's hard to trust them completely because in too
many cases they are the very people who put girls improperly into the
alto or tenor sections because they need more voices in those
sections. Once again it is a very legitimate role for those judging
the auditions.
John
--
John & Susie Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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