Every student is different. Each student has a different set of vocal experiences, a different musical background, and his or her own physical condition related to singing.
There is no one rigid method that works for all students – methods need to be adapted to the current state of the student (and that can change from lesson to lesson)

With this in mind, it is my philosophy that it is the coach’s job to assess the student and adapt to the STUDENT, not the other way around.

This philosophy of teaching has several implications:

• a student’s unique background may be beyond a particular coach’s experience and ability
• a student’s unique background may prevent the student from implementing some of the coach’s techniques

A teacher may be better with adults than children, better with the female voice than the male, or be better with beginners than experienced students.

I had one student who could not sing in her upper range without constriction.  I was able to demonstrate for her that throat constriction was her particular problem, but she could not consistently implement the technique to correct the problem.  While I suspect this was because she already had multiple years of lessons developing this restrictive technique, I will never know if it was her inability to break the habit, or if I didn’t have the right approach to helping her do that (she gave up after a few lessons with no apparent progress).

I have also ceased to teach a student because it became obvious to me that he needed a stronger musical foundation before being able to absorb the teaching I provided.

All this being said, I follow this general path when coaching my students, moving them from stage to stage as it becomes apparent to me that their voice is ready:

1. Opening the throat and strengthening the weaker register (this happens throughout all lessons)
2. Forming a single vowel in the back of the throat on a single pitch
3. Forming multiple vowels (in the back of the throat) on a single pitch
4. Multiple vowels on multiple notes
5. Introduce consonants on a single pitch
6. Consonants on multiple pitches
7. Introduce single words
8. Singing phrases
9. Co-ordinate the vocal registers using gradually more demanding exercises
10. Blend the registers, creating a new “voice” corresponding to the overlap of the two registers

Achieving balanced and blended registers is a major milestone – it can take years, but it is similar to discovering your car can not only drive on residential roads, but you can take it on the highway and really FLY!

Upon finishing his Liberal Arts degree Bruce pursed his vocal studies at Brandon University and through a series of straining vocal events (culminating in a high velocity car accident) lost his singing voice entirely. Before the loss Bruce’s vocal coach classified him as a “Lyric Baritone”.

It had been several years since Bruce’s accident and he still could not sing, so Bruce sought out Mr. Pierce (a retired music  teacher in his late 80’s) to see if he could help.

Mr. Pierce did an initial assessment of Bruce and was confident that he could help. Unlike Bruce’s vocal coach at Brandon University, Mr. Pierce was reasonably sure that Bruce was not a baritone, but a Tenor.

Bruce’s voice had collapsed to the point where he could not make a sound above an F above middle C (whereas , pre-accident, he could do scales up to an A). Mr. Pierce worked slowly and steadily with Bruce using the techniques that he discovered from researching the old Masters from the “golden age of singing”. These techniques were unlike anything Bruce had encountered thus far, and, while a bit skeptical, there really was nothing to lose.

After about 2 years of nothing but ‘odd’ vocal exercises something astounding happened! Bruce’s voice, in one lesson, opened up and he sang his scales up to a high C! The next lesson Bruce achieve an F above high C – he had gained a whole octave in his range.

While this seemed nothing short of miraculous, this wasn’t the first time Mr. Pierce had put a broken voice back together again.

Glenn Pierce changed all that.

Mr. Pierce used most of the same methods as his comtemporary, Cornelius Reid, and after a number of months I was able to sing through the break without switching into falsetto and gained another octave (12 notes).  The “break-through”, so to speak, was sudden and dramatic.

What follows is Cornelius Reid writing about the “break” from his article “Functional Voice Training”which originally appeared in Journal of Orgonomy; Part 1 in Vol. 4, No. 2, November 1970, and Part 2 in Vol. 5, No. 1, May 1971

“Almost all voices of any stature present a problem during training because of the break occurring in the vicinity of F, above middle C. Unless this problem is resolved successfully, smoothness and evenness of scale and, consequently, a good legato are impossible achievements. The break is caused by discrepancy in the balance and development of the registers. It occurs at virtually the same pitch in all voices. With women’s voices, it will be found in the lower tonal range, and with men, in the upper tonal range. The reason for the seeming discrepancy is that women sing an octave higher than men.

While the break must be dealt with effectively during training, it must not be
looked upon as a vocal malaise. On the contrary, it is only the better-formed voices that have to face this problem, as those which are perfectly smooth in scale are limited very often to lyric singing of a sweet and pretty kind. Such voices can never sing freely until the gap in the voice has been opened and a new program of development and integration begun.
There are several ways the break can be eliminated, but, regardless of the approach selected, certain conditions must be met:

1. the mechanism must be joined at maturity, i.e., after each register has been brought to its fullest strength and development,
2. an equitable balance between them must be established so that they cooperate in their activity rather than conflict, and
3. inhibitory tensions in the form of throat constriction or perhaps faulty resonance adjustments must be eliminated.

Click the video below to view:

Vocal Registers

A “register” can be thought of like a “gear” in an automobile.  The voice has two physical registers, or “gears” – a low gear, and a high gear (Low referring to lower sounds, high for higher sounds).  In most cases, one register is significantly stronger than the other causing the voice to be out of balance.

In singers, unbalanced registers are most evident by a “break” in the voice when switching from one register to the other, and by the fact that the voice has to switch registers at all.  The benefits of balancing the registers for the speaking voice are a stronger, smoother, and more pleasing tone.

Using specific exercises designed to isolate the weaker register and strengthen it, the voice can be brought to a state where both registers can work together to complete the voice.

(For men, the upper register, often referred to as the ‘falsetto’, is the weaker. For women, the lower register is usually the weaker, but not always)

The Throat

Most of us, when attempting to either sing higher than we are comfortable or to project our speaking voice, tend to tense the muscles in our throat.  This tension puts pressure on the vocal mechanism (the ‘voicebox’ or larynx) and squeezes it to achieve the volume or higher notes.  While this may allow the singer to hit the note or the speaker to be heard, there are some significant drawbacks. First, the sound tends to be ‘tight’ or ‘strained’. When done for a significant period of time this method of vocal tension can cause damage to the vocal mechanism resulting in a sore, strained voice, and in extreme cases, a semi-permanent raspy voice due to calluses (or ‘nodes’) developing on the vocal chords.

Instead, we need to do the opposite with our throat – pull it open rather than squeeze it shut. Besides preventing injury and fatigue, the tone of the voice will deepen and warm instead of being shrill or raspy.

If we think of the voice as a wind instrument, the throat as the column or cylinder of air, then we can compare a squeezed throat to a small wind instrument, like a flute.  A flute, while a lovely instrument, will never be particularly loud, rich, or resonant.  However, an open throat is more like a clarinet or saxophone, which can both generate a rich, warm sound as well as significant volume.

Breathing

If the voice is like an automobile, then breath is the “fuel” that makes it go.  Maximizing both the amount of air one can hold and the ability to use only what is necessary for the task will allow the voice it full range of expression and power.

Breathing is controlled by a muscle called the ‘diaphragm’, which, when flexed, pulls air into the lungs.  Like muscles in our arms or legs, the diaphragm can be strengthened and trained to control our breath. Those who have done extensive scuba diving, snorkeling, or play a wind instrument usually have strong diaphragms.

Tension

Tension in the upper body has a detrimental effect on the voice.  With the vocal mechanism itself, tension in the neck and shoulders can impede the ‘voice box’ and prevent it from working to its potential.  Tension in the rest of the upper body can impede deep breathing and restrict the “fuel” needed for the voice.

An extensive warm-up routine of silent (not singing or speaking) exercises can have a significant impact on the voice and are highly recommended before a singing or speaking engagement as well as before any specific vocal training.

Any aerobic activity that engages the breathing will have a significant impact on vocal capabilities as well.

1. Big breath, exhale with “puffs”
2. Big breath, exhale one long stream
3. “Sniffs” and “puffs” while sitting on edge of chair, leaning over
4. Jaw-stretch
5. “Tongue-wag”
6. “ng-Ah” breath exercise (opens throat in sync with diaphragm)
7. Neck rub (two hands on back of neck)
8. Neck isometrics (hand beside head, push head into hand, all 4 directions, 3 times each)
9. Neck stretch to right and left
10. Stand, arm circles forward and backward
11. Stretch with both hands as high as possible
12. Stretch sides, leaning one way, then the other
13. Trunk twists
14. More isometrics: push hands together in front of body 3 times
15. Hook fingers together and pull hands apart 3 times
16. Push both hands overhead as if lifting heavy weight (essentially a shoulder press) and back down
17. Push hands / arms to sides and back
18. Push hands / arms forward and back
19. With hands at sides and shoulders rolled back, raise arms in a circle to meet above your head, then back
20. The infamous “forehead pushup”

And now you are ready to vocalise!