Amy - 

 

Does this student have a solid low range?  For some boys, they might not be able to hoot like an owl for a period of time.  (Sidenote - someone please correct me if this is incorrect.  The changing voice is very mysterious).

 

Just as a point of clarification, does he sing in all chest voice?  In my experience, I do not equate the "siren sound" with head voice.  Instead, I usually think of it as falsetto.  At least for me, falsetto and head voice are two different concepts.

 

In my Youth Choir at church last year, one of the boys really struggled with singing the right octave.  He would usually sing down an octave at first.  As a result, I would start him where he was comfortable and have him sing up the scale.  For example, if he had to start a passage in C Major on a G below Middle C, I would start him on a C below Middle C, then have him sing Do Re Mi Fa Sol.  After several months, he finally started singing the correct octave consistently.  This year, he has been able to do sirens and he can sing in falsetto in some warm-ups in certain parts of his range.

 

Austen

 

Amy -

You do not mention how old your student is. The voice can take a long time to settle, and boys often go through periods during which they are unable to access all the notes that might eventually be possible.  You might want to take a look at Ken Phillips' book Teaching Kids to Sing, an excellent resource, as well as John Cooksey's book on the changing male voice.  Also check Henry Leck's video Take the High Road that models a wide variety of approaches for working with changing male voices.

Good luck!

Joy

 

I'm now in my 40s and have NEVER been able to sing in falsetto. At best I have about 3 pitches, and many days cannot hoot like an owl. This after singing in choirs all my life and having studied with several teachers. I have been successful in teaching young people, mainly by quickly identifying kids who can serve as models on my behalf. I keep hoping someday the light will magically go on for me, but have really stopped trying.

 

 

Amy -- according to scientific research with both singing and non-singing boys, the falsetto begins to emerge at the midway point of the voice change process.  And, the voice change process is, paradoxically, beginning both earlier in some boys and beginning later in others than it has in previous decades. You'll find this and much more related information in the April issue of the Choral Journal, particularly in Leon Thurman's article, "Boys' Changing Voices, What Do We Know Now?"  I served as guest editor for the upcoming April and May CJ issues which explore the development of the male choral singer from adolescence to early college.  Finally, be aware that the resources suggested by others in this thread vary substantially in both content and rigor.  You might see one of my CJ articles for a starting point when trying to assess the different approaches:

 

As the conductor of a men's choir and as a voice teacher, I can tell you that there is a high number of men who cannot produce a falsetto or head voice.  In my experience, they have all been low basses, though some professional tenors have claimed to have lost their falsettos (i.e., Jussi Bjoerling, et al).  I have scoured all the literature I have been able to get my hands on, and no one addresses this phenomenon satisfactorily.  I have queried otolaryngologists and other voice health professionals, viewed/heard scopings of such men and can come to no other conclusion that there is no concrete understanding for a lack of ability to access the head voice (of which falsetto is one facet).  Have you ever heard of a woman who cannot access here high voice (apart from Ethel Mermin)?  I have not. 

 

I will eagerly watch to see if anyone has some real light to shed on this subject.

Hi Amy,

In my experience, I've come across males with similar a similar issue as well and, just as you have realized, it's not always an easy issue to resolve. There's not even a one-size fits all solution simply because everyone's voice is different. At any rate, there are a couple things that I have found to be a bit more universal, when dealing with males who struggle to engage their head voice.

To answer your initial question, I believe you're right in thinking that his voice is still changing because, at 14 years old, most boys voices haven't quite settled as yet. Your next question usually follows as well and I think that's the one where many teachers/parents hit the panic button too early and curtail many potentially great male singers, by 'leaving them alone for while.' More often than not, this 'while' turns into eternity and they never return to singing. I think what is needed is great care, so that the voice is not damaged, but like everything else related to music, the only formula is consistent practice with a teacher who knows how to handle such voices.

As you've described your student's struggle, it seems to be the general passagio issue and every one with a voice has a passagio. You student's passagio, or transition point, is where he misses those few notes and what voice students do is learn techniques to help them 'cross' their passagio without missing those notes. I've noticed that pitch glides are quite effective in helping students to connect their registers and this is what you want to work towards. I would recommend using an 'Ooo' vowel for the pitch glides, but start the glides from the mid register and then extend gradually to the higher and lower registers. This may take a while to work smoothly and as the student approaches his passagio his voice me seem to miss those notes but you should encourage him to keep the tone as light as possible, not forced at all, and eventually the registers should become more connected.

I hope this helps.

Eldon Blackman.

 

This is certainly not a very "scientific" way to approach the situation, but it's one with which I have had good results over the years. With at least a small group of other boys - to help him feel more secure and less isolated or "weird" - have them sing the "Wi-meh-wah" refrain from "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." They usually know it from having seen The Lion King (rather than from the pop charts as I learned back in the day), and they enjoy singing it. Try it in various keys. If this song doesn't bring out a falsetto or head voice, he probaby doesn't yet have it or, as stated in others' comments, may never have it.  Not very complicated but it's worked for me and my students.

Where are the young man's passaggi and register breaks?  Perhaps have him LISTEN and imitate?  Go to YouTube and search "head voice".

 

 

Hi Amy,

 

In my experience teaching adolescent males, the voice can be very erratic.  The best results (long-term) have come when I teach skills, using whatever notes, in whatever register, happen to be present at the moment.  I do not work on range and register issues during this unstable time.  I focus instead on musicianship, breathing/support, posture, and relaxation of the throat, all of which take a while to learn and will help the singer once the voice "settles down."  For a choral singer during this time, I usually say something like, "Be comfortable!  Sing the notes you can sing, and leave out the ones that don't come out easily.  Your voice is going through a transition."

 

Hope this helps!

Jay Lane

President, McClosky Institute of Voice