By Karen Frandsen
QUESTION: I am a piano teacher, but I like my students to be able to sing pitches and melodies as well. Some students are not able to match the pitch of anything or even hear sing simple ascending/descending patterns. Are there any ways of cultivating pitch awareness?
As a singing teacher, we often encounter this situation with our younger voice students. I have found that addressing vocal register issues at first is more likely to yield some helpful results. Sometimes, the student is indeed hearing the pitches but is uncertain of how to navigate them vocally. They may use their speaking voice or chest voice to produce the vocal sound and then be unable to negotiate slightly higher pitches.
I like to begin this process with mastering the 5-note major scale, ascending and descending on F4. For most younger students (ages 5-11), middle C is in their speaking range. Some folks may find it difficult to sing through to the next register(passaggio). Typically, for most people, this change in register takes place at the pitches E flat to F#4. So, starting above the chest voice register may assist with this situation. Singing on a vowel sound at first may be tricky as well, so I usually ask them to sing stepwise on numbers, again beginning at F4- 12345-54321. And then move to skips (triad).
In addition, it is also helpful for young ones to have a good tonal model. Students who are asked to sing the scale or interval after the teacher demonstrates in their own speaking range/chest register or on the piano beginning at middle C, may have a harder time finding those upper pitches. The result may be a more monotone sound rather than a scale or the requested interval.
At first, the student may be reluctant to use that higher “head” voice. It is usually breathy and weak. To help a student find this upper voice and strengthen it, I use Semi Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises (SOVT). For these exercises, the mouth is partially closed, which creates back pressure on the vocal folds and helps them vibrate with a lower amount of effort and higher efficiency. This can potentially help to produce a clearer tone or to allow one to access their higher pitches more easily over time.
SOVT’s take the form of many exercises, including lip bubbles (lip trill), phonation through a straw, tongue trills, or even buzzy consonants like “vv” or “zz”. Students are asked to slide ascending from their lowest note to a higher note and then descend to any lower note again. There is no need to request exact pitches at first. For the participants, this is merely an exploration of the different registers available to them. Direct the student to keep the air pressure even and not too forceful.
I usually start with the straw or lip bubbles. Most students will find the straw fun and a bit of a novelty. At first, provide a paper straw that is not too thin in diameter. The student closes their lips around the straw (take care that air is not escaping around the lips), like they are singing “ooh” into the straw. Encourage the student to try a higher and lower note each time they slide, ascending and descending. Until they get the hang of it, the teacher can monitor for the even and not too forceful breath pressure. A few minutes at the start of the lesson or at home before they come to their lesson may yield results in finding new “pitches” in the students’ singing voice. After that, I would suggest having the student sing their scales or intervals on numbers, note names, or even with the straw. Adding a physical hand gesture or incorporating a bit of movement can also help students to let go. If you would like more information, I would suggest exploring the work of Ingo Titze and his research on SOVT’s (https://ncvs.org/book-purchase-voice-is-free-after-sovt) Here is Mr. Titze’s demonstration on straw phonation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asDg7T-WT-0)
