In 'Season' and Out - The Aging Gospel Voice

This is a response to a request from Sonja in America who wanted some tips on caring for the 'seasoned' voice within a choir setting.

I was about to fire off a list of tips and techniques to answer her questions when it occured to me that, just like the adolescent voice, the seasoned voice experiences significant changes as it ages too. So, before i could answer i needed, no wanted, to understand the occurances that happen to the voice  in later life then apply the best vocal exercises to help over come general vocal problems  for a seasoned singer within a gospel  choir.

Before i start though it is important to note that the tips I  share  below are based on 1, that the voices in the choir have no underlying medical problems, ie asthma, throat infection, voice dysfunction etc, 2, they are given without me being present to hear  and see the choir and 3, they are not the be all and end all to vocal exercises for the aging voice.

My Top  Tips and Exercises for  the Aging Voice

1. As the voice ages, the quality of singing may alter, especially in tone.

In particular the female voice lowers and the male voice gets a bit higher.

A good choir director  would need to take this on board when warming up voices for singing.

Do a bit of research into the aging voice, so you can understand the changes that occur as we get older. This will make it much easier for you when someone says they can't hit that note or they are unable to find the pitch you want.

2.  Male and Female Vocals differ anatomically.    Male vocal cords are generally thicker and longer and the female vocals are generally shorter and thinner. So, when warming up, split the choir into male and female and give them exercises according to their pitch ie lower pitch for the men and slighty higher pitch for the women.

Warming up within their range will optimise their vocal skills.

Singers can then be rearranged back into sections as necessary.

 

3.  The aging voice thins out with time. Also the supporting muscles can become weak.  So, the approach needs to be softly softly, gradually building towards a strong consistant choir sound.

Start with easy exercises that do not stress the voice, then build to more challenging exercises that help strengthen the individual voice.

4. As we age our lungs shrink so we have less lung capacity to manage breath support.

So for this i am going to suggest something completly off the wall.  Start an aerobics class for the choir members!   I know this sounds daft, but in fact it is a great way of maintaining great breath support in the seasoned vocalist and of course it builds comaraderie amoungst the choir.

Run the club once  month, where everyone meets up to gently work out to favourite gospel songs or even better sing the  choir songs.

Of course , it doesn't have to be aerobics, it can be a walking or jogging club !

5. Warming up IS singing.  Do not underestimate  the importance of warming up. It is the difference between a 'so so' choir who can sing for a few minutes before losing vocal quality and an awesome choir, who can sing for hours on end and still walk off stage without so much  as a crack or blimp in their voice.

An ideal Warm-up routine for the  'Seasoned' Choir

Split the choir into men and women if it helps.

The emphasis is on gentle approach rather than volume or force.

Volume or 'power' comes once the voice is fully warmed up. Do not push  or force it.

Resonance

Start with low pitch humming.  (Buzzing bee)

Gradually form the sound into a   'mee'

From a 'mee', focus the sound into a 'ng', towards the back of the nose.

Do this for about 15mins

Breath Support

Give the choir a piece of scripture to read aloud while you stand as far back as you can. 

If you can't hear them they are not engaging their support.

Tip: Ask them to speak from their belly button.

Use lip trills to help balance the breath with the voice.

Posture

We are kings and queens in Christ so why not stand like that. Encourage your vocalists to hold their instrument with command and majesty to open the body's frame.

Range

Starting on a low pitch, slide up on on the 'ng' sound. Reverse to slide down on the 'ng' sound from a higher pitch. Then do the same on  mee, moo and mah. 

Gently vocalise on  arpeggios (1,3,5 on a major scale) to extend the range.

Tip: Get the members to put their fingers on their chin so the jaw does not move and  they will not be tempted to 'pull' up.

More Tips

Move people into their correct section. If they are struggling to sing soprano, chances are they are not soprano. If alto, feels to low move them up to soprano so they can access their head/mix voice easier.

Release tension in the voice by utilising the vocal fry.  Vocal fry is a low gravelly sound made on the 'ahhhh'.  Read more about vocal fry here.

Keep the vocals hydrated during rehearsels.   Because the natural mucous that lubricates the vocal cords reduces with age, drinking water helps to keep the area hydrated and moist.

Overall, if you are a choir director it is worthwhile getting some training with a vocal coach so you can learn a bit more about the voice and how it works. Perosnal Training will help with how you coach your choir and also give you the most important tool of all: How to LISTEN  to the voice.

Listening provides the crucial difference between good vocal technique and bad vocal technique.    But as long as the following rules are applied the exercises above are a good place to start.    

Do not push voices.

Do not force voices to scream.

Start gently then build up gradually.

Sonja, I hope this helps you with your choir. Let me know how you get on.

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