Lost Men

The worrisome outcome for male voices during and after the voice change is that they will walk away from singing.

When a young man’s voice drops, he is faced with an “upside down.” Heretofore, being the owner of a high voice he would have found himself singing the melodic line or counterpoint in treble clef. During the change itself, as the high notes begin to disappear and the speaking voice starts to lower, he is no longer able to sing the leading line; even the alto line can be challenging. Sensation and performance can vary from one day to the next.

The big drop is marked by an arrival at a speaking pitch for most male voices around A3. This is when the “blank spots” manifest themselves, and the identity crisis hits overdrive. The range of the freshly mutated male’s voice requires him to learn how to read music in a different clef in addition to all of the new sensory inputs and motor coordinations. Previous coordinations don’t always elicit the expected responses, and pitch matching could become problematic, even if the singer was competent prior to the change. These are all amplified by the continued non-linear development of the laryngeal structures, yielding outcomes that don’t please the singer’s own ears. When other athletic endeavors of the adolescent male become better with practice, but singing endeavors yield inconsistent results – through no fault of their own – the temptation to walk away from singing becomes great.

So what can be done to keep these young men engaged during this critical time? Lots, fortunately, and here in Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Choirs, youth choir directors are sensitive to these issues and have made great strides in retention.

More tomorrow!