Workshops on the Adolescent Changing Voice
It is highly unlikely the mid-level school vocal music teacher or church musician will have a very successful program without an understanding of the adolescent changing voice. Many colleges and universities do not have a specific course for middle/junior high school majors who ultimately will teach vocal music to early adolescents. They choose instead to offer a course in secondary music which deals primarily with high school choral music and often neglects those important factors, such as the changing voice, which are unique to the early adolescent years. As a result, a workshop which addresses the attributes and limitations of the adolescent changing voice is quite popular. One finds that after a year of two of trying to survive in early adolescent music education, teachers realize they need professional help. Even seasoned teachers who have years of experience in elementary or secondary work, having taken a mid-level school teaching assignment, enroll in the workshop to enhance their likelihood of success in their new field. It is particularly helpful to instrumental instructors who might be teaching mid-level vocal music for the first time.
The main workshop, THE ADOLESCENT CHANGING VOICE, is designed to meet the needs of the participants, but among the specific topics in the curriculum most often covered in this workshop are:
The history and basic philosophy of changing voice phenomenon
The male and female adolescent changing voice
A suggested music curriculum
The voice classification procedure
Dealing with the uncertain singer
Proper vocal technique with early adolescent voices
Proper usage of rote teaching in the choral rehearsal
and general music class
Teaching music literacy (sight-reading)
Quality vocal/choral literature for early adolescents
Cambiata Institute of America for Early Adolescent Vocal Music (not to be confused with its publishing arm, Cambiata Press) co-sponsors the workshops. Workshops may be only a few hours long or up to three weeks in concentrated study. They may include in-service training sessions, ACDA/NAfME/NATS sponsored presentations on a local, regional, or national level, all-day events sponsored by local, regional, and national music stores and choral music outlets, and college and university summer and week-end workshops. The institute may also sponsor their clinicians as guest conductors for all-state, all-region, and all-city middle/junior high school and high school honor choirs.
In the college and university sponsored events where graduate and undergraduate credit is given, Cambiata Institute provides promotional material and will see that the workshop is designed to fit the specific requirements of the school. More
definitive workshops such as Dealing with the adolescent changing voice in church music, Teaching the adolescent changing voice in the vocal studio, Choral arranging for the adolescent changing voice, and Choral Literature for adolescent voices are also arranged through the Cambiata Institute and designed specifically for the needs of the inquiring host.
The Institute works with the co-sponsoring organization in sharing and/or providing the clinician's honorarium. Travel expenses, meals, and lodging are provided by the co-host organization.
Those interested in hosting an Institute sponsored workshop may contact: Cambiata Institute of America for Early Adolescent Vocal Music at contact@cambiatapress.com
