Abstract:

AIM: Singing is an essential foundation for Kodály-inspired music teaching and creative expression. Music teachers and choral conductors who work with adolescent girls during female adolescent voice change (FAVC) need to be equipped to understand and support their singers with sensitivity to the private struggles some singers experience during FAVC.

OUTCOME: This paper will describe female adolescent voice change (FAVC), and provide an awareness of the vocal characteristics of FAVC and the associated psychological effects as experienced during peak change, usually 12-14 years. Exercises and strategies to support affected girls will be discussed.

SIGNIFICANCE: The voice of a young girl is markedly different to that of a mature woman, yet the physiological changes producing these timbral change are under-acknowledged and poorly understood in our society. Voice change in boys on the other hand is well recognised and celebrated as a coming of age.

The literature of singing voice indicates that adolescent girls undergoing peak voice change frequently experience breathiness, discomfort, loss of core tone, and loss of vocal strength while singing. Despite being a normal process, some voices can become clinically dysphonic. Adding to the difficulties, the changes are likely to be felt much more keenly by the girls themselves than is obvious to the casual observer.

For too long, this period has been characterised as girls being ‘unwilling to sing out’ or ‘becoming shy about singing’. Understanding that this is not choice, but due to a process of puberty, enables teachers and conductors to lead with insight. Knowledge of the experiences of girls during this challenging phase of life empowers us to help them to continue to enjoy music and thrive as musicians even as they wait for puberty to pass.